1X74. 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
found In Bee Journals generally, we will give the 
Southern Bee Journal a permanent advertisement 
gratia, As Dr. Jewel Davis, seems to have misun- 
derstood our motives In the matter we would respect- 
fully defer the matter to him. 
On Sunday, the 24th, we 'not Iced (n the morning, 
that a populous colony of ants had located, and were 
nourishing under the door step of one of our weak 
colonies. We went for the “tea-kettle" hut not find- 
ing It hot, concluded we would postpone until a t reek 
day our Intention of treating them to a bath of boiling 
water. We do not resort to such extreme measures 
usually, but they had begun to extend their nest 
clear into tlio hive and were evidently annoying the 
bees. About 2 o’clock these bees swarmed out ; be- 
fore we could find the Queen apother colony caught 
the note and In less than fifteen minutes, live had left 
their hives and all was confusion . We “got around 
fast" for a while, If It wa.s Sunday, and soon had all 
the Queens in cages on the top of their own frames, 
and watched the bees whilst they dispersed to their 
respective homes. The fever however did not leave 
them for several hours, and every attempt to release 
the Queens was met with such lterce attempts to 
sling them that we led them caged. All five were 
very weak, anil the Queens had laid several eggs In 
almost every cell Inside the cluster. This occurred 
just when a lot of young hoes were taking their first 
flight. 
IVk once before mentioned, ’twas out of our prov- 
ince to defend the Durwinlun theory here, ami we say 
again that those who have a curiosity in the matter 
had hotter read Darwin. We will however say this 
much, that Darwin never tells you if thing is, or is not 
so; he has aimed rather to present facts that many of 
Us have alroady observed, and then mildly asks the 
reader if if does not scorn probable that. such, and such 
results c.ame about In such a manner. Agassiz on the 
other hand most posittevely declares they did, or dld 
not, nrlgiuule in the manner he supposed . 
H. K. M. says in April No., “ 1 natural selection' 
can never change a honey bee into a wusp etc.” Now 
although Darwin doos not so teach, as wo understand 
h. we would like to know whal right the Editor of 
(he above, has to be so positive. How does he know ? 
As lo how the bee existed while his proboscis was 
being acquired “gradually,” wo would suggest that 
they then worked on llowers of a moderate depth. 
Should a certain Queen’s progeny he enabled to get 
hemey from rod clover, because by accident they had 
* longer proboscis than their neighbors, would they 
nut stand a better chance of wintering and thus per- 
haps perpetuate such u race of 1)006? We never 
saw so much to call forth admiration and respect for 
oar Creator’s works, us since reading Darwin. 
•HIKES KHAItlVb. 
if * with some hesitation we undertake to 
■ in this mutter, and we have delayed 
these papers to see it'it. were possible that the 
winner in which Queens were reared, had any 
to '*0 with the great losses in the spring 
this, and the past three seasons. While a 
! " '“stances might seem lo indicate such the 
i, o’ H ma J ori ty do not. for we have preclse- 
li, • ifi ' sllllc s tate of affairs where common bees, 
,1? ,, ‘; s ’ ,uul natural swarming were the rule, 
t shall take great pains to recommend noth- 
07 
ing here, that has not been fully tried; and 
while we cannot promise to enable you to 
“make a sure thing of it every time,” we will 
endeavor to come as near it as we can. 
We need hardly say your colonies should be 
all strong; our experience this spring with 
small, clusters of bees has convinced us 
more thoroughly than ever of the bad policy 
of attempting to do any thing with colonies 
whose Queens are crippled in their egg-produ- 
cing powers, by want of bees to cover and 
care for the eggs and brood. 
Very small nucleus hives, seem to answer 
very well in the hight of the season, but tak- 
ing all things into consideration, we should 
feel much safer In recommending such a hive 
as the standard with a close-fitting division 
hoard. Bore a hole through the back end for 
an entrance, and adjust the division board to 
accommodate two or three frames. For fear 
the quilt might allow bees to pass over the 
top of this board, we will tack the quilt to it 
slightly. 
Place in this apartment about two flames, 
partly filled with brood, and a third with both 
honey and pollen, with the adhering bees on 
all. As soon as they have become organized, 
which may be known by their gathering pollen 
and repelling robbers, we are ready for Queen- 
rearing. Instead of depending on a book, or 
a slate and pencil me should very much prefer 
the Queen Register cards, illustrated on the 
cover of this No. From your choicest Queen, 
imported if possible, give each nucleus a piece 
of comb containing eggs, at least once iu every 
three days. As the original brood will soon 
be gone, all Queen cells constructed by what- 
ever accident, will be from your choice brood, 
and may be used without hesitation. ’Tis 
quite a task to cut combs so as to have these 
pieces fit nicely, and quite a number of devices 
such as small sectional frames of wood, or thin 
tin, have been used; but we find quite a diffi- 
culty in getting the Queen to deposit eggs in 
such divided frames, as she does in a whole 
brood comb ; again, taking a whole frame for 
each nucleus every three days would soon rob 
our choice Queen, besides our nuclei could not 
care for one tenth part of the eggs, if we did. 
We last season, cut our comb of eggs into 
small pieces, but in that case we were obliged 
to cut holes in the nuclei combs to fit ; a diffi- 
cult, besides being a tedious job, and it spoils 
life beauty of a great number of fine combs, in 
a short time. Of course, after all this, we 
have a remedy to offer, and ’tis simply to get 
a new biscuit cutter or your tinsmith, and file 
the edge of the tin to a sharp knife edge. Cut 
a larger hole in the back, that you may push 
out the piece of comb readily, ami by turning 
your cutter around as it goes through the 
bases of the cells, you may cut pieces from 
two combs and swap them, in a trice, and so 
neatly that the bees will make all smooth in a 
very short time. When you cut a cake of eggs 
from a comb, push in the piece that came out 
wtiere you made a place for it, and when you 
have cut as many “cakes” out as you can, give 
the whole frame with the remaining scattered 
eggs, to one of the nuclei. Wheu you can 
make all this work to suit you, as we feel cer- 
tain yon all can, we’ll give you another paper. 
A little oil will make the cutter work more 
smoothly. 
