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FAGGS GLEANED FROM CHE BXPRAIBNGE Or THOUSANDS OF BEE
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BY AVIPROOT.

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In preparing this work I have been much indebted to the books of Langstroth, Quinby,
Prof. Cook, King, and some others, as wellas to all the Bee-Journals; but, more than to all
these, have I been indebted to the thousands of friends scattered far and wide, who have
so kindly furnished the fullest particulars in regard to all the new improvements, as they
have come up, in our beloved branch of rural industry. Those who questioned me so much,
a few years ago are now repaying by giving me such long kind letters in answer to any
inquiry I may happen to make, that I often feel ashamed to think what meager answers I
have been obliged to give them under similar circumstances. A great part of this A B C
book is really the work of the people, and the task that devolves on me is to collect, con-
dense, verify, and utilize, what has been scattered through thousands of letters, for years
past. My own apiary has been greatly devoted to carefully testing each new device, in-
vention, or process, as it came up; the task has been a very pleasant one ; and if the perusal
of the following pages affords you as much pleasure, I shall feel amply repaid.

AST ROO
Medina, Ohio, Nov., 1877.

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INTER ODUC TION:

About the year 1865, during the month of August,a swarm of bees passed overhead
where we were at work; and my fellow-workman, in answer to some of my inquiries re-
specting their habits, asked what I would give for them. I, not dreaming he could by any
means call them down, offered him a dollar, and he started after them.. To my astonish-
ment, he, in a short time, returned with them hived in a rough box he had hastily picked
up, and, at that moment, I commenced. learning my A B Cin bee culture. Before night I
had questioned not only the bees, but every one I knew, who could tell me any thing about
these strange new acquaintances of mine. Our books and papers were overhauled that
evening; but the little that I found only puzzled me the more, and kindled anew the de-
sire to explore and follow out this new hobby of mine; for, dear reader, Ihave been all
my life much given to hobbies and new projects.

Farmers who had kept bees assured me that they once paid, when the country was new,
but of late years they were of no profit, and everybody was abandoning the business. I
had some headstrong views in the matter, and in a few days I visited Cleveland, ostensibly
on other business, but I had really little interest in any thing until I could visit the book-
stores and look over the books on bees. I found but two, and I very quickly chose Lang-
stroth. May God reward and for ever bless Mr. Langstroth for the kind and pleasant way
in which he unfolds to his readers the truths and wonders of creation, to be found inside
of a bee-hive.

What a gold-mine that book seemed to me, as I looked it over on my journey home!
never was romance so enticing; no, not even Robinson Crusoe; and, best of all, right at
my own home I could live out and verify all the wonderful things told therein. Late as it
was, I yet made an observatory-hive, and raised queens from worker-eggs before winter,
and wound up by purchasing a queen of Mr. L. for $20.00. I should, in fact, have wound
up the whole business, queen and all, most effectually, had it not been for some timely
advice toward Christmas, from a plain practical farmer near by. With his assistance, and
by the purchase of some more bees, I brought all safely through the winter. Through Mr.
L., I learned of Mr. Wagner; shortly afterward he was induced to re-commence the pub-
lication of the American Bee Journal; and through this I gave accounts monthly of my
blunders and occasional successes.

Like many others, I could not be content without dabbling in patent hives; and, in ee
of good advice to the contrary, as soon as I was fairly started I bought rights and thence-
forth kept the most of my bees in American hives. After a trial of both kinds, the Amer-
ican and Langstroth, side by side, for 5 years, the combs were transferred from the Amer-
ican back to the L. frames. In 1867, news came across the ocean from Germany, of the
honey-extractor; and with the aid of a simple home-made machine I took 1000 Ibs. of honey
from 20 stocks, and increased them to 35. This made quite a sensation, and numbers em-
barked in the new business; but when I lost all but 11 of the 85 the next winter, many
said, ‘‘ There! I told you how it would turn out.”

I said nothing, but went to work quietly, and increased the 11 to 48, during the one sea-
son, not using the extractor at all. The 48 were wintered entirely without loss, and I
think it was, mainly, because I took care and pains with each individual colony. From the
48, I secured 6162 lbs. of extracted honey, and sold almost the entire crop for 25¢. per Jb.
This capped the climax, and inquiries in regard to the new industry began to come in from

INTRODUCTIOR.

all sides; beginners were eager to know what hives to adopt, and where to get honey-
extractors. As the hives in use seemed very poorly adapted to the use of the extractor,
and as the machines offered for sale were heavy and poorly adapted to the purpose, be
sides being “‘ patented,” there really seemed to be no other way before me than to manufac-
ture these implements. Unless I did this, I should becompelled to undertake a correspond-
ence that would oceupy a great. part of my time, without affording any compensation of
any account. The fullest directions I knew how to give for making plain simple hives,
etc., were from time to time published in the A. B. J.; but the demand for further partic-
ulars was such that a circular was printed, and, shortly after, a second edition; then anoth-
er, and another. These were intended to answerx the greater part of the queries; and from
the cheering words received in regard to them, it seemed the idea was a happy one.

Until 1873, all these circulars were sent out gratuitously ; but at that time it was deemed

est to issue a quarterly at 25¢ per year, for the purpose of answering these inquiries.
The very first number was received with such favor that it was immediately changed to a
monthly, at 75c. The name given it was ‘‘GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE,” and it was
gradually enlarged until, in 1876, the price was changed to $1.00. During all this time, it
has served the purpose excellently, of answering questions as they come up, both old and
new ; and even if some new subscriber should ask in regard to something that had been .
discussed at length but a short time before, it was an easy matter to refer him toit,or send
him the number containing the subject in question.

GLEANINGS is now about commencing its eighth year, and inquirers do not like to be
referred to something that was published a half-dozen years ago. Besides, the deci-
sions that were then arrived at may need to be considerably modified to meet the wants
of the present time. Now, if we go over the whole matter again every year or two, for the
benefit of those who have recently subscribed, we shall do our regular subscribers injust-
ice, for they will justly complain that GLEANINGS is the same thing over and over again,
year after year.

The best time to transfer bees is in the spring; and every spring, we have been besieged
with so many inquiries that we, last spring, to avoid repetition, published the whole pro-
cess at length in our circular; and we have since then given away 10,000 of these, paying
postage ourselves. I know those who received them felt grateful for the kindness, for
many of them said so; and I know, too, that they would have willingly paid us for them,
were it not for the trouble it would have been for each separate person to have remitted
us three or five cents.

Now you can see whence the necessity for this A BC book, its office, and the place we
purpose to have it fill. In writing it I have taken pains to thoroughly post myself in re-
gard to each subject treated, not only by consulting all the books and journals treating of
bee culture, which I have always ready at hand, but by going out into the fields, writing to
those who can furnish information in that special direction, or by sacrificing a colony of
bees, if need be, until I am perfectly satisfied. Still further: this book is all printed from
type kept constantly standing, and as the sheets are printed only so fast as wanted, any
thing that is discovered, at any future time, to be an error, can be promptly righted. For
the same reason, all new inventions and discoveries that may come up — they are coming
up constantly — can be embodied in the work just as soon as they have been tested suffi-
ciently to entitle them to a place in such a work. In other words, I purpose it to be never
out of date or behind the times. Begging your pardon for this lengthy introduction, we
will, with your sanction, proceed to business. Nov., 1877.

Nearly two years have passed since the above was written. It is now July, 1879. The
business has increased and developed so much that we are now located ona piece of
ground of 17 acres, and the pictures in the front give you a little idea of our building and
surroundings. The apiaries, of which you get a little glimpse, cover about 24 acres; there
are seven of them, like the hexagonal apiary shown in the back of this book. The central
one has a flag in the center of it, on which are the words, “By INDUSTRY WE THRIVE.” The
whole seven apiaries will accommodate 500 hives. We have, at this writing, 228 hives,
mostly employed in queen-rearing. Three or four boys and girls are constantly employed
in rearing and shipping the queens. More are employed in making the hives and imple-
ments, and still more are at work on the journal, making this book, ete., ete. In fact,

INTRODUCTION.

there are now between 70 and 80 of us, all together. Almost every trade and industry is
represented in the building and on the grounds. We make all kinds of wood-work, have
a tin- shop, carpenter -shop, blacksmith- shop, machine shop, printing-office, book-bind-
ery, Sewing-room, paint-shop, varnishing and japanning room, wax-room where the founda-
tion is made, a room where leather is worked considerably in making smokers, and we
have almost every thing except a grog-shop. There used to be two of those a year ago,
just across the railroad, but both have closed up business now. I rather suspect the at-
mosphere we have brought into this part of the town was more than they could stand. If
you should happen along here about noon, you would find that the engineer always stops
the engine promptly at 10 minutes of noon, and that the hands then gather in the largest
room in the building around an organ that they have purchased with their own money.
In fact, it was purchased by each one giving a day’s work. After all join in singing a
hymn, your humble servant is expected to read a verse or two from the Bible, and close
the 10 minutes devotional exercise with a few brief remarks and prayer. I am often asked
by visitors if this noon-day service was an idea of mine. I reply that it was as unexpected
to me as to any one else. It would be a long story, to tell how it originated. God brought
it about, I am firmly persuaded. Do you wonder saloons do not prosper near us? Right
over the open window at which I sit writing, is a stone bee-hive which you can see in the
picture. Over the hive is this inscription: “IN GoD WE TrRusT.”’ So long as we continue to
trust in him, and look to him daily for help, the business will continue to prosper, and
we shall be of use to ourselves, and to all those about us; but just so soon as we cease to
trust in him, the business will go down; saloons will spring up about us; and ruin and
devastation will be the end. There are quite a number of us who know what it is to be
frequenters of saloons, and who realize that it is by the grace of God we are kept where
we are now. ‘ It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of

hosts.”’
[OCTOBER, 1879.]

The following, descriptive of the picture of our apiary a few leaves back, is extracted fiom the November
GLEANINGS:

THE HOME OF THE ILONEY-BEES.— AN APIARY OF 500 HIVES.

Isn't it pretty? Had you worked and planned and studied over it as we have, dear
reader, you might perhaps appreciate it in a different way from what you do; but I am
pretty sure you admire it, any way. You observe there are 6 apiaries surrounding a central
one, making 7 in all. There are 61 hives in each apiary, and the small apiaries of 7 hives
each, in the corners, make the number nearly 500. The hives in each apiary are exactly 7
feet from center to center, and the streets are 24 feet broad. The gravel walks in the cen-
ter of each street are 4 feet wide. The hives face different points of the compass, as ex-
plained in the back of this book. Coal cinders are placed around each hive to keep the
weeds down, and then the space before and around the entrance is covered with clean,
_ white sand. This is not only to give the bees a clean and pleasant door-yard, but it is to
enable us, in passing, to see if all is right. For instance, if robbing has been going on, you
will see the dead bees on the white sand, even if you are quite a distance away. Day be-
fore yesterday, in passing, I saw a young queen on the sand near the entrance of a hive,
and out near the grass was another one.

‘“* Hallo, Will,” said I, ‘‘ what does this mean ?”’

“Oh! I forgot to cut out those queen-cells,’’ said he; and he opened the hive ‘‘ quicker,”
and found nine good cells, and two torn down. You see, the white sand saved me 9 queen-
cells, that one time.

The grass is all kept in nice trim with the lawn-mower, and the labor is very much less,
for so large an apiary, than to keep the ground clean with a hoe, as I have formerly recom-
mended. It is now the middle of October; but the grass, in consequence of the frequent
mowings, is as fresh and green as in June. To add to the beauty of it, dandelions have
sprung up, and their bright yellow blossoms dotting the green here and there make a pret-
tier picture than I can describe, especially as one cr more Italians are found on every
blossom, on pleasant days.

On the outside of the row of evergreens, which are planted for a windbreak, is a car-
riage-drive, and this drive extends off to the south, down by the pond, and through my
creek-bottom garden. We planted 100 evergreens; only five of them died, and the nursery-
man says he will replace those, Of 500 grapevines, planted last fall, I belieye only about 7

INTRODUCTION.

died. The building with the wings is the honey house, as we call it. There we store all
the tools and implements, all the empty hives, the sugar for feeding, etc. We are talking
of a railroad to run through the apiary into this house, but the light wheelbarrow seems
to answer so well, we may not build it.

. You will notice that the house-apiary has changed so much that one would hardly recog-
nize an old acquaintance. To Mr. Gray is the credit due for having made it so pretty, and
so convenient for the bees, which we are just putting in the upper story. The old wooden
roof used to leak some, and so we have put on atin one. Leaking is a very bad feature for
any roof, for hive or building. Tin, if kept painted, makes a sure thing of it. The chaff
tenement-hive looks as large as life, or a little larger, and perhaps ‘‘ twice as natural.”
You will observe, in the center of each apiary, or near the center, four chaff hives. These
are to assist in giving landmarks, both to the bees and the apiarist. Just now we are giy-
ing chaff hives to all that we decide to winter. The apiary is not full of hives, as repre-
sented in the cut, but we number, house-apiary and all, just 314. About two hundred will
probably be preserved for wintering. The remainder we shall keep for those who want a
queen very late; and, after the queen is sold, they will be united with the others. The
grapevines, this season (the first), have been trained on a single stake, but they have made ©
such a healthy growth, especially those which have been mowed around with the AYER;
mower, that we shall have to get out 500 trellises, ready for next June.

I wanted the artist to get the inscription on the flag, but the letters would have been so
small you probably could not have read it. Instead of a dozen or more rows of mam-
moth sunflowers, he has made only one, and these resemble some tropical plant more than
those out in the field. The masses of foliage this side of the sunflowers represent the bor-
age. It is yet in full bloom, and fairly covered with bees from morning till night, but
nothing like the Simpson honey-plant and the Spider-flowers. The Spider-flowers are
growing right down at the right-hand corner; the Simpson-plant, at the upper right-hand
corner of the honey-farm. The highway, where the man is riding along on horseback,
runs east and west. I wish I could take you down by the pond and show you my creek-
bottom garden; perhaps I will some day. I was at work in it this morning with my hoe,
so early that I had to work by the light of the stars. I knelt in the soft rich ground (where
the cultivator had been running the night before among the plants) and thanked God for
this honey-farm, and the opportunities it gives me of helping you all.

Sept. 2, 1880.—We have had another year’s experience with honey-plants, and the result
is such that I have decided to plant the whole of the available ground to Simpson and Spi-
der plants. I have just been enjoying the dull season amazingly in underdraining our creek-
bottom garden, and setting out Simpson-plants. From seed planted in a cold frame in
March, we now have beautiful plants humming with bees from daybreak until dark. A
little less than one-fourth acre of Spider-plants makes the most beautiful floral sight I ever
beheld, and creates such a panic among the bees at dawn that you would think them rob-
bing. The honey from them is very white, and beautiful in flavor.

