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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Del 



Have just reiximed from a two wec-k"g star at Benton's 

 .B^v on ibe M.i- s. liver. Cramer and I hare been \r0rkin2 

 wiih bees for MeGaw and Jarris. McGav has Ijeen sick 

 for seme iiiuesKdunriLle to attend to his bees. Friend 

 Jarvis told me not 10 co r.nd tell ererj-body how cruoked 

 their hives stiiul in the yard, facing all points of the 

 compass, some lij pc-d back and some forward, about the 

 sand bnrrs in their tkthes, beds, towels, fingers and feet: 

 abont the fleas and "^keeters" and the hot sand : the 

 snakes, rats .ind mice, and — Xovice I am net going to tell 

 any one;, would you : McGaw and HoUingsworth have 

 150 stands of bees. Jarris 19X Br. Caml)tll 45, Hammond 

 "!>. and Dickey 7- X. L. Jarvis will be 62 years eld Oct. 24. 

 Began in spiingcf 73 with five stocks, increased to 13. 

 Gave me non port for TS or 4. Spring of "75 began with 

 25 stocks, very little honey till July 5th, buUt np to 45 

 stocks. Profit from sale of bees and Loney §301.50. 

 Spiing tf "76 began with 3S stwks iaereased to ii>*, lost 14 

 by going to the woods. Has sold and has on hand over 

 c(CO lbs. hcney, mostly in small 6 lb. boxes. Has sold his 

 honey r.t an average of 17 cents. It is a good location for 

 bees but the bee-keeper must put up with a great many 

 inconveniences. I enjoyed myself tip top while there; 

 friends Jarrii;, Dickey, Hammond, Leouek, etc. made the 

 stay less lonesome by their neighborly visits. 



Wnx M. KEiiCGG. Oneida, Ills. Aug. 24th, 1876. 



My bees have done well this season, and are in fine 

 condition for winter. 'WThat extracted honey I did take, 

 about three barrels, I have sold for 20 cts. per lb. I take 

 my honey to town in a large tin can, and c-all on the 

 families, and insist that they bny a hrtle. even if it be 

 only one lb , and the nest time I call seme will take 20 

 lbs. and some as much as 40 lbs. in course of the year. 

 I am surprised to see some bee-keepers offer honey at 7. 

 and lOo. when I feel sure they could get 20c for all they 

 could spare, if they would take pains to build up a home 

 market. Johs A- BrcHA2f ait. 



VTintervllle, Ohio, Oct. 16th, 1S76. 



soaieii'-nes too damp. The basement is under the parlor, 

 where the organ is played coiisideral^, but I think ihey 

 like n)usie better than I d."), when a quickstep is plsyetl 

 aronikl my ears. Geo. Peekt, Peru, His. Oct. 17th, '7ii. 



The p]an of buikling the hives together, has 

 many advautases, but it makes them more dif- 

 ficult to handle. The plau seems to be little _ 

 in ft»vor, as yet, bat late developments may ■ 

 obviate the liiflicnlties. 1 



Four years ago last spring I bought one svrarm of bees 

 in bos liive, for flO. At that time I did not know a hon- 

 ey bee when I saw it. I now have 34 swarms in good con- 

 dition, aixl h.-tve sold altogether S-3J5.0C worth of honey. 

 True, this is nothing very great, but then I am satisfied. ■ 

 I owe my success largely to Gleaxixgs ; I use the Lang- ^ 

 stroth hive and J. P. Moore's rack (sae P. 72, Vol. i Xo. i 

 GiXAXiXGs). The fdn. has proved a complete success 

 with me. W. H.FiZTCHEK. 



Sauk Rapids, Minn. Oct. 11th, 1876. 



"VThen bees are wintered in cellar or frost proof house, 

 how wide have you found it best to have the entrances of 

 hives ': When the entrance extends full length of end ot 

 the hive, would you leave entirely open for strong colo- 

 nies and gradunte for medium and we;ik ones '; 

 G. G. Scott, Dabaque, Iowa, Oct. ISth, lS7i;. 



We have generally closed the entrance up 

 iu October, until but two or three bees could 

 pass at once, and thus we let it remain until 

 it needs enlarging in May or June. Of late 

 we have been much inclined to think, if the 

 stocks are strong, the entrance need not be- 

 meddled with winter or summer. Our chart 

 hive has one Sg t»y 2 inches, and we propose 

 trying to keep bees enough inside to keep on: 

 both frost and robbers. 



