1194 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



"Where trouble id expected along this line 

 it is well to lower the catcher a foot or two 

 from the hive, when they are not apt to do 

 this; and even if they do, it is no trick to 

 keep them running in by simply stirring the 

 bees immediately in front of the entrance 

 with the knife-blade." 



"Don't the bees take exceptions to such 

 treatment, and become cross and sting?" 



"Not in the least, if the stirring is done so 

 gently that no bees are injured, as it always 

 should be. In all our manipulations with 

 the bees we should use as much care as pos- 

 sible not to maim or kill our pets needlessly; 

 and if we do this there is little fear of stings, 

 and especially when hiving swarms." 



"How about the queen? ' 



"When the bees have run in to such an 

 extent as to leave the cage containing the 

 queen so it can be gotten hold of, it should 

 be lifted out and the queen allowed to run 

 in with them." 



"But suppose two or more swai'ms come 

 out at nearly the same time, what then?" 



"Allow them to cluster on the catcher, the 

 same as they would on a limb, as natural 

 swarming is conducted, only you will not try 

 to have more than the first caged queen with 

 them, holding the others in cages where you 

 can get them when wanted." 



"Yes; but how about the hiving?" 



"When they all have settled together, and 

 you have prepared and gotten in place one, 

 two, three, or four hives, in accordance with 

 what you want them to occupy, place a queen 

 in front of all except the first (as that has iLs 

 queen with the cluster on the catche. ), aad 

 proceed to hive them as I told you befure, 

 poking off enough bees m front of each hive 

 to give the proportion needed in each, allow- 

 ing the queens to run in when two-thirds to 

 three-quarters of the bees have entered the 

 hive. In this way all is done with a perfect 

 ease and certainty, or similar to the way we 

 handle stock of any kind which is kept on 

 our farms." 



BEC K&LPING 



IN THE 30UTHWEST 



LOUfS SCtiOLL 



Honey prices should hold a proper place 

 with other food stuffs, practically all of which 

 have been going up. 



It's the bee-keeper's fault if he does not 

 realize a good return for his products this 

 year. Now is a time to learn how to market 

 a crop piohtably as well as know how to 

 produce it. 



BKK-KEEPERS' EXHIBITS. 

 One feature of the July meeting of the 

 Texas Bee-keepers' Association was the dis- 



cussion on the value of exhibiting at fairs 

 and such other places where bee-keepers' ex- 

 hibits should be had. A committee appoint- 

 ed last year has been reappointed, with a 

 slight change, and made a standing commit- 

 tee on exhilnts, whose duty it is at all times 

 to look after these matters, getting premium 

 lists in force whenever practicable and using 

 their efforts toward getting bee-keepers to 

 exhibit their products. 



A meeting of this committee is contemplat- 

 ed at an early date in San Antonio to discuss 

 what steps of procedure to take up, and all 

 matters that may be brought up before the 

 meeting. Any readers who are interested in 

 this matter, or wishing information, will do 

 well to address me or any of the members of 

 the committee at any time. They are, Louis 

 H. Scholl, chairman, New Braunfels; W. H. 

 Laws, Beeville; F. L. Aten, Round Rock; W. 

 O. Victor, Hondo; and C. S. Phillips, Waco. 



HOW MUCH SHADE? 



Shade is necessary in the apiaries here in 

 the South, and with the weather around the 

 hundred mark in July and August it is as 

 necessary for the bee-keeper as for the bees. 

 I have thought there was nothing nicer than 

 to be in the cool shade of our magnificent 

 live-oaks, yet I would never recommend 

 these trees for shade in an apiary. Their 

 shade is too dense, and I think such shade is 

 detrimental, even in the working season. As 

 these live-oaks are in leaf the entire year they 

 aie detrimental in winter and spring when 

 the hives should be exposed to the sun. 

 Furthermore, during wet weather it takes a 

 long time before a yard under such trees be- 

 comes dry again. Bees in too dense a shade 

 are always behind. They are not only late in 

 the spring, but come out later in the day, 

 and turn in earlier in the evening. The pic- 

 ture of the ti'ee shown on page 1205, affords 

 enough shade for an apiary of several hun- 

 dred colonies, yet I would not use the loca- 

 tion. 



MAKING INCREASE. 



Ever since divisible-brood-chamber hives 

 were used in my apiaries, what is known as 

 the Alexander method of making increase 

 has been used by me. In handling sections 

 of the hives instead of combs there was no 

 looking for the queen when a division was 

 made. Instead, excluders were slipped be- 

 tween the two sections of the brood-chambers 

 on a visit to the apiary, and upon a second 

 visit, a week or so later, the upper section, 

 with bees and all, was removed to a new 

 stand. A queen or ripe cell was introduced 

 into whichever one was the queenless half, 

 a section of empty extracting-combs set on 

 each division, and covered up. The entrance 

 to the new division was closed with grass or 

 moss to hold the bees for several days, and 

 to keep out robbers until the colony had be- 

 come organized. Such colonies are general- 

 ly made after the honey harvest, when plen- 

 ty of empty extracting-supers are on haml 

 and we have our fall How of darker honey 



