48 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
Arnn.. 
DEAR NOVICE I am an amateur Bee-keeper and 
and honey raiser, (it' amateur means for the love of 
the thing,) with 20 swarms In movable frames. 1 was 
humbugged Into buying a Patent hive some four years 
ago. Although the hive Is a good one, the “ patent ” 
part Is of no use to any one not a " bee master.'' 1 now 
wish to sell mil colonies, hut the patent man lives 
near, and warns all who wish to purchase, that they 
must first buy a $5.00 right from him. and so my neigh- 
bors with American and Langstroth hives, sell bees 
and I sell none. This is a feature of the patent hive 
business, 1 would like you to suggest, in GLEANINGS 
a remedy for. 
Pay no attention to the patent; when you 
wish to sell bees tell your purchasers you will 
stand between them and all trouble, and if any 
trouble is made send us the date and name of 
the patent hive. If we cannot find fraud and 
humbug in the claim, somewhere, we really 
believe it will be the first patent hive we have 
overhauled that was not an empty pretense. 
Is a honey quilt, of two thicknesses of ducking, 
warm enough for spring months, and out-door winter- 
ing, with no other covering except caps ? 
We use batting between the two always. 
We are at present inclined to give the straw 
mat the preference for winter and spring; 
with a loose cover over the mat to keep out 
rain ; with straw first, and then coarse stable 
manure to cover the whole hive, we have some- 
thing that comes very near straw hives for 
wintering. We have yet to learn of an unfa- 
vorable report from bees wintered in the old 
straw hives. 
My experience confirms what von say in regard to 
sealed brood being in no danger from careful extract- 
ing, but eggs uml larva.* are "slung” for all they are 
worth. 
With a proper Ext., there isn’t a particle 
of need of throwing out unsealed brood. We 
never knew <gjs could lie thrown out. Had’nt 
you better let your wife turn it V We fear you 
have too much strength to be trusted with 
such work. 
My clipped Queens, for some reason, are soon su- 
perceded. Others may be as short lived, as J have no 
way of marking except by clipping. I never have 
seen a dipped Queen over z years old, although 1 do 
not doubt that others have. 
We have given the matter for several years 
careful attention, and find short lived Queens 
and long lived Queens both among the clipped 
and undipped in such equal proportions, that 
we feel sure it has no other effect than to 
somewhat mar their beauty. 
Is Qulnby’s Queen yard practicable? I tin not find 
it so, as the bees cluster and fill it, and the Queen es- 
capes by crawling over the cluster. 
Many things contribute to make it a failure, 
yet some report quite favorably in regard to it, 
when they depend on natural swarming. As 
for ourselves we should find such an obstacle 
always in front of our hives, an intolerable 
nuisance, and to those who are in the habit of 
walking among their bees as much as we do, 
the danger of being constantly liable to put 
“ones foot in it 1 ' might be provocative of a 
tendency 1o profanity. Again, should some 
of our lady visitors make an ungraceful stum- 
ble and land in the “ Queen-yard’’ we might 
find our profound explanations unpleasantly 
interrupted. 
How am 1 lo make a coal dark dry place In July and 
August, to store comb, and honey 111 frames? 
Don’t have a cool, dark, dry place at all, but 
put your combs in a hive that will shut up 
lightly, (we know the patent ones never do) 
and you can keep them safely as long as you 
like, only observing this caution : Combs re- 
moved from the hive in warm weather are 
liable to contain eggs of the moth ; therefore 
they should only be removed in the fall when 
it is cool, and if kept shut up they will be safe 
until needed, or during all the next season if 
you choose. They never mould unless wet or 
damp. Freezing, always kills all eggs of the 
moth as has been abundantly proved. We 
keep our hives containing empty combs in the 
barn. As for comb honey ; extract the honey 
and put the combs back in the hive. 
I want some Idea of a Queen Nursery, without buy- 
ing another "patent." 1 once owned half a Peabody 
Extractor, but contrived a rude one myself, that 
works far better, and sold my half of old Pea. forSS.UU, 
twice the cost of the one I now have. 1 use a tent to 
extract in, and winter in a pit, I depend on the ex- 
tractin’ for honey, and artificial swarming for increase. 
Shall try the New Idea plan next season. I have 
tried the two story plan, in connexion with Hosmer’s, 
•• Feeding to stimulate breeding,” and failed, on ac- 
count of tendency to swarm as soon as strong. 1 
would give something to know how to certainly pre- 
vent a strong colony from swarming. When you get 
the Photo of my apiary (if you ever do,) you will see 
my wife in Bloomers, helping me handle the frames 
anil so on, as fearless us myself although two years 
since she was as milch afraid of a bee as of a rattle 
snake. Yours truly, 
Wyoming, Wis. * R. L. JotKElt, 
Nothing more than extracting is needed to 
prevent swarming. ’Tis the rarest fun for us 
to have a colony so strong they begin to think 
of swarming; give them empty combs one at a 
time, and room as fast as they can use it, and 
your trouble will cease. Tell your wife we 
are proud to learn there is at least a few who 
dare be useful by their husband's side. Perhaps 
there are more than we know, but too many are 
afraid of stings, or rather they think they are. 
I have (> colonies of bees all in movable comb hives, 
and 4 different kinds of hives. Now I want to get a 
hive that is right and stick to it, 1 am tired and sick of 
so many kinds. I cannot divide my bees for the 
frames are all different sizes. 
Tecumseh, Mich. W. Comfout, 
We wonder how many of our friends know 
from past experience just how “ Comfort”-able 
it is to have four different kinds of frames and 
only six hives at that. We wonder if our 
friend wont go for a universal Standard. 
Messrs. Eds. Gleanings:— P lease give us the best 
information you can In regard to uniting different 
colonics of bees that stand at a distance from each 
other. llunlap. 111. D. G. IIKHVEV, 
There are several ways, but all troublesome 
we believe. As a general rule we would try 
and build up weak stocks before winter that 
there may be no occasion for uniting. Not- 
withstanding what has been written about two 
colonies united, consuming less honey than 
when separate, such has not been the case 
with us, but quite the contrary, and besides 
the double colonies were no better in the 
spring than the rest. Moving the two stocks 
gradually near to each other, is too laborious 
and slow, when the distance is great, or there 
are many. We think the readiest way is to 
wait until the weather is tolerably cool, so the 
bees do not fly ; smoke both and lift the combs 
and bees from one into the other, rejecting 
such combs as contain least stores and pollen ; 
if no warm weather ensues for a week after, 
they are all right, if suitable weather for flying 
should occur soon, fasten them in for a week, 
or what is better put them in the cellar for 
that length of time. 