HOESXTS EAirSG T.AP.VAE. 



Xear the top of the Missouri grade, about 4 miles X. E. 

 of San Diego, a s srarm of bees have taken possession of a 

 small box culvtrt under the main wagon wav. In pass- 

 ing them lately, I noticed an unusual commotion among 

 the bees, and, upon stopping to see ''what was the mat- 

 ter," I found they were fighting away some yellow jackets 

 or common hornets. As I stood there watching the fight, 

 I noticed a yellow jacket come tumbling out foUowed by 

 a bee- The hornet seemed to be carrying something, and 

 to see what it was, I put a stick on him, and foimd he 

 had the larva of a bee about Ji grown. This then ex- 

 plained the trouble — the yellow jackets were after the 

 larvje. Yellow jackets are very troublesome here. If 

 you leave a piece of fresh meat exposed they will come by 

 dozens, each gnawing off a piece the size of a pea and fly- 

 ing away. They will soon carry away several pounds. 



G- P. Mekkllm, San Luis Eey, CaL 



I commenced the bee business with the common Lang- 

 stroth hive, and hav€ improved it until I now have, one 

 that I think will suit me. I have name! it P. P. S. S. 

 which being interpreted means. Perfection Perfected, and 

 Simplicity Simplified. I have loaned my Gleanings, and 

 cannot recollect the name of the man that winters his 

 bees in a box with straw or leaves around the hive. I 

 like the plan, but why not make a box long enough for 

 25 or 50 hives, 6 inches apart. I have one 32 feet long, 

 top and both sides on hinges, so that I can get a current 

 cf air through it on a hot dsy, and have it i>erfectly 

 shaded. I have never wintered bses in it. I have a good 

 warm basement kitchen that I shall give up to the bees 

 this winter. I have usually wintered in a cellar, but it is 



Iraised two queens from the larvse I received iroiii 



you in Jnly. One was a nice queen producing yellow 



I bees, she other was a small black queen whose worker 



■ progeny are hv brids. My bees have done wel' this- 



summer ; increased from S to 24. I am intereste'l in 



"chaflT" and the ventilation snbjeet. F. C. White. 



Eaclid, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. 



The past season has been an tmusuaUy gocxl one with 

 tbe honey producers of this sectiou, but I think a great 

 many hives will be empty in the spring from over swarm- 

 ing and failure of late honey crop. I had five hives in 

 ' the spring ; I have increased to twelve and sold several 

 ' queens, and have taken over five hundred pounds of 

 ' choice comb, for which I find «>>d s^e at liome at 25c 

 ' per pound. I use 7 inches deep second story with divi- 

 sion board through centre lengthwise, giving two rows oi 

 i small frames, twelve in a row. Don't you think it »» 

 , Utile unhandy to examine a Live with section boxes 

 resting on the frames r For quilts I take seemless bags. 

 I tarn them wrong side out, lay in a sheet oi cotton bat- 

 I ting, or what is better, a piece of rag carpet, quilt in 

 ' wide rows on the machine, then cut into three pi;ce», 

 and I have three quilts which fit the tops of my hives 

 12xlS. For feeders I use shot bags which seem to answer 

 admirably. I would siy to correspondent in September 

 Xo. of Gi.EA2axGS that I believe 1 can introduce lOo 

 queens without a loss, every effort being successful since 

 the bit of experience given in GLEiM^GS when I was 

 more of a greenhorn than now. I have introduced a greit 

 many for myself and neighbors, and I have never lest :i 

 hive of bees from any cause whatever, and have never 

 had a swarm leave me. Hoping for continued success oi 

 G^EANiXGS, lam your resp"y W. O. Atkiss'^.v. 



Vermont, 111. Oct. 30th, 1S76. 