June, 1882.—A kind Providence has still continued to prosper us, dear friends, and
we have just issued the third number of JUVENILE GLEANINGS, supplementing the
older GLEANINGS. Our building is now so crowded on every floor, that a new factory
is in contemplation, and about one hundred hands are at work in the building and on
the grounds. The children seem to have taken to the little bee-journal as ducks take
to water, and the number of their little letters now is greater than we can possibly
find room for.

Jan., 1883.— During the season that is past, sume of the largest crops of honey have been
harvested ever known, and the progeny of a single queen has gathered pretty well toward
the enormous quantity of 1000 lbs. of honey. The industry has in several directions begun
to assume massive proportions. The demand for one-pound section boxes has been so
great that single shipments have gone across the ocean, of nearly 100,000. Wax for comb
foundation is getting scarce, and we begin to fear the product of the world will not supply
the demand. <A kind Father seems still smiling on us at the Ilome of the Honey-Bees.

Sept., 1883.—Our new factory is now nearly ready for occupation. During the summer
we have employed between 140 and 150 hands. Two shorthand writers now take down
what your humble servant dictates in regard to business and the matter for the journal,
and each one is supplied with one of the latest improved type-writers, for copying the short-
hand notes. The new factory is built on to the old one, on the right-hand side of the pic-

° PN Oo Uke Tr OWN :

ture, so as to form a sort of wing, or L (see frontispiece), and extends from the old factery

to the gate, seen in the margin of the picture. The trade in implements for bee culture has

been larger than ever before known, and the production cf honey has been correspondingly
‘increased. eae

April, 1884.—Again we are called upon for another edition of our ABC. Since its first
issue we have tried to keep it fully up to the times by constant additions and alterations.
During this time, over 15,000 copies have been sold in this and other countries, and the de-
mand is still unabated. The subscription list of GLEANINGS has swelled, until at the close
of last year we had 6388 subscribers. Our general business has also increased since last
year, so that, even with the new addition to our factory (a cut of which we take pleasure in
showing you in frontispiece), we are crowded for room. We are glad to note the continued
improvement and increase in apiculture during the year past, throughout our country, es-
pecially in Texas, and also throughout the world; and with this advance in our science we
have been pleased to see a correspondingly increased demand for honey.

It may be well to add, that in the preparation of this work I have been greatly indebted
to the valuable services of my friend Walter B. House, of Saugatuck, Mich. The Glossary
and Index are wholly his work. He has also added many important suggestions in various
parts of the body of the book. The valuable item in regard to raising turnips for honey, and
turning them under as a soiling crop, was given by him. The article on HONEY-HOUSES
was suggested and written by himself, I supposing that, of course, he would know about
all kinds of houses. .

One of-the lady clerks in our office, who has been helping us in the business almost from
its infancy, has written the following lines, suggesting the growth of what was, not long
ago, but a grain of mustard seed. It was written to be read at the dedication of our new
factory, mentioned above.

When Novice first began to tell
Some facts about the bee,

The story pleased the folks so well,

‘ T’ll edit it,” said he.

The GLEANINGS of ten years ago
Was small; and placed beside

The GLEANINGS of to-day, doth show
How great has been its stride.

Though ‘‘ Barney ” was a novice then,
And ‘“‘ Boss” was typo too,

And wrote his copy with a pen,
Still GLEANINGS lived and grew.

And when the windmill ruled the day,
And sometimes rather failed,

The foot-press often came in play,
That GLEANINGS might be mailed.

All hands were called to come and fold
When GLEANINGS went to press;

And paper day, in times of old,
Was one of pasty mess.

When the type-writer’s click was heard,
The pen was putin rack;

The windmill flew off like a bird,
An engine took the track.

Subseriptions came and brought good will,

And business multiplied;

Our Homes made GLEANINGS stronger still:

’, T was on the Savior’s side.

And we have garnered golden sheaves,
Which steady grew in store,

Which, in the A BC book, make
Us rich in bee-man’s lore.

The busy little engine steamed,
And puffed both night and day;

For orders, more than we had dreamed,
Poured in from far away.

Two busy years went flitting by,
And found our space too sma!l;
So then we built a factory
We thought would hold us all.

While our new engine, stately, strong,
Its shaft of belting moved,

Which made the buzz-saws hum their songs,

While cutting out their grooves.
While from our large new printing-press,
Which filled so well its place,
Came GLEANINGS forth in its new dress,—
’ Twas worn with smiling face.

Her ‘“‘ Heads of Grain ’’ were full indeed;
Her *“‘ Blasted Hopes ”’ were small;

Because success would write with speed;
But failure, searce at all.

The boys and girls wrote letters too,
To say that ‘* Pa keeps bees;”’
Until a barrowful they grew,
And yet they did not cease.

So JUVENILE came on behind,
To carry them along,

Impelled by aid of Hasty mind,
It soon grew large and strong.

But, oh! the factory is too small—
With joy we build again;

We now behold the rising wall,
Built up by busy men.

And then the cheerful buzz of biz
Will fill the new wing too.

And Novice’s contented phiz
A broader field will view.

And at the sacred hour of noon,
Ten golden minutes spend,

Where swells the organ’s sweetly tune,
While prayer and praise ascend.

May GLEANINGS have, and JUVENILE,
A fat subscription list!

Be full of blessings all the while,
The helpless to assist.

When Novice has grown old and gray,
Serving the Master here,

Oh may he hear the Savior say,
I’m with thee — never fear!

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CONTENTS
inthrodmetlonsencn i: 2. Ginee nl els bec. EL Set Sethe? (OPIN ss he eee teem 1s RRS: i
Absconding Swarms........ 3. Sod SEN nOn aeasaneRnns i} Cidertand! Cider-Mills 2. 055i. seen nee oes ueeeenee 51
For Want of Food...... Mai econ SPACE ek il MOLON Cspot SI es ors ua ald eavaN reales 52
In Early Spring...... GENTE NOIR ORO iAT eee 2 || (COMPAR ASKEEA AEE bP Ti ry Ba SS oie ae Pa eee ae 52
INMEICUS|S WATS Pie 8 Svea cel dk eek ee Gy || (Cloren od Now OCB Oiaaneeseonann daenbeshensauecesabesa 53
After Swarming 3 Foundation Machine.................... .-.... 3
PMX CRUMBLES Ne Soest ara vicloiss caved cis r da haad aaa cow ees 5 How to Make Wax Sheets.....-..............-. 53
IDOE! cond OSE Es BOSC Ed CMCC ea Sapa Sarna 5 Rolling the Wax. Sheets..........-. 0... 000.0505 54
IOREC CATS GN ord Sacto dks sore wa tae tee woke 5 Trimming. Squaring, and Cutting the Sheets. 55
AMSHtIMSVBOALGS. ). 0. see eee o oe cee cede cee Say for CombeHoney-seteeeceaet kee ee see eee 5d
MEU RCRHDICN sis cies fare. Cane seiey coee Ge abesea tee eeu 6 | Carlin’s Foundation Cutter... ......... ...... £6
How to Saw the Entrance Blocks.............. 7 Sagging of the Foundation..................... 56
PAU SUICOMOI OME mae soda ced: Soc: cot SiG ea ee asa ees ia Given Foundation-Press. Ra seaticaeti i
Cultivation and Sowing the Seed.............. ti Fastening Starters in Section Boxes..... ..... 57
SAWANT PAPO WE Ayes saa) 5 soe ek s.diceccada'cwecselee salt 7 | Comb Honey. eR RN ME DS PRU). Renee p NY area t deemed 58
st Me SCCEU Reon waters Geert Sen ee ees 8) How to Remove the Filled Sections....... .... 58
ELOHMOL the! CLrOPss..5 cs 5sscsesecscqs0en se eoe ens 8 | Always Use the Tin Separators................ 59
ARTE CIEIP OTE 13 YEKETST A rea | (lustering on the Outside of Hives............ €0
AMES) 28 55 OBR BLAS RR RIED ORE BERR OBE COE EOS En ann ener eas | Getting Bees out of Boxes or off from.... . .. 60
PANPMATNS Greil cies alaeee Slice cs fe cigars eae Marketing Comb Honey..............--.2-.2- 6L
JTS O08 55 SOUR COBO O EE ORCC BESET Eo aA e Keep Clean and Free from Stickiness......... C2
LUGIGRITIOT 2 5.55 ao Ge CONE eee eee eat rae eC rae Makine) Honeys Selley oi) naseiateceene tacks é
Wind Breaks.o oo) cs... Pasteboard Boxes for 1-Ib. SPetions E
Vineyard Apiary Keeping Comb Honey.. i
Lawn or Chaff Hive Apiary DanNGeli ome we Ae oe ee Eke jaata ede ecb debe ets
MbewtouserAipiany 026 Ss ae bee es al OW PDISCASE SHOIME COS rater dn es snl ios eisereered icine Gee vce
NOAtINE FA PIALY 16! Soe wove cc leiee ee bu be beeencse 18 | SprinesDwindlimen so-so seen sues aoe:
Railway PANT DEUS Anett te tment SEE oe hia ST Tao), 18 Other Diseases swe? GA ORB RIN oo see ees
Which Style of Apiary to Adopt..........: Sapo lis) || IDNA ose coon cou: gous Boos eadvoscucnou goss ecodoucc
Moving to catch basswood bloom..... .... AOU DIVISI ONY BOALASS Eee Cua ty sie las wae ee Bee ics coed
PAN RT GOS ears nee tied oe ely Much oe ch cod wk ed eve ben 23 ChafhiCushion tone ceeinc eee en ace
PPA CIM EO OHA rie k We ak cee ce oes ds on vous peseale a’ DAS MID ROO Spa ee ea ae ee Mere Rae Le Oe oi Ae MURA Drea
ATtiheial MertiwizatiON. ....... 2.0.66. ce0 5s eee vee ecees 23 | The Jones Entrance-Guard. ...... ......... .-
Artificial Heat.. ES arrarcrd sales side Ss Sees ee ON Retaining Undesirable Drones. ....... ...-
Artificial Pasturage.. Seiccite SOU AERA eee ee 24 | Rearing Out of Season................ ..2..0-
Artificial Swarming............. ......... SPR Rah 2) | Destruction of Drones in Fall..... ............
Combs of Hatching Brood...................... 25 | With Brilliantly Colored Heads of Different
Empty Combs for Artificial Swarming......... 27 | GOlLOTSE A AGE Bia at ete eee ts RAE RE ee BP 75
J SIGTES 6 olg Ub SOCORRO RROD BEE SO REG a Snes Anes IDVSCMUE BY seat a shoe tera ae aA Gs oe ae eRe 75
AUREL mista ene) Soeae eos dance we oeed abana 3 | CaS C2 AES a Oa ee EE hee SAT Stes Ss PEIN 8 i
Leaky Barrels..... SE Sek AROSE ERE ST ere: Osea ‘ BEARER WONT UO) bye eee ry conn irr ream cen tee Cs 76
Waxing to Prevent Leaking Dae © Cures eee eS Re pee eae eae «ea ae Ae ese rus
ED AS SVOO CONG eset ral rctat ated is) stcvarstioloy ies a/ ov steislalpialaitaie eacieietere Agency of Aphides in Producing............. 7
CCC AG aera hola moe cine nicyeie shake me ale ae eae 31 | Enemies of Bees......--..-- .-...--.2------+ +222 +s 8
ISCCSDLESS Wicticaec ca ccsccadee ceusews é AIC eA: + ARATE OV Geico tine Reo naG Ise eenar $1
PIC CTHAMEING ayn k sets eins oss odes oe cle dled ois erase wales é (PATASTRO Sucre iisicicna ce ont etare cae ste ee bani tates este 81
Box for Bee-Hunting..................... 00005: SUIS ss Eee a See RR hel teed, ee eS 81
How to Use the Hunting Box SIG CTS SON es pS a Rh OF ae SR es $1
‘Climbers for Bee-Hunters... .........-........ WidSpSienee aes Ue ERIS ede Se ated coal eheib ee §2
Does Bee-Hunting Pay?.................0.005. | Thieves and Patent-Right Venders ...... .... 82
Never Quarrel About Bee Trees Hntiranees: tosBlivess a0; sasceeta. woes eee oe aca. 82
FS COAMO GH et ra <istarsiarrsianerarwle: eisrar a ote Naan sia sible olde omais 36 RSI PAGIO) Foie ie, ose i aie RCI CEST Ee SO As &3
How to Keep Empty Combs Secure from HI Xtracie@eHOney ak ines ate hes ies Shae eoeieeares &4
the Moth Worms? 2... 22.2 ..0e se eee eek osc 37 LO WatOiS elle Vege ee SE RT ps eee sas es 8&6
HES See ero tail oialsl oa Sarre nae cce sed nb see ate daa ORR RGR 9 | HOwatorMeep ch Ha cosas iin ceases tomes Gere 87
HMO WABees Grows) esse bles eke eee ee. 39 | Various Packages for Shipping and Selling... 87
From the Egg to the Bee A Few New Packages.....2.......0 60sec ee ees 88
Bees on Shares | Honey Timiblersiee eae cans see esl. eles auton la 88
UIC MEMIS GLEN a er. chico ase ek os holtvan neigh Satan | Williams’ Stand for Selling..............-...... 89
IBOLAL EC yeteieee cies ecvesissiee vs | Tron Jacket Shipping-Can................-.---+ 89
RUE HSW ALO Otis test pate char shal slut ancl MS Sava bic sccevaes Aetna, ta eae FLOnGy=Kimiviesiiisls iss et 0. Gee ae rob aaa sat 89
Cultivation ; | Bingham & Hetherington Honey-Knite....... 90
UVM? BEES esas tits Se TE ead te ANON! 43 Uncapping-Cans Sap kahakicom mn che cots ROE URR ee Neate cee 90
Cages for Shipping Bees............... 02.2.2. 44 Brushes for Getting Bees off the Comb......-. 90
Selling Bees by the Ib................ 00.02.0040. 44 WALCCABTUSHy Seite ok).e dc Obete Maa toate ee echo 90
WAS LOFAOUCEN Snes) nthacurnccrusoeareacedtnnaa dele 47 Cookis 'Bee-Brushtie: 220 Re LE es eee 90
Cangied: HOney aac lee eI RA Le a 49 Davis’ Improved Bee-Brush...............---- 91
How to Prevent from Candying................ SON WEYXGER CLOR NE joc ceb ac cee onde oes tacit usenet eae 91
Confectionery: si. Se.< Sse So nies see Pace tmae caeee 49) ae as ELOWETOs MAK CS 582 C2 OR ae SSL oiase wie oie 91
WandiycLOrs BOOS. asc nceinen oc eee eh oD RE 50 Making the Can 20k) Res. Soe BRS 2s 93
What Kind of Sugar to Use for Making eandy fl Extracting from. Broken Pieces of Comb or
How: to:Makeks ese S620 uh te Oe Paes ee 51 from Section Boxes... 2... 2... 02.0.2. ees 94
Caution in Regard to Candy-Making........... 51: Extractor for Pieces of Comb...............-++ 94

