1084 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



ble groove and a wedge came from England; 

 and so many of our customers urged its 

 adoption that we finally put it out on the 

 market as regular, and the other manufac- 

 turers have generally followed suit. No, we 

 have had more letters expressing satisfac- 

 tion with the use of the double groove and 

 wedge than we have had with any other 

 method of fastening foundation.— Ed.] 



DOVETAILED HIVES; THEIR DURABILITY; A 

 CASE IN POINT. 



It is true, when timbers are exposed to 

 the weather across each other they are much 

 more liable to decay, page 953. But in my 

 opinion the Dovetailed hive lasts the longest. 

 I will tell you what makes me think so. 

 About twelve years ago my father bought 

 two hives— one Dovetailed and one lap-cor- 

 nered. Then he selected some good lumber 

 and made another lap-cornered hive. Four 

 years ago I started to take care of the bees: 

 then the lap-cornered hives were starting to 

 fall apart, but the Dovetailed was solid. I 

 nailed the lap-cornered hives and painted the 

 three; but the two wouldn't stay together, 

 for they were decayed; but the Dovetailed 

 is as solid as a new one yet, without any ex- 

 tra nailing. 



You have read that, when timbers cross 

 each other, each is more liable to decay. 

 I think so. But if a hive is solid, and paint- 

 ed, the paint will fill the cracks and stay 

 there; but if the hive is a little wiggly the 

 paint will crack in the corners, and the wa- 

 ter get a chance to soak in, and so the wood 

 decays. I think the more solid the hive the 

 better. I've got A. I. Root's Dovetailed 

 hives now, and they satisfy me. 



Manson, Iowa. H. F. Steckelberg. 



[Your experience is quite in line with that 

 of others who have made similar compara- 

 tive tests. For that reason I believe that 

 the dovetailed (or, more properly speaking, 

 lock corner) feature has come to stay in 

 hive construction. As it has been adopted 

 by nearly all manufacturers of bee keepers' 

 supplies in the United States, this fact alone 

 indicates pretty well its popularity as well 

 as its durability. — Ed.] 



UNITING TWO OR MORE SWARMS. 



I wish you would give the best method of 

 uniting two or more swarms -I mean swarms 

 that come out a week apart, or those that 

 are weak from any cause. I want to get 

 on to some good method whereby I can 

 unite them any time I wish, either spring or 

 fall. J. I. Earl. 



Bunkerville, Nev. 



[There is no particular difficulty in uniting 

 colonies of gentle bees. As a rule the two 

 lots can be put together without any trouble. 

 But cross bees, or extra-yellow bloods, or hy- 

 brids, will sometimes fight like hornets when 

 united. Usually all fighting will cease if the 

 bees are smoked. But we have had cases 

 where extra-yellow bees, Cyprians, and Syr- 



ians, in spite of smoke, practically annihilat- 

 ed each other. 



In uniting, of course many of the old bees 

 (if of the same yard) will return to the old 

 stand. These should be carried back again, 

 and shaken in front of the entrance. If this 

 be repeated once or twice there will be but 

 very little going back afterward. Bees that 

 have just been moved from an outyard to 

 the home yard, and before they have had an 

 opportunity to fly, can be very easily united, 

 and the two clusters will stay together. Or- 

 dinarily if there are weak colonies at an 

 outyard, and there are likewise weak ones 

 in the home yard, the two lots can be unit- 

 ed; but the out bees should, of course, be 

 put on the stand of the home bees. If they 

 be smoked a little at the time of putting 

 them in, there will ordinarily be no trouble 

 whatever. — Ed. ] 



YOUNG BROOD ATTACHED FIRMLY TO THE 

 BOTTOM OF THE CELL. 



I have two colonies of bees with an affec- 

 tion of which I see no mention in any book 

 on bee culture. Both have plentiful stores; 

 yet just before the young bees should hatch, 

 the bees drag them from the hive. On ex- 

 amination the young bees are found to be 

 adherent to the bottom of the cell. Some of 

 them succeed in getting themselves free, 

 bringing the cocoon with them firmly at- 

 tached to the extremity of the abdomen. 

 Others cut away the entire comb in trying 

 to free themselves, leaving great holes in 

 the combs. One of the colonies was infect- 

 ed from the other by giving them one frame 

 of brood, though the condition has spread to 

 all the combs in each hive. The bees drag 

 out some, while still in the pupa stage. 



Thos. J. Brown, M. D. 



Gallatin, Tenn. 



[I am not able to explain just why the 

 young brood was attached to the bottom of 

 the cells. I have seen cases of this kind, 

 but I always supposed it was due to the fact 

 that the brood had been chilled or overheat- 

 ed; but the case you describe seems to be 

 more than this. (Jonstitutionally the queen 

 may be weak, resulting in deformed bees. 

 Perhaps some subscriber can enlighten our 

 friend. — Ed.] 



THE DUAL PLAN OP INTRODUCING QUEENS. 



I have been interested in the dual plan of 

 introducing queens. When I desire to su- 

 persede a queen in a full colony, can I put a 

 caged virgin into the hive four or five days 

 before taking out the old laying queen, re- 

 leasing her at that time, and have her 

 accepted, or can this be done with nuclei 

 only? Frederick H. Harvey. 



Battle Creek, Mich. 



[Yes, you can carry out the dual plan of 

 introducing queens with full colonies, the 

 same as with nuclei. Ordinarily you can in- 

 troduce a virgin in just the way you de- 

 scribe; but the old queen should, of course, 

 be removed entirely before the young one is 

 released. —Ed.] 



