1878. 



GLEA^IKGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



35 



ure , but when a drouth occurSj and robbers 

 abound, the young queen is quite apt to get 

 led out as an intruder, by some over zealous 

 inmate of the hive. They do not seem to 

 have any ill will to them, for I have often 

 picked them up at the entrance and put 

 them back a^ain, and had them accepted 

 and fertilized. If we could furnish a pint 

 of young bees with each newly hatched 

 queen, there would be no trouble at all. 

 Cxn any profitable way of doing this be de- 

 vised ? 



SHADHVO HIVJES, E^NEIMIES OF BE:e:S, &c. 



TOADS, BEE MARTINS, AND BEE HAWKS. 



UHILE you and your Northern friends are 

 constantly discussing the best plan for keei> 

 ina- your bees warm through the winter, we 

 are in doubt, whether or not wo should take some 

 pains to keep our bees cool. We had a killina: frost 

 on the 13th of November, which completely cleaned 

 up all bee pasturage for the present; but we fre- 

 quently have pleasant sunny days when the bees, 

 la hives exposed to the sun, come out in considerable 

 force, while those in hiv^es that are shaded and kept 

 cool, are quiet. Now the question is, will not those 

 in the shaded hives winter better and consume less 

 than those that are flying out every sunny day? In 

 considering this question, you will bear in mind that 

 our sunny days are often followed by cool evenings, 

 and that bees that do not return home before sun- 

 set stand a good chance to become chilled and not 

 get home at all. 



We notice that some of your friends still plead for 

 the toads. Well, there is no doubt that toads are 

 useful in the farm and garden, but the way they do 

 eat bees is a ctfution; and I say that suitable stands 

 do not seem to prevent them, for every poor fellow 

 that comes in, "wf^ary and honey laden" and misses 

 the alighting board falls into a toad's mouth. Now 

 my plan is, to look for them occasionally around the 

 hives, about dusk, gather them up, and take them 

 to to the vegetable garden and release them. There 

 they can feed upon flies and worms to their heart's 

 content, and without doing any damage. 



We also notice a plea for the martins, and s<i far as 

 the bird described by your correspondent, is con- 

 cerned, we agree with him. They are birds of pas- 

 sage, go in droves, live and rear their young in 

 houses or boxes prepar. d for them, during summer, 

 and emigrate southward at the approach of autumn. 

 The male bird is black and the female dusky gray. 

 They subsist principally on insects but we have nev- 

 er known them to trouble bees. But there is another 

 kind, called BiK Martiyi-s, that go in pairs, male and 

 female, strongly resembling the female of the black 

 martiu in appearance, but entirely different in hab- 

 its. They usually build their nests in tall trees, and 

 live and die near where they are hatched and reared. 

 You will seldom see more than two of these together 

 or near each other. When you discover one of these 

 chaps pe'-ched on the bough of a tree near your api- 

 ary, making an occasional dash into the air and re- 

 turning again to his perch, you may feel assured 

 that he is eating bees; and we would advise you to 

 try your shot gun on him at once. 



There is another customer that is more trouble- 

 some with us than cither toads or martins. We do 

 not remember his technical name, but he is very 

 generally known as the Mosquito Hawk. He is 

 shaped much like a mvisquito, is about three inches 

 in length, has four wings, and his body is greenish 

 colored. They come in great numbers, late in the 

 afternoon of a summer day, and, flying to and fro in 

 the vicinity of the hives, catch the bees on the wing 

 as they return from the fields. They are very expert 

 in their line, and seldom miss their aim. 



The best plan we have found for disposing of these 

 fellows, is tio organize an army of small boys for the 

 purpose of destroying them. If you live near a 

 school house or academy, you can, by an offer of a 

 treat to honey or some such inducement, enlist the 

 services of thf whole scthool. Arm each boy with a 

 whip, switch or brush broom, and place them in con- 

 venient positions for whipping down the hawks, as 

 they pass. A boy tliat is expert with a bat in base- 

 ball, will get every one that passes within reach of 

 him. In a few minutes you will notice that they fly 

 higher and seem to avcjid the boys, and if you will 



persevere in this warfare for a week they will en- 

 tirely disappear. J. B. Mitchell. 

 Hawkinsville, Ga., Dec. 28th, 1878. 



Whether we shall shade our hives or not, 

 is a question not easily decided. Some sea- 

 sons there seems to be an advantage in sha- 

 ding them through the winter, while the 

 next, the result seems t<^ be exactly the re- 

 verse. We have always had two hives on 

 the north side of our honey house, where the 

 sun scarcely strikes them at all, and they 

 have on an average, done full as well as 

 those set elsewhere. The bees on the nortl^ 

 side of the house apiary, have also done just 

 as well as those on the south side. I have a 

 few times, when the bees were gathering 

 pollen briskly during a bright, sunny but 

 cool day iu the spring, found considerable 

 numbers of pollen laden bees on the ground, 

 chilled, on the north side, while those on the 

 south, would be all safely in the hive. On 

 one such occasion, I picked up several hand- 

 fuls. If the next day proved a fine one, they 

 all revived when the sun struck and warmed 

 them, but if several cool days followed, they 

 died. ISTotwithstanding this, we had full as 

 good yields of honey from these same hives, 

 as from any in the apiary. It is possible 

 that a weak hive, would do better in the 

 sun, but I am not quite sure of this. The 

 colonies that are kept in the shade, are very 

 strong, and a very strong colony will take 

 care of themselves under almost any cir- 

 cumstances. 



The idea of setting the school boys at 

 work, is a novel one, indeed, and from what 

 I know of school boys, I should not be sur- 

 prised if the musquito hawks began to 

 ^'scratch gravel" for "fm-rin parts" at the 

 very outset of the engagement. Be careful 

 that the boys do not form habits of needless 

 cruelty to either insects or animals. 



BtlTLDING COMBS UNBER THE HIVES. 



I have 30 stands of bees in the old fashioned hive, 

 and would like to put section boxes in the capa. 

 Now, if you will suggest some plan to me, I will 

 promise not to trouble again in that way. I know 

 nothing about bees more thaa to hive them, and put 

 on and take otf boxes. For 3 or 4 weeks, during the 

 honey season, all the fronts and part of the bottoms 

 of my hives had at least a peck of bees on, and some 

 built comb under the hive. I have been takinj? 

 Gleanings for 3 months and intend to take it until 

 I learn something about bees. I have been using 

 boxes, but somehow, in hot weather, they stop work- 

 ing in them, and haag on the outside of the hive, 

 idle. Can you tell me how I can alter or flx the caps 

 of my old hives so that I can hang section boxes in 

 them? J. D. Woolf. 



Delavan, Ills., Jan. 7th, 1878. 



Well, I declare friend W. ! I thought I 

 had given pictures enough of section boxes, 

 and the way to use them, so that no one 

 need let their bees build combs under the 

 hives for want of room inside. Hang a 

 frame of sections in your L. hives by all 

 means, and if your caps are not in shape to 

 take a full frame, cover the toj) with a tier 

 of the .3 frame cases, such as I described for 

 box hive men, last month. 



I commenced with .33 swarms last spring, and took 

 1650 lbs. of honey; 1600 lbs. comb, and .50 lbs. extract?- 

 ed. Owing to my lack of experience (as this was my 

 second season with bees), and the secretion of honey 

 being light, I did not get a full crop, but will try to 

 do bttter another season. G. W. Stanley. 



Wyoming, N. Y., Jan. 7th, 1878. 