CONTENTS.
IRE WIE-E ob anndg andd pape Boaai ena ome une a4 caaqe a asunase 97 Gray’s Improved Machine for making Sec-
Feeding ‘and Feeders)..0.. 05 i5a<iaccecidne nice welenveel= $7 SectiONs see ssewecs sc dsc :
WihAt TOVMCC s.i00)c25 Sache pee omeiene she mctorine 97 Observatory Hivesic: 2.2. sn-s5-. > aeaeeeeee
How to: eed. !. 2. i coesnh Sees pore eeteeeeeinee 98 Glass Observatory Hive <:...-..:...s..aseneee
Howto Make'the Syrup...0sso-2sr neers ent 99 Tables for Circular Saws driven by power _
Heeding Past or Slows <tc ksce soles tees elskete ore 99 for Hive Making.)..\.. ..:. .o-sae ae 140
When to Feed..... #4 Ssane Sed eee Gao eee 99 | Parallel Bar gauge:.J:... 22:2.) eee 141
Simplicity HOCGEL: «.. ..(Sans. cman weitneeiceinaie Gees 100 How to make a Cut off Saw-table............. 141
Gray’s Improvement on the Simplicity.. -100 A saw table tor cutting off stuff............... 142
Feeding to Produce Comb Honey......... --.. 101 | Honey Comb}..2. 2.2 0.66, ee eos ee ee 143
Liability of Ext. Honey to Carga in the Cells Why the Cells are Made Six-Sided......... ... 14t
when Fed Back to the Bees ..... .......... 101 How the bottom of the cell is made........... 144
Caution in Regard to Feeding... ............. 12 Mathematics of the Honey Comb.............. 144
Hains’ Feeder for a Fruit Jar. 00) i220. ee 102 Different Kinds of Cells: 22... e eee 146
The Hains Feeder; How to Make It .......... 102 How the Bees Build the Comb................. 147
Mertile Workers... 02625 sas Soeehdeae Se ee eee 10%} Honey Dew... /......2.2.20.52 1220s see ee 149
USC cdc 6 ceed cial ce een a 102 | Honey-houseé’.....: ...,.... <2. «0. 00 eee 150
How: toiGet Rid- of... <2 oe ee eee 103°) Horsemint .\.. 2... 0.00.05. 5 hen oes oer 152
How to Detect the Presence of..............- 108 | Hybrids. oo... niccc bee con eet eee 152
IS WOLE Isc 4 ate daw ccdate ne eee nen ee ae ee 103. Introducing Queens... .).222., So eee ... 155
Simpson's Honey: Plant 22% .s 1s o.enocte deers 104 | How to Find and Remove the Old Queen...... 145
How Bees'Make Honey. .22- 32.5 gsc acnnneawase 104 | How to Release the Queen............ 12.00: 156
Foul Brood What to Do with the Escort Bees... ..........156
Remedies What to Do, if the Queen Flies Away. sieve tows 157
CAUSE... fe.<220 02 acne en Beene eae How soon should an Introduced Queen Be-
Fruit-Blossoms gin to Lay... 2... 0.5. «decuche «tee 157
Do Bees Injure the Fruit by Taking Honey | Italian Bees..............)...00++--2n eee eee 17
from the Blossoms?.2.....+sten.teeeseek see 107 Holy-land and Cyprian bees..............-.-:- 160
Gill-over-the-ground. .)... Jane eens deel emia ae 110 | Italianizing ..... 2.22.00...) 2.. ss-< 4-5 162
Golden. Bods 52:2! é .is:cs. pio en hoe Oe clan art etek e 110) | ine Birds as) steoes «si 4 0.2 9,0/2)8\¢h0ig)= 42 165
Ei vie-Makd ne. ood. sos’ ao cdhdeestesermecioaw navala asin ate 113: | Gamp Nursery. 20..0)..2% <2 <4 000e aces 167
How to Make a Simplicity Hive................ 118 How to Get Cells for the Nursery.............. 167
Gauge for Planing ete Ss babaaee batters = stose 114 | How to Avoid Having any Worker Bees in
Improperly and Properly Filed Saws.......... 115 | the Nursery... 00... 5 4s. sec dente eee 168
Settine the ParalleliGariec.. s.054. 22. sates 115 | Introducing Virgin Queens..............-...+- 168
Why Boards Warp ..jsascn cscs scdctatbiaeteo res se 115.) Locust. .... 6... noe: ash dee si ees eee eee 170
Beveling Platforms oh. hic covatysb oe sebidse seek 116 | Mignonnette............. Tele, s vimidivielslstehelp watele she eee 17t
lron Gauge Frames for Hive-Making.......... 116:| Milkweed.......-..--.-..2-.. ::.)aeennn lil
How to Set the Cross-Cut Bar.................. 117 | Motherwort.. 2.00.5. . css. vs. eo oe ee lil
Taking. off the Strip Under the Cover .........118 | Moving Bees.........:......... .jseuileinelem eee 172
How to Make the) Covers: .isit-n.. indie cde. 4 119 | Mustard... . 00.0255 se0t ccs. sce ode ee eee ee 1i4
Watling ELIvestGacsc as tl O55 Faas Meese hewes 119'| Nucleus... 3... .j.bi tiger, ce neler liz
Simplicity Langatroth Hive.................... 120 Clark’s rustic chaff hive”... .. scanesecsaeeeeee 179
Covers to: HIVeS f-. ss)2558 oes 3c Sh. Neate egeee oe 120 Three framed neuelus hive-..2..eeeeeeeees Jp ltO
The Story and a Half Hives.) 2.06.20 isda 120 | Poisonous Honey... .)... . 00 0... syle eee 182
Combined Shipping Case:and Honey Crate....12R | Pollen...... ..2.0.4...02 0). doen sse see eee 182
How to Make the Chaff Hive................... 121 | Necessity of Pollen for Brood Rearing........ 184
Platform for giving the Siding the proper Artificial Substitutes for Pollen............... 185
DOVEL:..... nob. sus ce shat uehas Shp wuet bic eee 121 Agency of Bees in Fertilizing Plants by
How to Cut the Stuff for Siding................121 | Mingling the Pollen.....:.:.ases¢: -aseseenne 186
“* -* Make the Corner Postsicnk.nit | scenecs 122 Flowers of the wild ‘Touch-me-not, showing
Tnsideiof Chafl. Hives. sce ot. as deness ne came leon the way the Bees get the pollen on their
One of the Sides of the inside of the Chaff | Backs... 6.0005 jadeie' soos fe deey ae eee 188
PRU V 0 5.5, 50 ecsse ssehaitiow, bs is, s obektd eee Sime RBS ob one on 128 | How to start Bees at work on rye meal........ 189
Diagram of the Chaff Hive..:.... 62.02... .....a222128) | Pollen in Section Boxes and Comb Honey..... 189
Frames that hold the Cover........2..0.. .2:.. 123 | Portico for Hives. :.......:.. «.s:eeee een eee 191
Roof-board to Chaff Hive...............60:.-.5. 124 |}: PrOpOliSss <2.) 55,054), we erele ple wom cre eieieie ele eee 191
Covers to the Chaff Hive ready for the Tin How to Keep from Surplus Honey.......... 192
Sheet.) 3s.f1.¢4.92) Se ee a ee leon How to Remove from Fingers.................- 192
Gable End to Chaff-hive Cover................. 125 Do the Bees Need Propolis: .... 2. 2.. seen 193
How to make Gable ends.. 125 Beno ing Wax and Propolis by Steam........ 193
One-story Chait Hivens 9.0 tase cac cet octet 125 Value of PropoHs....... ....« .7.. see 193
Gauge for Frame Making......................126 QUEERS «ie. s sae Salas ieeasein's = alas an ae ee 195
Frames for Hives................ sithiaeewstt 126 Jmperfectly .Developed ......... yasemianide a see 195
How, Many Wrames‘in 2 Hive...) 2...5 25 eens 27 Hlow a Worker Egg is Made to Produce a
What to Cover Frames With.. 5.128 QUEER eos. since o siejesds 4 seinen ee 195
How to Use the Broad Frames of Section Royal Jellyi ss. os 2 ).c0 1/0% pace 196
BOXES sited eae ee 128 What Does the Queen do While Sealed Up?. ..197
Mat for Covering Prames....j.....-+ 2:eese- 123 | Davis’ Transposition Process....... .......... 197
Painting thes Hives ati eo iost =. eee 129 | What Becomes of the Queen after She Gets
How to test a Square ...¢0.2.-..000-0065 So bel te) Out of the Cell?:. ...< J:.1,).08 2 pee 198
How to wedge up the Frame of Sections......129 Queens’, VOICES...) 2) swiss skh nee get ene 199
Concluding Remarks ADO Hivediag. dsmeace. 129 | Virgin Queens...........5:catk a: ¢eee pee eee 199
Making Hives by Hands hrs Paste yet t aeceahee 130 Age at Which Virgin Queens Take Their
Sechion Honeyweoxes-sewcetry co eek bee eee 130 Wedding Filicht..........-....s25 ee eee 201
All About Making Them, and Some | How old a Queen May be and still Become
. Other Mattersi oc e...ictgh-2.0 oases stesk 130 | Fectilized. ... 0.2... ... 5: eee eee 202
Cigar-box Planers sists egakse sae eee 131 | Drone-Laying Queens ............. sc: eee 202
Highteen-inch Gem) Planer. 2.2.4. ee bes! ctoeis oe 131 The Meeting Between the Queen and Drone..203
Clamp for Making Section Boxes.............. 131 | Shall We Clip the Queens’ Wings?ie sin. eneeee 204
Bundle of Strips for Sections.................. 13.3 | Clipping Queens’ Wings...........scsesees eee 204
Bundle of pieces for Section Boxes, as they How Queens Lay 'I'wo Kinds of Fess vdtet CANS 205
leaveithe Saws stirs seeeeen bic kaw oe. blasts 132 Loss of Queen. .... 5...5...<0+ os 56 sek pee eee 207
One-pound Section Box € omplete .. 2%... .... 152 Odor of a Laying Queen............. 2:54: ssRanene 207
Wide Frames to hold § Sections, and tin Queens’ Stings 2.05.0 c..0.« osu eee 208
Separalorss. 5. 22 ess eee Mae net oe 52 Caution in Regard to Deciding a Stock to
Cutter-Head for Gr ooving Section boxes...... 133 be Queenless..... = esx%ig. nck went eee 208
Putting Circular Saws in Order..... .......... 133 Caution About Clipping Queens’ Wings....... 208
How Saws are wasted by imbroper filing ..... 185 | ‘Queen: Rearing... ..o6,fccssnstaa gn sn0..cee Coe 208
The Philosophy of Setting a Saw.. ........... 135 || How to get Good Queen Cells.............. 2... 209
Speed of Circular Saws............ ABBnoedoncn 136 When to. Cut Out the Queen Cells ee Pe Pe 210
Home-Made Section Boxes................. 137 How to
Gray’s. New Section Box and Machine How to ae a Queen Cell F
for Makrin git aesttek -)aiseh dane et 137 Casitiony pois iiss) ceu') cst Woeie los eee eee 2
How to Fold fae PeCUONSIUPs.es Jeers ees 138 How to raise queens for market...............212

CONTENTS

How to cage the Bees and Queen............+- 213 Automatic Swarming..... nape,
EN Clo en aoc cla ore win Srayar's\njste- aie SiSinveis-s stavarahersers 215 Ringing Bells and Beating Pans" to ‘Bring
PSA MER DVN eee roe NAS Ate Gals Ra veces ca oacemmeede Down a Swarm of Bees.................-..- 209
CEERCSIT) 4, = g eGoney RII RSE gore SS 215 Natural Swarming and its Attendant Clus-

LST PLPLITD a0 Sule Se SOROS Oe a ea a 215 (ISTE a ee eR Oe Gon aS EEa ne HOO Aen oir 26)
Colonies that Will Make no Defense........... 2185 PAC AS Cl ris fit eds avin aise wlan aistin Seas a Sense ce(s aes 264
How to Know Robber Bees.......0. ... .aces: Za Shh PERO AO Sega erst ehetoe ie sine ciciais eee S wiataw isle scetecsapee cle ciate 265
How to Tell Where the Robbers Belong....... ZU Bil UME AMS REREUMO ee eters otek ecatave rs hc Velateteine orci aes cee 205
Ory nO SLOP RODDELS ai: sues sc.c5cmecteoe ete ¢ 218 Wihenvtioriramsner so iacck ae ooe cases eee 2
What Happens if Robbing is not Stopped..... 220 Appliances for Fastening in the Combs ._...267
IRTevention Of MODDING. 6.22. ce.c..c.es ces eee 221 Transferring Clasps, Wires and Sticks, and
PECL OISCONETYs 6 os. cceeeeecseswes cones © 222 the manner of using them................. 267
How to Cireumvent Robbers, and Keep Right How Much of the Combs in the Old Hives

On Transferring, Raising Queens, &c...... 223 Shonildepe Saved. esis. seainae aateeeeee: 267

A Folding Tent for transferring, etc.......... 220 Frame covered with Mcsquito-bar, to set

Wire-Cloth House for Transferring, &c.......223 over ahive when robbers are troublesome238
hocky Mountain Bee Plant........55.......:0000002% 224 Transferring when the Bees are disposed
STEE 2.25 oes RSS BOG ee Ee Oe ana 227 LOMEVO DL iter. anor eae eae Meee one aes are ated 268
STATES. 5 | Sob Sees e cel ae TONE Ee See enon tee ater 228 Transferring Tn IDOOLSesee spss seer ee eee 268

WOT POPPE SMOKED 5402). 0.5 estes Fos eels wees 229 A short way of transferring from box-hives 269

Mowmleygs SMOKER. -..eteiecaes ee =: isle os nee 229 | Tarnip 269

MOR SIN OK ELS He eee ct ticseic tis od pace Ookiee = 229 Uniting Bees: oon [Teh oie hPa meen ics cs Seo oral

How to Make a Cold Blast Smoker............. 230 What to Do with the Queens GP eee ee eee a O71

BOLGIEASh SMOKER... ce Seles ebu ceive woes eee eece 230 TOWaaV nn IN@uy SERIE. occ oo. soe cee ae 272

PEMOWGIOMIOKCRS 2252202 Sa80 ou cece ol sae 230 Uniting Bees in the Spring Shag Cree ty ae RR 272

Spring for Opening the Bellows .........-.... 251 N77 St SARIN Re SWEAR.) JRO ceanbine cn lan oon Seer oA.

