266 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Oct. 



(leal more time in loading up, but the thick 

 honey is so much heavier, he will veiy likely 

 stagger under the load, and make a very 

 ci'ooked bee line of his hoineward path. Be- 

 sides, he will take much more time to unkxid. 

 Sometimes, they, after circling about qviite a 

 time, will stop to take breath before going 

 hom-3, which is apt to mislead the hunter, 

 unless he is experienced ; all this is avoided 

 by filling your honey comb with honey and 

 water, instead of the honey as we usually 

 find it. 



Now it takes quite a little time, to get a 

 be?, caagiit and started in the work, and 

 tliat we may be busy, we will have several 

 bees started at the same time ; and to do this 

 expeditiously, we will use a bee hunting box 

 made as in the following cut. 



BOX FOR BEE HUNTING. 



Tliis is simply a light box about 4i inches 

 square ; the bottom is left open, and the top 

 is closed with a sheet of glass that slides ea- 

 sily in saw cuts made near the upper edge. 

 About a half inch below the glass, is a small 

 feeder, quite similar to the one we figured 

 last month. , 



HOW TO USE THE HUNTING BOX. 



Take with your box, about a pint of diluted 

 honey in a bottle. If you fill the bottle half 

 full of thick honey, and then fill it up with 

 warm water, you will have it about right. In 

 the fall of the year, you will be more likely 

 to find bees on the flowers, in the early part 

 of the day. When you get on the ground, 

 near some forest, where you suspect the 

 l)"esence of wild bees, pour a little of your 

 lioney into the feeder, and cautiously set the 

 box over the first bee you find upon the 

 flowers. As soon as the box is well over the 

 flower, close the bottom with your hand, 

 and he will soon buzz up against the glass. 

 Catch as many as you wish, in the same way, 

 and they will soon be sipping the honey. 



Before any have filled themselves, ready tO' 

 fly, set your box • on some elevated iwiiit, 

 such as the top of a stump in an oi>eii space 

 in the field, and draw back the glass slide.. 

 Stoop down now, and he ready to keep your 

 eye on him, whichever way he may tm-n. If 

 you keep your head loAv, yo-u will be more 

 likely to have the sky as a background. If 

 you fail in following one, you must try the 

 next, and as soon as you get a sure line on. 

 one, as he bears finally for home, be sure to 

 mark it by some object that you Ci\n remem- 

 ber. If you are curious to know how long 

 they are gone, you c<in with some white 

 paint in a little vial, and a pencil brush, 

 mark one of them on tlie back. This is quite 

 a help where you have two or more lines 

 working from the same bait. When a bee 

 comes back, you will recognize him by the 

 peculiar inquiring hum, like robbers in front 

 of a hive where they have oiice had a taste 

 of spoils. If the tree is near by, each one 

 will bring others along in his wake, and soon 

 your box will be humming with a tln"ong so' 

 eager, that a further filling of the feeder from 

 the bottle will be needed. As soon as you 

 are pretty well satisfied in wliich dii-ectioii 

 they are located, you can close the glass slide 

 and move along on the line, near to the 

 woods. Oi?en the box, and you will soon 

 have them just as busy, again ; mark the 

 line, and move again, and you mil very sooni 

 follow them to their home. To aid you in 

 deciding just where they are, you can move 

 off to one side and start a cross line. Of 

 course the tree will be found just where 

 these lines meet ; when you get about where 

 you think they should be, examine the trees 

 carefully, especially all the knot holes, or 

 any place that might allow bees to enter and 

 find a cavity. If you place yourself so that 

 the bees will be between you and the sun, 

 you can see them plainly, even if they are 

 among the highest branches. Remember you 

 are to make a careful and minute examin- 

 ation of eveiy tree, little and big, body and 

 limbs, even if it does make your neck ache. 

 It is a good thing to look up once in a while, 

 just as it is a good thing to go out into the 

 woods, and get a view of outside things 

 generally, now and then. If you do not find 

 them in cai-efully looking the trees over, go 

 back and get your lumting box, bring it up 

 to the spot, and give them " feed " until yoiE 

 get a quart or more at work. You can then 

 see pretty clearly where they go. If you do 

 not find them the first day, you can readily 

 start them again almost any time, for they 

 are very quick to start, when they have once 



