20 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan, 



earrying them out to fly : no laakiag of holes through 

 the comb lor winter passages, or bothering about 

 the combs being too t'aW of honey; fin fact, it's the 

 least trouble of any way that you can put up bees ; 

 they are not apt to be troubled with (iisease, for 

 it keci)9 liiem dry and warm and allows them to lly 

 ivhea it is right that they should. I claim that bees 

 should fly two or three times during winter, to keep 

 them from having any disease amoug them. 

 Bexter, Mich., Dec. 18, 1876. J. H. Mltkdock. 



BEES, HOW MANY 5IAKE A SWARM. 



What Is the "regulation" size of a colony of bees ? 

 Possessing more bees than I have room for, and 

 having a colony of hybrids which were not consid- 

 ered salable, I decided to "take them up." Accord- 

 ingly I suflbcated the bees with the fumes of sul- 

 phur, shook the frames, and tlien bnished the bees 

 Into a pail and weighed and measured tliem. The 

 bees constituting this single colony measured 10 

 quarts and weighed 7' lbs. G. E. CortuiN. 



St. .Johns, Mich., Dec. 15, 1S70. 



Prieud C, wo are seldom quarrelsome, but 

 if we had been around when you were killing 

 those bees, don't know but there would have 

 been some "onpleasantness." A swarm of 

 bees that are clear black will always sell for 

 something in our vicinity, and it seems to us 

 that they would have paid for all time and ex- 

 })euse of wintering without a possibility of a 

 doubt. A friend who is just commencing had 

 a colony of hybrids, and tlie queen kept filling 

 comb after comb with brood until so late in 

 the fall, that his wife desired him to slice their 

 heads ofl' as we do drone brood, to avoid hav- 

 ing to buy sugar for such an immense family. 

 We were called in to advise as to what should 

 be done to induce such a queen lo stop laying, 

 but instead of advising to kill the brood, we 

 gave them $10 for the colony ; — and next sea- 

 son, if she is not allowed to fill combs to her 

 hearts content, it will be funny. We do not 

 know that we ever saw more than 10 quarts 

 in a colony in the fall, and we only wish you 

 had sent them to us instead of killing the poor 

 innocents. 



IMPOKTING QUEENS. 



My bees were very mucli weakened by the cider 

 mills last fall ; I liad to double many of them. 



I am wintering some of the imported queens that 

 we received from D. Tremontani, Bologna, Italy. 

 They were 34 days on the way. Do not take this as 

 an advertisement as I am not in the importing bus- 

 iness. I sent ray order with friend Ovelman and my 

 brother, therefore cannot answer any inquiries more 

 than state the condition th?y arrived in; 15 out of 

 16 came alive and in good condition. Those who 

 are not satisfied with Mr. Dadanfs imported queens 

 should try their hand at importing and see for them- 

 selves. 



I notice some parties complain of not getting the 

 value of their money from advertising in Glean- 

 ings. The orders I received for queens, from what 

 little money I spent in advertising in Gleanings, 

 exceeded my expectations. J. BI. V. Taylor. 



Lcwistown, Fred'k Co., Md., Dec. 19, 1876. 



BEETKEE, HOW TO GET THE BEE.S. 



As I am a beginner you will please send aie th4< 

 back numbers. 



1 have found a bee-tree; will you please Inform 

 me how to get the bees out without kllllDg them? 



Oovoua, .N. J., Dec. 13, 1876. G. Atkins, 



Much depends on hovt^ they are located; if 

 in a limb, climb up aud saw off the outer end- 

 being careful to get l>eyond the cavity, hitch a 

 rope to the part containing them, run it ovei • 

 a limb above, saw them off, let them down, and 

 then treat them precisely as a l>ox hive. If 

 they are in the body of the tree, perhaps your 

 best way will be to cut the tree aud ran th( 

 risk of having them all smashed up. About 

 the time of fruit blossoms is perhaps safest, for 

 the}' usually are lightest in honey at fluch a 

 time. As you will l)e likely to have many 

 bees outside at the time, it may be well to 

 leave the hive or log as near their old location 

 as possible a few days, to catch the returning 

 bees. Be sure to provide ample means for 

 having plenty of smoke ready as soon as it 

 may be needed. An enthusiastic friend — a 

 novice — lately was stung most unmercifully, 

 while high up amid the limbs of a monarch of 

 the forest. If we remember, he found more 

 hard work than poetry. 



HONEY, now NOT TO GET IT. 



My bee*, rilled 2 boxes, weight about 30 lbs. I supposed; 

 that was doini; well as I sold ic for 2l>c. per pound. 1 did 

 not put on any mora but found in about 6 caps 75 lbs. 

 grosa of surplus honey. 



The above friend forgot to give his name, 

 but he gives an excellent example of the los^ 

 those sustain who neglect to give their bees a 

 chance. By the way, we hiive quite a little 

 bundle of letters that have been sent us with 

 money, without any address or signature. 

 What shall we do with them? 



SriMULATIVE FEEDING, DETEIMENTAL. 



Had 40 swarms May 1st, '76; lost 2 in the cellar and 

 found i fjueenless. Hid to unite tham with others. Tbis 

 was our loss for last winter and spring ; one year a^o il' 

 you racolleet, I lost IS swarms by early stimulating, as ] 

 think. I took -1001) lbs. surplus, most of it extracted. 1 

 triad the scetion boxes aud like them but like the ex- 

 tractor better. I use two story hivas with frames aboui 

 the size of Quinby's ; don't think I want any smaller 

 frame. Have sold most of my haney for 12j^ cts., ken- 

 also included. 



Now with regard to those dark Italians; I have soinr 

 reared from Dadant's queens, and some from a quean pur- 

 chased of Langstroth, but I fail to see wherein the dark 

 ones are uuy better than the light onts unless it is in 

 "lighiing qualities." Both are f;ir ahead of the blacks in 

 my judgement. Jas. Scott. 



Epworth, Iowa, Dec. 21st, 1876. 



My bees did well the past season. From 30 stocks t 

 took 200i' I'ls. boauliiul honey. It is now nearly all .sold 

 at 25 cts. I ir lb. I thought this big work until I saw tli ■ 

 reports of friends Muih aud Hill. I am not so jubihim 

 now, but ci;:isole myself by thinking they are older bee- 

 keepers than I and perhaps had better bees and pasture'. 

 I'll go for them next time. H. C. Heespehgek. 



Keene, Ky., Dec. 19th. 1876. 



Took from 20 coloni:>s the p'l.st season 1200 lbs. lioue.x. 

 mostly extracted. The yield from white clover and bass- 

 wood rather light with a good riui on fall flowers. 



Warsaw, N. Y.. Dec. 2lst, '76. I)Avn> Hall. 



I do not know whether 1 li;ive ever wril ten you siue '. 1 

 rcc'd my cstrtjctor. I am well pleased with it. It p.tid 

 me bctwec'.i 400 and f)00 lbs. of honey and T think thiu 

 paying well. M. J. Xi;l;.:>.n. 



Ligoni'-r Cnd., Doc. It'ih, 1376. 



