1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



315 



free from it for several years. But I had a 

 bad fall from a ladder, and the mash-up I 

 got brought it all back. Then I seemed to 

 get rid of it again gradually until I moved 

 here, where I took malarial fever, and then 

 the old rheumatism was as bad as ever. I 

 think this time it was the moving to a new 

 location which is on low ground. 

 Porsmouth, O., Jan. 30. J. Hammond. 



[Still your experience does not show that 

 the stings did not help to alleviate. Your 

 trouble came back because of other condi- 

 tions. —Ed.] 



THE DE LUXE TIN BOXES FOR COMB HONEY. 



I can hardly conceive of these ever coming 

 much into use in either the United States or 

 Canada— rather too much work, I should 

 judge, in a country where help is as costly 

 as here. It has occurred to me, however, 

 they could be made desirable for holding 

 sections themselves. Make them to hold not 

 more than 11 oz., and, better yet, half a 

 dozen. When decorated as those you have 

 illustrated, there would be no need of glass. 

 Those who desire it could have their name 

 and address on them, or they could be nice- 

 ly labeled, as are many boxes found on the 

 market. The no-drip feature could be easi- 

 ly made by a fold in the tin. I should judge 

 that they could be made so as not to cost 

 more than if as much as the kind in use at 

 present. One to hold six dozen sections 

 would no doubt help to sell them in this 

 quantity instead of single sections. It would 

 be interesting to know what they could be 

 made for. Where the wood and glass shipping- 

 cases are repacked in a larger case, these 

 tin ones would have an advantage of a sav- 

 ing in freight, and would take up less room. 

 It would not be necessary to make them hon- 

 ey-tight. How is this done with those de- 

 scribed? Would not the candying feature be 

 objectionable when used as described, es- 

 pecially when extracted honey is put in to 

 make up the light weights? and would that 

 liquid honey find its way up into the empty 

 cells? It seems to me that it would not only 

 be slow but mussy. G. A. Deadman. 



Brussels, Ont., Canada. 



formaldehyde cure for black OR PICKLED 



BROOD; wintering bees underwater. 



I see in Gleanings that some bee-keepers 

 claim formaldehyde fails to cure black, foul, 

 or pickled brood. I think they do not use it 

 strong enough or do not use enough. Three 

 years ago I lost 37 colonies. I had never 

 seen any foul or black brood, but the offen- 

 sive odor gave it away. On examining I 

 found from three to five combs in every hive 

 that had from ten to twenty-five cells on 

 both sides of the combs, generally opposite 

 or nearly so, often more on one side than 

 the other, the capping dark and sunken, the 

 bee shrunken and pickled, seldom ropy, but 

 smelling like a glue-pot or a burnt bacon 

 rind. I took every frame, scraped off all 

 the propolis, then took a No. 8 finishing nail, 

 uncapped each cell and took the bee out; then 



I took out one end of an old hive and hung 

 it on hinges, making a door; lit my oil-lamp 

 with a four-inch wick, and put it inside the 

 empty hive; then took a round tobacco-can 

 with a flat bottom, poured in half a pound of 

 liquid formaldehyde, and placed it over the 

 lamp; then put on another empty hive; then 

 I tiered up seven hives, stopping each en- 

 trance, and covered the top with a thick 

 quilt. Occasionally I would open the door 

 where the lamp was, and see how it was 

 progressing. Where all was evaporated I 

 removed the lamp, then let them stand six 

 hours, then set them out to air. Since I 

 have put swarms in those hives I have seen 

 no more black or pickled brood. But it was 

 a very offensive-smelling job. You can 

 hardly wash the glue smell from your hands. 

 My hives were full of honey in the fall. In 

 the spring the bees were dead, and not a 

 drop of honey. My opinion is, a colony with 

 foul brood will use three times the amount 

 of honey that a healthy one will. 



Again, we see it advocated that bees must 

 have a dry place to winter in. Last year I 

 got caught out. Winter set in early, and. 

 being a carpenter, I had a large house to 

 finish which took me till the 15th of January. 

 My bees were 3^ miles from the cellar, and 

 I was afraid to move them. Part of them 

 were on low ground. There came a thaw 

 and then a freeze, so the water could not settle 

 away, freezing two or three inches of ice in 

 and around the hives. I tried to get them 

 up; but it was three weeks before I got 

 them up; but I gave them air from the top. 

 Every one of the submerged colonies came 

 out all right in the spring, and those that 

 were on high ground froze to death. If any 

 one wants to try the experiment he can. 

 This year my bees are in the cellar, and as 

 quiet as kittens. Calvin Chain. 



Sparta, Mich., Jan. 24. 



[You do not say whether those hives that 

 you tiered up contained infected combs or 

 not. If not the disinfection of the hives 

 alone would not prove any thing, as not one 

 in a hundred would transmit the disease 

 without treatment. — Ed.] 



SUCCESSFUL indoor WINTERING WITH BEES 

 SHUT IN THE HIVES. 



I put my bees (38 colonies) in my house 

 cellar Dec. 12. I had no way of making a 

 partition to darken the cellar, so I put a 

 block across the entrance and shut them in. 

 I put two 2x4's up edgewise on the cellar 

 bottom, and just piled the hives up three 

 deep. I took them out to-day for a fly, and 

 found every one practically as good as when 

 they were put in. They are in eight-frame 

 Dovetailed hives and several of them weigh 

 60 to 65 lbs. to-day, and are practically full 

 of bees. I did not weigh any when I put 

 them in, but they seemed to be as heavy to 

 carry as when they went into the cellar. I 

 don't see how any man who keeps bees can 

 afford to winter outdoors when it takes 20 

 to 30 lbs. of honey, and then lose half of 

 them. Our cellar is very dry. We are lo- 



