426 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



Dr. C. C. Miller, whom all bee-keepers respect so 

 highly, and many of whom know so well, called on 

 us when in Chicago last week. With the exception of 

 a cough which has bothered him for a few weeks, he 

 is in excellent health, and is able to do considerable 

 work among the bees as well as much writing. He is 

 one of the few old-line bee-keepers, and rightly merits 

 the title of ••Father Miller.'' While there may be 

 many Dr. Millers in the world, there is but one Dr. 

 Miller known well to bee-keepers. Not only those 

 who have a personal acquaintance with him, but all 

 who have read his helpful writings on the subject of 

 bees, hope that he may live yet many years to bless 

 the world with his cheerful presence and excellent 

 apiarian advice. 



While visiting at a friend's lately I was 

 plaj'ing- at random a fine passage from an 

 organ-book. At the close I was pleased to 

 notice that it was written by our old friend 

 Dr. Miller, whose name as a music- writer 

 was familiar to me before I ever heard of 

 him as a bee-keeper. 



MODERN FARMER. 



Mr. Abbott uses no gloves when handling 

 sharpers ; and in speaking of things that 

 are doubtful his advice is good. The fol- 

 lowing sounds like excellent counsel : 



Do not get the ginseng fever. If all reports are true, 

 there has been more money squandered in this busi- 

 ness now in this country than any one is ever apt to 

 make out of it. The circular of a company that has 

 seeds and roots to sell sa\-s that, by the investment of 

 SIOO. $50,000 can be made in ten years. One is led to 

 wonder why these fellows have not gone out of the 

 business long ago, with more money than they know 

 what to do with. They asked us for advertising rales 

 in the Modern Farmer'. It is needless to say that we 

 did not quote them any rates. 



GETTING WORKER COMB BUILT. 



" Say, Doolittle, I came over to see you 

 about having comb built so that it will be 

 worker comb. It is like this: I have quite 

 a quantity of combs left over from last year, 

 which j-ou know was a poor season, which 

 are only partly built to fill the frames, and 

 I wish the bees to complete them this sum- 

 mer, so that there will be as little drone 

 comb in them as possible. How can this 

 be done? " 



" Well, friend Smith, it can be done in 

 only one way that I know of, and that is 

 by keeping the bees so that they desire only 

 worker brood. When in this condition the}' 

 will always build worker comb." 



"Will you tell me so I can understand 

 just how this is to be done? " 



" When any colony is so weak that it has 

 no desire to swarm, during or preceding 

 the swarming season or honey-flow, such a 

 colony will invariably build worker comb 

 (so that worker brood may be reared until 

 the colony comes into a prosperous condi- 



tion), providing thej' do not have sufficient 

 comb already built. Taking advantage of 

 this fact I use all colonies which are too 

 weak to store honey to advantage at the 

 beginning of the honey-flow, treating them 

 thus: Their combs are generallj^ all taken 

 awaj' from them; but sometimes I leave one 

 comb partly filled with brood, and always 

 one of honey, giving the combs of brood to 

 other colonies so that they will be still 

 stronger for the honey harvest." 



" What do you do with the combs which 

 are taken away that may not happen to 

 have brood in them? " 



" These are stored awaj' to hive new 

 swarms on, if thej'^ are perfect worker 

 combs; if not, then they are treated the 

 same as I am about to tell you how to treat 

 those only partly filled, after j'ou have cut 

 the drone comb out." 



" Excuse m3' interrupting you. You see 

 I wanted to know all about the matter." 



" When the colony is fixed with its frame 

 of honey, or this frame of honey and one 

 having some brood in it, I next put in one, 

 two, and sometimes three frames with start- 

 ers in them, just in accord with the size of 

 the colony after I have taken their combs 

 away." 



"But that wasn't what I wanted to know. 

 I do not want to have full combs built, but 

 frames partly filled, finished out with 

 worker comb. However, I am glad you 

 touched on this matter, for now I know how 

 to get full combs built, should I wish to 

 do this instead of purchasing foundation." 



" I said what I did as a preparing of the 

 way for the other, for the method is the 

 same with the one as with the other; only 

 where frames partly filled with comb are 

 to be built out, the comb of brood is not left 

 in the hive." 



" Why don't you leave it now as well as 

 with the building of full frames? " 



" Because, where the bees are to fill the 

 frame with comb from the starter, there 

 will be no place for the queen to lay till 

 thej' build the cells, only as she so laj's in 

 the remaining cells in the comb only par- 

 tially filled with brood; and as she had all 

 the room she needed before the combs were 

 taken away from her colony, this sudden 

 stopping of her laying would be an injury' 

 to her. But where partly filled frames are 

 given she will have all the room she needs 

 after the brood is taken, as well as before." 



"I see the point now. Is the frame of 

 honey as necessarj' with these partly filled 

 frames as before? " 



" Yes. In all cases I see that each of 

 these colonies thus building comb has a 

 frame well filled with honey; for should 

 storms or cloudy windy weather come on at 

 this time they would build no comb of any 

 amount, and might starve; while with the 

 frame of honey they will go right on con- 

 verting that honey into comb, storm or no 

 storm. ' ' 



"How soon will thej' fill out the frames 

 with comb? " 



" If the right number of frames is given 



