30 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Jan. 



From Different Fields. 



BEES IN NEBRASKA, ETC. 



MY own experience, although not very flatter- 

 ing, may be the means of letting people 



know that bees can be kept in Nebraska, 



and be made a success. In the first place, I want it 

 understood that I am an A B C scholar, and at the 

 very foot of the class, second place. I am not in 

 the habit of writing for publication ; so, friend bee- 

 keepers, please excuse all mistakes. Now about 

 the workings of the wonderful little bee. The first 

 of last July I bought of one of my neighbors two col- 

 onies of Italians, and, not knowing any more about 

 bees than a child does about his letters before he 

 can talk, of course it was not a very easy task; but 

 having a desire to learn the business, I went at it 

 with Gleanings for my guide (thanks to friend 

 Boot for instructions in that way). After a few days 

 my bees were ready to swarm; then my first step 

 was to divide, for it was bees I was after, not honey. 

 I went through it in good shape ; I got only a few of 

 those sharp bites that they are apt to give a begin- 

 ner; and having my wife with me, of course she 

 shared the same fate. But we did not give it up in 

 that way. We kept on dividing whenever it was 

 needed, until I had five colonies, and had one go for 

 parts unknown ; and having good weather for hon- 

 ey they worked right along, just as though nothing 

 had happened, filling three frames with very nice 

 honey. 



In regard to the amount of honey received from 

 them, I can not brag; for I did not give them a 

 good chance, on account of increasing my nvimber 

 of bees ; but they stored enough for themselves and 

 gave me T5 lbs. surplus. I think that was well done 

 for the first step. I am wintering mine on their 

 summer stands, as we do not have very cold weather 

 here, and not much snow. My bees have flown 

 every day yet, except four or five. To-day they 

 were lively, and flying some when it is cold. 



And now, friend Root, in your behalf I will say 

 this: I believe you to be a good Christian man by 

 your kind and loving words spoken through your 

 columns. My family listen to them with ears wide 

 open, and say they would like to see Mr. Root and 

 his place of business. We are strangers to each 

 other, although I hope we are not so in Christ. 



Steele City, Neb., Dec. 11, 1882. L. L. Wring. 



Why, bless your heart, friend W., I don't 

 know what I have done to merit such kind 

 words; I am afraid if you should come and 

 see me so driven and hampered with business 

 as I often am, you would be disappointed, at 

 any rate. Your letter has done me good, 

 for I can now go about my tasks with a 

 lighter heart. 



swarming at night. 

 W. McKay Dougan, on page 606, brings to mind a 

 case of bees swarming at night. One day in July, 

 1881, while visiting my grandma's, and while out 

 looking at their bees with my cousin and uncle, they 

 told me one swarm had played a fine trick on them 

 by absconding one night after dark. While they 

 were milking the cows they heard the bees making 

 a noise like swarming, so they went to see ; and, 

 sure enough, they were pouring out of the hive, and 



seemed to be a big swarm by the noise they made, 

 for they could not see them in the air, as it was so 

 dark. After all were out of the hive they arose high 

 in the air and seemed to go off in a north direction, 

 These were blacks, and the hive was full of moths. 



SWARMING too EARLY IN THE SPRING. 



Did you ever have any bees swarm so early in the 

 spring they could not gather stores to live on? One 

 of my neighbors had one such. He did not know 

 what to do with them; none of them would leave the 

 hive when there was a warm day, so he came to me. 

 I went over to look at them, and found a big swarm 

 of black bees. We opened the hive, but the bees 

 made no motion to sting, aad seemed to care for 

 nothing only to cluster as closely together as possi- 

 ble. They had been hived four days. We went to 

 the old hive. It was a box hive, and full of brood 

 and stores. He turned it to one side and pulled one 

 comb down, and we went and fastened it in the new 

 hive, for he had no other one. We found the queen 

 in this new swarm. It looked like an old queen. I 

 told him he had better feed them. These bees did 

 no good, for the moths got them in the summer. It 

 was some time in May that they swarmed. The old 

 stand cast several swarms through the summer, but 

 none of them did any good. What was the matter 

 with them? 



19° BELOW ZERO. 



It was pretty cold here the 7lh. It was 19° below 

 zero, with about five inches of snow; not much like 

 last winter, is it? J. A. Thornton. 



Lima, 111., Dec. 9, 1883. 



The case you mention, friend T., is not as 

 hard to account for, because it was just at 

 dark, or nearly dark. Very likely they had 

 a tree already picked out, and went directly 

 for it, and reached it without trouble. Bees 

 often have to be fed when they swarm very 

 early in the spring. 



AN ABC scholar's REPORT. 



I must say, that I am well pleased with the ex- 

 tractor. Favorite scales, foundation, and Clark smo- 

 Ker. Although the scales dropped through the box 

 in transit, and broke the flange on the bottom in 

 two, it did not spoil them so but that I could weigh 

 the new baby with them the other day. 



I have just completed my first year in apiculture, 

 and will give you a report: — 



Paid for 3 colonies, bees delivered $30 00 



For extractor, scales, fdn., lumber, etc 27 50 



Time lost from work 4 60 



Total $63 10 



Received 320 lbs. extracted honey, sold at 14c.. $44 80 

 1 colony sold 7 00 



Total $5180 



Amount expended more than received 10 30 



Have on hand, 8 colonies of bees®$7.0D $-56 00 



Fixtures that are as good as new 36 00 



Total $K2 00 



Profits 7170 



I did the work mornings and evenings with the 

 four days given above, and worked in a shop near 

 home ten hours per day for $30.00 per month. The 

 four days I spent with the bees I received $17.93^ 

 per day, besides the knowledge 1 have gained, that 

 I set no price on, as it is not for sale. My honey was 

 nearly all white-clover. I would have had more if 

 the weather had not been so cold and wet. 



NON-SWARMING BEES. 



There is a colony in this place that has occupied 



