4'2 



GLEAXINGS IX BEE CUETURE. 



Mak. 



yii"r-']jHE loUowing- jetter was receivecl tuKl read 

 JJLj clear throiii>;li, then dropped in tlic waste 

 paper basket. After a while wc felt .guilty, 

 lislied it. out, read it jjartly through asiaiii, and 

 dropjjcd it in the basket once more after tellinp 

 the writer there was xio other way ihaa for 

 liini to Ktndy his subject. After tlie letter liad 

 lain there two days, conscience beinf; at work 

 ineanwliile, it was bronijht outaaain and care- 

 fully coulcniplated ; the result being that wo 

 decided to open this department. And this 

 letter shall be the corner stone. When our 

 friend comes "on the stage," you will bear in 

 mind that he has been telling that he has one 

 swarm of bees, and several new patent hives 

 that have never been used, which he has ex- 

 plained by diagrams, at length : 



A. I. KOOT, Eec].— i>ear Sir:— I am vu-tually a be- 

 Sinncr. 1 have one st'Ck black bees. * * * * * 

 Now do not tire. 1 want to utilize these hives ii I can 

 by altering or otherwise. 1 want al&o to use only one 

 hive. I intend to enlarjje to, sav 30,40 or iiO hives— may 

 piirc'hasc some more l)lack bees in the spring— and . 

 want to Italianize them all. Now let me here say that 

 I am taking bee magazines and have bee journals, hut 

 I like your Gleanings very much, jiariicularlj (he 

 Fell. No. Now 1 am going to ask a great manv ques- 

 tions, and ))lease keep temper, and do not weavy, and 

 take your time. I hope my <iuestions will neither sting 

 you nor upset. Well, now lor it. 8end me your cir- 

 cular describing hives. 



If you were now starting, what hive would you use 

 as the most simple and convenient ? A. Laiigstroth 

 Iranie in the Universal hive. '2. What is the Modest 

 hi\c?andis tho hive the Des Moines, Icwa, Bee 

 Comiiany ofler lor Sl.to, the same as Mrs. Tuiii)er rec- 

 iinnnerds, or is using? A. Have never seen the 

 Modest hive, but we know the owner to be reliable. 

 3. (;in itlelbalE. C. L. Lai eh, ol Ashland. Be one Co., 

 Mo., sells lull colonics o\' inire lialian bees lor f4.00— 

 10 Liingslroth Irames, or is it a catch-' A. The ad. 

 meniioned was an error ol' our own— should read JM. 

 Our advertisers are all reliable; we keeji a sharp 

 lock <ut IVr "catches.' 4. \\ iilit (io 1( l(<d)M nual 

 and candy to bees now ? A. Feed meal noM - candv 

 anytime. 5. Where do you put the meal? A. In the 

 «nn and out of the wind. C. Do you init the ihe can- 

 dy on lo)) of I'rj.mcs or down between ihem ? A. On 

 llie iranits right over thecluster. 7. Why do they ad- 

 dress ycu as Novice? A. We first wiole under 

 that signature, and our friends think as we ^\r.. ihnt it 

 litstis very well yet. 8. I see some homy in fmall 

 lrar:ics in the maiket— looks like they had Ixen put 

 inio surplus honey boxes. Is it so? A. Perhtips. 9. 

 W hiit is ihe best hive for honey in surplus bo.\es ; that 

 i^.mWw i:um\\ not crtrcntcdi A. Eangstrotli Uni- 

 versal. 10. Is it best to set tlie boxes on the Irames, 

 or use a honey board? A. Hestthemon nu'lal bars 

 bringing ihem iviiliin \ inch ol the inimes. 11 Should 

 Ijoxis have bottoD.s to th(m? A. li<,Uems in;uie of 

 \\ nu h bars, Miai ; inch sk t bciwein ihtm. Yl. Are 

 voii in Jinc r of ii double hive, r r.e en lo]) ol ihe olher, 

 boll) «)ili niiir.es. A. Yes. 13. How will you get at 

 Ihe iviinu s m lower hive ? A. I.iit clT ihc iipix r one. 

