1883 



gleani:ngs in bee culture. 



689 



I took 210 lbs. of honey from one hive this season. 

 They brought 8>j lbs. per day for 16 days running:. 



J. G. Pautridge. 

 Newmarket, Out., Can., Aug. 27, 1883. 



I had a fine crop of clover honey, but no fall hon- 

 ey—the first entire failure of fall honey since I 

 have been in the business. I could sell several tons 

 more of extracted and comb honey, if I had it. 



Bell Branch, Mich., Oct. 3, 1883. M. H. Hunt. 



I have 106 hives of bees; had in spring, 90 hives; 

 have taken 2000 lbs. ext. honey, 1000 lbs. box honey 

 — 3000 in all. The 106 hives have enough to winter 

 on besides. Last season I got, from 80 hives, 5500 

 lbs.— quite a difference. J. W. Utter. 



Amity, N. Y., Oct. 20, 1883. 



WHY QUEENS DON'T LAY. 



Your card of the 9th inst., in reply to inquiry con- 

 cerning a queen that did not lay, was received in due 

 time. Next day I commenced feeding the colony as 

 you directed, and now the queen is laying nicely. 



Geo. p. Kime. 

 Evansburgh, Ohio, Oct. 23, 1883. 



HOME-MADE HIVES. 



I employed a carpenter to make ten frame hives 

 last spring (I had only one before). He did not 

 make any two the same size. Some were an inch 

 deeper than others, and some half an inch wider. 



John E. Heard. 



Plkeville, Tenn., Sept. 23, 1883. 



the old way. 



My father used to winter his bees in box hives. 

 He used old-fashioned hives, and set them on a 

 plank, clam-shells under the corners. This raised 

 them up about J£ inch all around. When they were 

 heavy with bees and honey, they came through all 

 right. I think they used more honey then. 



Amity, N. Y., Oct. 20, 1883. J. W. Utter. 



FRIEND KLAR'S REPORT. 



My bees are in winter quarters on summer stands, 

 in sawdust. Our crop is not a good one in this part 

 of the State. Last year, from 70 colonies, 11,000 lbs.; 

 and this year, from 85 colonies, only a little over 

 5000 lbs. of extracted honey in all. I go into winter 

 with 90 colonies in good order. Wintered all last 

 year, but united some in the spring. 



Pana, 111., Oct. 1, 1883. A. L. Klar. 



STARTERS OF DRONE COMB. 



I have tried using drone starters for the 1-lb. sec- 

 tions to my satisfaction, and don't want any more. 

 The bees contract the cells to worker before cap- 

 ping, and so leave a large space all around the side 

 empty, which never happened with worker. The 

 way I tested them was every other one in the same 

 crate. Abraham Koontz. 



Crestline, O., Oct., 1883. 



I find that experiences are strangely different. Of 

 several queens that mated with black drones, all are 

 inferior but one, and that average. When I open 

 the hybrids' hives they scatter pellmell from their 

 combs like sheep, or else dive right at me. Such 

 bees are not good moth -fighters, and hence are more 

 infested than my pure bloods. I have some Italian 

 drones almost as golden banded as the bees. Other 

 drones from pure queens are nearly black. Is there 

 any preference? , ■ ,. A.Norton. 



Gonzales, Cal., Sept. 17, 1883. 



bee-hunting. 

 We have found 13 bee-trees this summer, and 

 have lines for eight more. What trees we have cut 

 will average about 50 lbs. each. We had one swarm 

 last sjpring, and have ten now. We climb the trees 

 and cut the limb off, and lower it with ropes. The 

 bees are very plentiful here in the woods. 



John W. Keyser. 

 Wilkesport, Ont., Can., Aug. 1, 18«3. 



a good feeder. 



The best feeder that I ever used is a Mason 2-qt. 

 can; instead of the glass lid, cut a piece of perforat- 

 ed tin, large holes, the size of glass lid; fill the can; 

 lay on the tin; screw on rim; take another rim; put 

 it down on top of the frames the same as on a stand. 

 Now take the can; turn it upside down on the rim, 

 and they will empty it in one night. You can put 

 on as many as they need at once. J. W. Utter. 



Amity, N. Y., Oct. 10, 1883. 



value of empty combs. 



I purchased four of what they call young swarms, 

 and gave them all full frames of old combs, with the 

 exception of a few half full of fdn. Those 4 stocks 

 have filled, and partly sealed over, 50 boxes, making 

 an average of 3y lbs. each. Thoy stand in my hon- 

 ey-house, for any one to see. I say to all, take good 

 care of your empty combs. I have your ABC, and 

 find it of use to me. Although I have kept bees for 

 30 years past, still I may learn. G. Hyatt. 



Three Mile Bay, N. Y., Aug. 30, 1883. 



HONEY FROM SUMAC. 



Tell Floyd, of Guilford, Mo., that if he were here 

 he would find no difficulty in determining whether 

 or not sumac yields honey. We have clover after 

 maple, willow, and fruit bloom, but I never expect 

 honey in supers until sumac comes in; then I do 

 get it, if at all. One visit among sumac ought to 

 satisfy any one that honey is there in abundance, 

 and more; the bees use it all day long, early and 

 late. I never In this section saw a honey-bee on a 

 locust flower, and I've tried hard to do so. 



Bedford, Pa., Oct. 9, 1883. Ed. D. Heckerman. 



ONE-PIECE SECTIONS. 



This is to let you know that I made one-piece sec- 

 tions in 1876. If you would like a machine that will 

 make sections as fast as a boy can pick them up, 

 write me. Lafayette Stout. 



Brighton, Wash. Co., la., Oct. 13, 1883. 



[To be sure, we should like to know about such a 

 machine, friend Stout; and, by the way, I wish you 

 would send us a sample of that section— not because 

 we care very much about the patented part of it 

 now, but because we want to know all about every 

 thing good.] 



honey FROM oak-balls, ETC. 



Bees have done badly here this year. It has been 

 all I could do to keep their " souls and bodies to- 

 gether." The live-oak balls are in now, so the bees 

 are doing finely. 



CYPRIANS during A DROUGHT. 



I have 240 stands, almost all Italians and Cyprians. 

 The Cyprians have stood the drought the better. I 

 shall go to extracting in a few days. I have over 100 

 lbs. of wax. Bro. Root, Gleanings comes regularly, 

 but I hardly have time to read it till some one wants 

 it. It rained here last March; next in September; 

 next last night, and to-day, but not enough to do 

 any good. R. Devenport. 



Richland Springs, Tex., Oct., 1883. 



