1874. 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
57 
II O it <1 Ml of Cifitlll, 
PROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 
■>|\ i if R. BOOT, Dear Sir Of course you may put me 
J «yi| down for llie dollar Queens, and accept my 
se/esi gratitude for the suggestion and the kind offer 
that accompanied it. I assure you I do not need the 
least urging to induce me to lend hand, head anil 
heart, to the advancement of apiculture, ns far as my 
endeavors can promote it. 
My bees seem to like nothing better than raising 
Queens, and I have no doubt 1 could easily raise loot) 
or more, but I did not think of It till you proposed it. 
I thought my course would be to make as much honey 
as possible, and so benefit myself, the cause of apicul- 
ture, and the favorite bees at the same time. 
There are only part of the Queens I now have, that 
I would lie willing to sell daughters from. I intend 
raising plenty of drones from one of my best Queens 
tills spring, and think with care, I can keep them 
through the summer and winter, and then be able to 
lia vc Queens about whose progeny I will feel no hes- 
itation. 
Our winters here are almost nominal, In fact this 
winter, 1 have only seen lee once, and then only the 
least little bit. My bees are working beautifully— one 
of my hives is scented with an agreeable perfume 
now, coming from the pollen I suppose. 
bust lull lor about a week, a very nauseating odor 
hung around all my hives, I was quite alarmed at 
first, but noticed that the strong hives were most 
offensive, and every thing else appearing right, I con- 
cluded it must be from the pollen. 
W e must have a journal on Apiculture, in the South, 
our wants are so different from yours; our troubles 
are chiefly summering , over swarming, and insects, 
of whose annoyance you can scarcely form a concep- 
tion there. Miss. Anna Saunuebs. 
\\ oodvlllc, Miss. Feb. 16th, 1874. 
We regard swarming as only an indication 
of prosperity and as we have before remarked, 
like no better fun than the task of keeping the 
disposition under proper control. 
We presume all will admit that, as a general 
rule, if the women undertake to rear Queens, 
we should be sure of getting of them only good 
honest ones, and as a proof of their ability to 
hold out, in any matter where they have ar- 
rived at a fixed determination to succeed, we 
have only to cite the glorious victories they 
have achieved over intemperance, in our own 
state ot Ohio at least 
frRlENI) NOVICE: — Do you think Blue Birds arc 
enemies ol Bees, do they catch them. If not are they 
any advantage by picking up the Moth Miller, would 
you encourage them about die Apiary ? 
Independence, Iowa. ' E. A. Sheldon, 
We have never heard complaint of the ordi- 
nary Blue Bird, but consider the Slue Jay 
without doubt an enemy. At seasons when 
our Apiary is most populous, they are seen to 
hover about in considerable numbers as though 
attracted there from the forest. To prove that 
they really catch bees without doubt, they 
nave been shot and dissected. Whether the 
damage they do should consigu them to ex- 
tinction or not, we are unable to decide. We 
dislike to kill birds, and would first like to 
inquire if they have not some redeeming traits, 
van they not be frightened luvay from the 
vicinity by some means? 
Sol? i" ot the Nucleus lilves be sent bvmail? Ev- 
th'o mmi 1 ? ec Packages of bocks etc., passing through 
mo malls heavier than the hives would be. 
p , uevieve, Mo. Mus. C. C. Rozinit, 
Printed matter and seeds, are mailable to 
>e exient of 4 lbs.; other, matter 12 oz. only 
• » many complaints are made of the losses in 
trocluciug Queens that we have been consid- 
lng whether enough bees might be mailed with 
the Queen to build up a colony with the as- 
sistance of a comb or two of brood only. 
By the way Xovlce, I wish the Bee Journals would 
stop publishing letters about feeding sugar syrup to 
bees In order to make more honey ; there is hardly a 
month but we have an article on that subject now, in 
the A. II. J. In tills month’s number I see some one 
contends that sugar syrup Is not honey till after it 
goes Into the bees stomach and becomes acidized . it is 
just such articles, and such men, that hurt the houev 
business. I don’t think that it makes honey out of 
syrup, any more than putting a piece of brown paper 
In my pocket-book makes a greenback of it. People 
don’t want sugar syrup, even If it is acidized, and von 
have no idea how suspicious people are. One thing 
they think looks bad Is, it is so clean-, I tell them If a 
little extract of pollen will Improve it I’ll bring them 
some and they can add to taste, but here I am run- 
ning wild ; yet I can't help it, I get so mad whenever 
I hear sensible men, (otherwise! talk and write 
ot Increasing their vield of honey by feeding. 
Cincinnati, O. April 2nd, 1874." " H.E. CuitBY, 
Langstroth says in his book, page 275 : 
“That the honey undergoes no change du- 
ring the short time it remains in their sacs 
cannot positively’ be affirmed, but that it can 
undergo only a very slight change is evident 
front the fact that the different kinds of honey 
or sugar-syrup fed to the bees can be almost 
as readily distinguished, after they have sealed 
them up, as before.” 
Now as this has tieen shown over and over 
again, and not one single practical experiment 
(so far as we know) to the contrary, are we 
not excusable in feeling somewhat as friend 
Curry does in the matter. 
DEAR M)\ ICE:— A year ago I brought through 
three rather poor colonies, out of 19. Increased them 
to 8, which I put in the cellar in good condition, Xov. 
10, and then left them for the winter. Dec. 10, my 
wile found the cellar damp and bees uneasy. She 
aired and warmed the cellar, when they quieted down, 
and the cellar and house were locked up, and not 
opened again till I opened it myself March 30. Of 
course I was quite anxious to know whether anv of 
them were alive, and was surprised to find the whole 
8 in perfect health, with not a quart of dead bees in 
all. “Well, what of it?” you say. Whv, nothing; 
only can’t you let a body tell vou of a little streak of 
good luck alter losing 60 colonies in the two preceding 
winters? Chicago, Ills. C. C. Miller, 
I . S.— My wile insists that she deserves the credit of 
saving the bees, by warming and drying them in Dec. 
We agree with Mrs. M. and think the bees 
in future should be considered her exclusive 
property. 
I have a shc<! 6 ft. high in front and 5 ft. In the rear, 
boarded tight on three sides ; on the south side, I 
have heavy muslin curtains that can be rolled up or 
let down at will, according to the weather. Mv bees 
are strong and work busily on rve flour every fine 
day- I wish you would give a piece In Gleanings 
about robbing. 
Shlniersvllle, Pa. L. N. Kekn, 
.We once heard of a Blacksmith's shop be- 
longing to the Am. Watch Factory, that had 
white window curtains, but we never before, 
that we remember, heard of curtains before 
bee-hives. As this gives them the full benefit 
of the sun whenever it shines, and keeps off all 
cold winds and storms, it may not be a bad 
idea, if the Apiarist could afford to be on hand 
to “ pull the strings” when advisable. 
A PIECE ABOUT ROBBING; 
Well here goes ; robbing is bad ; bad when 
your bees rob each other, worse when they rob 
your neighbor's bees, and still worse when 
your neighbor’s bees rob your own hives. 
