5D5 



GLEANINGS IN BEE (.^ULTURE. 



Dec. 



boxes, if possible, with pacUins of hay or sha- 

 vings, and anything in tlic way of cari)et or sacliing 

 that we can lay hands upon, and over the whole the 

 best roof we can aSbrd to keep all dry. 



Now such has been almost universally Ihe 

 case, and it has made us icany times feel dis- 

 mal to realize that our apiaries must be such 

 an uninviting scene of disorder, for almost six 

 months in the year. "Well, we assure yon we 

 have taken some rare pleasure in the past few 

 days when it was pleasant, in ftxing up in nice 

 trim our new chatf hives ; and the thought 

 that they might be kept in just such trim all 

 winter long, was refi'eshing. Now how pleas- 

 ant it will be to see them fly during fine days 

 in winter, such as we had so many of last win- 

 ter, and to feel that they are all in just as nice 

 trim, as they were during the summer months. 

 ^ »»* ^ 



THE AGRICCLTITRAL COL,I.EGE 

 APIAKY. 



EEPOET FOR TUE YEAR 1870. 



From forthcoming report of State {3Iic}i.) Board of 

 Agriculture. 



/^|x F the ten colonies of bees placed in the new- cel- 

 IUjI) lar Xovember '26th, all but one, the experiment- 

 ^"""^ al colony, with none but old bees, came through 

 the winter in fine condition. That one lived till spring, 

 and then died. These colonies were all removed from 

 tlie cellar once in January, and once in March, that 

 they might have a purifying flight. They were not 

 removed to the summer stands permanently till the 

 middle of April. 



During the previous autumn the bees were kept 

 breeding even into October, and consumed nearly all 

 the pollen. Several colonies had none. These liad 

 no brood when removed from tlie cellar. I attempted 

 to supply this lack by feeding meal during the last of 

 April, but found that nearly as soon as the weather 

 would permit the bees to fly they could get pollen, 

 and thus would not touch the meal. 



I fed sparingly of syrup till the fruit trees were in 

 bloom, and by that time had si.K or seven frames of 

 brood in each hive. I also fed a little between the 

 fruit trees' bloom and that of white clover, with the 

 most satisfactorj- results. 



During the season I have increased from nine to 

 twenty colonies, all large and in excellent condition. 

 I also procured two Italian (lueens imported from 

 Italy, 3nt lost one in introducing. Tlie other has 

 done well, and from her I have Italianized tlie whole 

 apiary, though I am in doubt whether all the queens 

 were purely mated. 



I did not permit the colonics to swarm, but prac- 

 ticed artificial swarming or dividing. 1 lost three 

 colonies, one coming out in the spring, and leaving at 

 once, without waiting to alight even ; the other two 

 going off this fall, before I suspected any such thing, 

 clioosing Sunday of course as the time for their leave- 

 taking. Had I previously cropped the queen's wings, 

 all of these would have been saved. I have now no 

 queens with uncropped wings. 



I have extracted during the season 507 pounds from 

 the brood chamber. About a third of this was from 

 basswood, the other two-thirds from fall bloom, and 

 none was extracted except from worker comb, which 

 it was desired to keep free from honey that it might 

 be used for brood. 



During the season I have worked for comb honey, 

 both in boxes and in small frames, and found that I 

 could secure much more in Ihe frames. I lind, too, 



that the honey in small frames is liked quite as well 

 by consumers. 



In the spring I surrounded the apiary grounds with 

 numerous honey-producing shrubs and trees, among 

 which were bass-woods, locusts, crab-apple, shad- 

 bush, etc. Most of these have done well, —a few have 

 died. These have been kejjt mulched, and the ground 

 about them well spaded all the season. I have also 

 set out more evergreens, some for a wind-break, oth- 

 ers for shade for bees ; and have started some Con- 

 cord grape vines and Virginia creejjer for shade. 

 Some of the latter has been set about the house, that 

 it may climb upon It, and has alreadj- made a fine 

 growth. I have also set out several kinds of bee- 

 plants of more or less repute, the tollowing of which 

 have done well, and all yielded bloom except the two 

 first, which will not bloom till another season: yel- 

 low trefoil clover, yellow Bokhara clover, mignonette, 

 black mustard, Chinese mustard, borage, common 

 and silver-leaf buckwheat, common and Chinese sun- 

 flower, and Rocky mountain iiee-plaut. 



Tnc following is the summary of the account with 

 the apiary for the year : 



APIARY. 



1)K. 



To improvement of grounds S26 17 



" experimental plats 2o 65 



" tools 20 4.5 



" maklnghlves, feed, queens, and care of bees 8181 



Total S155 OS 



CK. 



By 11 colonies of bees(n:^10 $110(0 



■• 506)*' lbs. extracted honey(al6(a-22c 83 It) 



" \iS,y, lbs. comb honeyfg,2-2 i/c 33 90 



" 168 lbs. comb honey (unsold) (3200 33 60 



" 55 ^a lbs. extracted honey (unsold) (Sloe 8 32 



" 60 frames worker conib(ailOc 6 00 



" 9 unoccupied bee hi ve=f(i 52 18 00 



" Improved grounds 26 17 



" experiments on bee plants 23 65 



" 70 lbs. asparagus(«8c 5 60 



" tools, record book, etc 15 45 



" work bench 5 00- 



" lumber, oil, ajd p Int on hand 2 33 



Total receipts $371 41 



Total expenditures 8lc5 (8 



Net profits on 9 colonies $216 33 



" " per colony 2105 



CONX'LUSIONS FROM YEAR'S AVOIIK. 



The experimental hive, strong In old bees, but 

 which contained no young bees, as no brood was per- 

 mitted to hatch after the middle of August, and which 

 died 111 early spring. Indicates that spring dwindling 

 may come from the fact that there are no young bees 

 in the hive when the bees go Into winter quarters. 

 This condition may arise either from a poor queen, a 

 poor honey jield. or deartli of honey in autumn, when 

 even the best queen will refuse to do duty ; or, as has 

 been the case here this fall, such a great honey yield 

 as to give the queen no opportunitj. 



NATURAL SWAUMIXG. 



I have proved, what reason and a knowledge of the 

 natural history of the honej' bee would discover, that 

 natiiral swarming Is always suflered at a great sacri- 

 fice. This Insures a ciueenless colony for nearly or 

 general!}- quite two weeks, which Is equivalent to the 

 loss of a fair colony of bees, as a good fertile young 

 queen will start a fair colony In this time, especially 

 as this is generally at the time oi the best honey sea- 

 son of all the year. 



THE EXTRACTOR. 



The great value of this machine has been again 

 demonstrated during the wondrous honey yield of 

 August and September. Although the bees had plen- 



