1878. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



269 



HONEY DEW, ETC. 



I have 26 stands of black bees, and they are doing 

 finely this season in makinfj honey; but they have 

 not swarmed much. At this writing they are work- 

 ing tinelv on the second crop of red clover. I am a 

 reader of Gleanings, and think, if I live until an- 

 otlier season, that I will try some of the Italians. I 

 ha\c read in thebecjournalsfor several years about 

 the honey dew. I believe they all agree that it is 

 produced by an aphis, a kind of insect, but thca-e is 

 one thing l' would like to have explained. Why is it 

 that vou scarcely ever see any honey dew, only on a 

 ratlier cold iiioriiing. I hardly ever see any when 

 t'le days and nights are hot. E. B. Hilton. 



Fulkerson, Scott Co., Va., July 10, 1878. 



AFTER SWARMING IN ONE DAY. 



The section boxes are the nicest thing out; and 

 they suit best in this market. I have sold some for 

 30 cts. per 11). when other new honey was selling for 

 1.5 cts. I'd like to know if it often happens that a 

 second swarm will come out the next day after a 

 first? I divided one, and the one placed on the stand 

 where the old one had stood, swarmed first of any — 

 a large fine swarm. The next day, another swarm 

 came from the same hive, and, after fussing awhile, 

 lighted in front of the hive of the one coming out 

 the day before, and Avont in, going to work as peace- 

 ably as if they had all come out together. One oth- 

 er hive has done the same thing, as to coming out 

 so near together, and I am certain, from the size, 

 that they were not after swarms. What a letter I 

 haAC written ! but then one cannot read your paper 

 without feeling like writing just what one would 

 talk. Mrs. F. M. Vilas. 



Madison, AVis., July 11, 1878. 



.Sometimes the weather, or it may be other 

 causes, will prevent a lirst swarm from issu- 

 iuff, until the queen cells are nearly, if not 

 quite, ready to hatch. In such cases the sec- 

 ond swarin may issue as soon as one day af- 

 ter the first. I suppose it was by that 

 stransce instinct that prompts any swarm to 

 alight on the spot where one has clustered 

 but a few days before, that induced the sec- 

 ond swarm to go in with the first one. Is it 

 by the acute sense of smell, that bees do 

 this? Who will answer? I wish to Iiave 

 you all write, just as you would talk; and 

 to go right into your subject, without pre- 

 face or introduction. 



a slip clipped from some newspaper. While 

 reading it, I was reminded that a. bee-keep- 

 er from a neighboring town told me that he 

 had been suffering greatly from neuralgia 

 for several days, but, on getting stung "right 

 on the spot," by one of his bees, the pain 

 left at once, and has never returned ; the 

 bee sting i>roved more potent, than the most 

 powerful liniment. Here is the slip of 

 paper. 



Two chronic rheumatics in Germany have lately 



been cured by the stings of bees. One of them, a 



farmer's wife, who had suffered for six months so as 



to be unable to sleep, and almost unable to use her 



right arm, kept three bees on the arm until their 



stock of poison had exhausted itself. The effect 



j produced was astonishing; as the lady, even on the 



I first night, was enabled to enjoy a good, long sleep, 



the first time for at least six months, the racking 



pain being entirely gone. The arm was, of course, 



! swolen greatly in consequence of the stings, but the 



j swelling disappeared gradually upon the applica- 



I tion of some cooling lotion. All pain was gone, the 



j lame arm recovered its previous vigorousness, and 



not the least sign of rheumatism has since shown 



itself. 



Goods received .all right. Honey extractor came 

 to hand the 6th (express charges were 90 cts), and it 

 works like a charm. I like the drone starters for 

 honey boxes; the bees work on them and leave the 

 others alone. Ever.y body that sees your section box- 

 es is pleased with "them. To-day, a man offered me 

 30 cts per pound for all the honey I had to spare in 

 them. I sold some extracted honey for 20 cts. 



