82 
GLEANINGS IN I5EE CULTURE. 
Jvr.x. 
MESSRS A. I. HOOT A Co.— Enclosed please find 23 
ets. for strip of worker lice comb, with eggs sufcable 
for raising good Queens. Send Monday morning, 15th 
fast., if the weather is not too cool. E. Franks. 
Inland, <>. June 18th, 1874. 
I\ S. -Mv beet* removed all the eggs but three, from 
the strip l’got of you last year; those they raised into 
Queens, now mothers of good colonies. 
The above comes from an adjoining County. 
Could we send them to all our subscribers as 
surely, ’twould l)e a grand thing indeed, but 
candidly, we have no hope that it can be done. 
Therefore, instead of sending to us, send to 
some one near you, who has a choice, or im- 
ported Queen. 
MOKE ABOUT STRAW MATS ETC. 
FKJENI) NOVICE:— I noticed in the last (il.EAR- 
isos some instructions for making straw units ; you 
have seen one of ours 1 believe, friend Math having 
sent von one. 1 will try and see if I can describe our 
machine, which simplifies the making very much; it 
is simply two rows of ash rods, seven in a row, mor- 
tised in a base so the rows are about an inch apart; 
the rods most be thick enough to not spring, ours are 
\ of an inch square. We commence by putting a 
handful of straw in at the top and forcing it down be- 
tween the strips to the base, and so on till tilled to the 
required bight, being careful to reverse the ends at 
each handful. With two blunt needles we now sew 
between the strips saddler fashion, and when finished, 
cut the surplus and loose ends off with a sharp knife, 
leaving the outside rods to guide you. after which the 
mat is slid out of the top. With a very little practice 
a very neat tidy mat can be made. Any carpenter can 
make the frame. If this is not plain enough I will be 
glad to give any further information. Those of us in 
this neighborhood who used the mots lust winter did 
not lose a swarm. 
I sec some are inquiring how close they can put 
their hives. I use the Lungstroth, they arc ranged in 
rows four or live feet apart at the most, and as close 
in the rows as I can get them. It makes them very 
unhandy being able to work only from back to frout, 
but we nave to economize, space when we have to 
keen on the roof, or in a small yard ; however we ex- 
perience no inconvenience as far as the bees are con- 
cerned, and 1 don’t think I lose more than the average 
number of Queens. 1 am surprised myself at so few 
losses in that way. 
This is not a lirst rate year with 11 s. I have taken 
out over iOOO Ills, so far and hope to get ns much more, 
Imt that of course depends on the season. Several 
showers have brightened things up and made it more 
promising. 
Will close bv hoping Novice s bees are making rapid 
headway in regaining their old numbers and standing. 
Ufa. O. June 17th, 1874. II. E. CUKllY. 
] united mv bees down to 51 stocks, one of which 
was found afterward to be Qneenless, so 1 call it 5u to 
commence the season with ; 25 ot the best will average 
I, rood ill Hi Uaibiti frames, or about SOU square inches 
of in-ood. The twenty live poorest, 7 frames, or 500 
Minare inches. Am surprised to see that yon do not 
seem willing to acknowledge that Black Queens com- 
mence to breed earlier and faster in Fell. March and 
\pril which is certainly the case, but in May and .June 
the Italians out-strip them by nearly one half. I have 
had Italians that had not even an egg the 20th ol 
April, that made the best of stocks. 
Borodino, N. Y. June 10th, 1874. ti. M. DoouTriJS. 
Tell me how I can get rid of the little red nuts in my 
hires. Tell me what is the matter with the young 
Ik-cb. when they become uncapped and die in their 
veils before it Is time for them to hatch, ami what 
shall 1 do when 1 And it so ? E. HrNTKit. 
Pour Ijoiling water on tlie ants if you can, if 
you can’t conveniently, sprinkle line sugar in 
a sponge, ami when full of them (lip in boiling 
water. If we can have our hives full of bees 
as they should be, the ants or any thing else 
are perfectly welcome to go in if they can 
stand it. 