 14. "W (uiid .>ou have a i-paec aLo\e lor suiplus honey 

 bi xes, w i!h a caji to co\ er ih( m ? A. We woulil have 

 !he ci'sis of boxes d(Miil(d in ibis nunibtr, and 

 «eul( use Ihe cover (o ihe liive, over ihem. l.'i. Are 

 ;im el he live 41.(0 hi\ts ycu eilcr lor sale anMhing 

 bke Die Modest. S)iii)>licilv or l)esMoin(s Bee Co."s 

 line, iill iil.H.tO I b(lie\e. A. The M.( hives are the 

 ."■.mj.iicilK.^, ;ind those Mis. Tu)ijier dVend were 

 ■ ■(•)i]es ol ihdii. Many ff liie eo).Jc> were ml hahed 

 )i) at, Ihe comers ; we dont know hew it is with the 

 Alodest. )(;. ^V hal is nuant by side honev boxes, and 

 how hxed. A. Boxes j.liicVd fit the Vidi s ol the 

 inimcs nislead of on lop. 17. 1 c.innot umCibtiind the 

 ucommt n(, alien lo UK'. juillsiujd (h;;lVler a Quinbv 

 hive toketp it warm iinii ilien onlv lake ihe irames 

 nidfiovs. A. If Ihe bees are kit 'rut, the-^ mav be 

 )'a.-lied Willi ehair, il )utiii the cellar, can'v in 'onh 

 ilie bcesard coinbs. J8. I do not understand closed^- 

 eiidiranies. A. Knds m. ^^5de Ihat ihev close all tht 

 M-ace. Mz: nearly H inelies. ]•). How" do jou keev 

 Ihciu ittady, aiul od from ihe Lollom board? A. They 



I stand on ihe ends that jirriiect \ iiuli ; see diagrams of 

 franus. 'JO. Do ihese Jl.t o hivt .■- and oihers open cii 

 I oi;e si(k^ so \oii can easily exi.iiiiiie Ihe Irames? or 

 ; must yon Hit all of them oiv liom alove, and tlien 

 I ha\ e io M move ca)!, honey-bciard, suriihis boxes and 

 j all? A. We belie\ e it i» the gt ner;.l lueision that the 

 I latter is easiest, all things considered. i\. If so ther 

 \ are no iiandier Ihaii Iheliise 1 have my be( s in. Yoii 

 \ say druinuiiiig lues out is laboriotis. What other plan 

 liave von.' 1 liavf no No. ol (ii.KAMM.s to reler to 

 i except those > ou have sent me. A. The iSlay No. bc- 

 ! fnie referred to. cenlains aU we know en the" subject. 

 I \Ve will mail it to )( ii lor 10 cents, 1 ut we could hurd- 

 Iv ! Il'ord IO write il all ov< r again lor as niiiny dollars. 

 t'!( ase do not ll.ink iis imkiiul or disobliging. 'J2. You 

 say ti (! advantage of llie Manitaid over the Baugs- 

 trotli is. that it w ill liold -.'(i irames. Is it ik i a duratile 

 hive? and will not tlie Baniasliolh hold its many 

 dniibl',' also? .\. Slandaid hive is ilouble width, 

 I.angslrolli doul/le in liiight. The flames ol the latter 

 are too long to be s|,rea<l out lasily like the fC'nner. 

 •I'.'i. 1 have never seen a I.anpslioih". Qiiinliy, standard 

 or any other liive ex( ejit the kiiKl 1 liave. <"oii.-i tiiient- 

 ly I ; ill iiel | of tul. Tlie gist of all my iiinuiiis is lo 

 get t)ie bi SI. llie most convenient to handle, and also 

 best for sill phis CJiinli lioiuy. and it apjieais lo me 

 that such a hive slioiild (>)i("ii otherw ise than iroin ihe 

 top, but I might tliink dillerenlly were I to st e llam. 

