166 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



HO\r TO GBT THIS BEES OUT OF THE 

 SECTIONS. 



^ HAVE tried the plan described by friend Myers, 

 M in the Feb. Gleanings, and my " educated rob- 

 ^^ bers" will find the way in behind that wire 

 cloth. My plan is to prepare a close-fitting box with 

 an entrance (or, rather, place of exit) similar to that 

 of the chaff hive; over this entrance I have arranged 

 a sort of trap so that the bees can pass one way only. 

 Take a wooden bar about the size of a lead-pencil, 

 and put through it a row of common pins, about 7 to 

 the inch; this must be swung on pivots, so that the 

 pin-points may rest on the " jumplng-off board." 



pouder's bee-trap. 



Just place your comb honey inside o\ this box, and 

 no more is required. Now, friend Koot, is the idea 

 old, or is it too much machinery? I know it works 

 well, for I have tried it. 



We want some one to invent a little bucket for the 

 bees to carry when honey is abundant. Wouldn't 

 that be nice, to see them skip out so early In the 

 morning, and bring back honey by the pailful? 



Walt. S. Poudeb. 



Groesbeck, Ohio, March 31, 1883. 



Many thanks, friend P. Your idea is old, 

 but you have given us quite a simple way of 

 making it, as well as a very good drawing. 

 If there is much demand for them, I think 

 we might get them up of tin for about 25 c, 

 or 35 if sent by mail. 



'■ m» I ■» ! 



HOW TO COMMENCE BEE - KEEPING. 



WHAT KIND OF AN OUTFIT IS REQUIRED FOR ONE 

 HAVING, SAY, HALF A DOZEN HIVES? 



fHAVE been telling you, friends, of the 

 large amount of correspondence ahead 

 — ■ of me this present season ; and especial- 

 ly has matter been accumulating from those 

 just beginning bee culture. When I found 

 it impossible to answer these inquiries as 

 they should be, or even to dictate the an- 

 swers, I sent for our old friend Mr. House, 

 whom I presume many of you know, and 

 he now sits ready to answer inquiries of 

 every description from young bee-keepers. 

 As an evidence of Mr. House's ability to ad- 

 vise intelligently, we will remark what he 

 did the past reason with VI colonies of bees— 

 12 strong and 2 weak swarms. Increased to 

 32 strong swarms, and took 3000 lbs. of sur- 

 plus, nearly all of which was comb honey— 

 an average of 214 lbs., and one new swarm 

 per colony. As an illustration of his part of 

 the work that he has to do, I give the follow- 

 ing from a young friend who is just com- 

 mencing, and below it is a reply :— 



A FRIEND THAT "WANTS TO KNOW, YOU KNOW." 



You say you could not send me such goods as 

 would suit me, unless I knew just what I wanted, 

 and sent for the exact goods I needed. Now, It was 

 for the express purpose of obtaining that informa- 

 tion that 1 wrote to you. Again, you say. If I use 

 Bections I shall need either a case or wide frame to 



hold them in. I supposed as much; but I wanted to 

 know which of the two I needed, and how many for 

 the five hives. 



You close by telling me, that when I know just 

 what I want, j'ou will gladly fill my order. I do not 

 doubt it in the least. But how am I to know? 



I read much of frames, cases, sections, separators, 

 etc., but never saw any of them, and know nothing 

 about using them, being wholly inexperienced in 

 every thing pertaining to improved bee culture. I 

 suppose you will say my head is thick. Well, I don't 

 know a great deal, but what little I do know, does 

 me lots of good. W. S. G. Mason. 



Morenci, Mich., March 26, 1883. 



I really beg pardon, friend Mason, if any 

 of our replies have seemed uncourteous, 

 and we submit to you Mr. House's esti- 

 mate of what would be needed for half-a- 

 dozen hive apiary : — 

 Friend Mason:— 



The only way out of the difficulty that I can see is 

 to make an estimate of what we would advise for a 

 person who has a half-dozen swarms. By this you 

 will not only see what we recommend, but will have 

 the prices opposite. Then if you order as we make 

 estimate, you can return this to us. 

 10 two-story Simplicity hives (i. e. 20 one-story 



hives), @ 43c $ 8 60 



This will include 10 bottoms and 10 covers, all in fiat. 

 100 metal-cornered frames, pierced, with wire, 



etc., to hold f dn 4 00 



100 wide frames for sections in 2d story 3 00 



1000 sections, 414x414 5 00 



200 tin separators® l>4'c 3 50 



10 division boards put together® 10c 1 00 



15 BBS. f dn. for brood frames @ 55c 8 25 



5 fts. fdn. for sections 3?;£x3?X, thin worker, @ 



65c 3 25 



1 honey extractor. No. 5, for L. frames 7 00 



1 Novice honey-knife 70 



1 Smoker, Clark's 50 



1 Clark's starter machine 50 



1 soldering iron, for putting fdn. in frames. .. 50 



10 sheets enamel cloth, tinned @ 10c 1 00 



1 pair iron gauges for putting hives together. 1 00 

 7 fts. 6d casing nails @ 6c 43 



1 " 4d " " 06 



2 " 9i -in. wire " ® 20 40 



1 " ?i-in. " " 22 



1 " 1-in. " " 18 



Total fl9 0» 



We advise an extractor even for comb honey, in 

 order that there may afways be room in the brood- 

 chamber. Even in this way it will very soon pay 

 for itself. A. I. Koot, per " H." 



Medina, O., March 28, 1883. 

 Inasmuch as hardly any two bee-keepers 

 agree in little details in regard to the man- 

 agement, it is quite difficult to make an es- 

 timate. For instance, a great many would 

 prefer the H-story hive, with a case for sec- 

 tions, instead of the upper story with wide 

 frames, as Mr. House has figured it. 

 The season, also, has much to do with 

 it. During a poor season, fifty dollars' 

 outlay for half a dozen colonies would be 

 very likely far more than needed ; but with 

 such a flood of honey as our friends in the 

 West have had for the past year, the above 

 estimate might not be nearly enough. It 

 will also be observed, that quite a part of 

 the above order is for goods which, like the 

 honey-extractor, knife, etc., should last a 

 bee-keeper a lifetime. Unless bees are sold, 

 hives would also come under the above head; 

 and most that would be needed after the 

 first start would be sections for honey, and 

 hives, frames, etc., for increase in stock. 



