1876. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



4T) 



paid 67 cents for one of the sections — over GO 

 ■>;ents per lb. — and as others were domg the 

 same, we really don't know but it is all right 

 to put it up in that way and let people waste 

 their money if thoy will. But stay! suppose 

 the grocer had offered them the same for 3 cts. 

 j)er oz. with the extra frame and glass omitted. 

 It may be that even then, many would prefer 

 the glass and fancy i>aper. No one buys hon- 

 ey at this rate regularly; it is only because it 

 is neat and something nice to show to one's 

 friends. On the whole we think we will have 

 to make some glass cases for fancy box honey, 

 if people will be so foolish — ^just as we arc, and 

 have always been — and we will make them 

 just right to hold our Universal section boxes. 



P. S. — To be exact we have cut out and 

 weighed the honey, and there was iy'.> ounces 

 — 57 cents per lb. 



The honey mentioned was from California. 

 On taking it home we all as usual ])rouounced 

 it beautiful, but before we had used just that 

 18)2 ounces we all agreed that it was a tiavor 

 one would much sooner tire of than our own 

 clover honey ; and we do not know but that 

 we shall have to agree with the rest in regard 

 to the mountain sage honey. Fifty-Ki'ven cents 

 per lb. has a tendency to spoil the flavor of 

 any thing, at our table. 



— * .M^^*^*^ 



For Gleanings. 



COMB HONEY, HIVES, ETC. 



4pv^UR friend, G. M. Doolittle, in former No. of Glean- 

 w|JB) ixGtS, gives some very i^oad ideas reijardin^ bo.x 

 %^ honey, which have helped me in mj arrangements, 

 for the same purpose. 



My hives were made 191x27 inches inside measnro, 

 whicli makes an admirable one-storv liive for extiactin'^. 

 I use two entrances in front side. Holds IS frames when 

 used for extractina; honey- I also had constructed an in- 

 ner case that would hold (i frames 10x18, this cas3 is tlien 

 SL't into the main hive witli its lon-^jest side parallel with 

 the longest side of hive and bick from tlie front of the 

 outer case just far enough to admit one tier of (! of 

 Wheeler's improved boxes. sin;?le comb. I can then put 

 two tiers at back side, and by moving it a little to riii;ht 

 i»r left can put one tier (i) at one end and two tiers (8) at 

 the other end In using two tiers it is quite necessary to 

 use tin separators, to fiivo the bees access to the boxes 

 I'ut two slots scant i inch wide for every box, one at top 

 snd one at bottom of box. 



The entrance is under th? two outside boxes wliich are 

 raised | in. Now to make lliis ornamental as well as con- 

 venient, the outer part should be made so as to lift off, 

 leaving the boxes on all sides in full view. Of course you 

 want a cover for the brood chamber, as well as for the 

 outer part, which should be 1 inch wider, or liigher, than 

 the inner one wliich is Hi inches. One advantaije gained 

 is you can remove any of the boxes you choose without 

 disturbing the rest, or you can remove one or all tlie 

 combs in the breeding apartment, witliout disturbing the 

 lioxes. 



Now, when all is arranged you can let friend D. crowd 

 lis much as he likes, and right here let me add, if you have 

 more honey in the brood chamber than sliould be, take 

 the outside frames and after uncapping exchange them 

 with those in the middle. If tliis is done during a mod- 

 erate yield of honey, and your 1)J3S are strong, you will 

 tind the honey going into tlie boxes ; and that 'tlie un- 

 capped honey in the center of the hive is also stimulating 

 brood rearing. 



If more boxes are required you can put as many on top 

 as you wish. For top boxes I use those mailo by G. T. 

 Wheeler, Mexico, N. Y., including cases to hold boxes and 

 tin separators, all to be use 1 as our; box. 



Mr. W. glasses only the outside boxes b^'fnre being flUod. 

 [f prepai-ed after lilUng, the glass co;ii^s rl;xp to the hon- 

 ey, and is clean, besides obviating tlv 11 ■r,";-^iiy of pa,sting 

 over holes to keep Hies out. &c. H;' intouils id make tliem 

 of strawberry box material this season, luiiking tlie light- 

 est and cheapest box in market. 