 A. Hives liave been ut-ed wiih'lraiius made to take 

 out at the side, but alter you have riiiuiv<d the lirst 

 three or four, you will lind it quite ineonveiiifnt. The 

 metal cornered liames and glass division Loaids es- 

 pecially favor such mani)iuiation. and we shall give 

 the plan a good trial in our lionsc ajiiary this season. 

 '.'4. Now I Ihink alter you have read allthe above you 

 will say. hoKi on, dear sir: I want a hreathiiig spell. 

 Well, tlie ignorant must learn, and >ou must not onijL 

 miniitia-, thinking because it is pilain and old, every- 

 body knows it; lor here is where most of the unini- 

 tiated fail or lack knowledge. Now with your expe- 

 rience as a beo-keeper, and your knowletlge as to 

 hives, you should be able at once to say what kind of 

 a hive will combine the most essential qualities; anil 

 if any one does not, why not alter or change it so it 

 will ? 1 see that King & Slocnm say they have en- 

 deavored to make such a hive, and ca'U it the Eclectic 

 hive. It seems to have a recess similar to the Flan- 

 ders hive I have described. In advising me. be not 

 jirejudiced against any, but name the best on its mer- 

 its alone, for convenience of manipulation, and sur- 

 plus honey. Give me your opinion of the Electic 

 hive. A liive should not cost as much money as they 

 charge. It should be simple, not intricate. If the 

 Irames could be examined and taken out without 

 moving honey boxes, it would be an advantage, but 1 

 do not see how it can be done. A. There are many 

 hives that allow of this, but the disadvantages are usu- 

 ally greater than the advantages. 25. Some say, the 

 closer the boxes to the brood, or frame, the better; 

 then how will you get closer than when pulling the 

 boxes right on the Irames. A. By using a shallow 

 frame you get the boxes closer to the brooil than you 

 possibly could with a deep one. iij. AVhat is your 

 opinion of my using, or utilizing in any way these new 

 Flander's hives. A. "Utilize" as kinuling wood any 

 hive or thing that such men as Mitchell, llandcrs and 

 the rest of that crew ever reconniicndcil. '27. 1 have 

 () of them which never have been used tor bees. Say 

 I purchase a lew swarms of black liees tliis spring and 

 say I do not. Would you recommend nie to divide the 

 swarm I have, and in so doing put it into another 

 hive, and then divide again so as to have two new 

 .swarms or colonies— or would you let them swaim 

 themselves? Perhaps thev may'not swarm; and per- 

 haps if I am not at home they may go off. In either 

 event say what you wemld do? If you wou.n (.vide 

 say when, at what time, and give me yonr i r< c A. 

 We certainl) would not recommend you to purchase 

 more bees at present, unless the one you have dies. 

 '28. I have never divided a sw ai m. but I have gloves and 

 bee-veil, and 1 Ihink I can do it with iiroper instruc- 

 tions, OK. I shall try any how. 1 suffer very nuich 

 from a bee sting, but by using saleratus after"pu!ling 

 cut the sting, moisten it, put on the spot and rub il in, 

 I nev( r have it swell anv more. It used to lay me up 

 lor nearly a week, if slimg about ihe face or neck. 

 A. To Ic traiik liiend F. we would advise you lo de- 

 Inj consideiing the matter of division enlirelv. until 

 about next June; if you will excuse the llbeftv, von 

 iietd piaclice more thiin vou do gloves. '2'.). ''.V"ha"i is 

 meant by section honey boxes? A. Boxe^^ composed 

 of sectioiifc, and each section made to centain a single 

 cemb. :;0. King & Slocim say thi j have been asked 

 '.o f;ive a ccmplete and n.innie dtscriiition of the I^c- 

 1 ctic hive, and rejily that the better way is to send lor 



