1506 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1 



sembles very much an ordinary queen-bee, 

 both in color and the general shape of her 

 body. There are probably many species of 

 bees in South America I have never seen or 

 can ever hope to see. This much is true, 

 however: That continent holds much in store 

 for the bee-keepers of the future. Only long, 

 patient, scientitic investigation will discover 

 just how much. It seems to me the way to 

 attack this problem is to distribute these 

 bees to the queen-breeders in Florida, Texas, 

 and California, for experimental purposes. 

 Probably tiuite a number would be sacrificed 

 in the venture: but we are badly in want of a 

 woi-king knowledge of the life-history of 

 these bees, and we must secure this at all 

 hazards, and I think the queen-raisers are 

 the ones to do this. It will give a new zest 

 to bee-keeping. 



A SYMPOSIUM ON HIVE-LIFTING DE 

 VICES. 



Some New-fangled Forms of em; Price of 

 Lumber. 



BY PRANK M'GLADE. 



In the September 1st issue of Gleanings 

 there appeared some illustrated articles on 

 the subject of hive-lifting devices, the reading 

 of which nearly took my breath away. Could 

 it be possiljle we have come to that, or are 

 about to? What I"ve needed was a hive- 

 holder to hold them down to the ground: and 

 as for the "supers," I've simply had to put 

 stones on them and sit on the rest to keep 

 the wind from l)lo\ving them over into the 

 next county, they were so light. 



"What I've needed was a hive-hokler to hold thtm 

 down to the ground." 



Then I thought of what a fix a fellow wcmld 

 be in if, when he was down there looking for 

 a one-winged queen, the lope would break 

 and let the whole Imsiaessdown on his head. 



That, or something similar, would be just my 

 luck. Then, again, what does a bee-keeper 

 want to be "nosing" down below if honey's 

 coming in faster than he can put the supers 

 on? If a colony is so industrious as to need 

 five or six supers they've got sense enough 

 to mind their own business, and only need 



" It costs $3.75 to look in a lumber-yard here . . . . 

 I dont go past the lumber-yard." 



to be let alone. But if the thing takes, and 

 we have to have them, why not have one 

 built stationary in the iriddle of the yard, 

 with a boom long enough to reach the out- 

 side hives, then have a gasoline-engine to run 

 it? All the bee-keeper would have to do 

 would be to stand at the machine and work 

 the lever, and the boys could do the rest. 

 I'm afraid if I were to try one it would be 

 sure to "creel" at a critical moment, and 

 work disaster. Then how would it work on 

 one of those hillside apiaries in California 

 and Nevada, where there is hardly level 

 ground to set a hive? Again, one of the 

 writers, Mr. Baily, says the whole cost of the 

 "hive-lifter" is from $2.00 to $3.00. There 

 must be some mistake here, for it costs $8.75 

 down here to look into a lumber-yard; and 

 if you go in and buy any thing, it takes near- 

 ly one corner of the farm. You can sit down 

 and figure it out and be liberal; but they'll 

 get it more every time. Then they always 

 add on that "one-fifth." That one-fifth al- 

 ways spoils my figures. I forget about 

 it, and whatever they do with that money 1 

 don't know unless it is to buy the boys ci- 

 gars, CDc. 



I don't go past the lumber-yard when I go 

 down town. I go on the other street. 



I built a little addition to my house this 

 summer, and I have al)oitt come to the con- 

 clusion that The A. I. Root Co. is about the 

 cheapest place I know of. When 1 (consider 

 there are about 125 pieces in a hive, every 

 one of which has gone under the "former." 

 all for an average of a little over one cent 

 apiece, I'm one who is not "kicking" at the 

 price. 



When I read those articles I sat down and 

 wrote to four bee-keepers in different parts 

 of the country, asking for a "postal card" 

 opinion of the" thing. I enclosed a card, the 