As we are through with the boxes, the next feature 

 is the advantage in winterins. t set the inner jjart with 

 the bees and honey, in the middle of the outer case ; then 

 '•unnect the entrances by laying two strips j inch thick. 



aiul lou'-T enough to connect the entrance of the inner to 

 to that of tli'^ outiM' part and cover over with a thin piece 

 of boird us wide as thi' ;; strips are long. Tliese should l)e 

 braided togotlier. and will keep anything that may be 

 packed between the two pirts. from clogging the en- 

 trance. 



Now we are reJidy to fill the space all around the bees 

 with straw or chaff, whicti can be packed with 410 lbs. if 

 you choose; I use 220 only. [See page i:5.'>. Vol. 11.] The 

 chamber can also be lilled but I think it unnecessary -. 1 

 make it as close as jjossilile at to)). The slots cut for the 

 hiney boxes give ainpli^ clvmce for the moisture to cscaf>e. 

 Thus yon have all the ailvantage of a straw hive protected 

 for winter. 



I am so well pleased with the above, that I wish to 

 leave it for criticism, through your valuable paper. 



Now about swarming: As I have plenty of room at th^ 

 side, I use but few boxes on top ; consequently I can ex- 

 amine them every week, change the honey in center and 

 cut out all the queen cells. Of course the queens' wings 

 are clipped, and it is done in this way : The first season 

 after ;i young queen begins to lay, I cut two wings on one 

 side, the second year cut one wing on the other side, and 

 the third year cut the last wing. Now can you say I cui 

 not tell the ago of my queens by th? looks of them 'i 



Let me tell right here how I pick the queen off the comii. 

 Last fall it occurred to me to fix !i swab from a feather or 

 rag, on the end of a sticK, dip this in honey then on the 

 old (lueen's back ; if you have iibout the right consistency 

 of honey, you will remove her with it. At all events, you 

 will tix her so she can't fly. 



Once more. My experience is that a young queen after 

 she is fertilized, seldom, if ever, leads out a swarm the 

 first year. I therefore use such where I wish to abstain 

 from swarming. 



And now Mr. Editor, let me say a few words about in- 

 troducing queens. My method is this : Remove the old 

 queen, usin'j smoke pretty freely, and replace the frames 

 as they belong, smoking the bees down at the same time : 

 now take the queen you wish to introduce and drop her in 

 at the top, cover uj) the hive and give them a few puffs 

 from the entrance and all is done. I have never lost one 

 introduced in this way. The i)rinciple is this : All admit 

 that bees detect a. stranger by smell ; and by the time the 

 smoke is over, the (pieen is theirs beyond a doubt. 



There seems to be miicli questioning in regard to intro- 

 ducing queens, and as I am very successful with the 

 smoke, I consider it the easiest and most economical way 

 yet described. And by the wav, did you receive th.t 

 smoker I sent you last season V If so, how do you like it ''. 



F. II. CVRENIUS. 



Scriba, N. Y., Feb. id, 1870. 



The hive mentioned does not differ very ma- 

 terially from the well known hive furnished by 

 jVIr. Quinby, although he reversed the frames 

 only to give the space for packing material in 

 winter. We have often thonuht of using the 

 veneer made for fruit boxes, for honey, but the 

 difficulty of holding this material ftrmly in 

 place, even if supported by metal, has been tlie 

 objection. So frail a commodity as honey in 

 the comb, is very liable to break down unless 

 the frame that supports it is stift' and strong ; 

 this quality can be secured in no way that we 

 know of so well as with sawed straight-grain- 

 ed pine. 



The smoker was received but was laid one 

 side, with several others like it without even a 

 trial ; because they are all made on the old and 

 well known plan of blowing them with the 

 month. These can be made by any tinsmith, 

 and among all that have been sent us, we dis- 

 cover nothing ditterent from the plans describ- 

 ed in both L. and Q.'s books. After one has 

 used one of the bellows smokers, such as Quin- 

 by's, we think they would never wish to use 

 one to be blown by the month. The objection 

 to nearly all smokers at pi'esent, seems to be 

 the frequency witli which they need cleaning 

 of the soot that accumulates in the tin tubes. 

 UsiufT rags instead of rotten wood seems to be 

 a partial preventive, but the latter are more 

 expensive. Something more durable than the 

 Q. smoker is needed; they come to pieces badly, 

 with ordinary usage. 



