94 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



TttlEVES. 



The thloves had bsen at work at my bees, the first 

 of Nov. I then put halt' of my 30 stocks in cellar, 

 the other 15 I packed with hay in boxes thinking 

 they would be safe in that way. All appeared to be 

 rig-ht for two or three weeks, but one day the bees 

 were flyin? in and out of one box. On examination 

 I found it all open, half the covers gone from some 

 and a half dozen others disturbed more or less. That 

 made me sick; 1 did not know what to do for I did 

 not want to put them all in the cellar after I had 

 been to the trouble and expense to pack them up, 

 S3 I fixed them up, nailed down some of the covers 

 and piled cord wood and lumber on the other, and 

 thought perhaps they would not come again, as they 

 had such bad luck in getting honey; but the next 

 morning as I went to the door I looked out on the 

 yard and, lo ! and hehohl there was a hive lifted out of 

 a box 4 feet high standing on the grass, with half the 

 covers out scattered around; one heavy comb stand- 

 ing beside a tree and indications of a contest with 

 the bees which probably drove them off before they 

 got ready to go. It was a sickening sight to see mj' 

 pets slaughtered in thal^ way after my hard work 

 and anxious watching. I found some frames and 

 cover on a vacant lot a quarter of a mile away. I am 

 satisfied who the thief is but can not get proof, so 1 

 shall h ive to content myself by fortifying my prem- 

 ises with telegraph wires around and through in ev- 

 ery direction attached to an alarm. They had better 

 get out of the way of the old musket for I shall shoot. 



N. A. Pbudden. 



Ana Arbor, Mich., D>c. SJth, 1877. 



It is really too bad, friend P., and it is 

 hard to imagine ho ^ anybody can be so de- 

 praved; I can not tliink they realize what 

 they are doiiif?. For the good of commnni- 

 ty, and for the sake of setting an example 

 before others, I would advise punishing such 

 offenders, to the full extent of the law, when 

 found out. A tall tight board fence, adjoin- 

 ing your dwelling, will be more efficient than 

 your wires, and will save bees by keeping 

 off the cold winds, as well as thieves. 



I have 30 colonies, a few of which are pure Italians, 

 2 blacks and the rest hybrids. We had a poor season, 

 scarcely any natural swarms issuing. The blacks 

 gathered very little honey above their winter sup- 

 plies. My largest yield was 80 lbs. from an old stock 

 of pure Italians, and 15 lbs. from a swarm of Italians. 

 My 3 blacks furnished me "nix." 



Geo. B. Replogle. 



Unionville, Iowa, Dec. 17th, 1877. 



hurrah! for the floating apiary. 



I am busy fitting out 3 large fiat boats 100 feet long 

 and 23 feet wide for Mr. Perrine & Grabbe, to accom- 

 modate 1000 or more bee hives, to operate on the 

 Mississippi river, leaving here soon after the swarm- 

 ing season is over, in April, and when the first bloom 

 has passed away from the willow and tallow trees, 

 they will move about 200 miles and lay up 10 or 13 

 days, just as the various blooms may open, up to St. 

 Paul. The running will be done at night. Two 

 large bee boats and a steamboat for towing is rather 

 a costly experiment as well as a novel one. I believe 

 the idea is taken from the ancient Egyptians who 

 floated their bees on rafts on the river Nile. 



Edward Notlee. 



New Orleans, La., Jan. 28th, 1878. 



CAGING LAYING QUEENS. 



How long can I cage a queen in honey season with- 

 out injury to her, in or out of a colony? I bought 4 

 colonies last spring in bo.x hives. I divided one in 

 transferring it; the one that had no queen made 

 more honey than any other stand, and it is the heav- 

 iest now. Robert Butler. 



Lewisville, Fnd., Jan. 30th, 1878. 



I presume you could cage a queen all sum- 

 mer, without doing her any particular inju- 

 ry, if she were among the bees where they 

 could take care of her. It would be a loss 

 however, for she would better be somewhere, 

 laying eggs. Your queenless colony, prob- 

 ably reared a queen very soon, and that was 

 why it prospered. Caging the queen may 



sometimes give a temporary increase in hon- 

 ey, but it must be a losing business in the 

 end, if one cares to increase in bees as well 

 as honey. 



Will the duck you use to cover the frames, answer 

 in place of a "honey board," upon which to place 

 boxes for comb honey? W. N. Trimble. 



Concord, Mo., Jan. 7th, 1878. 



It might be so used, but as you would 

 have to cut lioles through it for the bees, it 

 would be spoiled, wliich would make it 

 more expensive than strips of wood. If you 

 must use boxes, put them right on the 

 frames. If you object to that way, make a 

 honey board by nailin^ some long thin 

 strips (such as we use for section boxes) 

 placed i inch apart, to proper cleats at 

 each end. This will be light, and will allow 

 the bees to get very close to the brood. 

 Would you not better adopt the section 

 boxes, letting the bottom bars of the 2 inch 

 frames that hold them, form the honey 

 board when the boxes are on, and the en- 

 tire sheet of duck, the covering for frames 

 when they are off V 



COMBS crosswise. 



I commenced bee-keeping last season, procuring 

 two swarms of blacks and patting them in common 

 box hives with movable frames. Aug. 16th, one hive 

 sent out a swarm, which speedily tilled their new 

 home, but to my dismay, instead of following the 

 comb guides the^' built right across them so that 1 

 am unable to get in to see what they are about. Can 

 you tell me the cause of their doing thus? and what 

 am I to do about it? H. M. T.vylor. 



Parsons, Kan., Jan. 25th, 1878. 



You should always watch a new swarm 

 when put into an empty hive, my friend, 

 and not let them build cross vise. Had you 

 given them a couple of good combs for a 

 pattern, they would probably have gone all 

 right, or had you simply elevated the back 

 end of the hive, it would most likely have 

 started them straight. If vve tind a swarm 

 going wrong, we can tvist the combs right 

 with the lingers, in a very f e v minutes ; as 

 it is, you have a job of transferring on hand. 

 If you cannot get out one comb in tolerable 

 shape, cut along the sides with your honey 

 knife, and then turn the hive over on the 

 top of another one. Lift the hive from the 

 frames, and you can then easily cut out the 

 combs and put them in straight. After you 

 have finished, you will probably conclude it 

 is the best way, to make the bees build them 

 right in the first place. 



putting AN upper STORY ON "PATENT HIVES." 



I have 8 hybrid swarms, 5 in Buckeye hives, the 

 other 3 in Hazen's Non-Swarmers. Do you think it 

 would pay me to get the 3-story Simplicity or chaff 

 hive? I*have to winter on the summer stand. I 

 got but about 60 lbs. from the Non-Swarmers. From 

 the Buckeyes 0. If I would take off the top of the 

 B. hive, I could probably fix on an upper story Sim- 

 plicity hive (with section boxes) so as to answer tol- 

 erably well. It would of course be a troublesome 

 job and no very tight fit. Henry Keller. 



Wrightsville, Pa., Feb. 6th, 1878. 



I do not know that eitlier the Simplicity 

 or chaff hive, would give you any more hon- 

 ey than those you have, so far as the hives 

 are concerned, but they are so much simpler 

 to manage, you would" probably take better 

 care of your bees. I have tried putting up- 

 per stories on odd sliaped hives, but think it 

 less trouble in the end, to transfer them. 



