386 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



of sug-ar made into syrup; but in all other 

 apiaries I was compelled to feed inside the 

 hives on account of neighbors' bees. 



Of course, in the apiary tirst mentioned, 

 some colonies got more than others, as is 

 the case in any honey-flow; but all £;:ot 

 some, and enouq-h, while some that needed 

 it were skipped by the plan of individual 

 feeding-; hence the best results were obtain- 

 ed b3' the open-air plan. Is there an^-thing- 

 more successful than success? People liv- 

 ing- where it is rain\', cool, and cloud.v dur- 

 ing- October, must not confound these condi- 

 tions with ours here in Colorado, where it 

 is sunny and drj' and hot during- the day 

 time, so that sug-ar syrup can be ripened 

 and sealed up like natural stores, even in 

 October. 



Longmont, Col.. April 11. 



[It is true that the matter of locality has 

 a g-reat bearing- on this question of starters 

 versus full sheets for the brood-nest. Bees 

 are much more inclined to swarm during a 

 light honey- flow that continues on from daj' 

 to day than when the nectar comes down 

 with a rush. If what you say is true. I 

 should suppose that in Texas, at the begin- 

 ning of a honey-flow, or just prior to the 

 heayj- part of it, the bees would build store- 

 combs; but after the season realh- begins, 

 then they would build worker. In a warm 

 ciimate, where the honey- flow is moderate, 

 just enough to incite swarming, and the 

 season prolonged, it might be advisable to 

 use full sheets. 



I should be glad to hear from others on 

 this question on which there seems to be so 

 much variance of opinion. If we work at 

 the problem a little longer we shall be able 

 to harmonize the opinions of all. Mr. Gill 

 has possibly explained why there is this 

 conflict of opinion. 



As to feeding outdoors, while you maj' be 

 able to practice it in your locality at cer- 

 tain seasons, there are hundreds of others, 

 in other localities, who had better let it 

 alone entirely. It is alwav-s attended with 

 the danger of a general uproar in the apia- 

 ry. "We can feed in this locality a verj' 

 thin syrup made of grape sugar and water; 

 but we have never been able to feed with 

 any degree of safety a syrup made of granu- 

 lated sugar and water — at least not so strong 

 a mixture as you used, or we should have 

 a fearful uproar. I think it is a safe rule 

 to saj' that the average beginner, in our lo- 

 cality at least, had better feed in the hive, 

 and that, too, toward night, so as to give 

 the bees a chance to take in the syrup and 

 get down to their normal condition after the 

 excitement of the inrush of feed that comes 

 from some mysterious place. 



I well remember an experience I had at 

 an outyard where I attempted to feed in the 

 open air. Father had cautioned me against 

 doing any feeding of that kind. But I want- 

 ed to learn for myself, and I did. Xo fact 

 in mj- experience stands out more clearly 

 than that. The j-ard was about a quarter 

 of a mile from the road, but none too close. 



I fed in the open air. In the space of about 

 half an hour I had the worst fighting and 

 robbing, at almost every entrance in the 

 apiary, I believe, I ever saw. There was 

 a perfect pandemonium; and sting — I never 

 saw all the bees of an apiary so vicious be- 

 fore. I took my bike, after contracting the 

 entrances down, and left the apiary in a 

 hurry. I came back the next daj- to see if 

 things had quieted down, which they had 

 to a certain extent; but for days and weeks 

 afterward I had to exercise the utmost cau- 

 tion. The bees had had a good taste of 

 stolen sweets: and whenever a bee got a 

 sip of honej- from anv hive I was working 

 on it started a rumpus. The high key of a 

 few bees would start the whole apiary al- 

 most instan'er. 



Hello I here is another article alreadj'. 

 indorsing starters. — Ed.] 



A PLEA FOR STARTERS AS AGAINST FULL 

 SHEETS. 



Conditions under which Drone Comb is Built; Iden= 

 tification of Large and Small Bee- 

 keepers. 



BY F. P. CLARE. 



The article entitled "Forced Swarms,'* 

 on page 233, prompts me to request a favor 

 of v-ou. Some years ago some one suggest- 

 ed that each writer should place after his 

 signature the number of colonies he owned 

 and operated. This suggestion was not 

 acted on at all generalU', and I sugg^est 

 that with it the writer should state the 

 length of time he has been in the business: 

 thus. Jas. Smith. 10-250. Thiswould enable 

 all to give due weight to articles from men 

 who are making a success of the business, 

 and save beginners (to whom names are 

 alike, and who are in danger of being led 

 astraj') expensive mistakes. 



I am led to m^ke this suggestion bj' that 

 article from ^. K. M. Who is he? Where 

 located? How many colonies does he oper- 

 ate? are questions that suggest themselves 

 on reading over his article in which he 

 takes such decided ground against the use 

 of "starters." One is led to think that he 

 is either a beginner or a hard-up founda- 

 tion-manufacturer, and in any case a rash 

 writer; or, Mr. Editor, is it "locality"? 

 Here in Ontario, if queens are vigorous we 

 have no difficulty with an excess of drone 

 comb, if the brood-chaviber is restricted to 

 five L. frames, or one section of the Hed- 

 don hive. As to the hordes of hungry 

 drones eating up the surplus, we can point 

 him to a yield of 200 lbs. to the colon}', and 

 not a comb in the yard but was built from 

 a starter. Mr. Doolittle has pointed out 

 again and again the conditions that lead 

 bees to build drone comb (lack of storage 

 room or a failing queen). "Forewarned 

 is forearmed." Have the conditions right. 

 But 3'ou may sav', "That is the sticker." 

 Not at all. As you clip the queens in May, 

 mark those hives whose queens are clipped; 



