450 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



g^ive 5 cts. per colony to have them insured 

 to be all right in spring if the cellar will 

 winter potatoes without freezing- or sprouting 

 too much. I have had cellars with two feet 

 of water in a part of the winter, and never 

 less than four inches; and seldom is a cel- 

 lar so I can not make a mud ball from the 

 bottom. Get the temperature right for po- 

 tatoes; arrange j'our hives in a perfectly 

 dark corner, as stated above, and go to Cal- 

 ifornia and spend the winter, and your bees 

 will be all right next spring. 

 Meckling, S. Dak. Thos. Chantry. 



CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING; THE 

 VALUE OF RUBBER STAMPS. 



While looking over Gleanings I notice 

 on page 321 an article from J. M. Young in 

 regard to using a stamp on every thing he 

 sends out. I wish to say that I have been 

 using this method for marking my honey- 

 boxes, also my shipping-cases. I put my 

 name on each and every section taken from 

 the hives that are suitable to put on the 

 market. I also put a label on each one of 

 m\' shipping-cases besides the stamp, and 

 I find that, by so doing, I have been able to 

 build up a pretty good trade; and wherever 

 any of my honey has been sent they al- 

 ways want more of it. I put it up as nice 

 as I can, and find that I make no mistake 

 by so doing. I get from 12'/^ to 15 cts. per 

 section for it. C. H. Pettengell. 



Long Island, Kan. 



A unique plan for getting rid of ants 



AROUND A HIVE. 



I saw in Gleanings, a short time ago, 

 where a party asked how to get rid of ants. 

 My way is sure death. I take a medium 

 wide smooth board; nail a cleat on one side 

 at each end. then take honey or molasses 

 and stir in Paris green or any poison; then 

 put ,some in the center of the board at the 

 side of the cleats: then turn this side down 

 near the hive. The ants will get their fill 

 and die. The bees can not or will not go 

 under to get poison. This works well with 

 me. S. D. BuELL. 



Union City, Mich. 



[Your plan is excellent if the bees will 

 let the poisoned sweet alone. I should sup- 

 pose that they would help themselves to the 

 same dose, especially during a honey- 

 dearth. — Ed.] 



DRIVING away ants WITH CUCUMBER 



peelings. 



One of Miller's last Straws is one advo- 

 cating the use of camphor to drive away 

 ants. Now, you may smile when I mention 

 an old Scotch remedy, and an eflfective one, 

 too, in the use of cucumber peelings or 

 rinds. The lasting qualities are better 

 than camphor, and much cheaper; and I 

 don't see any thing in the substance that 

 would hurt bees. Try it and note the re- 

 sult. R. V. Murray. 



Cleveland, Ohio. 



MOTH-BALLS FOR COCKROACHES. 



May 31st, 1902, W. W. Cozart, of North 

 Carolina, asks for a waj^ to exterminate 

 roaches. If he is troubled with them as I 

 have been he will use moth-balls, and place 

 them where the vermin huddle, which is on 

 top of the hive or under — on top when a 

 false cover is on. Said balls cost 10 or 12 

 cts. per lb. I find here at the South that 

 roaches are very destructive to bees, as 

 they will eat very many. J. H. Allen. 



Box Elder, Va., April 18. 



STORING EMPTY COMBS. 



I expect to have quite a large number of 

 empty combs on hand this summer. Will 

 you please advise in Gleanings of a good 

 way of keeping them other than placing in 

 hives over or under bees? 



Ben Avon. Pa. Ben Avon. 



[Combs taken out of hives in the fall may 

 be stored in moth-proof and bee-proof box- 

 es, or stacked up in emptj^ hives, also moth- 

 proof. But if the combs have been exposed 

 in the mean time, away from bees where 

 the moth could possibly get at them, then it 

 would be necessary to fumigate them be- 

 fore putting them in closed boxes. — Ed.] 



SUBSTITUTING ALSIKE FOR RED CLOVER. 



Would it pay to go to the expense of sow- 

 ing alsike clover if you had an unlimited 

 pasturage of red clover? G. W. Bramel. 



Millersburg, Ky. 



[If you can get the farmers in your local- 

 ity to substitute alsike for red clover as a 

 matter of experiment on their part, j'ou fur- 

 nishing the seed free, I would advise you to 

 get them to do so if you can. Whether you 

 do or do not, it would be well to try alsike 

 in a field of your own. Alsike would j'ield 

 honey a week or so before red clover, and 

 would prolong your honey crop just that 

 much. — Ed.] 



A GOOD LOCAL CONVENTION. 



We had a very successful convention of 

 bee-keepers at Moberly on the 22d and 23d 

 inst. Several parts of the State were rep- 

 resented by prominent men, and we effected 

 a permanent organization, and listened to 

 quite a number of splendid bee talks. We 

 fixed the initiation fee at 60 cts. for new 

 members who may desire to join between 

 now and our next meeting", after which it 

 will be Si. 00 We now have 67 names on the 

 roll. We expect to meet again some time in 

 December. W. T. Cary, Sec. 



Wakenda, Mo., Apr. 25. 



SULPHUR FOR BEE-PARALYSIS. 



I tried the sulphur cure for bee-palsy. It 

 cured the disease in a few days, but killed 

 all the open brood in the hive. 



E. D. Howell. 



New Hampton. N. Y., April 20. 