Shamburg, Pa., July 10th, 1878. D. S. Oiler. 



CYPRESS FOB HIVES. 



I like the 2 story Simplicity hive received from 

 you well, and am making arrangements to manu- 

 facture them. It is the best and best furnished bee 

 hive ever introduced here. I have here every facil- 

 ity for making them, and good material in cypress 

 timber, such as tliey used in the building of Solo- 

 mon's Temple. It is a little more porous than white 

 pine, more durable, and nearly as easily worked; 

 and, I think, is admirably suited to the construction 

 of bee hives. It is something between cedar and 

 white pine. A. Spencer. 



Indian Bay, Ark., May 25, 1878. 



This morning I opened the chaff hive I bought of 

 you, in which, on June 5th, T hived a large swarm of 

 common bees. On examination I found the comb 

 frames well filled and six frames of sections all 

 filled. The section boxes I replaced with others. 

 They were not as nice as I expected, but I think it 

 altogether my fault. I had placed them too far 

 apart and the conib bulged out; but upon the whole 

 it was admired l)v those who have kept bees. 



W. H. H()PP()('K, Sonierxille, N. J., July 4, 1878. 



You should place the sections tight up, of 

 course, and if you wish to liave them nice, 

 they should l)e taken out just as soon as yon 

 can find a single one sealed over perfectly. 



BEE STINGS ASjA'REiMEDIAL AGENT. 



As some of our frienls have been borrow- 

 ing"' rcable, for fear that getting stung would 

 induce untold maladies, somebody sends us 



I have an increase of 9 swarms from one, all in 

 splendid condition, and 115 lbs. of comb honey from 

 the same, to date. "How is that for high?" 



Milton, 111., July 16th, 1878. A. L. Foreman. 



SWARMING TRIALS. 



I only commenced bee keeping this year. I 

 bought two colonies of pretty poor hybrids in com- 

 mon boxes. During the spring ttey turned out 3 

 swarms each; but 2 of the swarms vanished to the 

 woods, notwithstanding I wore out a couple of tin 

 pans, broke a brass dinner bell, smashed a mirror 

 worth $6.00, and crawled through a marsh waist deep 

 in mud after them, trying to get them to "stop a 

 leetle;" but they covild not "see the point;" so they 

 were lost! My faith in "bell ringing," "tin pan 

 wearing out," and all such and diverse contrivances 

 was worn thread bare. 



Now, friend Root, I have 6 colonies in box hives. 

 I want to "do something," but hardly know what to 

 start at, or how to start it. Can I transfer these 

 bees during Aug. or Sep.? I want to move my bees 

 about ;jf)0 yards from where they now are, and can't 

 move them a little at a time, as you direct. How 

 can I manage it? and at ic/mf time? The thermom- 

 eter never goes below 20 degrees abOA'e zero here. 

 Will it be necessary to provide Chaff hives, or give 

 «»)!/ winter protection? I wish to Italianize; when 

 can T commence trving to? R. C. Taylor. 



Wilmington N. C, July 14th, 1878. 



You can transfer in Aug., or Sep., if there 

 is not too much honey in the hives, and you 

 do not get robbers at work. Move the 6 col- 

 onies all at once, and then set a single hive 

 of the same general appeara}ice, to catch the 

 returning bees. This decoy hive must have 

 a frame of brood to make them stay, but 

 need have no queen. After all are moved, 

 take the bees from this hive every night, 

 and shake them before the liive that needs 

 them most, until but few retiu-n. Some Avill 

 probably be lost, the best you can do. If 

 moved in the winter, no such measure need 

 be taken. It is not necessary to provide 

 chaff hives, or chaff ])ackingin your climate, 

 but 1 think much could be saved by so doing; 

 we find the chaff coverings of great advan- 

 tage, even in Ai)ril and May. Italianize 

 now, or any time when queens are sold. 