How to make the lin Case for fuel... ........ all ll noesee ibsy Maya Mey cookie aimee MUD UI Ba UL Re MeN S IE viiicd 275

The Tinwork used for Cold Blast Smokers . .231! Smothering Bees by Closing t li ID ARATEO... “O76
oy anes Cold-Blast Smoker................-.--. Bee How the Bees do Their Own Ventilating...... 216

eaetetetelaliniet i= elimina =\e/ele\\«)m 2.2 she) 0 = sie) =\sinlelnimicie » sie a) sim inip « & Ti Watina 90 no = OTF

Soldering Iron and Implements ............. .234 : Ventilating Queen Cages During Shipment.. ae
SOLMEMO OOM Seely Norte soc a elcisiecisc sist gee a beieie Selec ele 6 235 | Vinegar .... 20... .. cece ee eee e eee eee neers aii
Suite: Plea ee ee ig ae eee 226 | Water for Bees.... 2.0... --- eee eee ee eee eee ae

How Much Honey Will an Acre of Plants Improvement on the Above...............-... 280

GTA ci nore ee te 38 Fountain for Giving Bees Access to Water. ..282

SEES 2 LS Ek en ge 239 Salt Water for Bees ................seeeeee eee 283
Ta) TRNESET OEE ieee, er ae Ca Rt Gut) || \i/EbRaskoaseeoine conn Cn DA UOBnRGr a Sd mbne tape eoodoaeaT 283
FE PTGS - see cre ea 240 Wax Extractor. .......... cttewecs sete nee eeces Be
What to Do When Stung a Great Number Our Own Way of Rendering Wax............. ese

Gilimesalllat\Once. 2). 6.) ee 249 Cleaning Wax From Utensils..........-.....-- 231

Getting Hardened to the Effects of Bee Stings.241 Adulteration of Wax...... Jsnodegons neonate 290

How to Avoid Being Stung....... .......-..0-- 241 How I learned Chaff Packing....... ........-. 299

How to Open a Hive Without Being Stung....242 | Whitewood............ co. cee ce ee cee eee eee 290

Our Simplicity Comb Holder..................- ASM WELTNGE GIN Dye erro cee cieacre SoG a cues poe nicl rele oie aleurone 292

Valentine’s Queen Stand... ........... .......248 When to Commence Pr eparing the Bees

Aoybasel topHold Combs)... 5..5...2 s66. 0-2. ss 243 | IRON AVOUEI EE GY do cocoate NeSA aC EES Sanane oar 252

Simplicity Comb Holder. ...... 2 ....4.<.00.8-08- 244 Ventilation and its Relation to Frost and

What Kind of Bees Sting Worst............... 244 IDEHIDY I eueos enedesqoc tic bon obodenopaEeueD 293

The Bee-Sting Poison How Bee Hives Become Dump.............---- 293

LOW ALES OMCs smn e oe nccis ace essed oui © blogs eters Sima wakbivies ses saiec ca emtoaeeaaey woaacctorac (acini 294

Odor of the Bee-Sting Poison How to cover the Bees in winter..............294

Does the Bee Die After Losing His Sting? Bestrkin adore Chait con sss eens sees cicievem oaeeree ee 295

The poison cf the Bee-sting as a remedial Fixing the Cushions over the Bees for winter 295

PIERENO Giaccone reine 246 | Chaff Cushions and How to Make Them.......295
Smoke not Always a Preventive of Bee Stings.246 | Hill’s Device...............00.0 . 2. cece eee e cece eens 294
Mechanical Construction and Operation of Wintering in Cellars or Special Repositories. .300

WEES SUES ae arco: eB Oe SSBC aoe eeIcree Eoaee nas 246 | Advantages of a Cellar over a Koom above

BES -StimowMASMIMeM: ._.Sak5,.5).-ccee ees) coe ns 247 | GrOU TG sa cise yraoel skein cetera Selene 209
PS ULE el Comer em sre) a aydierg sik ouis oe epinale ewes 248 How to Get Rid of Dampness and Secure
PSUNINA OMe Tr pretnn te seater rc ia)-) aleisiay,elevauelSeycertioiel arsieislecnisiwia = 249 | Perfect Ventilation in Cellars.......... ... 301
SOVrSRNEEVA MUO Xara aey eee eters euch efi aria aibs'e, «| siege cae gteleinne 249 Preparing Stocks for Their Winter Quarters. .301

VARY MIE CES SWANN pele nist cic /s cies core aiecls. wees oe 230 | Time of Putting the Bees into the Cellar...... 302

At What Season Lees Usually Swarm......... 250 Shall Bees be Confined to Their Hives

SyMpPLOms OL SWATMIMNS 2555. ... 655 c es. seas: 250 Wihens iit lm-d OOS. -aeeeicee a clearence 302

Never Allow the Bees to Hang Outside the Best Temperature for a Cellar or Bee House.302

EN CR a ee tire erates oes somin alae Bele doueee 201 Removing the Bees from the Cellar..........- 302
Preparations for Swarming to be Made by Advantages of Cellar Wintering............... 203

MNES CC-INCCDEL! flrs ass os cacsueca os eee s cee 2ol Number of Colonies to be Put into One

Repository for Swarming Implements........ 252 VOOM ES ese eRe oe es oie need 5 aa OUS

How to Hive aSwarm of Bees..... _.......... 253 | Summing up the Matter of Wintering......... 303

How to Hive a Swarm with Clipped Queen. ...243 One more hint in regard to wintering.......-.. 303

Hiving Bees by Machinery...................-. 254 Sy auaKer I Dy Ab avo lintseo nes sooe bach oomadenood cesouceS 303

Two or More Swarms Coming Out and | ARIS OER non dae ca mae Sonne ae Oor ECOG 305

LEWIN OP Reeth hee reic eis scersists aati ena eaens 250 What to Do When your Bees get Spring
Prevention of Swarming................-...... 255 | PD yy Tr oes a1 Se Nase Sasciceice sais asians SUD
Restraining the Queen by means of Per- What to Do with Combs from Hives where

forated Metal over the Entrances.......... 256 the BeespHavieiDieds.ctcmase cise «cee cieicter = 3

Prevention of Swarming by Use of #xtractor.257 | What to Do with Combs That are Soiled,

Keeping Bees in Upper Rooms and Garrets ..257 | Moldy, and Filled with Dead Bees.........

Do Bees Choose a Location Before Swarming? ? 201 | The losses duri ing the winter of 1880 and 1881. 307

ECO Ved ester) oye Ooi e Seis aie me eee nen ot 258 | Appendix by G. M. Bvolititless: one eee 31g

Conclusion

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

The *‘Home” of the Honey Bees—The F Bactoay The AMIABY, 2ii2 2 in deinsts ohi nee aae eee
Alighting-Board, Detachable.....................4. 6 | The Lawn, or Chait. Hive «tty se daw ae
Entrance- Bac ica ee CT aad oiey frat sth ct ... 7 | Gauge for Planing Lumber
Gora PRO Ui aie aisia's SERS alae « BLE selec se 12 SentintsParntiel Barts sik eee ice Mi) oe
The Vineyard Apiary, and “Swarming” the Wihy, Boards) Warp: ces. cas. .acns 5 nee ee

IGUAPEVINES 52 5obiec sects os neue Hans saste vite 13 | Side and End View of Board....................... 116
The Lawn or Chaff-Hive Apiary.................... 14) -Beveline Plattorms — se). 2 5 8 oe oe ees 116
AUModernsHousesApiary.... 0/256. 205. 425 8-csblee.s 15 | Iron Gauge -Frames for Hive-Making.............. 116
Diagram of Interior of House-Apiary............. 16 How: to:setithe Cross-CuipBare 620.2.) ee Wi
Part of Our Original Hexagonal Apiary........... 20 | Hive Set up with Gauge-Frame.................... 117
House-Apiary for Twenty Hives................... 20 | Taking off Strips Under the Cover................. 118
Foster’s 14-hive House-Apiary................. .... 20 | Cross-Section of Ends...........02.....0c0ccecceceee 118
J. H. Townley’s Chaff-Hive Apiary................. Zip Washermtore: Wab bling: Sawer eecc ss oe eae ete 118
Hho UBS TRI SCEUISS 729 17 CE 2 os Zl jebarts Of the Cover. ...5.-5- ala e/a: Ssuekstctehte Gre ayeteerstae 119
ER SUEY 9 US OL bao eee er oe eee Zia eiconeSmoothiney—Planeasa eee el eee 119
nae BEMLOMN SEA DIAN Vi oo ccn sos. le cs ci eles 8 as ideas 2B COLNE KOM He acer Se eines sem eee oe Se Ane ee 120
American Linden, or Basswood.................... 31 | Langstroth Hive to Take a Simplicity Up-
RO EOR ER CC-TUINUIR Go's... sec esc ae ace eee cae cke 33 DEW SCO ericsson Cee ee ee 120
Climbers for Bee-Hunting.... 22... 2s... ec ee eee at 35 | The Store anda SHaliielinvieds: = sa. 4 woes hse ones 129
hromethne. eo tothe Bee 2 oo isc dieses. eece cess 40 | Shipping-Case and Honey-Crate for Story-
Tunnel to shake Bees into Cage...................- 44 and-a-Half Hive 121
Cages HONTRES COS ree pas rate so eisishes ts Grants S alleynvatavaneis olaialavs AAS tutte Cut OV SiGUNO se se nek geste sols cee San ee 121
Peews Introduving-Cage.... 2. 0.5.2.0 2 ees sees es 46 | Platform for Giving the Siding the Proper Bevel,121
(IGT T= BDSIR GES Ohad Gorse 8 SRO a na eee eee meer OMT GCOS sae cicensterercr tae aera ears aie tie caer en gn nag Tata ae 122
Foundation-Machine; 12-inch Rolls................. 53) | LCORNer POSS) keacsscee ney eon eee ee Meneame aa 122
Foundation-Machine: 10-inch Rolls _ ........... dda Ene ll ands POsts of Chatisthivies smn ee an eeeee cee 122
Frames for Cutting Sheets for Brood-Frames ..... Soy SPCC OS era ae ra sora peer cea ante ie, oe 9 aeons vee 122
Machine for Cutting Starters for Section Boxes.. 55 | 66. Frame that Holds the Cover.................:. 123
Impler.ent to fasten Foundation.................. SOM BH MEAN CE“Wiayiovs cece cs scene enone cic meee 23
Carlin’s Foundation-Cutter..............2.2..0...65 SOM Side OlChatiokhivienweretencte eee ek anes 123
L. Frame Wired Ready for Use.................-.-. Son eDiaa ram Ofte Chatmrlinven uence wenn eee ee see 123
(CONF DYE ASRS OVE) Peete pe oe ee ree iii EWE CEG AES OEDN Gl serene coe meres eo attests He ats risa Stee 124
Easterday’s Foundation-Fastener................. 57 | Roof-Board to Chaff Hive...................0....0- 124
GumensHoOundatpion-Press.. - 226... ns. b es este ec eee Dig RCOverstoi hatteliviernce. ceo i nee ne eee 125
Gray’s Machine to Fasten Starters in Sections... 58 | Gable End to Chaff-Hive Cover....... Bape ieee ceva 125
Parker’s Machine to Fasten Starters ............. 58 | How to Make the Gable Ends..............-....... 1245
ReSh Tor SCCLON-HTAMEC. 2.52 csececcccs saees cee ease De Gauee fond rame-Makinoee oes se eho oe lees 126
Section Box Filled with Honey..... eerie hi. eats CONCOnrNerOLsH Taner: see ae here cts nel tee sees 16
POMC ES IB CCODEAD ys ccs cae > Geivaictes Greet ome nee 61 | Dovetailed Frame .. ;
Case for Storing and ‘Shipping THONG Ysa car so ss cens G2E MOU eMC Aas emee ews amie eee ie aaa eee Naor
Roxatonr Carrying HOney. 2. .0..<s 2...ccce esse des 63 | Mat for Covering the Frames....................-.
Sturwold’s Show-Case for Honey... .............. 63 | Frames of Sections Wedged up
JAreher’s Bee Ranche, Cal... ..2.5.5. 6 se.eck ses ne Ghy RTOUBGSC nS (UATE says teye sas es aoeamcn bots nonce
Chaff-Cushion Division-Board...................... WOFWGemrePanense ce let pees ie ian aes BN ee 131
DEON E-CC ree eee anges Sale cse see bue sees jalawenet ee id Cisare Box Aner saree wert tees eee oe eee 131
The Jones Entranee-Guard.............20. 05-0000 73 Clamp for Making Section Boxes.................. 13L
Perforated Zinc for Excluding Drones............ 73 | Bundle of Strips for Sections....................-. 132
Alley’s Drone-Excluder, Queen-Trap, ete., Com’d. 74 | Bundle of Pieces for Section Boxes as
PAlleyZs TON e-BXCHIGE 2.0 o 2. ics ac cates esses ees 74 They Leave the Saws..................-.- 132
AUMCR HOT CY ROUT lC. 202s Sene cec ess leis jee eaene. 74 | One-Pound Section Box Complete.................. 132
A California Apiary near San Diego............... 19> Bundlevot No pzBars-oo men aise ese tea oe 1382
Jones’s 2%-lb. Honey-Pail......................005. (sis) || 1S UNA OIE IDES ogdano done scan docoedemeetoucebar 182
SGIRE = CENOI ZC Te ioe sro Bea tenet meaeiaee re Lah tania 88 | Broad Frame to Hold 8 Sections, and Tin
Sloping-Side TEE soa SURES ectericeal a Mee RS 7A pace. ee) DE PALALOUS caer ony sees ane seenes Sa eee 132
Williams’ Stand for selling Extracted Honey..... 89 | Frame Filled with Sections of Honey.............. 133
Moneyball Of Glass esi. os ocean os Dek eae SOc Cutter Headeraaa son es ee ice AL aaa 133
OmnbyebHoney-Knikes <2. cleaies. ce. onoecs eect eee Saw Properly and Improperly Filed............... 135
The Novice Honey-Knife ERE CUIMOER SAW2 sete cee ciclere es atin werina so sene sO nae +185
Dadant’s Uncapping-Can.. SOCAL Nor caret eceaciae see sae icnea. BS Sulotecs stele amen 135
WAC COMES EMIS Beats ers ase, ooo ai qaite iene Ge SEITE LE] Boerne non coke sm crs Nigel ate MeN cm yryeieteryns she Wa 135
WE OLS SHB C CsI UISHS aes en sa soe ele basses eee ee Philosophy of Setting a Saw.................0..0008 135
Davis’ Improved Bee-Brush .....................0. 91 | Gray’s New Section Box, Made all of One
HSI C VOLO U RELA CLOM 4/9 Sot ce sine i ens eee 92 PICCOLO WO0Gla.. < ss note ceo sorey sah ante 137
HEXtRACEOE COMpletes . 3 cac55e oo. ee eee loene he dae 92 | Machine for Making the New All-In-One-
Bottom of Extractor-Can..................0.2-0000- 93 Piece Section BOXES ne. ae eee ees 137
Extractor for Pieces of Comb...................... Oe RC els Otc WOM eee a oe ee ee ea eee 144
Apiary of C. H. Lake, Baltimcre, Md.............. O55 PBOLLOTNOn Well Sirsa Se soos Son wen she sae 144
Apiary on Fair- STOP yh ee le eee he erate 95 | Mathematics of the Honey-Comb..................- 144
Simplicity Bee-Feeder.................002 cc ce ecaeee 100 | Rhombic Dodecahedron.................. Reve eee 145
Gray’s Improved Feeder..............2.000000c00 00 100) |: Drone and! WiorkerComb..... 225s scccte ne osu seep 146
EVA SA HECO SI er homens Ui scaweas tow ease eee codon: 102 | J. H. Martin’s Apiary, Hartford, N. Y............. 154
Hains’ Feeder for a Fruit-Jar..................0..- 1025 SHutchinson’s Apiary: 0. chose eee 154
Simpson Honey-Plant..............0.. 00 cece ec eee ee AOLG PMar tins eAplany & 0 sac soe ee cateee eee
W. G. Phelps’ Apiary, Galena, Indiana ........... 108 | Introducing-Cage for Cold Weather
Cogswell’s Apiary, Los Angeles Coz, Calenrenet. LO Dis plital at rae IS © Get sye Sh ors ds cs cris ace oe eee

