912 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



result here shown. If there was ever an 

 evidence that raw beginners can be taught 

 to handle bees, without tear, in a single 

 lesson, it is presented right here. 1 was 

 under the impression that not a sting had 

 been received; but I learned afterward that 

 one or two of the teachers, accidentally 

 pinching a bee, had received a pointed re- 

 minder; but, in strict obedience to orders, 

 •each kept perfectly still, brushed out the 

 stmg like a veteran, and held up his (or her) 

 frame as if nothing had happened. Several 

 little lectures were delivered that day to 

 the company, and question after question 

 was fired at the speakers. Never was a 

 more appreciative audience at the Home of 

 the Honey-bees. 



Most of the teachers had supposed that 

 such a thing as manufactured comb honey 

 was everywhere in evidence in the market; 

 but before they left we took pains to see 

 that every one of them was carefully in- 

 structed on that point. They all promised 

 to refute the lie on every occasion present- 

 ed, and there is no doubt that they will. 



Referring to Dr. Bigelow again, perhaps 

 I ought to mention that he is the one who 

 wrote the article on the "Educational 

 Hive." This article appeared on page 476 

 for May 1st, this year. He has made this 

 particular subject a special study in order 

 that he may instruct teachers and educators 

 generally how to learn bee-life from the 

 standpoint of the nature student. 



As a lecturer he was pronounced, by the 

 teachers present that day, as an unqualified 

 success. Indeed, I can personally certify 

 that he had every one fired up to the high- 

 est pitch of bee-fever; and wherever he 

 goes I understand he delights his audiences. 

 He has had many calls for lectures in differ- 

 ent parts of the country; and if any of our 

 readers should be in the vicinity where he 

 will speak they should be sure to avail them- 

 selves of the opportunity of hearing him. 

 While he does not profess to be a practical 

 bee-man, yet from my visit with him for a 

 few hours I saw that he had delved into 

 departments of bee-lore *never dreamed of 

 by the practical bee-man. He has promised 

 to write some articles for Gleanings, which 

 I think will not only interest but instruct 

 some of the old veterans in the business. 



I nearly forgot to say that the reader will 

 see a Langstroth frame in the hands of one 

 of the gentlemen in the right foreground, 

 divided off into six divisions. These divi- 

 sions are nothing more nor less than little 

 Swarthmore frames which we put into full- 

 sized hives for filling out with honey and 

 brood preparatory to putting in the baby 

 nuclei themselves. One of these frames will 

 supply three such nuclei. And this reminds 

 me that the company here shown was in- 

 ducted into the science of queen-rearing, 

 also, from the laying of the egg to the full- 

 fledged queen-mother laying more eggs. 



It may be interesting to note in this con- 

 nection, also, that the picture is a practical 

 evidence of the gentleness of the red-clover 

 strain as reared at the Home of the Honey- 



bees. At almost any time one may go 

 through this yard without fear of a sting, 

 although there are times when, of course, 

 it is advisable to wear a veil. 



The large evergreens in the rear consti- 

 tute a windbreak on the north. A similar 

 windbreak, not shown in the picture, is on 

 the left, or what is the west side of the 

 yard. One corner of the main building just 

 barely appears in the picture on the right. 



BEES AND A "CABIN IN THE WOODS. 



Producing Comb and Extracted Honey in the 



Same Super ; Chunk Honey instead of 



Section Honey. 



BY MILLARD A. HUDSON. 



In August, 1898, I discovered a small clus- 

 ter of bees on a rail fence. A hasty inves- 

 tigation showed that they had been deprived 

 of their beautiful home, a fine large beech- 

 tree, by robbers who had carried away a 

 tubful of honey, bee-bread, young bees, and 

 sawdust. I was informed that, if I wanted 

 the bees, I could have them. As I had no 

 hive, a pine shoe-box was converted into a 

 temporary hive by sawing a V-shaped notch 

 in the edge and fastening some of the pieces 

 of comb on the inside. This was then turn- 

 ed upside down on a board. With the aid 

 of a little smoke from some burning rags 

 the bees were driven into the box, which 

 was then carried and placed in our front 

 yard, which was on the other side of the 

 "cabin" at that time. We now live in a 

 new and up-to-date cabin, and this one is 

 used for honey-house and shop. The next 

 year (1899) I did not get any swarm nor any 

 honey. 



The following winter I was seized with a 

 desire to learn something about bees and 

 how to handle them with profit. The ABC 

 of Bee Culture was sent for, and also Glean- 

 ings, and several catalogs of supplies were 

 obtained. After a thorough search of the 

 catalogs and the ABC, an eight-frame 

 Dovetailed hive, with Ideal super and self- 

 spacing frames, was the one decided upon 

 and ordered. In June, 1900, a swarm is- 

 sued from the pine box, and clustered high 

 in an apple-tree. The new hive was brought 

 out, and, after much climbing and sawing- 

 off of limbs, they were finally hived. This 

 was my first attempt at hiving bees; and 

 since it was not a very pleasant one I decid- 

 ed to clip the wings of her royal highness, 

 which I did according to the ABC. While 

 I have not depended on swarming for in- 

 crease, this clipping has been a source of 

 satisfaction to me. In 1903 I sent for a 

 queen to replace the old one; but after an 

 examination of her colony, and seeing such 

 full frames of brood, and conditions better 

 than in any of the others (I now had seven) , 

 the old queen was not beheaded, and the 

 new one was at once allowed her freedom 

 on hatching brood taken from this old colo- 

 ny. Several of my colonies were started 

 from brood taken from this same colony, 



