210 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



celleutly iu this respect. We would earnestly 

 advise, that no one ever, no matter how much 

 hurried, put on upper stories that allow the 

 frames to come more than ^o inch from the low- 

 er ones. Well, the upper stories had to come 

 oft", and there was no other way, but to tear 

 these combs apart, and then with the honey 

 knife trim both top and bottom. Of course 

 we very soon had robbers at work, and had to 

 desist. At the next attempt, the hybrids 

 were just in the mood to sting, in thai cool 

 decided way, that perhaps you have all exper- 

 ienced. Circumstances were such that we 

 felt the upper stories must come oft". Our 

 smoker was put in its best trim and they were 

 driven back, but only to come to the l3attle 

 with renewed lury, just as soon as we stopped 

 an instant, or allowed them to boil up at any 

 corner of the hive. With flnyers daubed with 

 honey, tears running down our cheeks from 

 the combined etl'ects of stings and smoke, and 

 with a humilated if not conquered spirit, we 

 went round on the other side of the bee house 



to meditate and pull out the stings. Even 



after we had desisted and retreated, two or 

 three little "heathen" that did not feel "satisti- 

 ed' came and inflicted a couple more wicked 

 stings and then seemingly regretted that they 

 had no more stings to inflict judging from the 

 way in which they buzzed up ones sleeves and 

 seemed generally bent on mischief. Veils and 

 gloves say you V We have a feeling that when 

 our bees get so furious that it is ueccessary to 

 barricade against them in that way, it is a 

 fair indication that something is wrong — 

 against nature, as perhaps friend Heddon 

 would have it. We do not believe in fighting 

 with anybody, and if we cannot get along 

 without flghting with our bees we should feel 

 very much like giving them up. To get a 

 veil and gloves and push ahead at such a 

 time, would soon demoralize a whole apiary, 

 to say nothing of the stings that might atflict 

 the whole neighborhood. We did try a veil 

 but feel as we have said before, that when one 

 who has had experience enough to feel at 

 home among the bees, finds a veil needed, he 

 had better stop. If we are careful, and see 

 that no robbing be allowed for an in- 

 stant, 100 colonies can be kept in quiet and 

 tranquility the year round, but do not let the 

 bees ever find out that honey is to be had 

 about on the ground, or iu the houses. 



We wiped our eyes, pulled out the stings 

 and took our old sauce pan down from its 

 nail ; put in a coal, and then a heap of sticks, 

 and very soon a cloud of smoke arose that 

 seemed fit for our purpose. This was taken to 

 the hive, and very soon every bee iu the air, 

 and around the hive, retreated with an air, 

 that to say the least, was quite consoling. 

 With a very few pufl's of the breath, every bee 

 could be driven entirely from the combs, and 

 by placing the pan so the smoke curled above 

 our head, those in the air, very soon flew away 

 in disgust. We finished our work in peace 

 and quietness, and felt very much like tumb- 

 ling the Quinby smoker, with which we had 

 fussed and tinkered so much, on top of the verj' 

 summit of our raorument of discarded imple- 

 ments. Before doing this however, we decid- 

 ed to give a new one a fair trial, as our own 

 has been used over 2 years. This new one 



works much better than the old one ever did ; 

 when first lighted, we could throw a stream 

 of smoke nearly 10 feet, and we were rejoiced 

 to find that it would not go out as long as it 

 was kept supplied with fuel. It has now been 

 used over a week, and every day we are sorry 

 to find it getting more like the old one ; caus- 

 we suppose by the soot that accumulates in 

 the tubes, which requires to much time and 

 trouble to clean out constantly. Always go- 

 ing out at the wrong time, is the trouble with 

 the Quinby smoker ; the trouble with the 

 sauce pan is, the smoke gets into one's eyes, 

 and the sparks get into the sawdust. The 

 ( former is the neater, more compact, and easier 

 put away, for if laid on its side, it always goes 

 out at once ; if it would not go out at any oth- 

 er time, it would be a "jewel." We have stud- 

 ied in vain to improve it in that respect, and 

 failing, have decided to accept it as it is. As 

 we have sold a great number of them this 

 summer, we shall hereafter keep theiJi in 

 stock, which will enable us to furnish them 

 on shorter notice than heretofore. 



11th — Did you ever ! We have actually tak- 

 en over 100 lbs. of the most beautiful comb 

 honey in section frames, from one colony, and 

 they are now at work on their fourth set of 30 

 sections. This colony is out doors, and the 

 honey has bees all stored in the sections with 

 nothing but the hoops around them. To keep 

 the bees from hanging out we gave them three 

 tiers, or 90 sections at once,and have been 

 very agreeably surprised to find that when all 

 were taken ofl", those iu the lower tier were 

 just as white and nice, as those in the top- 

 most. This may not prove the case invaria- 

 bly, yet these had been sealed and ready to 

 take ofl' forever a month. At present our ex 

 perieuce is in favor of the sections without 

 the tin separators, if not to be glassed. They 

 are not only much easier to handle in lifting 

 out those that are sealed ready to come off, 

 but they contain considerable more honey. 

 We would prefer to have the sections set di- 

 rectly on the frames, were it not that the 

 brood combs need to be about IJo inches from 

 centre to centre, and the sections about \%. 

 Unless the bottom of the section sets squarely 

 on top of the top bar to the frame, the bees 

 fasten them down too tight to be convenient 

 in handling ; if we turn the section across the 

 other way, they fasten them if possible, still 

 tighter. We really believe we never spent a 

 happier hour in the apiary, than did we to-daj' 

 iu taking oft" honey in section boxes. Where 

 they are set directly on the top of each other 

 with no tin separators at all, they can be lift- 

 ed up as easily as one could wish, and if the 

 sections have been filled, or nearly so, with 

 foundation, each one will come out clean, and 

 entirely free from the stickiness that makes so 

 many operations about the apiary disagreea- 

 ble. ' Just think of it ! Honey put up iu clean 

 white packages, not a particle to drip, and the 

 bees do every bit of it themselves. While tak- 

 ing them oft", we were tempted to stop and ex- 

 claim "Did you ever see anything so hand- 

 some V" at almost every one removed. 



IWi— Our honey house had become awfully 

 "cluttered up" in fact it showed strong symp- 

 toms of getting as bad or even worse, than 

 was "No^vice's barn." Puddles of thick honey 