Gill-Over-the-@rounde. 00. oe. oe cog nace bes cn anes 110

IRAUTORGCADIOTY: cos dees ees cee ee

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

HAMID PN UTSCLY etc. 3. caciss aban eo Cee eee 167 |
Sunnyside Apiary.. eels tO
Pollen of the Milkweed Attached to a_

POC'S FOOts 2 css cea eee eee ig
MGTRELWONE, fs Se sia Os dcesedacad seeeee Roe eer 17L
Top View of Gallup and Langstroth Hives........ 178
Wark Ss Hustic Chat Hive. >. os.cmeseeeocce arene 119
Mhree-Hrame Nucleus Hive. .......5sae0d +. nsiesoee on 119
Seotnish Apiary ....<-sie peeks Ete ee 183
Pollen-Basket.... . i: é<le@sct ons sate Ba ccem kash eee 183
hacweed And iOom. 7.05.5 dociec iene oe ee re ee 1:6
How the Bees Get the Pollen from the

LOW OPEN is fc eoee Sates OSE .. 188
PUOUGH=ME=NOG. « os0s'o Dhoeeeece Ch UC ee 188
POUMLC OR: w .orc,cta~ = a> wie sieved is ae eels wale Vesa ee 191
Queen-Cells oi. 2 ea. accede ade seen ee eee 156
Oueen-Cell"Torn ‘Openi.. i... aa.cses sscee tee 198
MOOG So sraviie aids aieiccnte wimencra domes oe Se eee ee ee 200
IIB ET caalaie vais didvesle viaordt as Sede eee tek ae eee
VOTER dics 55 do.0R cee siecnien oe ote aa ee 200
Winein Queens. a... 2-252 se ue shjonigs, uses Cue 201
@Guttine Out Queen-Cell ... ... .«as88: Seaners. eee 211
Quecn and her Hetinue. . case. see ee eee ee 214
Wire-Cloth House for Transferring, ete........... 223
Modine Tent... co. eke meee eee eee os 224
Roeky-Mountain Bee-Plant..9. so- dc sone. 8.4 Aeon 224
Hexagonal Cal. Apiary, Belonging to R.

Wilkin, San Bnenaventura . ‘peed aeed
California White Mountain a saawe eteg dashl- Foes web ia 227
Townley’s Smoker.. é vik blots hsb deeha eee
Boards for Bellows....... ibd oewiwess heleway Pie has 23
BINOK er DISKE CHRO a... <cadpu.s o.5 selasnat bie mises woke zee
Clark’s Cold-Blast Smokers. sa.sesiss Oe we sack Sake 232

Soldering-Boandse.css eee seek aes ace 6a ee 234
| Soldering-Implements >. 0.0 ~ «2ic)--.25 0-101 ee ee 234
SOUTWOOG......8lere a St nieve sed acialet te so 235
| Mrs. Mollie O. Large’s Spider-Plant................ 237
Bees and the Spider-Plant....... 3.2... ...0seeeeee 238
Simplicity Comb-Holder.. ...5... . casa... asec esse 243
Valentine’s Queen-Stang: 2.2 ...2.....0-02 2 eee 243
An Easel to Hold:Combs, 0.2... cae... sass 248
Simplicity Comb: Holder (Jones’s)................-- 2438
Bee-Sting. Magnified ..). 29.4.5... .-....0 oles 247
Shepard's Hiving-Box. ..00:;. 0020+ enna eee 252
Repository for Swarming-Implements............. 252
Implement for ‘‘Bagging’’ Swarms................ 253.
Swarm on a High Limb):.......2.....<.2-76se eee 26
Jackel’s Machine tor Taking Down Swarms..... .-205
Whitman’s Fountain Pump... ...--.2245..0ee eee 260
bP. L. Viallon’s Apiary, Bayou Goula, La........... 263
Apiary in ‘Tarkey in Europe: ..)...: .....sseeeeeeeee 194
ey: ft) or PEM SIS Tk 2€4
Manner of Using Transferring Clasps,
Wires, and Sticks........ MP asco 267
Frame to set over Hive...:.-%.. 22. 1. .caseeeeeee 268
Wire Cloth and Lace Bee-VeilS...........%........ 274
Mrs. Harrison’s Bee-Dress......-..-...=.seeee eee 275
Open-Air Heeder: (i025 ./.0) 26202). cde ee 281
Fountain-for Bees... ... ........4.2..0..23se ene ee 281
Gerster Wax-ExtractOr..,..)). 250 Ji2/b6 a2 shee 284
Leaf, Bud, and Blossom of Whitewood, or
Tulip Tree.: «2s. da) heared 2a1
Chaff Cushions)... 020s tices + «23s ae 295
An Experience that “Blessed Bees’’ Didn’t
Tell Of .. ico.6 Los ois otcGhs woes ae £04

SS eee ae

The ABC of Bee Culture.

A.

ABSCONDING SWARMIS.—Per- | all.

haps nothing is more aggravating in bee
culture, than to have your bees all on a sud-
den “light out” for parts unknown, without
so much as stopping to give you a parting
word of farewell, or a single token of recog-
nition of the debt they owe you, in the
shape of gratitude for your past kindnesses
in providing them with a home, shelter, etc.
Perhaps no part of animated creation exhib-
its a greater love of home; than does the
honey-bee ; no matter how humble or unin-
viting the surroundings, they seem much
attached to their home; and as they parade
in front of their door-way after a hard day’s
work, plainly indicate that they have a keen
idea of the rights of ownership, and exhib-
it a willingness to give their lives freely,
if need be, in defense of their hard-earned
stores. It is difficult to understand how
they can ever be willing to abandon it
all, and with such sudden impulse, and
common consent. No matter if they have
never seen or heard of such a thing as a hol-
low tree, but have for innumerable bee gen-
erations been domesticated in hives made
by human hands, none the less have they
that instinctive longing that prompts them
to seek the forest, as soon as they get loose
from the chains of domestication. Itis pos-
sible that the bees, as they go out foraging,
keep an eye out for desirable places for
starting new homes, and it may be that they
have the hollow trees picked out some time
before they decide to leave. Many incidents
have been reported that pretty clearly
show this to be the case. We once found
our bees working strongly on a particular
locality about a mile and a half from the
apiary, where the white clover was bloom-
ing with most unusual luxuriance. Very
soon after, a colony swarmed, and the bees,
after pouring out of the hive, took a direct
line for a tree in this clover-field, without so
much as making any attempt to cluster at

Did they not figure out the advantage
of having only a few rods instead of over a
mile to carry their honey, after having pa-
tiently gathered it from the blossoms, little
by little? Perhaps it will be well to remark
here, that it is very unusual for a swarm to
go to the woods without clustering; they
usually hang from 15 minutes to an hour,
and many times several hours; in fact, we
have known them to hang over night; but
perhaps it would be well to take care of
them inside of 15 or 20 minutes, if we would
make sure of them. Long before swarming-
time, hives should all be in readiness, and
they should also be located just where the
new colony is to stand, with the sawdust,
grapevines, or whatever we decide to have,
allin nice trim. If you are going to have a
model apiary, please do not think of waiting
until the bees swarm before you lay it out,
but take time by the forelock, and with care-
ful deliberation decide where every hive
shall be before it is peopled with bees, if you
wish to keep ahead and keep your bees from
taking ‘*‘ French leave.”

But they sometimes go off, even after they
have been carefully hived, some will say.
We are well aware they do often go off after
being hived, sometimes the same, and some-
times the next day; but are you sure the hiv-
ing was carefully done? We never feel
satisfied unless we have given the new
swarm at least one comb containing unseal-
ed brood, and we have seldom had a swarm
desert a hive when thus furnished, nor do we
often hear of one’s doing so. With such
hives as we shall describe, it is a very simple

task, and takes but a minute to open a hive
and get such a comb.
_any chance you should fail to get the queen

And besides, if by

when you hive the swarm, they would be
supplied with the means of rearing another.

This plan of giving them unsealed brood
does very well, if you can once get them into
the hive, but it is necessarily somewhat like

ABSCONDING SWARMS.

the one of catching birds with a handful of
salt; how are we to obviate losing the occa-
sional swarm that goes off without cluster-
ing at all? or the quite frequent cases of
coming out unobserved, or when no one is
at home? We are happy to say there isa
very certain and sure remedy for all cases of
first swarming, in having the wings of the
queen clipped so she can not fly; this plan
is in very general use, and answers excellent-
ly for all first swarms; but, alas! the after
swarms are the very ones that are most apt
to abscond, and we can not clip the wings of
their queens, because they have not yet taken
their wedding-flight. What shall we do?
Candidly, I don’t know of any better way
than to watch carefully when they are to be
expected, and then chase after them, climb
trees, etc., until they are once got safely into
ahive. If you think this too much trouble,
prevent having after-swarms as we advise
under that head.

Clipping the wings of the queen prevents
losing first swarms by absconding, it is true;
but it does not always prevent losing the
queen. She goes out with the bees as usual,
and, after hopping about in front of the hive,
sometimes gets ready to go back at about
the same time that the bees do, after having
discovered she is not in the crowd. Even if
she gets some little distance from the hive,
the loud hum they make as they return, will
guide her home many times; but unless the
apiarist is at hand at such times to look aft-
er affairs, many queens will be lost, * and
the bees will rear a lot of young queens, and
go into after-swarming in good earnest,
making even the first swarm an ‘‘after-
swarm.” A German friend, who knows lit-
tle of bee culture, once told me my bees were
swarming, and if I did not ring the
bells, etce., they would certainly go to the
woods. <As I quietly picked up the queen in
passing the hive, I told him if they started
to go away, I would call them back. Sure
enough, they did start for the woods, and
had gone so far that I really began to be
frightened myself, when, away in the dis-
tance, we saw them suddenly wheel about,
and then return to the hive at our very feet.
While he gave me credit of having some su-
pernatural power over bees, I felt extremely
glad I had taken precautions to clip all our
queens’ wings but a few days before. After
this, I felt a little proud of my control over
these wayward insects, until a fine swarm of
Italians started off under similar cirecum-

*Whenever these small figures occur, the reader
is requested to turn to Doolittle’s comments at the
close of this book,

9

=

ABSCONDING SWARMS.

stances, and, despite my very complacent,
positive remarks, to the effect that they
would soon come home, they went off and
stayed ‘‘ off.””, Ina humbler, and, I dare say,
wiser frame of mind, I ‘‘ investigated,” and
found they had joined with a very small
third swarm of black bees, that had just
come from one of a neighhor’s hives. I
tried to ‘‘explain,’”’ but it required a five-
dollar bill to make matters so clear that I
could carry back my rousing swarm of yel-
low bees, and sort out the black unfertile
queen, that they might be made to accept
their own. Thus you see, my friends, how
many a slip there is, in bee culture, between
cup and lip, and how very important it is
that you keep posted, and also ‘‘post”’ your-
self in some conspicuous place near or in
the apiary if youallow natural swarming, and
do not want your golden visions—and bees
—to take to themselves wings and fly away.

ABSCONDING FOR WANT OF FOOD.

Perhaps bees oftener desert their hives
because they are short of stores, than from
any other cause; and many times, in the
spring, they seem to desert because they are
nearly out. The remedy, or, rather, prevent-
ive, for this state of affairs, is so plain that
we hardly need discuss it. After they have
swarmed out, and are put back into the
hive, give them a heavy comb of sealed
stores if you can; if not, feed them a little
atatime, until they have plenty, and be
sure that they have brood in the combs. If
necessary, give them a comb of unsealed
larve from some other hive, and then feed
them until they have a great abundance of
food. You should be ashamed of having
bees abscond for want of food.

ABSCONDING IN EARLY SPRING.

This seems to occur just at a time when
you can ill afford to lose a single bee; and,
worse still, only when our stocks are, gener-
ally, rather weak, so that we dislike the idea
of losing any of them. In this case they do
not, as a general thing, seem to care particu-
larly for going to the woods, but rather take
a fancy to pushing their way into some of
the adjoining hives, and, at times, a whole
apiary will seem so crazy with the idea, as
to become utterly demoralized.

