IK74. 
91 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
comb in ii.ihnu; now to get ale 
W'OIClCKit COMBS ETC^ ETC. 
,jV»OVIOK Can you tell me why my bees build but 
['"I! very little comb, and why that little Is x drone 
•A i como. I have put them Into double Simplicity 
ldves and given them what empty combs 1 had anil 
they have increased in numbers beyond my expecta- 
tions, but when i put In empty frames they leave them 
several days before commencing work on them, and 
then start very reluctantly anti nearly every time be- 
am with drone comb. As 1 am anxious to get worker 
comb, i bare tried cutting out the drone comb but to 
no purpose, they immediately commence drone comb 
again. 
We have never failed in getting bees to build 
comb rapidly, when we could secure warmth, 
plenty of food, and plenty of bees. It does not 
seem to be sufficient, that they have an abun- 
dance of stores in the hive, but they must be 
adding to their stores daily; in fact we have 
thought they only built comb when there seem- 
ed a probability that it would be needed to 
hold their provisions. 
One other fact must lie remembered, and that 
is, bees almost cease comb building when they 
get the swarming fever ; in the case mentioned 
above, we infer that our friend neglected to use 
his extractor, until the bees had decided to 
swarm and then they would not give it up. 
When honey is coming in briskly, we would 
empty every comb, and commence soon enough 
too, to discourage all attempts at swarming! 
About tlie worker comb : We too have had I 
nearly all the combs built this season mostly I 
drone comb, and after hearing that friend Dean 
of River Styx, knew how to induce his bees to 
build such comb as lie desired, we paid him a 
visit with this particular idea uppermost. 
Sure enough his bees were building the whitest 
■straitest, and most beautiful comb we ever saw 
iu all our experience. We were told to exam- 
ine any of liis hives we chose — there were 40 or 
hO— and . we found entire worker comb in al- 
most all.' One colony it seems had disobeyed 
orders and had made a beautiful oval disc of 
drone comb; when lie took it up quickly we 
were surprised to see him turn it over horizon- 
tally (in a way that we might expect a novice 
to handle new combs, but not an old bee-keep- 
er), and coolly break it oil' for them to com- 
mence over again. 
"But friend D. they will only build more 
just like it.” 
“No they will not; I will take away some 
more of their combs.” 
Two or throe swarms also persist in making Queen 
cells and wanting to swarm, and 1 keep cutting them 
out. In two instances where I overlooked Queen cell.- 
they sealed them up and cast very heavy swarms; hut 
1 leturned them again, cutting out the Queen cells, 
hoping to lorce them to make comb. The combe arc 
now literally crowded with bees. The honey product 
has been very light but all the swarms have had some 
capped honey all the time. Would it have been better 
to let them swarm ? Have not extracted any houui 
yet. 
The trouble is again that you didn’t use your 
extractor; take their honey all away , and thev 
can’t swarm. Yes, ’twould have been better to 
have let them swarm after they had got the 
fever so badly ; you could have given them 
their old hives combs and all, in it new loca- 
tion, and they would have proved immensely' 
industrious after they had gone through with 
tlie “programme.” 
Why is it that all at once most of my bees are so cross - 
■tin's tar during tlie season I have been able to handle 
them whenever I chose without any protection fur 
lace or hands. Hut for the lust three days a little 
smoke seems to irritate them instead of quieting them. 
I have been just as careful in handling as ever, but 
all to no purpose. They come at me in a perfect 
swarm and will not leave till 1 go into a dark room. 
Perhaps half our readers are in the same 
predicament; after the Basswood failed sud- 
denly, they suddenly became as cross as if they 
had been stopped in some wholesale robbing 
raid, as in fact they have, and all we have to 
do is to keep cool and not tempt them by un- 
guarded bits of comb and drops of honey, until 
they get over it. Drive them back with a good 
lot of smoke and make them till themselves 
With honey if you can. Stings will be more 
liable from bees from other hives that, are try- 
ing to rob them. We have to-day— 25th— only 
been able to see to our Queens etc., early in the 
morning, and were then obliged to desist after 
working about an hour on account of other 
bees rushing into a hive as soon as opened. 
We shall resume our work again about sunset 
or a little before. 
What Quill I do with drone comb when a part of a 
frame is Ailed with it ? Iff cut it out the bees persist 
in rebuilding witli drone comb or leave tlie space 
empty. 
Cut it out and insert a piece of worker comb, 
or have it filled out in a weak colony on tlie 
plan given. 
YVe cannot answer tlie following question 
positively but think the Queen’s fertility would 
not be impaired. At any rate we give it as 
problem 24. 
"But they have only three besides tlie empty 
frame now.” 
“Then they shall have only two.” 
“And if that don’t do.” 
"Then they shall have but one; but ’tis sel- 
dom necessary to cut them down so close as 
that.” 
“But friencl 1)., you would lose much hone 
11 you deprived your heavy colonies of all bt 
•me or two combs?” 
That is just the point; I make my nucli 
•mi weak colonies do all the comb buildinj 
•j.ud “ley will make quite a number each, di 
"f'lf t *' U ^, easoll > Besides storing a goodly cro 
. ** U1 ' readers should remember that divisio 
ourds were used — Gallup hive — and each < 
ie comb building nuclei was crammed fill 
,’ ec ‘ s ’ But a happier and more peaceful Apia 
. t'vas never before our lot to see. 
W ill it render a Queen less prolific to keep her for a 
length of time in a small nucleus hive where she can 
lay but a few eggs each day than she would have been 
jl she had been given to a large swarm as soon as she 
began to lay? 
How do you fasten a division board in a hive to keen 
it in place ? 
Hang it (the board) as you do the frames. 
Can I winter bees in double width Simplicity hives ? 
“Answer next May. Don’t know nothin’ 
’bout winterin’.” 
The above was Novice’s reply before we had 
time. We think the double hives will winter 
equally well. Should there be a great quanti- 
ty of bees we would leave them on their sum- 
mer stands, ami house them only when they 
seemed to need it, if they did at all. Perhaps 
Novice is right after all* 
'Will It do to take nearly all the honev from a hive 
when it is coming in fast? 
Every drop we should say. Our bees always 
get more in fifteen minutes or less. 
