142 



GLEAi^LNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mat 



ing the top bars, to keep them free from bits 

 of wax. Another important item; we use 

 no tin separators against tlie side of the 

 }iive, and, once in a while, the bees will at- 

 tach a section to the wood, where they would 

 not to the tin; if the side was painted, I am 

 sure it would answer even better than the 

 tin. It just this minute occurs to me, that 

 we might have separators made of wood, 

 if very thin and painted. It is true they 

 could not be made as thin as tin, nor would 

 they be as strong and convenient; but they 

 could, doubtless, be made to answer a very 

 good purpose. Many thanks for your timely 

 hints. 



DO BEES SEI^ECT THEIR TREE OR 



PliACE OF REFUGE BEFORE 



SWARMING? 



eOME j-ears ago, in passing through a wood, I dis- 

 covered a few bees flying about a tree, some 

 . _ 20 or 30 f t et from the ground. Further exam- 

 ination showed a hole in the trunk of the tree near 

 which the bees were flying. I thought I had discov- 

 ered a hce tree, and, with great exultation, hastened 

 to climb a smaller tree adjacent for particular in- 

 spection. After gaining the desired position, I saw 

 no further evidence of the expected colony than 

 what appeared to be a good place for one. The 

 bees flying about the hole had disappeared. I cut a 

 stick and thrust it into the hole, to make sure, and 

 out came two or three frightened bees, who left 

 without ceremony. I, however, got a distant view 

 of them, and know they were worker honey bees. 

 Failing to find further developments, I descended, 

 and went on my way, not even suspecting the ob- 

 ject of so few bees visiting that particular tree. My 

 only suspicion was that possibly some swarm had 

 previously occupied the cavity, and these bees were 

 searching for unconsumed stores. About two 

 hours afterward, between one and two o'clock p. 

 M., I was returning by the same i-oute, and thought 

 I would take another look at the same tree; and, 

 pr'sfo.' what did I behold? the tree was black for 

 a large space all around the said hole. Another 

 ascent up the adjacent tree was quickly made, and 

 the pleasant sight of a large swarm of bees enter- 

 ing the tree for actual residence was witnessed. 

 They stayed there, too, and collected a large 

 amount of honey, as several persons who partook 

 of it, beside myself, can testify. Now I have no 

 doubt, but that the bees had actually swarmed out, 

 and were still clustering until the hunters which I 

 first saw, should return and lead the entire colony 

 to said tree. Sometimes bees remain clustered all 

 day long, and until next day, before leaving; and 

 this, I have no doubt, because the hunters failed to 

 find a place of refuge sooner. Should the hunters 

 designate an empty bee hive, as suggested by some 

 of your correspondents, of course, the colony 

 would follow them into it, if permitted. But let 

 not your readers deceive themselves with vain 

 hopes: there are ten chances to one, that the hunt- 

 ing bees will select some other hive than yours, iin- 

 less yovi give them a hive after they have clustered, 

 and before their huntei'S return. It is better still, 

 to hive them so soon after settling as not to allow 

 their hunters to start at all. Then, should they 

 swarm out a second time, they will surely settle a 

 second, which mjght not be the case, if the hunters, 

 after returning from a successful search, find the 

 new colony where they left it, or even on their old 

 stand. 



BEES IN WESTERN MISSOURI. 



Bees have, in the main, wintered splendidly; they 

 are six weeks ahead of last year in condition. Only 

 those who neglected placing them in winter quar- 

 ters, in proper condition, have lost, and the most 

 negligent ami cai-eless have lost only their weak or 

 quccnlfss cdldnics. Fruit bloom is now at hand, and 

 now colonies will he expected this month. The 

 prospect of a good honey season is, consequentlj', 

 first rate. 



The fine imported Italian queen you sent me, 

 last October, did not disclose her ])rogeny until 

 about one niontli ago. They are hi itntifiiJ indeed 

 and work like beavers. Nearly hall' the v.'orkers are 

 Italians already, and, by May' 1st, I think a black 



will seldom be seen. By the way, as you offer to 

 purchase queens so liberally and indiscriminately, 

 1 don't see any use of my advertising at all. I think 

 I'll just send you all the queens I have to spare. 



S. W. SALISBURY. 



Kansas City, Mo. April 3, 1878. 



Thanks for your facts given; I think your 

 deductions correct. In regard to purchas- 

 ing queens indiscriminately; I know my of- 

 fer is leaning rather that way, but I cannot 

 see any other way of accommodating all i-.ar- 

 ties, and getting the business into any kind 

 of a regular channel. I shall test a great 

 part of the queens, and my customers will 

 test all of them, and he who fails to do bus- 

 iness on the square will run the risk of be- 

 ing shown up. 



FRIEND BOOT:— A. F. Conaway's communica- 

 tion in April Gleanings reminds me of an experi- 

 ence I had last year. About the first of June, as I 

 sat writing in the director's room of our bank, I no- 

 ticed bees on the windows, and, after getting up sev- 

 eral times to let them out, discovered they came 

 from the grate, and bending over heard a loud buzz- 

 ing in the chimney. I supposed a swarm had crme 

 unnoticed, and taken up their abode there, but was 

 surprised an hour or two after, to find that they were 

 gone. Supposing it might be a reconnoitering par- 

 ty, 1 set a hive with two or three sheets of comb on 

 the cap of the chimney, and about a week after a 

 swarm came and took possession. I have known 

 several similar incidents, indicating that bees, some- 

 times at least, select a place before swarming. 



This I scratch off hastily for your private eje. 



James E. Dean. 



Fishkill, N. Y., April Sd, 1878. 



Friend D., I have taken the liberty to pub- 

 lish this in spite of your concluding remark, 

 and plead, as an excuse, that these facts are 

 very valuable ; tliey point plainly to the 

 idea that bees often, if not always, look out 

 a home before, and sometimes many days be- 

 fore, they swarm. By having nice homes 

 provided for them, I am sure we can catch 

 a great many runaway swarms, and where 

 we most want light now is in relation to 

 preparing these liomes so as to attract their 

 notice, and prove most acceptable to them. 

 Who will succeed, this season, in arranging 

 a hive so that new swarms will go into itV 

 I do not know but that I could afford to 

 offer ;?]()00 for such a device, but the trouble 

 would be that the invention, when it came, 

 would prove to be the result of the investi- 

 gations and experiments of a great number 

 of people, as is usually the case with all that 

 is valuable. 



Our poultry friends are all familiar witli 

 the c|ueer behavior of a hen, when she is 

 hunting a place tor a nest ; she is not look- 

 ing for food, and, in fact, she will hardly no- 

 tice corn when thrown to her. but she looks 

 about in a kind of -an inquiring way, and, as 

 she tips her head meditatively on one side. 

 while she considers this location and that, it 

 seems almost as if she was endowed with 

 powers of reasoning similar to our own. 

 Well, these scouting bees that are to be 

 seen hovering around about swarming time, 

 —just Avatch them yourself, and see if you 

 can fix a hive so it will please their fastidi- 

 ous little heads. 



^ I < I f 



A GRAFE VINE APIARY OF 19 HIVES. 



H' DID not quite like the hexagonal apiary 

 that our artists drew for the A B C\ so 

 — ' they have made another which we show 



