1997 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1505 



holding three sections 4iX5f Xlf, and also a 

 frame holding 4 sections 4i square filled with 

 foundation by our improved method which 

 holds the foundation always in the center of 

 the section, regardless of whether the hive 

 is level or not, and at the same time insures 

 a perfect section of honey firmly fastened to 

 the wood on four sides, and practically free 

 from pop-holes in the corners. This method 

 of perfectly filling the sections with founda- 

 tion will greatly aid the building of straight 

 combs without the use of separators. 



There are two fences on each ovitside of 

 the sections, affording a double clustering- 

 space next to the sides of the su^jer. This 

 insures a better filling of the outside sections. 



Birmingham, Ohio. 



[The section which Mr. Hand proposes was 

 used several years ago by the late J. B. 

 Hains, of Bedford, Ohio, who seemed to 

 have arrived at the same conclusions. But 

 a tall section lying on its side will have one 

 edge of the comb better filled than the other 

 — that is, the section, when out of the hive, 

 is stood on end. 



Mr. Morrison has been claiming for some 

 time back that, if the combs were thin 

 enough, separators would not be needed. It 

 must be admitted that there is something in 

 his argument, because all brood-combs 

 (which have no separators) built off from 

 full or half sheets of foundation, are of an 

 even thickness if spaced no wider than If 

 inches from center to center. — Ed.] 



FEEDING DRONES TO YOUNG CHICK- 

 ENS. 



BY FRANKLIN G. FOX. 



Chickens do not seem to have naturally 

 any liking for bees or drones. You can 

 dump a quart of dead drones from a trap 

 among a fiock of fowls, and unless they have 

 been taught to like them they will simply 

 gather around you out of curiosity and view 

 the remains of Sir Drone without sampling 

 his quality. As many apiarists also keep 

 poultry, and all are aware that a chick, to 

 do its best in rapid growth, needs some sort 

 of animal food, either in the form of worms, 

 insects, or prepared beef scrap, it would be 

 a material saving to have the chick educated 

 to eat drones. 



This subject had been on my mind for sev- 

 eral years; and two years ago, while carry- 

 ing some drone comb from my bee-yard, 

 which contained drones in all stages, the 

 thought came to me, "Why not give the 

 larvtB to the chicks?" No sooner thought 

 of than tried; so to the brooder-house I went, 

 where there were about a hundred chicks a 

 few weeks old, mothered by a brooder. At 

 first I picked a few larv^ out with a tooth- 

 pick, and soon one chick grew bold enough 

 to sample it. Then he came back for more. 

 Soon the others took the hint, and I could 

 no longer pick them out fast enough. When 

 the larvas were all gone I pared the heads 

 and cappings off the comb that had drones 



nearly ready to emerge. At first they were 

 rather afraid of the large dark fellows; but 

 finding they tasted the same they soon pull- 

 ed every drone out of his cradle and devour- 

 ed him. 



The following day I took a trap filled with 

 drones to the brooder-house, and, seating 

 myself on the floor, I began to open the trap. 

 Of course the chicks were expecting a treat, 

 and crowded around me quite curiously 

 Then I pinched a few drones and offered 

 them to the chicks. In less time than it 

 takes to tell it they "caught on," and such 

 a screaming of delight 1 never heard among 

 chicks before. Why, they climbed all over 

 me in their eagerness to get the drones, and 

 every drone that had his head through the 

 perforated zinc lost it in a twinkle. I just 

 slid back the trap-lid and the chicks caught, 

 killed, and devoured the drones as fast as 

 they could crawl out. They also ate the 

 dead drones, with as much relish. Not know- 

 ing what the result might be of this new feed, 

 no more drones were given for several days; 

 but as no bad effects were developed, the 

 feed was continued. You should have seen 

 how the chicks thrived on the diet. 



As the poultry can not range my apiary I 

 do not know whether they would have been 

 more effective drone-catchers than my traps 

 or not. These same chicks, when they were 

 put on free range, did not appear to molest 

 the honey-bees as they gathered nectar from 

 the blossoms through which the poultry rang- 

 ed. 



The secret is this: Teach your little chicks 

 to like the taste of drones by first feeding 

 them in the larval form, then gradually lead 

 the chicks on till they eat the drones that are 

 fully developed. After this you can feed 

 them alive or dead as you prefer. However, 

 I believe the former method is more humane. 



Erwinna, Pa. 



[As I have been somewhat in the chicken 

 business, the above article was turned over 

 to me for my opinion of it. It should have 

 been used some time ago, but it was mis- 

 laid. It will come in all right, however, for 

 another season. 



Huber suggested, when he handed me the 

 article, that, although this plan of feeding 

 animal food for growing chickens may be 

 all right, he thought it was a very expensive 

 diet. No doubt that is true; but whenever 

 there are drones or drone brood in your 

 hive it is much better to give the chickens 

 the benefit of it than to throw it away as is 

 often done. In transferring from old box 

 hives I have often seen great quantities of 

 drone bi"ood thrown out to rot and smell 

 bad; and I have already discovered that 

 they make excellent chicken feed. Now, 

 then, do not be in haste to permit useless 

 drones to be reared in your apiary; but if 

 you do, utilize them for chickens before the 

 drones are large enough to fly. This re- 

 minds me of what an old deacon said to one 

 of his boys when he found they had been 

 disobeying orders by fishing on Sunday and 

 then throwing away the fish, as they feared 



