44 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Feb. 



it is said to be easily frightened away by 

 opening a vigorous warfare with whips and 

 sticks. 



SKUKKS. 



Skunks have been known to approach the 

 hive at night time and by scratching 

 on or near the alightiiig board, to entice the 

 bees out where they could "gobble them 

 up." It would seem a little strange that 

 these animals have no fear of stings, but 

 they, doubtless, are guided by a sort of in- 

 stinct that enables them to divine how to 

 get hold of the bee with its sweet morsel of 

 honey in its honey sack, without receiving 

 harm from the sting. 



SPIDERS. 



Spiders, and the method of repelling them, 

 we have mentioned under alighting 

 BOARDS, and porticos. They too, as well 

 as toads, seem to have a rare appreciation 

 of a heavily laden bee as he returns to the 

 hive ; we should therefore be careful that 

 all spider webs be faithfully kept brushed 

 away from the hives, and that the hives 

 have no corners nor crevices about them, to 

 harbor such insects. Be sure there is no 

 place that the broom will not cleiu- out at 

 one sweep, for where we liave a hundred 

 hives, we cannot well spend a great amount 

 of time on each single one. The house apia- 

 ry is quite convenient in this respect, and it 

 gives me a fine appetite for breakfast, to 

 go out bareheaded, and brush off every trace 

 of a web, with such genuine good will that 

 the poor spiders as soon as they have recov- 

 ered from their astonishment, with one ac- 

 cord, agree that the locality is an unhealthy 

 one for those who believe in driving a thrif- 

 ty business. 



I am inclined to think that many of these 

 so called enemies, only take up the destruc- 

 tion of bees as a chance habit, and that it is 

 not always to be looked for or expected. 

 Common fowls sometimes get a habit of eat- 

 ing their eggs, but it is so unusual an oc- 

 currence that we can hardly regard it as a 

 matter of any very serious importance. It 

 may be well at times, to look out for the 

 eaiemies that prey on bees, but as a general 

 thing, I think they are quite capable of 

 fighting their own battles, if Ave give them 

 the proper care and proper hives. 



thieves and patent right vend*ers. 



Under apiary, I have mentioned how we 

 can protect our hives from the inroads of 

 thieves, but I fear it will require something 

 more than tight high fences, to protect bee- 

 keepers from venders of patent hives. I do 

 not know a single patented feature on bee 



hives and implements, (and there are hun- 

 dreds and hundreds of them), that would 

 come into general use if the patent were re- 

 moved. Almost constantly I am receiving 

 descriptions and circulars of some patent 

 hive, asking if I would advise investing in 

 them, and although I have faithfully exam- 

 ined every thing that has come up, I find 

 them pretty much all alike ; either WTetched 

 mistakes and blunders, or the work of 

 greedy, unprincipled, bad men. Have noth- 

 ing to do with them, and under no circum- 

 stances think of paying them money. No, 

 not even if they are ministers of the Gospel, 

 as many of them claim to be ; and some of 

 them are I presume God fearing men, whom 

 the sharpers have by oily words, persuaded 

 to undertake the work ; for they know full 

 well, that there is no advertisement in the 

 world like having Reverend attached to the 

 name of their agent, or among the testimo- 

 nials appended to their circulars. I would 

 that I were able to convince some ministers 

 of what a sacred one is their calling, and of 

 the importance of the most zealous care in 

 guarding it from contamination. 



So far as the winged, feathered and four- 

 footed tribes are concerned, we liave, my 

 friends, but little to fear from enemies of 

 bees, and we shall have but an easy task to 

 keep them in subservience ; but from igno- 

 rant and unprincipled men we have much to 

 fear; and we have abundant need of the 

 most earnest and faithtul work, in the shape 

 of Christian kindness, united with a firm 

 and decided sttmd against specidators and 

 sharpers. 



mTSTnATSC:ES TO HIVSS. I do 

 not know that it makes any very great differ- 

 ence to the bees, or with the amount of hon- 

 ey gathered, where the entrance is ; whetli- 

 er at the very lowest part of the hive, or 

 right in the top. I have had them do well 

 with their entrance in almost all positions. 

 On many accounts, an entrance even with, 

 or a little below the bottom board of the 

 hive, would be most desirable. This gives 

 the bees evei-y facility for removing filth, or 

 dead bees that frequently clog the hive and 

 combs in cold weather, also bits of refuse 

 comb, cappings from the cells, dust &c., for 

 this all falls to the bottom of the hive, and 

 is naturally carried toward the entrance by 

 the passage out and in, of the inmates. Al- 

 so, if the upper part of the hive is close and 

 warm, the warm air generated by the clus- 

 ter, rising by its lightness, compared with 

 the colder air ont doors, has a much less 

 chance for escape, than if the entrance were 



