1883 



GLEAl^INGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



13 



can get queen-cells whenever I wish, without mak- 

 ing the colony queenless. In neither case was the 

 queen below disturbed in the least. 



A. A. Fhadenburg. 

 Port Washington. O., Dec. 18, 1883. 



Friend F., yoit have omitted to tell us 

 whether the old queen went up and laid eggs 

 in the upper story, among the queen-cells. 

 I presume not, though it would be very de- 

 sirable to have them do so. I have had two 

 colonies in a one-story hive, and reared 

 queens in one while the other kept on lay- 

 ing; bixt the latter always stayed on "her 

 side of the liouse," even though the combs 

 were not separated at all. 



BLACKS VERSUS ITALIANS. 



ONE CANDIDATE VET KEMAINING, IN FAVOR OF 

 BLACKS. 



S> NOTICE on p. 617, December No. of Gleanings, 

 you advise D. D. Lester to " replace all black 

 — ' queens with Italians." Now, I have kept both 

 blacks and Italians for the past four years, side by 

 side in Simplicity hives, and the blacks have done 

 best every time. ' I have spent considerable money 

 (for a poor man) in trying to get some Italians that 

 would beat my black bees gathering honey; and 

 with that end in view I sent to Doolittle for one of 

 his choice tested queens in June, 1881; of course, I 

 didn't expect her to do much that season; but this 

 year I thought the blacks would have to take a back 

 seat; but they came out ahead as usual. I also 

 bought queens of H. Alley and J. M. C. Taylor. Now, 

 I think four years of fair trial with queens pur- 

 chased from well-known breeders is a fair test, for 

 this locality at least, and I propose, this coming sea- 

 son, to " replace all Italian queens with black ones." 



Now, my black bees are nothing to brag of; 75 lbs. 

 of comb honey is the most I ever got from one colo- 

 ny; but that is better than I ever did with Italians. 

 I have no doubt that the Italians will do better than 

 the blacks in some localities; but here the season is 

 very short, commencing with fi'uit-bloom and end- 

 ing with white clover, about July 4th; and colonies 

 that have not enough honey in their hives to last 

 them overwinter will not get it that year; and if 

 not fed in the fall, they will starve. 1 did not get 

 any more honey by introducing Italians, but I have 

 got a lot of savage, vicious hybrids that will sting 

 anybody who comes near their hives. 



One thing I notice about my bees (blacks, Italians, 

 and hybrids), that is not in accordance with the doc- 

 trine laid down in the works of Boot, Quinby, Lang- 

 stroth. Cook, and other authorities: They sting 

 worse when honey is coming in freely than at any 

 other time. W. E. Flower. 



Ashbourne, Pa., Dec. 13, 1882. 



Friend F., it is surely accidental, or be- 

 cause you have not yet got the "hang" of 

 the Italians, with their peculiarities, that 

 makes it seem to you that the blacks are 

 ahead. While reading your letter I watched 

 to see if I could tell wnether you used an ex- 

 tractor, or worked only for box honey. I 

 rather think the latter, and this may be one 

 reason for your experience, although I 

 should suppose friend Doolittle's strain 

 would.make comb honey, as a rule. I would 

 not replace the Italians jiist yet, if I were 

 you, for you, like all the rest, will surely 



change your mind after a little further ex- 

 perience. It occurs to me ^eve, that an il- 

 lustration I used in my Sunday-school class 

 last Sabbath may be of use to many of us. 

 The boys thought the best evidence a person 

 could have would be his own eyes. To show 

 them their mistake I gave them the follow- 

 ing: Suppose, boys, I should see Mr. Jones 

 on tlie street to-morrow ; but on mentioning 

 it afterward, Mrs. J. and all the family 

 should assure me that he was confined to 

 his bed by sickness, and never arose once 

 during the whole day. If the family had 

 some object in proving that he was not up 

 town, of course I might question their sin- 

 cerity ; but in this case they were disinterest- 

 ed witnesses, and one would be well nigh 

 crazy who would presume to say they were 

 either mistaken or dishonest. Which am I 

 bound to believe, my own eyes or the testi- 

 mony of perhaps half a dozen good people? 

 It is quite possible, / might have met some- 

 body who looked so wonderfully like him 

 that my eyes were cheated ; but is it proba- 

 ble they had somebody In bed all day, who 

 was not that identical husband and father? 

 Well, now, it is not half a dozen witness- 

 es that testify in favor of Italians, but it is 

 thousands of our countrymen, friend F.; 

 and as further proof, tons upon tons of hon- 

 ey are piled up yearly by those who never 

 think of offering queens for sale, but only 

 get bees to get the most honey, and comb 

 honey at that. I can not agree, either, that 

 any locality, or any sudden flow, would fa- 

 vor the blacks and not the Italians. 

 Where you get 75 lbs. of comb honey with 

 black bees, I should not be surprised to 

 see friend Doolittle, with his strain, get 

 toward 150, and I say this without intending 

 to reflect on your skill at all. Y our conclud- 

 ing idea, that your bees sting worst while 

 getting the most honey, I must think also 

 an accident rather than a rule. If I were at 

 your place when the honey-yield suddenly 

 ceases, it seems to me I could surely show 

 you the bees behave worse when they be- 

 gin to try all around to rob their neighbors, 

 Is it not so? 



OREGON, AND ITS ADAPTARILITY TO 

 BEES. 



ALSO A VALUABLE REPORT ON HONEY-PLANTS FOB 

 ARTIFICIAL PASTURAGE. 



f]|HIS is a very good climate for bees. Thei'e is 

 but very little extremely hot weather in the 

 — ' summer, and the winters are mild; there is 

 but very little freezing weather, and not much 

 snow. It is no trouble at all to winter bees on their 

 summer stands here, without extra care. Very few 

 bees die through the winter, and swarms nearly al- 

 ways come out strong in numbers in the spring. 

 There is no bee dysentery here. About the only losses 

 are those that do not store honey enough to keep 

 them through the winter. The only protection they 

 need in the winter is a roof to keep the rain off 

 from the hives, as it rains a gi-eat deal here in the 

 winter. 



This is not a very good bee country naturally, for 

 one reason, and only one: there are not flowers 

 enough here of the kinds that bees work on, especi- 

 ally in the latter part of the summer, and in autumn. 