A neighbor, who made a hobby of small
hives—less than half the usual size—one fine
April day had as many as 40 colonies leave
their hives and cluster together in all sorts
of promiscuous combinations. To say that
their owner was perplexed, would be stating
the matter yery mildly,

ABSCONDING SWARMS.

Similar cases, though perhaps not as bad,
have been reported from time to time, ever
since novices commenced to learn the sci-
ence of bee culture; and although cases of
Swarming out in the spring were known
once ina great while before the new im-
provements, they were nothing like the ma-
nia that has seemed to possess entire apia-
ries—small ones—since the time of artificial
swarming, honey-extractors, etc. We would
by no means discourage these improve-
ments, but only warn beginners against mak-
ing too much haste to be rich. Do not di-
vide or commence swarming your bees, until
they are abundantly strong; have them go
into winter quarters with an abundance of
sealed honey in tough old combs as far as
may be; give them hives with walls thick
and warm, of some porous material, such as
chaff or straw, with a good thickness of the
same above; and you will have little cause
to fear any trouble from bees absconding in
in the spring.

ABSCONDING NUCLEUS SWARMS.

This, like the above, seems an outgrowth
of the artificial system of working with bees,
especially the plan of rearing queens in nu-
clei formed of two or three frames five or six
inches square. This small-hive system was
much in vogue about the year 1855. For
awhile all worked finely; but soon complaints
began to be heard that the bees left their
hives ina body, with the queen, whenever
she attempted to take her flight to meet the
drones. Giving them unsealed larvee, to
amuse and console themselves with while
she was absent, was then advised, and it an-
swered very well for a time; but eventually
one after another began to declare they
wanted no frame in the apiary for queen-
rearing, smaller than the ordinary brood-
frame. Since this, but little has been heard
in the way of complaints of this kind of ab-
sconding. Where one has the time to study
these little swarms, there is something very
interesting and amusing about them. We
have had them do finely for several weeks,
with perhaps no more than a good pint of
bees. A good day’s work during clover-
bloom, would fill the hive completely, and
the young queen, after commencing to lay,
would often fill the combs by her second
day’s work; then if she turned up missing
on the third day, we used to wonder what in
the world was the matter. Sometimes these
little swarms would be found hanging on
a currant or raspberry bush, as quietly and
demurely as if that was the way bees always
did; at other times, when we had hunted

3

AFTER-SWARMING.

through all available places for a truant col-
ony, and given them up in despair, they
would come cireling back and cluster quiet-
ly almost under our very (inexperienced)
noses.

There is still another kind of absconding
that seems to be for no other reason than
that the bees are displeased with their hive,
or its surroundings, and, at times, it seems
rather difficult to assign any good reason for
their having suddenly deserted. We have
known a colony to swarm out and desert
their hive because it was too cold and open,
and we have known them to desert because
the combs were soiled and filthy from dys-
entery in the spring. They very often swarm
out, because they are out of stores, and this
generally happens about the first day in
spring that is sufficiently warm and sunny.
We have known them to swarm out because
their entrance was too large, and, if we are
not mistaken, because it was too small. We
have also known them to swarm out because
they were so ‘‘ pestered”’ with a neighboring
ant hill—see ANTs—that they evidently
thought patience ceased to be a virtue.

They often swarm out in spring where
no other cause can be assigned than that
they are weak and discouraged, and in such
cases they usually try to make their way in-
to other colonies. While it may not always
be possible to assign a reason for such be-
havior with medium or fair colonies, we
may rest assured that good strong colonies,
with ample supplies of sealed stores, seldom,
if ever, go into any such foolishness.

By way of summing up, it may be well to
say: If you would not lose your bees by nat-
ural swarming, clip the wings of all queens
as soon as they commence laying; then look
to them often, and know what is going on in
the apiary every day during the swarming
season; if you would not have runaway
swarms in the spring, and while queens are
being fertilized, confine your experiments to
pecks of bees instead of pints.

AFPTER-SWARMING.—We might
define this by saying that all swarms that
come out, or are led out by a VIRGIN QUEEN,
are termed after-swarms; and all swarms
that come out within ten or fifteen days aft-
er the first swarm, are accompanied by such
queens. There may be from one all the way
up to a half-dozen or even more, depending
on the yield of honey, amount of brood or
larvee, and the weather; but whatever
the number, they are all led off by queens
reared from one lot of queen-cells, and the
number of bees accompanying them is, of a

AFTER-SWARMING.

necessity, less each time. The last one fre-
quently contains no more than a pint of
bees, and, if hived in the old way, would be
of little use under almost any circumstances;
yet when supplied with combs already built
and filled with honey, such as every en-
lightened apiarist should always keep in
store, they may be made the very best of
colonies, for they have young and vigorous
queens, and often are equal to any in the
apiary, the next season. This after-swarm-
ing is often considered a great nuisance, or
misfortune ; but where bees can be sold, at
even tolerable figures, we would advise tak-
ing care of all that may come out in the man-
ner indicated.? In fact, we know of no easi-
er or simpler way of raising bees ; but unless
the apiary and bees in the vicinity are pretty
thoroughly Italianized, there is much great-
er risk of getting poor hybrids than by
the different ways of artificial swarming,
where we rear our queen-cells from choice
selected brood.

There is one very amusing feature in re- |
When they |

gard to these after-swarms.
have decided to send out no more swarms,

all the young queens in the hive are sent |

out, or, it may be, allowed to go out with the
last one; and every few days during the
swarming season, some ‘new hand” writes

us about the wonderful fact of his having |

found three or four,
en queens in one swarm.’ On one occasion,
a friend, who weighed something over 200,
ascended to the top of an apple-tree during
a hot July day to hive avery small third
swarm. He soon came down, in breathless |
haste, to inform us that the swarm was ail |
queens; and, in proof of it, brought two or
three in his closed-up hands.

. 2 |
The queens, with these after-swarms, sel- |
dom lay in the drone-cells at all the first |

season, and the bees therefore build almost
entirely worker-comb, which is additional |
reason for taking care of them, and supply-_

ing them with stores from other colonies. |

However, we would advise, as a general rule,

preventing too much after-swarming if it

or it may be a half-doz- |

AFTER-SWARMING.

also be expected to do all sorts of eccentric _
things, and to cluster in all sorts of places.
or to go off into the woods without cluster-
ing at all.

Preventing after-swarming can generally
be accomplished, at least temporarily, by cut-
ting out all queen-cells but one, after the old
queen with the first swarm has left. There
are two objections to this plan, however.
The first is, that if the single cell left fails to
produce a perfect queen, the colony is left
queenless. The second is, that they will
som2times—especially the Italians-~swarm
out with the only queen left, leaving the col-
ony hopelessly queenless. With the extract-
or, or by the use of empty combs, we can al-
most invariably keep down the swarming fe-
ver; but if we work entirely for comb honey,
even if the boxes are all supplied with foun-
dation, we must expect to have more or less
swarming. With box hives, perhaps the best
we can do is to-hive the after-swarms near
the old stock, and let them set until the next
day; by this time all the queens will have
_ been killed but one, and we can then kill her,
shake the bees in front of their old hive, and
all will be ‘‘ lovely,” or about as nearly so as
things ever are with box hives.

Giving the old swarm a young fertile queen
_as soon as the first swarm has left, will usu-

_ally prevent all second swarming, at least
for the time being, for the laying queen will
soon destroy all queen-cells, or induce the
bees to do so. A simpler method, and one
that we believe succeeds almost invariably,
is to move the old colony away as soon as
the first swarm is out, and set the new one
on the same stand.® This has the effect.of
getting all the flying bees into the new
| swarm, and leaving the old one so destitute
that the queen that hatches first is allowed
to destroy all the rest of the cells. By this
plan we are spared the trouble of opening
the hive, but are obliged to carry each hive
to a new stand as soon as it has swarmed.
If the queen’s wing is clipped, and we are at
hand, we can manage swarming by this
method very expeditiously. As soon as they

can be done without much trouble; but, if commence swarming, pick up the queen
they will come out in spite of all we can do, | _and carry away the hive they are coming out
take care of them in the manner indicated. | of; place the new one in its stead; and as
While first swarms usually come out in the soon as the bees commence coming back to
middle of the day, and take things in a reg- | look for her, put the queen among them, and
ular, methodical way, as indeed we might your hive is swarmed without their cluster-
expect a laying queen of age and experience | ing at all. This plan works excellently, and
to do, these after-swarms, that have queens | the bees go right to work, apparently as per-
not yet fertilized, are to be looked for at al- | fectly satisfied as if they had clustered in
most any time of day, from early in the | the usual way. The only objection, is that
morning until after sundown, and they may | an inexperienced person might not find the

AGE OF BEES.

queen readily, and she might be lost; also,
we are obliged to be on hand or risk losing
our queens. It should be borne in mind,
that aswarm that issues a month or more
after the first swarming, is not to be consid-

ered an after-swarm; for in this case it will |
be led out by a laying queen, or one that is |
old, compared with the queens just hatching.

In regard to the oft-repeated advice to pre-
vent after-swarming by removing all queen-
cells but one, it may be well to say that the
Italians frequently swarm without con-
structing queen-cells at all, and the beginner
is sadly puzzled at finding nothing of the
kind when he looks his hive over. Also, we
may have several after-swarms without hay-
ing any first swarm at all, where the queen
is killed or removed by accident. We once
had a box-hive neighbor who was so much
taken up with an observatory-hive he saw at
our house,that he at once went home and made
one, and to get the bees, drummed out about
a quart from one of his hives. He got the
queen, and had a very fine one-comb hive in
his parlor ; but in afew days the box hive
she came from commenced swarming, and
furnished him with more queens and small
colonies than he knew what to do with.

AGE OF BEES.—It may be rather dif-
ficult to decide how long a worker bee would
live, if keptfrom wearing itself out by the
active labors of the field; six months cer-
tainly, and perhaps a year; but the average
life during the summer time is not over
three months, and perhaps during the height
of the clover-bloom, not over six or eight
weeks. The matter is easily determined, by
introducing an Italian queen to a hive of
black bees, at different periods of the year.
If done in May or June, we shall have all
Italians in the fall; and if we note when the
last black bees hatch out, and the time when
no black bees are to be found in the colony,
we shall have a pretty accurate idea of the
age of the blacks.6 The Italians will per-
haps hold out under the same circumstances,
a half longer. If we introduce the Italian
queen in September, we shall find black
bees in the hive until the month of May
following—they may disappear a little ear-
lier, or may be found some later, depending
upon the time they commence to rear brood
largely. The bees will live considerably
longer if no brood is reared, as has been sev-
eral times demonstrated in the case of strong
queenless colonies. It is also pretty well
established that black bees will live longer
in the spring than Italians; probably be-
cause the latter are more inclined to push

5

{
|
|
|

ALIGHTING-BOARDS.

out into the fields when the weather is too
cool for them to do so with safety ; they sel-
dom do this, however, unless a large amount
of brood is on hand, and they are suffering
for pollen or water.

During the summer months, the life of
the worker-bee is probably cut short by the
wearing-out of its wings, and we may, at the
close of a warm day, find hundreds of these
heavily laden, ragged-winged veterans mak-
ing their way into the hives slowly and
painfully, compared with the nimble and
perfect-winged young bees. If we examine
the ground around the apiary at nightfall,
we may see numbers of these hopping about
on the ground, evidently recognizing their

| own inability to be of any further use to the

community. We have repeatedly picked
them up, and placed them in the entrance,
but they usually seem only bent on crawling
and hopping off out of the way, where they
can die without hindering the teeming ris-
ing generation.

AGE OF DRONES.

It is somewhat difficult to decide upon the
age of drones, because the poor fellows are
so often hustled out of the way, for the sim-
ple reason that they are no longer wanted ;
but we may be safe in assuming it some-
thing less than the age of a worker. If kept
constantly in a queenless hive, they might
live for three or four months perhaps.

AGE OF THE QUEEN.

As the queen does little or no out-door
work, and is seldom killed by violence as
are the drones, we might expect her to live
to a good old age, and this she does, despite
her arduous oviparous duties. Some queens
die, seemingly of old age, the second season,
but generally they live through the second or
third, and we have had them lay very
well, even during the fourth year. They
are seldom profitable after the third year,
and the Italians will usually have a young
queen ‘‘ helping her mother” in her egg-lay-
ing duties, before she becomes unprofitable.
If a very large amount of brood is found in
a hive, two queens will often be found,
busily employed, and this point should be
remembered while seeking to introduce val-
uable queens.

ALIGHTING -BOARDS.— A _ few
years ago. it was common to see bee-hives
perched upon benches or ‘‘legs,”’ with grass
and weeds so thick on the ground below,
that if a heavily laden bee missed the hive,
it was a chance if it picked its way out ina
full half-hour; but at present we usually see
the hives so near ue ground that those heay-

ALIGHTING-BOARDS.

ily laden with pollen or honey may go in on
foot, if they find it more convenient so to do.
If you doubt the utility of having the ground
smooth and clean in front of the hives, it
may be well to take a look atahive set in
the weeds and grass, and then at one pre-
pared in the way we advise. Several years
ago we had a fine colony suspended from a
pair of spring balances. It was in the height
of the clover-bloom, and the hive gained in
weight during the day an even 10lbs. As
the hive was raised a couple of inches from
the ground to suspend it, the bees, at about
9 o’clock, had fallen on the ground in quite
a little cluster, where they paused to take
breath, until they could again take wing to
get into the hive. At this time, the spring
balance showed a gain of an ounce every
five minutes. To help them, a cloth was
tacked from their old alighting-board to the
entrance of the hive; they then crawled in
in a steady stream, and the dial of the balance
at once showed a gain of one ounce in every
four minutes. Other experiments seem to
indicate very clearly that a good alighting-
board, or, rather, a free and unobstructed
passage to the hive, is an important matter.

If any kind of a board is placed on the
ground in front of the hives, it is sure to
warp under the influence of the hot sun on
one side, and the damp earth on the other.
If we clamp it to prevent this, we havea

place for toads, mice, and other vermin to |

lurk, and, taking all things into considera-
tion, we prefer white sand, spent tan -
bark (as advised by some), or sawdust
spread directly on the ground. When this
is first put down, it is blown about by the
winds, and beaten down by the rains; but if
you press it down when damp or wet, it will,
when dry, hold its place nicely, is not affect-
ed by the weather, affords no lurking-place
under it, and gives an excellent foot - hold
for the bees when returning during a windy
day. After the day’s work is over, the sight
of the bees congregated about in their
‘*door-yard ” is suggestive of peace and
tranquility, to any one who has studied the
queer ways of these ‘little busybodies.”
So much attached, in fact, do they seem to
become to the idea of keeping this little
dooryard clean and tidy, that they will labor
by the hour in trying to pull up any tiny
blade of grass or weeds that may have the
audacity to attempt to grow anywhere with-
in a foot of their hives. This sawdust idea
is also an excellent one, when we are watch-
ing or hunting queens with clipped wings in
natural swarming. With a nicely kept door-

6

ALIGHTING-BOARDS.

yard, you can get your eye on the queen,
when several yards from the hive, when,
otherwise, you might have to hunt in the
grass and weeds for an hour, and then not
find her.