We fear you have spread your combs too 
fast and thus forced some of the brood outside 
the cluster, which has become chilled. We 
have been guilty of the same thing several 
times this spring. Watch closely the result of 
your wi d-k, and go slowly. 
One venr ago Shaw ,fc Son sent use an Italian Queen 
from wln'c l. f have raised quite a number; nil of Which 
lire exactly like her. they having only one chance out 
of fifty to meet pure drones, (1 had forty nine hall 
blood stocks, and one pure), yet two llfths of the young 
Queen's progeny are regularly marked three banded 
Workers. 1 think that very good, wlwit do you think 
of her ? .. 
I have 110 faith ill raising October Queens. Went 
into winter with plenty drones, yet some of my young 
Queens came out barren or drone layers this, and last 
spring. Good success in wintering, lost but one 
stock, but any man (hat will keep liecs fa such 11 pat- 
ent hive as that was, should lose them all- Flense as- 
cent my sympathy for your toss. A- Ba lu- 
HollersvIUe, O, 
DEAR NOVICE:— Supposing I should commence 
lice culture this spring with about 50 stocks of bees, 
and should extract all their honey, year alter year, 
not allowing them t.<> swarm at all. would not their 
Queens alter four or live years become, nnlertlle and 
my stock become depopulated; or would they rear 
voting Queens in place of the old ones ? Another 
thing, 1 would like to know, supposing some of your 
liees Should swarm naturally, would you give them a 
whole New Idea Standard hive at once, or would you 
only give them a part at lirst ? It. A SIicilKNKit. 
Low Banks, Canada. June 14th, 1874. 
Our bees always rear a new one before the 
old Queen fails, and we have now two hives 
containing both an old and young Queen. The 
old Queen sometimes keeps 011 laying eggs for 
several weeks or even months after tlie young 
one lias liecoine fertile. 
We would give a new swarm only as much 
room as they could comfortably till, dividing 
oil’ this space by a division board, or with a 
half of the quilt. The quilt we use on the 
Standard hive is long enough to cover half the- 
frames and also to drop down and perfectly 
divide them from tlie other half. We would 
hive the bees in the front half near tlie entrance, 
and after their combs are well started, locate 
them in any part of tlie hive that may be 
deemed I test. We should, as a general tiling, 
keep the bees at the end nearest the entrance, 
extending them backward as the colony in- 
creased in size. 
Bees seemed almost as if they had deserted thi-ir 
hives here in April and lirst of May, by the strong 
winds blowing them away. 
Two li II mired and sixty colonies of last tall (Oh . 1 
had Intended to sav nothing about tills), have dwin- 
dled down to fifty two Queens and about enough bees 
to make live good colonies. 
Don't von think 1 will do exploits In the great Bass- 
wood forests of this region? 
1 have twenty four hundred Lungstroth and Gallup 
frame combs unoccupied, which I am putting through 
the purifying element of purgatory. By the way 1 mil 
soaking h large number of combs in a tank of water 
for forty eight hours, then throw tin- water out with 
I lie extractor and hang them fa a frame work under 
the shade ofmv grove, as worms seem less likely 10 
breed there, 1 find that 12 or 15 hours soaking will 1101 
kill all the moth. I!. W11.KIN. Oscai.oosa, Iowa 
I believe rrispberiles ought to be eul ivated more 
for bees, as thev come ni between apple blossoms and 
white c over. Mrs. a. J. W, AX'i'KI.i- 
Hoievi.le. 111. 
We heartily agree with our friend Mix. A. 
Those who are desirous of raising honey plants, 
could start an acre of raspberries with very 
little danger of their not being able to get their 
money back, even if it did not pay tbr the hon- 
ey alone. Reports of the qiiii'ity of raspberry 
honey all agree in pronouncing it extra tine- 
For directions for cultivation, see Fullers 
Small Fruit Culturits which we can mail l° r 
$1.50. 
