524 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



you, friend L , for a sample frame while you 

 were in Washington. It came by express, 

 and I used it as my standard — or at least I 

 supposed I did. 1 do not know why I did 

 not consult your book at this time; in fact, 

 I did not think how much depi-nded upon 

 it But we fixed 'Uir machinery then, and 

 went to work. We have worked this one 

 size ever since, and have also made Simplic- 

 ity hives that would pile up and lit one an- 

 other. We have also, during these years, 

 sent out about 40 editions of our price list, 

 averaging, at a very low calculation. 20,000 

 copies to each edition, making about 800,000, 

 and these have gone to every part of the 

 world where civilization extends. These 

 Simplicity hives and frames are made and 

 used in the Sandwich Islands, New Zealand, 

 Australia, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and to 

 some extent in South America. One more 

 fact : During all this time we have been 

 making these hives and frames, we have also 

 made odd sizes to order; yet I can not now 

 call to mind a single order for L. frames 

 made 17| inches long, outside dimensions. 

 Yet we have had orders for the L. frames 

 for a great variety of different dimensions. 

 Perhaps I am a little vehement in this mat- 

 ter, but I am sure I seek only the public 

 good ; and if there is any great good reason 

 why we should commence making frames 

 and hives differently, I should think better 

 of the idea of so doing. Our hives are gen- 

 erally teimed Simplicity hives, and the 

 frames which are generally used, of course 

 in both Simplicity and chaif hives, are usually 

 termed Simplicity frames. 1 do not know 

 of any reason why we should not adopt the 

 term Simplicity instead of Langstroth. 



One more point occurs to me. I first sug- 

 gested and put in practice the idea of hav- 

 ing rigid iron frames to gauge the hives, that 

 all manufacturers might work to one gauge. 

 These iron frames have been sold for seve- 

 ral years past, and shipped to manufacturers 

 all over the world. These manufacturers 

 are making hives to these gauges. I do not 

 know how many we have sent out, but prob- 

 ably more than a thousand. Now, my good 

 friend L., in view of all this, is it wise to ad- 

 vise even beginners to take up something 

 different V L should be very glad indeed to 

 know how many hives there are in use \^yth 

 a dimension from front to rear of 18i inches. 

 Can some of the friends tell us something 

 about it ? 



WOyxr FAR IVIIil. A SWARM OF BFES 

 FL.Y? 



A SURE CASE OP A STRETCH OF 80 MILES. 



FIND the following items regai-ding the distance 

 a swarm of bees will travel in search of a home, 

 recorded in my diary of 1880, made at the time. 

 The 19th of July I encamped under some pinon-trees 

 at the base of the Spanish Peaks, 85 miles southwest 

 from Denver City, Colorado. Twenty-five minutes 

 past 13 o'clock I discovered a swarm of Italians clus- 

 tering on the trunk of one of the trees near the 

 ground, coming from the direction of Denver. 

 They were flying slowly, evidently fatigued; secur- 

 ing the exact direction from whence they came, I 

 mounted my pony, cantered oyer the plain In searob 



of the ranch from whence they had escaped, ex- 

 pecting to find the parent stock in a couple of hours' 

 ride at most. 1 kept up a steady march, with neith- 

 er trees nor ranch in sight until 4 o'clock and 10 

 minutes, when 1 discovered some bees hovering 

 around some giant cacti, from which 2 pieces of new 

 comb depended, about as large as my hand. I read- 

 ily perceived my colony had spent the previous 

 night there. This was fully 30 miles from my start- 

 ing-point. Going into camp there until the next 

 morning I decided to keep on the same course until 



1 found their starting-point. No more bees nor 

 signs were reached until I came to J. C. Sines' ranch, 

 witnin five miles of Denver. Mr. Sines told me that, 

 the day before I discovered the runaways, at about 



2 o'clock one of his colonies swarmed out, starting 

 directly across the plain; after following them on 

 horseback some 10 or 1.5 miles he had returned, nev- 

 er expecting to hear more from them. I am sure 

 they coul'l not have surveyed the country before 

 starting on their long trip; and how much further 

 they may have g^ne, I have no means of knowing. 

 Hoping this may lead observers to approximate the 

 distance an absconding colony may fly, I am yours 

 respectfully,— H. Randall. 



Prairie du Sac, Wis., Aug. 35, 1883. 



It seems a little wonderful, friend R., that 

 you succeeded so well in striking the direct 

 line in which the bees came ; but I believe 

 it is a fact, that bees do sometimes get a sort 

 of migratory mania, when they will fly a 

 piece and cluster, build a little comb, as you 

 describe, then "light out " and try it again, 

 and so on until they may be the means of 

 peopling very remote districts with bees. 



Or Enemies of Bees Among Insect Tribes 



HONEY-DEW FROM SUGAR-CANE. 



f CONCLUDED this morning to send you a piece 

 of cane-top that has the insects on It, but don't 

 — ■ know that they will live sufficiently for you to 

 tell any thing about them. The tops infested with 

 them are full of honey-dew. J. D. Fooshe. 



Coronaca, S. C, Aug. 1, 1883. 



We mailed the specimen to Prof. Cook, 

 who replied as follows : 



The insects sent are a species of plant-louse, of the 

 genus A})liis, as shown by the nectaries on the pos- 

 terior end of the abdomen. (See Fig. 123, 8th Ed. of 

 Manual). From these tubes come the exuding 

 sweet. Our tulip-trees at the college are now all 

 gummed up by the exudations of the tulip-tree plant- 

 louse, which is green in color. The one on the cane 

 is black. Insects of all kinds that crave sweets 

 swarm about such plants, though bees do not keep 

 them company till the fountains of the basswood 

 nectar are dried up. A. J. Cook. 



Lansing, Mich., Aug. 10, 1883. 



My friends, here is another funny idea. 

 We all know there is sugar in sugar-cane 

 and corn. The problem has been to get it 

 where the bees could use it. The aphides 

 come in and offer to do the job " free gra- 

 tis." The question now is, as to whether 

 their reputation is such that we would want 

 to let the job out to them at any price. I 

 am a little doubtful in the matter. 