With the house -apiary, we are compelled
to have a regular door-step, or alighting-
board, and these should be as broad as we
can conveniently have them. Our own, are
14x10 inches, and are securely clamped, and
painted on both sides. While the bees do
fall to the ground, to some extent, during a
heavy yield of honey, there is less trouble
than we imagined, for they generally strike
the broad alighting-board. Another point
that favors their easy ingress to the hives, is
the 2-inch auger-hole entrances. Many of
the bees will shoot right into them, and
alight safely on the combs; the auger - hole
seems to bea plain mark for them to aim at,
even when some distance from their hive.
Very likely it accords with their natural dis-
position of seeking hollows in the forest-

trees, and these entrances are not very un-

like the knot holes they many times have
for entrances in forest-trees. It will be an
excellent plan to keep the ground clean
about the house - apiaries also, that we may
see when queens are being brought out dur-
ing natural swarming, superseded, ete.

The old style of Langstroth hive, with its
portico, furnishes a very convenient alight-
ing-board; but aside from the expense, and
inconvenient projections on the front of the
hive, we have found them very annoy-
ing on account of the excellent harbor they
afford for spiders with their attendant webs.
We might omit the roof, it is true, but then
the rain would beat into the hive inconye-
niently. Taking all things into considera-
tion, we much prefer the entrances as used
with the Simplicity hive, and the alighting-
board, or alighting-ground, rather, made of
the packed-down sawdust. See Hives.

To those who insist on the three-cornered
blocks and aboard in front, for door-step,
we offer the following to be attached to any
hive having a movable bottom. Get out of
a ¢ board a piece 17 inches wide, and as long
as the width of the front of your hive ; now,
a piece of the same length and width, but
only é thick ; nail these together as shown
in the accompanying cut.

: ti \ SE

Tx i

ALIGHTING-BOARD, DETACHABLE,

ALSIKE CLOVER.

The thick piece being nailed into the edge
of the thin one, the three-cornered pieces
are to be nailed on the top of both, and their
shape and dimensions will be seen ata
glance; they are to be only # thick, for the
entrance is contracted and enlarged by mo-
ving the hive backward or forward on the
bottom-board, and we wish them so that no
mice can get in under any circumstances.

HOW TO SAW THE ENTRANCE-BLOCKS.

When the entrance is very large, as in the
summer time, the bees gain access by crawl-
ing up the sides of these blocks; and to fa-
cilitate this, we have blocks sawed on a bev-
el. This is very quickly and nicely done by
cutting a rectangular board from one corner
to the other as in the dia- € | Bea
gram. The dotted line rep- ea
resents the course of the pg on
saw. Now, to produce the bevel, one
corner of our square board, say C, is to be
raised about two inches, while the opposite
corner D lies on the saw-table; this is eas-
ily done by a strip, under C, that slides
against the gauge while the saw cuts through
on the dotted line, A B.

This alighting-board guides the bees into
the entrance,-there are no loose blocks to be
scattered about in the summer and get lost,
it can be put on or taken off from any bot-
tom - board by turning two screws, and it
will not permit storms to beat in at the en-
trance, even if no portico be used, for the
top of the entrance-blocks is on a level
with the bottom of the hives. We would
bank up with sawdust, that the bees might
get in easily, even if they fell a foot or two
short of the hive when coming in.

These alighting-boards can be furnished
well made and neatly painted, for about ten
cents each. We use them on all Simplicity
hives, in our own apiary.

ALSIKE CLOVER.—This is a cross
between the white and the red clover,: and
while it furnishes full as much honey as the
red, the petals are so short that the bees
find no difficulty in reaching it. If you im-
agine a large head of white clover, with the
extremities of the petals tipped with a beau-
tiful pink—equal in beauty to a dahlia if
they were not so common—you will have a
very good idea of the Alsike. The leaf is
much like that of other clovers, except that,
in color, it is a soft clean bright green, with-
out the spots or down that are seen on the
white or red.

If Alsike clover came into bloom at a sea-
son when bees could get little else, as buck-
wheat does, I should place it, instead of

ALSIKE CLOVER.

buckwheat, first on the list of plants for ar-
tificial pasturage.* Where white clover does
not grow spontaneously, Alsike is, undoubt-
edly, ahead of every thing else now known.
It not only produces honey in large quanti-
ties, but the quality is not excelled by any- -
thing known in the world. It is true, many
people will prefer basswood, mountain sage,
and other aromatic flavors, at first taste, but
I believe every one tires of these aftera
time, and clover stands almost alone, as the
great staple for every-day use, with, and
like, our ‘‘bread and butter.”
CULTIVATION, AND SOWING THE SEED.
The cultivation is so much like that of red
clover, that what applies to the one, will do
for the other. As the seed of the Alsike is
much smaller} aless quantity is required;
the general rule is four pounds to the acre.
As it blossoms only the second year, or very
sparingly the first, with ordinary cultivation,
it may be sown almost any time, and in fact
it is often sown on wheat on the snow in
March. In this way, we can see just how
evenly we are getting it on the ground. The
farmers near me who furnish the finest seed,
say they have the best success with that
sown with their oats in the spring. Al- |
though Alsike will produce some honey with
almost any cultivation, it is important to
have the ground nicely prepared, if we wish
to get large yields of either hay ‘or honey,
With good mellow ground, finely pulverized,
we may get a growth of 38 feet in height, and
a profusion of highly colored blossoms, that
will astonish one who has never seen such a
Sight; especially when the field is roaring
with the hum of the busy Italians. Asa
heavy growth is liable to lodge badly during
wet weather, it may be well to sow a sprink-
ling of timothy seed with it. If put in ear-
ly, it may on good soil produce considerable
bloom the first season, but not much is to be
expected until the second year, when it is at
its height. It will give a fair crop the third
year; but after that, if we would keep up a

yield of honey, it must be sown again. It
may be sown in the spring on fall wheat;
but where timothy has been sown with the
wheat in the fall, it is apt, on some soils, to

| choke out the Alsike.

SAVING THE HAY.

If raised for the hay and honey, without
any reference to saving the seed, it will give
at least two good crops every season; in
this case, it is cut when in full bloom. In
our locality it usually blooms the last of

*If Alsike is cut, or even pastured off, just before
coming into bloom, it will blossom again, just after
white clover is gone, and give a crop of clover hon-
ey just when we most needit. One of our leading
honey-men, says this fact alone, learned at a convens
tion, has been worth more than $50.00 to him.

ANGER OF BEES.

8

June, and sometimes furnishes considerable |

honey before the white clover is out. The
hay is admitted by all to be equal to any of
the grasses or clovers in use, and the pastur-
age, after the clover is cut, is most excellent
* for all kinds of stock.

SAVING THE SEED.

The seed is always saved from the first
crop of blossoms, and it should be allowed
to stand about two weeks longer than when
eut for hay. If you wish to get a good price
for your seed, it must be very nicely cleaned.

It is thrashed out with a clover-huller, made |

expressly for clover seed, and then cleaned
by a fanning - mill, with the appropriate
sieves. As timothy seed is very nearly of

the same size, it is difficult to remove it all, |

unless by a fanning-mill having the proper
blast arrangement.

60 lbs. to the bushel, and timothy only 45,

there is no great difficulty in doing it effect-
ually.

I need scarcely add, that whoever raises
seed for sale, should exercise the most scru-
pulous care, to avoid sending out foul seeds
of any kind; and where Canada thistles or

As the Alsike weighs |

ANGER OF BEES.

We as yet know very little of bees com-
paratively; and the more we learn, the easier
we find it to be to get along without any
clashing in regard to who shall be master.
In fact, we take all their honey now, almost
as fast as they gather it; and even if we are

so thoughtless as to starve them to death, -

no word of complaint is made.
There are a few circumstances under
which bees seem ‘“‘ cross ; ’’ and although we

may not be able to account exactly for it,

we can take precautions to avoid these un-
pleasant features, by a little care. A few
years ago a very intelligent friend procured
some Italians, an extractor, ete., and com-
menced bee culture. He soon learned to
handle them, and succeeded finely ; when it
came time to extract, the whole business
went on so easily that they were surprised
at what had been said about experienced

hands being needed to do the work. They

weeds of that class prevail, I would, under |
no circumstances, think of raising seed to be |

sent all over the land. If they are in your
neighborhood, raise hay and honey, and let

seed be furnished by some one who is differ- |

ently situated.
PROFIT OF THE CROP.

readily for about $12.00 per bushel, and the
average yield of seed is about four bushels
per acre. It retails for about 25 cents per
pound, and 60 lbs. is reckoned as a bushel.
See CLOVER.

ANGER OF BEES. I confess I do.

not like the term “‘ anger,” when applied to
bees, and it almost makes me angry when I
hear people speak of their being ‘‘ mad,” as
if they were always in a towering rage, and
delight in inflicting exquisite pain on ey-
ery thing and everybody coming near them.
Bees are, on the contrary, the pleasantest,
most sociable, genial and good-natured little

fellows one meets in all animated creation, |

when one understands them. Why, we can
tear their beautiful comb all to bits right be-
fore their very eyes, and, without a particle
of resentment, but with all the patience in
the world, they will at once set to work to
repair it, and that, too, without a word of re-
monstrance. If you pinch them, they will
sting, and anybody who has energy enough
to take care of himself would do as much,
had he the weapon.

secreted.
The seed has fora number of years sold |

had been in the habit of doing this work
as I had directed, toward the middle of the
day, while the great mass of the bees were
in the fields ; but in the midst of a heavy
yield of clover honey, when the hives were
full to overflowing, they were one day
stopped by a heavy thunder-shower. This,
of course, drove the bees home, and at the
same time washed the honey out of the blos-
soms so completely that they had nothing to
do but remain in the hives until more was

enthusiastic owner; as soon as the rain had
ceased, the hives were again opened and an
attempt made to take out the frames, as but
an hour before; but the bees that were all

gentleness then, seemed now possessed of the.

very spirit of mischief and malice; and when
all hands had been severely stung, they con-
cluded that prudence was the better part of
valor and stopped operations for the day.’
While loads of honey were coming in all the
while, and every bee rejoicing, mone were
disposed to be cross ; but after the shower,

| all hands were standing around idle; and

when a hive was opened, each was ready to
take a grab from his neighbor, and the re-
sult was a free fight in a very short time. I
know of nothing in the world that will in-
duce bees to sting with such wicked reck-
lessness, as to have them get to quarrel-
ing over combs or honey left exposed
when they have ndthing to do. From a lit-
tle carelessness in this respect, and nothing
else, I have seen a whole apiary so demoral-
ized that people were stung when passing
along the street several rods distant. Dur-
ing the middle of the day, when bees were

Not so with their energetic and —

-

ANGER OF BEES.
busily engaged on the flowers, during a good
yield, I have frequently left filled combs
standing on the top of a hive from noon un-
til supper time without a bee touching them;
but to do this after a hard rain, or at a time
when little or no honey is to be gathered

_in the fields, might result in the ruin of sey- |

eral colonies, and you and your bees being
voted a nuisance by the whole neighborhood.

Almost every season, we get more or less
letters complaining that the bees have sud-
denly become so cross as to be almost un-

manageable, and these letters come along |

in July, after the clover and linden have be-
gun to slack up. The bees are not so very
unlike mankind after all, and all you have

to do is to avoid opening the hives for a few |

days, until they get used to the sudden dis-
appointment of having the avenues through

which they were getting wealth so rapidly, |
cut off. After a week or ten days, they will |

be almost as gentle as in the times when
they gathered half a gallon of honey daily,

if you are only careful about leaving hives |
open too long, or leaving any bits of honey |

or comb about.
Within a few feet of me sits a young man

who once laughed about being afraid of |

bees, and commenced work in the apiary
with such an earnest good will that I had
high aspirations for him.

hives in front of the door to the honey-house,
whistling away, as happy as the bees that
were humming so merrily about his head.
Pretty soon Isaw some honey and bits of
combs that had dropped from one of the
hives, scattered about on the ground. Itold
him he had better stop and clean it up, or
he would certainly get stung; as the bees
seemed very peaceable while licking it up,
he thought he would let them have it, in
spite of my warning. After they had taken
all the honey, they began buzzing about for
more; and not finding any, in a very ungen-
erous Way commenced stinging him for his
kindness. His lesson was a more severe one
than I had expected, for they not only drove
him from the apiary that morning, but I
fear for all time to come; for although years
have passed, he has never since wanted any
thing more to do with bees. I regret that
he did not, at the time, also learn the folly
of insisting on haying his own way.

Iean not tell you, at present, why bees
sting so coolly and vindictively just after
having had a taste of stolen sweets, yet
nearly all the experience I have had of
trouble with stinging, has been from this

One beautiful |
morning he was tacking rabbets into the

ANGER OF BEES.

very cause. Bees from colonies that have a
habit of robbing, will buzz about one’s ears
and eyes for hours, seeming to delight in
making one nervous and fidgetty, if they
succeed in so doing, and they not only threat-
en, but oftentimes inflict, the most painful
stings, and then buzz about in an infuriated
way, asif frantic because unable to sting
you a dozen times more after their sting is
lost. The colonies that furnish this class of
bees are generally hybrid, or perhaps black
bees having just atrace of Italian blood.
These bees seem to have a perfect passion
for following you about, and buzzing before
your nose from one side to the other (until
you get cross-eyed in trying to follow their
erratic oscillations), in a way that is most es-
pecially provoking. One such colony an-
noyed us so much while extracting, that we
killed the queen, although she was very pro-
lific, and substituted a full- blood Italian.
Although it is seldom a pure Italian follows
one about in the manner mentioned, yet an
occasional colony may contain bees that do
it; at least we have found such, where the
workers were all three-banded. That it is
possible to have an apiary without any such
disagreeable bees, we have several times
demonstrated, but oftentimes you will have
to discard some of your very best honey-
gatherers, to be entirely rid of them.

