862 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15 



the same material used in the nest. They 

 are, undoubtedly, great workers, and very 

 industrious. I have seen several colonies of 

 these little bees, but I could not get to see 

 any of their honey or comb. The Mexicans 

 tell me that, if you disturb them, they are 

 very vicious, and sting much worse than the 

 common bees. But they are very easily 

 subdued with smoke. They are much quiet- 

 er in yards than the common bee just so 

 long as they are not bothered. 



At Brownsville, bee-keeping is almost in 

 its infancy. The Mexican's favorite hive is 

 a shipping-box that holds two five-gallon 

 cans of coal oil. They knock the bottom 

 and top off, and tack cloth on the edge and 

 lay it down on its side. When that box is 

 filled they add another one in the same way. 

 I have seen as many as five boxes filled by 

 one colony. There are two or three Ameri- 

 cans who have a few hives with movable 

 frames, but they are beginners. 



Corpus Christi, Texas, June 17. 



A VENTILATED DANZENBAKER BOTTOM- 

 BOARD. 



A 5x8 Section Holding 2 Lbs. of Honey. 

 BY H. L. LUCE. 



You sketch and comment upon a ventilat- 

 ed bottom-board, page 316. I have been 

 studying ventilation, and will give my meth- 

 od, using the Danzenbaker bottom-board. 



I bore two l|-inch holes centered 3i in. 

 from back end; 2 or 2 J in. apart, cover holes 

 on inside with wire screen, and place an or- 

 dinary wooden button of § lumber, 2X6, 

 fastened with a |-inch screw at the center, 

 under the bottom, so that both holes may be 

 closed with the one button. It is easily ac- 

 cessible, and the ventilator can quickly be 

 opened or closed, wholly or in part as occa- 

 sion demands. 



I believe if J. L. Barfield, pages 490 and 

 667, would give this wide-open ventilator a 

 trial, thus helping to cool off a swarm just 

 hived, he would have no trouble with bees 

 coming out. 



I think this ventilator should be kept 

 closed except when first hiving a swarm ; 

 and as hot weather comes on, and a strong 

 swarm shows a tendency to cluster out, then 

 give an opening to the ventilator as the 

 swarm, location in sunshine, weather, etc., 

 seem to require. 



I think that, by the use of this ventilator, 

 clustering out and loafing on hot days can 

 be relieved, and along the same line the 

 swarming fever held down very largely, es- 

 pecially with the use of the ten-frame Dan- 

 zenbaker, and locate in shade after 10 o'clock, 

 giving plenty of room above. 



I can not refrain from joining with Virgil 

 Weaver, page 596, in his plea for a larger 

 package of comb honey. While I do not 

 fancy the tin-pail package, I do think it 

 very important that we find a large package. 

 My idea would be for a 2-lb. one-piece 



grooved section, 5X8 inches. I believe the 

 adoption of this alone would nearly if not 

 wholly double the consumption of comb hon- 

 ey, and it could be easily done, for very 

 many honey-producers are now using the 

 plain 4x5 section, and the 5X8 section 

 could be used in the same supers without 

 any change or trouble ; then any size of car- 

 ton could be used, holding 2, 3, or 4 sections, 

 making a 4-lb. or 6-lb. package; and, more 

 than that, I am of the opinion that bees 

 would work much more readily in the larger 

 section than in the little cramped 1-lb. sec- 

 tion. Does not Mr. Townsend imply the 

 same, page 594? I fancy they might not be 

 so much inclined to sulk; and I think more 

 honey could be stored, as all the bees could 

 be kept constantly at work. 



There seems to be one drawback to get- 

 ting this one-piece 5X8 section, for I have 

 tried three or four factories this spring, and 

 they all tell me their grooving-machine will 

 not take so long a piece. Now, Mr. Root, 

 will you not get a new machine made that 

 will make this section? If so, I am your 

 customer for all I can use, and I know I can 

 sell the 5X8 section here too. It ought to 

 prove to be economy, too, for the 5X8 ought 

 not to cost much more per 1000, and would 

 hold 2000 lbs. instead of 1000 lbs. If you 

 will get out this section you may send me 

 the first 1000. 



Inavale, Neb., June 21. 



[In moving bees to an outyard these two 

 holes in the bottom-board, as you describe, 

 would come in good play; but generally it 

 would be cheaper and more practicable to 



Eut four i-thick blocks (one at each corner) 

 etween the bottom and hive-body. When 

 the swarm calms down, or the weather 

 turns cool, remove them. 



The bees will certainly take to the large 

 sections (5X8), but the average market 

 would not receive them as kindly.— Ed.] 



WHAT IS THE U. S. GOVERNMENT DOING 

 FOR BEE-KEEPING? 



With Photos by the Author. 



BY REV. D. EVERETT LYON, PH. D. 



Believing that it would be of great inter- 

 est to the readers of Gleanings to know 

 from an eye-witness, and to see from photo- 

 graphs taken on the spot, what the U. S. 

 Government is doing for apiculture, the 

 writer was sent to Washington in May, at 

 the expense of The A. I. Root Co., and the 

 following is an account of that tour of 

 investigation: 



Upon arriving in Washington, D. C. on 

 the afternoon of Tuesday, May 22d, I at 

 once hurried over to the office of Mr. Frank 

 Benton, the head of the Division of Apicul- 

 ture, to make final arrangements for an 

 inspection of the government apiary. Mr. 

 Benton greeted the writer in a most cordial 

 manner, and in our association together on 

 that and the following day impressed me as 



