132 



GLEANINGS IN BEE OULTURU. 



June.' 



that perhaps those weak colonies would build 

 up faster if they were put into a little hive 

 that they would fill, or ia fact one that would 

 crowd them O'Ut a little except during cool 

 nights. With the section frames we did this 

 very readily, and sure enough, the bees went 

 right to work and gathered pollen, reared 

 brood, and we began to have visions af a hive 

 entirely of section bjxes piled up like bricks. 

 As the colony increased, more boxes were to 

 be aided, and when any were tilled that were 

 suitable for table use they were to be used as 

 surplus, and so on. The labor of handling 

 these little frames would be much like the closed 

 end Quinb3^ The little hive worked very well 

 until the novelty of it wore off, and then we 

 bea:an to discover that we could look over sev- 

 eral large colonies with metal cornered frames, 

 in the time we were handling the }4 dozen 

 closed end section frames. 



As the Ijees were crowding out of the Q. hive 

 we to-day removed the chaft' covering. The 

 colony is a mammoth one for the season, and 

 "we found solid sheets of sealed brood in nearly 

 every one of the 8 large Q. frames. The chaff 

 protected them so well, that they seem to have 

 been entirely free from the dwindling that has 

 affected nearly every other col iny ; of course 

 having such an abundance of bees and stores in 

 th-^ fall, had much to do with it as well as the 

 chaft'. To get at the real virtues of this chaff 

 idea, we are makina; some experiments now, 

 that we hope will tell us before another win 

 ter,just how much to expec* from it. If we 

 can keep the whole interior of the hive warm, 

 even in June, during cold storms and cool 

 nights by some such porous covering, we think 

 it would be quite an item ; perhaps it may like 

 many other things, turn out when well tested, 

 to be an accidental success after al) ; but we 

 wish to kiioic ]\i.^t what it does. 



Last year we did not clip our queens' wings, 

 bu t with the prospect now before us — several 

 colonies are strong enough to swarm — we 

 have concluded to have all clipped. Now in 

 regard to closed end frames ; we found the 

 queens, moved the division boards, and had 

 the hives all closed up where there wei'c 

 suspended frames, in an amount of time that 

 seems insigniiicaut compared to that required 

 to perform the same operations with a closed 

 end Q. frame ; and the statement made by a 

 few, that such hives could be handled as rapid- 

 ly as the suspended frames, seems to us posi- 

 tively meful. With a small colony, and a new 

 hive, either closed top or closed end frames 

 may be handled very well, but with an old 

 hive so full of bees that they cover the end bars 

 of the frames to such an extent as to prevent 

 your seeing the wood at all, and frames so 

 heavy as to make your back ache, while you 

 stoop in the hot sun and look, tirst at one end, 

 and then at the other, to see if you are killing 

 bees, and these hybrids, and — if you think we 

 don't know how, try one such hive yourself, or 

 visit someone who knows'hovf, if such there be. 

 A cireless person might not be aware that he 

 killed bees at all, and some do not seem to care, 

 but to us, the sight of the quivering form of a 

 crushed and mangled little fellow when he is 

 innocently standing in the threshold of his 

 own door or peering out at the blue sky, while 

 the closed ends are being brought up into place, 



is enough to spoil the pleasure of bee-keeping. 



In clipping our queens we thought to test 

 friend D's. theory, and as we went at the work 

 about 9 A. ]\L she should have been in the 

 centre of the brood nest,, but nearly every 

 queen was found on the outs-ide comb. The 

 reason we supixjse to be that the combs were- 

 so filled with the fruit blossom honey that no 

 cells were to be found, unless she went to the 

 extreme outside combs ; and that the morning; 

 being so very warm, she had no particular 

 need of seeking the centre. Is it not rather 

 when the temperature will permit, and when 

 no empty cells are to be found.tbat she goes 

 over to the outside? 



We are fast becoming sceptical is regard Id 

 the utility of many of the modern teachings, 

 not so bad as friend Heddon however, but m 

 the matter of spreading the brood combs, we 

 think there is room for grave doubts. 



Gl.EAt\JtNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Publtslied Montlily, 



-A-. I_ I^OOT- 



EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. 



MEDINA, OHIO. 



Tei'ms : Sl-OO I*ex' Amixim. 



[Including Postage.'] 

 For Clitb Rates see Last Page. 



The grass withereth, tlie (lower fa<letli ; but the 

 word of our God sliall stand forever. — Isaiah 40 : 8. 



AVE have made the plates and tried foundations K 

 larger than drone comb. It evidently puzzled the bees 

 for they tried to follow the angles and yet make wor- 

 ker comb, resulting in worker comb with 3 cornereff 

 vacancies whiclithey filled with wa paraffiae. 



Who will furnish Walter Wade, Pettit, Tippecanoe 

 Co., Ind., with Vol. Ill ? Says he must have it; if any 

 more are to be had it would paj- to advertise them, 

 for our supply is exhausted, and there ar". quite a 

 number of applicants. If you have the volume and 

 will sell it, please tell us yonr price. 



D. A. Jones, Beetou, Ontario, Canada, we suppose 

 is prepared to furnish any quantity of foundations, 

 for we have just sent him a machine complete that 

 did excellent work while in our hands. We made 

 about 50 lbs. and filled most of our orders during the 

 two days were experimenting with it. We liope to be 

 able to give you the white for 75c. Our new machine 

 will be at work Jun e 1st. 



From remarks from some of our friends in regard to 

 heavy exti actors, we fear thev have been so thought- 

 less as to try to work them without their being screw- 

 ed fast to the box or i)latform on which they are to 

 stand. As we send them screwed fast to the crating, 

 we sujiposed the sight of the screws would suggest 

 that jiart of it. To purchase heavy machines just to 

 have them stand still ol their own accord, would be 

 the heigth of beg pardon, misdirected zeal. 



We have been enabled to reduce the price of our 

 compound microscopes to ;>:3.00, or .fS.lS by mail. 

 These instruments are marvels of beautiful workman- 

 ship, from the mounting of the lenses to tlie mahog;i- 

 ny boxes in which they are encar=ed, and the sanijiles 

 of objects such as eye, foot, scing, wing, tongue and 

 mandibles of the bee, are so much superior to any 

 drawings o:" the same, that we feel as if we could not 



