94 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CVLTC RE. 
AtiGcsr. 
tlie middle of July. Besides, box hives have We believe, nothing but honey. If we are 
gone the same way in many cases. wrong will some one please set us right. 
But there is nothing like ones own experience tor a 
school ; and I hacl one the other (lay. 1 had a swarm 
nut into a hive containing 12 frames (Standard) and 
had it brought to me the next morning -they had 
swarmed out twice before and returned to old hive. 
There was a h inch hole in each end of the hive for 
ventilation and 1 thought I would leave it closed until 
night for safety : and to give them something to keep 
them quiet, I laid a piece of comb honey on quilt ami 
turned tin* corner up to give them passage. There 
was plenty of comb fastened in the frames. At night 
i opened it and they were like so many drowned rals, 
only a few bees in crawling condition and they were 
not so, very long. Well, that experience only cost me 
Shoo cash, and a good deal more chilli rin. [hit I will 
try to save a more valuable swarm some time. [Don't 
tell anybody what a novice I am.) !h Hi Nl'KK. 
Manchester, Mich. 
But tve fear we shall have to tel! it often, for 
some one is sure to “cut the same caper” every 
little while, during the warm weather. A new 
swarm is always so loaded witli honey for 
their new home that they can bear very little 
confinement, and they have about as little need 
(for the first day) of honey in the comb, as of a 
work on mathematics to direct them in build- 
ing their cells properly. 
Are the curved end honey knives of Winde r’s, pat- 
ented? 
On July (ith, had 1 u'o swarms of bees come off from 
one old stock, one at about 10 A. M. and the other about 
;; P. M. I did not Intend they should swarm, but they 
beat me in time. F. W. Chapman, Morrison, ills. 
We should suppose not for if it is, the patent 
certainly cannot “hold. ” Quinby, first used 
and recommended knives with a carved point 
and they were described and advertised some 
time before the one you mention. Two swarms 
from one hive is not very strange if they were | 
second and third swarms, hut it the first of the 
season ’twould be rather unusual in one day. 
My bees nearly all died two winters ago leaving 
plenty of honey, hut are making up for it this summer. 
1 have had f» swarms from one, all good, and 20 lbs. box 
and 21 lbs. extracted honey thus far. Can't say what 
1 may have yet. .May the wind-mill continue to ran. 
•A. V. Con kmx, Waldo, Ohio. { 
What could I get for the yellow wax made into j 
small cakes as stated in A. Ji. J. Vol. 7, page 121. It 
would be some work to cake it. hut slid il it would sell 
for what he thought it would, it would pay well. Can 
you give unv information on the subject ?* 
WfcSLKY Bkown, Homer, N. V. July 10th, 1S74. I 
Some time ago we made some pretty little ! 
cakes of wax with a loop of narrow scarlet i 
ribbon fastened to eaeli by pressing the ends ! 
into tlie wax before it was cold. The cakes 
were made by pouring it into small fancy dish- * 
es, they can be had very cheaply of the tin- | 
smiths, they are called “patties.” Now these I 
cakes to be suitable for a lady’s work box 
should not exceed or oz. each, and they j 
retail for 10c. As the French wax sold for t His j 
purpose is much adulterated, a pure home- j 
made article would doubtless find a ready sale. [ 
The best way, as with honey, is to supply your 
home market first. Take a dozen or two made 
of nice wax, (that from the “cappings” is beau- 
tiful) to your merchant or grocer and give him 
a commission for selling, and if you are not 
careful lie will soon be out, as we are at this 
minute; we haven’t a single cake left with the 
“scarlet ribbons.” 
I)o the Rocky Mountain bee plants Cr Ionic intcyri - j 
folia and Leophanthus anUatuz yield fodder for cuttle, I 
or honey onl> 'i JI. a. .S. 
We have no Vetches but can get, you some if you. 
wish, they do not amount to- anything in this climate, 
it is too hot. 1$. IL&taiu & (:«>- 
Cleveland, O. 
The above was ree’ef in answer to an inqui- 
ry from us, sent them in April. 
In using the “Standard Hive” for box honey would, 
you advise putting boxes in the ends of hive oV on ton 
of frames ? O. L. Baki.akI), Malone, N. V, 
We think the most comb honey would be 
secured by taking out frames as fast as tilled 
and sealed in either the back or front of the 
hive; taking care that they had clean new 
comb lor the purpose that had not been used 
for brood rearing. 
Please tell me through Gleanings the best way to 
remove the bees from the comb before extracting. If 
von ever told 11 s 1 don't remember of seeing it. The 
Italians stick awful tight don’t they ? 
A lyVUKD McMaink, Charlton, Iowa. 
Provide a bunch of Asparagus tops com- 
posed of three or four stalks as thick as a lead 
pencil, and with, broad bushy tops. Some fine 
annealed iron wire cut in pieces six inches long, 
is handier than strings for tying them together, 
and they are to lx? tied in the middle of the top 
as well as where held in the hand. After sha- 
king off as many bees as you can, take the 
brush in the right hand and roll it so as to roll 
the young bees off before the entrance, and 
they will crawl in safely. If your brush gets 
smeared with honey, rinse it off in a pail of 
water. It may be used until so dry it breaks up. 
We now rejoice— or rather we feel doubtful over Ti 
stocks of bees. Sweet clover, us well as their watering 
place covered with the busy little fellows. We have 
just been giving one contrary swarm Instructions not 
to build their combs across the frames as they well- 
doing. D. 1*. Lank, Koshkonong, Wis. 
*1 think move than one half the bees in this country 
died in April for want of supplies. It rained all the 
time so that they couldn't get out. Blooms were 
abundant through the month. 1 found out in time 
that mine were dying and saved them with syrup. 
W. fc\ Lewis, Baldwin, .Miss. 
If voe could save our bees by simply feeding 
them we should lx* quite happy indeed. 
We cannot imagine such a case as the lack of pollen, 
we generally think, we have too much ; 1 have cut out 
whole sheets of it blit I won’t do so any more. Bees 
are doing splendidly here, I have taken out 840 lbs. so 
far, some of it. perhaps .‘loo lbs., was from the fruit 
bloom. It is not pleasant to the tasto and very dark, 
clover is line and we had a line shower Sunday that 
brightened things up very much ; some of my’ hives 
filled the upper story in lour days, you seldom see il 
better than that. II. M. Ovuuv, Oin. O. June -ink 
Bees in this locality have been doing but very Uttle 
good. I lost 1 colonies out of 6 in the last season, ami 
\ out of 8 in ’7.5. Had half changed to Italian and have 
lost them all. They cannot stand the cold weather 
that we have in this part of the world, and all that 
have perished tor me, were very rich in natural stores, 
hoping to have better success* in future, 1 am, yours- 
truly, II. .smith. McKeesport, Bn- 
We think friend 8. you are a little hasty in 
deciding that Italians arc less hardy than 
blacks; such sometimes seems to be the case 
in a few instances, but taking the general av- 
erage where conditions are equal and we be- 
lieve the reverse will be found the rule. 
Where Italians are not given sufficient room 
they often prevent brood -rearing by filling the 
hive completely with honey, and under such 
conditions they are insufficient in numbers 
