1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1563 



I want of a bee-book but to tell me the 

 thiugs I do not know? Had they told me 

 about these queen-cell cups I would not have 

 wasted all the time I did in watchmg that 

 colony. What kind of queen-cells are those 

 which denote swarming? " 



"They are such as are lengthened out till 

 they are from i to J inch deep, and in which 

 you can see eggs or larva^ with royal jelly 

 'in. When you'find such as these, and from 

 this stage on to the completed or sealed 

 queen-cell, then you may know that the 

 bees either intend to swarm soon, or else 

 that thev are calculating to supersede then- 

 old queen. If you find such as these during 

 the swarming season you will naturally ex- 

 pect swarming, as very few colonies super- 

 sede their queens during the swarming sea- 

 son. "" , . T ., .. 



" When do thev do their supersedmg.' 



"Mainly after the swarming season is 

 over or at the close of the white-honey har- 

 vest, though quite a few will be superseded 

 before the swarming season has fully ar- 

 rived But my experience is that five queens 

 will be superseded between July 20 and Au- 

 gust 20, in this locality, to where one is at 

 any other time of the year, and the dates 

 given are for the time which usually comes 

 between the basswood flow and that from 

 buckwheat." „ ^ t 



"Well, that helps me out a little. But i 

 think the books ought to mention the mat- 

 ter that no swarms need be expected from 

 the finding of queen-cups." 



"I think that such mentioning m a prom- 

 inent way might be a good idea, and help 

 the novice to understand matters rather 



naore fully." ^ ji i- i 



"A moment or two ago you spoke of fincl- 

 ino- ewgs in queen-cells. Now I want you to 

 tell me how I can find eggs, not only m 

 queen-cells, but in any of the cells m the 

 hive. I am often puzzled in this matter, as 

 my eyesight is not very good." . 



'"In hunting for eggs it is best to do it on 

 a sunshiny day, and always turn the back to 

 the sun. or toward the brightest part of the 

 sky when the sun does not shine. No per- 

 son no matter how good the eyesight may 

 be. can well see the eggs of the queen-bee m 

 the bottoms of the cells when he stands fac- 

 ing the sun and holds up the comb so that 

 the cells containing the eggs are in the 

 shade. Turn your back to the light, and 

 hold the comb' so that the rays of the sun 

 can strike the bottoms of the cells you are 

 looking into, when you will see the little 

 eggs, about a. sixteenth of an inch long, and 

 as large around as a tine sewing-needle, at- 

 tached to the bottoms of the cells." 



"Well. I guess I see my mistake; but I 

 may not be able to see so small a thing, even 



then." ^ . , 



"A pair of quite strong spectacles can be 

 used profitably, as a sort of magnifying-glass, 

 for such and similar examinations. Former- 

 ly I did not use such; but since my eyes be- 

 gan to fail I do not try to see eggs or small 

 larvfe without glasses. With glasses, and 

 turning your back to the light, and allowing 



the light to shine in the bottom of the cells, 

 I do not think you will have any further 

 trouble along this line." 



"Thank you. Now another question: In 

 handling bees it often happens that I get 

 honey on my fingers, and then I am sticking 

 to every thing I touch. I have tried to wipe 

 the sticky stuff off on the grass, but it does 

 little good. What do you do when you get 

 daubed with honey in such a way?" 



"Every well-regulated apiary, no matter 

 if it does' not contain more than five colonies, 

 should have water standing or running in it, 

 and a towel near by, for just the purpose of 

 washing the hands, and the tools used during 

 the manipulation of bees, for the operator is 

 liable at almost any time to get either his 

 hands or the tools used daubed with honey: 

 and I know of nothing more annoying than 

 to try to work further with the bees when any 

 thing that must be used is daubed with honey. 

 As soon as you get through with that which 

 is necessary to have honey on it for the time 

 being, wash the hands, tools, etc., and wipe 

 them, and your trouble is all over." 



"What do you keep standing water in for 

 this purpose?" 



"The nicest thing I know of is a length or 

 joint of glazed water-pipe, such as is used 

 for bridges or sluices to carry water under 

 the highways of our country I'oads, and for 

 sewers, etc." 



"How do you fix one of these so it will 

 hold water?" 



"Take three parts of sand and one of 

 Portland cement; stir well together while dry, 

 so as to mix thoroughly. Now dig a hole of 

 suitable size in the ground in a handy place, 

 when you will wet the sand and cement till 

 of the 'consistency of mortar for using, then 

 you will pour it "into the hole you have dug, 

 and then set one end of the glazed water- 

 pipe in the concrete and leave it to harden. 

 When fully set or hardened, you will have 

 something "which will hold water like a cis- 

 tern, will not rust or corrode, and you can 

 empty it at any time you desire by tipping 

 it over, as the concrete will stick to the pipe 

 rather than to the dirt of the hole." 



"Would not an earthern jar do as well?" 

 "It would be the next best thing to what 

 I have described. The only disadvantage 

 would be that a jar of the same capacity 

 would cost much more, and, being so much 

 lighter, it would be more liable to get broken. 

 sTther one should be made free from water 

 during the freezing period of the year, as 

 the action of frost in forming the water into 

 ice would break either. 



"One more question and I will be going. 

 You say the farmer at your out-apiary uses 

 his cellar during winter, while your bees are 

 in the cellar, just as he pleases. How about 

 the light, when the doors and windows are 

 used? Do you partition off the part of the 

 cellar in which the bees are, so the light can 

 not reach them?" 



"No. I pay no attention to the light, fur- 

 ther than to set the hives so that the entrances 

 face the rear cellar wall. The door leading 

 into the cellar is in the front wall, together 