With a little practice, the apiarist will tell
as soon as he comes near the apiary, whether
any angry bees are about, by the high key-
note they utter when on the wing. Itis
well known that, with meal feeding we have
perfect tranquillity although bees from every
hive in the apiary may be working on a
square yard of meal. Now, should we sub-
stitute honey for the meal, we should havea
perfect ‘‘row;” for a taste of honey found in
the open air during a dearth of pasturage,

| or at a time when your bees have learned to

get it by stealing instead of honest industry,
seems to have the effect of setting every bee
crazy. In some experiments to determine
how and why this result came about, we had
considerable experience with angry bees.
After they had been robbing, and had be-
come tranquil, we tried them with dry su-
gar; the quarrelsome bees fought about it
for a short time, but soon resumed their reg-
ular business of hanging about the well-filled
hives, trying to creep into every crack and
crevice, and making themselves generally
disagreeable allround. Ifa hive was to be
opened, they were into it almost before the
cover was raised, and then resulted a pitched
battle between them gnd the inmates; the

ANTS. 10

operator was sure to be stung by one or
both parties, and, pretty soon, some of the
good people in-doors would be asking what
in the world made the bees so awfully cross,
saying that they even‘*came in-doors and
tried to sting. Now, why could they not
work peaceably on the sugar as they do on
the meal, or the clover-blossoms in June ?
We dampened the sugar with a sprinkler,
and the bees that were at work on it soon
started for home witha load; then began
the high key-note of robbing, faint at first,
then louder and louder, until I began to be
almost frightened at the mischief that might
ensue. When the dampness was all licked
up, they soon subsided into their usual con-
dition. The effect of feeding honey in the
open air is very much worse than from feed-
ing any kind of syrup, and syrup from white
sugar incites robbing in a much greater de-
gree than that from brown sugar; the latter
is so little relished by them that they use it
only when little else is to be found. It is
by the use of damp brown sugar that we get
rid of the greater part of what are usually

termed angry bees, or bees that prefer to |

prowl round, robbing and stinging, rather
than gather honey ‘‘all the day,” as the great-
er part of the population of the apiary does.
The sugar should be located several rods
away, and should be well protected from the
rain, but in such a way as to allow the bees
to have free access. When no flowers are
in bloom, they will work on it in great num-
bers, but when honey is to be found, you
will see none but the prowling robbers round
it. These, you will very soon notice, are
mostly common bees and those having a
very little Italian blood. We have seen
Italians storing honey in boxes, while the
common bees did nothing but work in the
sugar-barrels. Where you work without a
veil, it is very convenient to have these an-
noying bees out of the way, and, even if they
belong to our neighbors, we prefer to fur-
nish them with all the cheap sugar they can
lick up.

The remarks that have been made are
particularly for large apiaries; where one
has only a single hive and no neighbors who
keep bees, the case is something like Rob-
inson Crusoe on the island; no chance for
stealing, and consequently nothing to be
cross about. Bees are seldom cross or an-
gry, unless through some fault or careless-
ness of your own.

ANTS. Although I have given the
matter considerable attention, I can not find
that ants are guilty ef any thing that should

ANTS.

warrant the apiarist in waging any very des
termined warfare against them. Some
years ago, a visitor frightened me by saying
that the ants about my apiary would steal
every drop of honey as fast as the bees could
gather it. Accordingly, I prepared myself
with a tea-kettle of boiling water, and not
only killed the ants, but some of the grape-
vines also. Afterward there came a spring
when the bees, all but about eleven colo-
nies, dwindled away and died, and the hives
filled with honey, scattered about the apiary
unprotected, seemed to be about as faira
chance for the ants that had not “‘ dwindled”
a particle, as they could well ask for. I
watched to see how fast they would carry
away the honey, but, to my astonishment,
they seemed to care more for the hives that
contained bees, than for those containing
only honey. I soon determined that it was
the warmth from the cluster that especially
attracted them, and as the hives were di-
rectly on the ground, the ants soon moved
into several that contained only a small
cluster and for awhile both used one common
entrance. As the bees increased, they be-
gan to show a decided aversion to having
two families in the same house, although the
ants were evidently inclined to be peaceable
enough, until the bees tried to ‘‘ push ’”’ mat-
ters, when they turned about and showed
themselves fully able to hold possession.

The bees seemed to be studying over the

matter for a while, and finally I found them |

one day taking the ants, one by one, and car-
rying them high up in the air, and letting
them drop at such a distance from their
home, that they would surely never be able
to walk back again. The bees, as fast as
they became good strong colonies, drove the
ants out, and our experience ever since has
been, that a good colony of bees is never in
any danger of being troubled in the least by
ants. One weak colony, after battling awhile
with a strong nest of the ants, swarmed out;
but they might have done this any way, so
we do not lay much blame to the ants.

Ants sometimes annoy us very much by
getting into barrels of honey, sugar, etc.,
and I do not know of any way of remedying
the mischief except to get them out, and
then keep them out. The cloth covers
we use for our extractors; we find very con-
venient for keeping them out of barrels.
Slip the cloth over the top of the barrel and
press the upper hoop over it, and no ant can
force its way in. Sugar-boxes are made
with tight-fitting covers on purpose. Some-
times itis quite convenient to protect the

APIARIST.

contents of a table by setting the feet in
dishes of water; but we have seldom found
them so troublesome as to be obliged to re-
sort to such measures.

Ants frequently kill the young grapevines,
and young plants and trees of different
kinds, and it may be well therefore to know
how to get rid of them pleasantly and easily.
I really can not feel like recommending
boiling water, on account of its cruelty,
besides the danger of killing our vines, etc.,
by its use. It is well known, that where
things do not please them, they are much
disposed to “pull up stakes” and ‘‘ab-
scond,’’ very much in the way the bees do;
and the simplest way we know of inducing
them to do this, is to sprinkle powdered bo-
rax about their hills. After the first rain,
you will see them forming a ‘‘ caravan,” lug-
ging their larve, stores, etc., toa place where
they are not annoyed by the disagreeable
soapy borax. Spots in our apiary, where
they have been on hand every season for
years, have been permanently vacated after
one application of this simple remedy. If
they make troublesome “trains” running
into the pantry, honey-house, etc., you are
to follow them out to their nest, and
there apply the borax. AsIhave said be-
fore, I have not been able to discover that
ants have any particular liking for honey,
and J should take very little trouble to drive
them away, unless they got into the liquid
honey and got drowned or something of that
kind. By making their habits and instincts
a careful study, we shall probably get at the
readiest means of banishing them, and we
may also discover that they are no enemy
after all, as has often been the case with
many of the insect and feathered tribes.
Let us try to be as neighborly as we consist-
ently can, with all these wonderful little
creatures, that, in a certain sense, are fellow-
travelers in this world of ours.*

APIARIST. One who keeps bees, ora
bee-keeper ; and the place where he keeps
his bees is called an

APIARY. As you can not well aspire
to be the former until you are possessed of
the latter, we will proceed to start an apiary.

LOCATION.

There is scarcely a spot on the surface of
the earth where mankind find sustenance,
that will not, to some extent, support bees,
although they may do much better in some
localities than ino thers. A few years ago it
was thought that only localities especially
favored would give large honey-crops; but

* Since the above was written, several cases have
been reported from the South, of ants killiny’ caged
queens, and queens that have been liberated on
hatching brood as per directions in INTRODUCING
QUEENS. These cases, of course, occurred when the
humber of bees was too small to properly protect
themselves. ~~ j

11

| plan to have it all underdrained.

APIARY.

sincé the introduction of the Italians, and
the new methods of management, we are
each year astonished to hear of great yields
here and there, and from almost every quar-
ter of the globe. It will certainly pay to try
a hive or two of bees, no matter where you
may be located.

Bees are kept with much profit, even in
the heart of some of our largest cities. In
this case, the apiary is usually located on the
roof of the building, that the bees may be
less likely to frighten nervous people, and
those unacquainted with their habits. Such
an apiary would be established like those on
the ground in all essential points.

Select a spot near the dwelling, and, if pos-
Sible, have it where you will be likely to cast
your eye every time you pass out orin. AI-
though trees can scarcely be said to be ob-
jectionable, we believe we would prefer a
clear piece of ground, that’ we might

upply the shade to our liking. It will be

an excellent investment of your time or
money to have the plat nicely cleaned of all
rubbish, and the ground leveled as far as
may be; if you can get it in the condition
of a brick-yard all the better ; a gentle slope
would be desirable; and although a slope to
the south and east has been thought best,
we are not sure that it makes any particular
difference. As we wish the ground to dry
quickly after showers, it will be an excellent
If you
can not well do this, make open ditches
around the outside, or wherever water seems
disposed to stand. The ground should be a
little higher than the surrounding land, for
this very reason, and you should be careful
that no low places are left where the water
may collect and stand around or near the
hives.

Bees ascend with difficulty when heavily
laden, and on this account we would have
the apiary located ina valley, rather than
on a hill, that they may rise as they go in
quest of stores, and then have a downward
slope as they come in with their loads.
They will also suffer less from the effects of
heavy winds, when given a home on rather

low ground.
WIND-BREAKS.

A tight board fence should surround the
plat, at least on the north and west sides, to
keep off cold winds; and if it can be made
strong enough to stand the prevailing winds
it will be all the better to have it as muchas
8 feet high. We would by all means advise
having some kind of an inclosure that will
exclude poultry, dogs, ete. A flock of ‘‘en-
terprising’’ hens will make more disorder in

APIARY.

a few hours in a well-kept apiat'y than the
owner can restore in half aday. We wish
to have the ground so clean that we can get
down on our knees, in front of any hive, at
any time. This we can not do in any inclo-
sure where poultry have free access. The
high strong fence will also do much to dis-
courage thieves from attempting to pillage
the honey, for climbing into such an inclo-
sure is quite risky business when it adjoins
a dwelling. Ifa part of the dwelling could
open directly into the apiary, it would bea
fine thing on many accounts.

THE VINEYARD APIARY.
Get two posts 6 feet long and three inches

square; these must be of some durable wood, |
If you can afford |

white oak for instance.
the trouble and expense, we really would
prefer that you have them planed and paint-

ed; at any rate, do not expect your apiary |

i2 APLARY.

ever to be any thing you may be proud of, if |

you push down some old sticks temporarily, |
one longer than the other, perhaps, and both |
askew, for such Work soon becomes unat-

tractive, and is shunned. Many visitors
have admired our apiary, and thought it no
Wondei we enjoyed bee-keeping in such a
place, and these same persons have declared
their intention of tipping their poor neg-
lected hives of bees up square and true, re-

moving the weeds, starting grapevines, etc., |

but, alas! their attempts were too often but
a couple of sticks picked up hastily as we
have mentioned, and a few vigorous strokes
in the battle with old dame Nature, and then
they desisted, before the ‘‘coy old lady”? had
even had time to yield and bless her devo-
tees with such smiles as only the successful
cultivator of the soil knows she can give.
Select the site of your workshop, for such
we shall expect it to be, near the center of
your plat of ground, and drive these posts or
stakes so that they stand east and west, and
just three feet from each other, measuring
from outside to outside. They are to be
driven in the ground so that just four feet
is left above, and they must stand plumb and
square ; if you can’t make them true other-
wise, get a lever and strong chain and twist
them until they are so. Now nail a strip of
pine board 1x3 inches and 3 feet long, on the
south of both, and just level with the top,
from one to the other; just three feet below
this, nail a similar one. When the whole is
square, true, and plumb, stretch three wires
from one strip to the other; these are
to be at equal distances from the posts and
from each other, and we would then have
something like the following figure.

Let A, A, represent the posts; B, B, the
1x3 strips nailed on the south side of the
posts, and C, D, E, the wires. These wires
should be galvanized iron wire, about No.
16 or 17; larger would be more expensive
and no better. Now we are all ready to
have a fine thrifty Concord grapevine plant-

ed directly underneath the central wire D.
Of course some other grape will do, but we
have found none so hardy and thrifty, and
that gives us the strong rapid growth that
is so desirable for making a shade for our
hives, as soon as extreme hot weather comes
on.* Vines are usually planted only in the
spring and fall; but we should have very
much more confidence in your success, if we
knew you were one of those clever individ-
uals who can plant a vine and make it grow,
at any season of the year. You can surely
do it if you havea mind to. Go to your
nearest nurseryman (don’t ever buy of ped-
dlers), tell him what you want, and get him
to help you take up the vine, roots, dirt, and
all, soaking the soil with water to make it
stick together if need be, while you place
the whole in a bushel basket for transporta-
tion. Make a large hole beneath your trel-
lis, and lift your vine into it as carefully as
you took it up, fill in with good soil, and,
after cutting off all the top but one shoot
with three or four leaves, treat it just as you
would a hill of corn that you wish to do
extra well. Ifthe operation is done in hot
dry weather, it will probably need watering,
and may be shading, until it gets started.
We expect you in future to see that no weed
or spear of grass is allowed to make its ap-
pearance within a yard, at least, of this grape-
vine. Those accustomed to making rustic
work would doubtless be able to make very
pretty trellises at a trifling expense for ma-

*TIn large apiaries a single stake is often used, as it
is less expense in construction and also in the future
care of the vines, and answers very well.

APLARY. i
terials. This vine is to have its one shoot
tied to the central wire, D, as fast as it
grows, pinching off all side shoots after they
haye made one leaf. When it gets to the
top of the trellis, pinch it off also, and it
will soon throw out side shoots. Pinch all
off again except one on each side near the
bottom-bar B. Train these by tying, straight

a

2
oO

APTARY.
every summer, and pinching them off wheri-
ever they get to the top.

Very well; your one vine is supposed to
have become strong and vigorous, and not
only to have covered the trellis completely,
but to have become impatient, seemingly, of
being restrained by the continual pinching
back necessary to keep it within such nar-

is

i

ins
|

NUN)

EASY ay

BSH)

Sa

THE VINEYARD APIARY, AND “SWARMING”’ THE G

out, horizontally, until they reach the posts,
then train them up the posts and pinch them
off like the middle one. Now get two more
shoots to train up the wires, C and E, and
we are done. The future treatment of the
vines consists only in cutting the upright
shoots all back to the horizontal arms tied
to the lower bar, B, every winter, train-
ing two new shoots up each wire and post

RAPEVINES.

row limits. Perhaps it has in fact manifested
this by blossoming and attempting to bear
grapes out of season near the top bar of the
trellis. It is precisely like a colony having
too many bees for the size of the hive. Very
likely, each one of the ten upright canes has
produced three or four fine clusters of extra
large nice berries, but still the vigor of the
vine (if our directions have been carefully

APIARY. 14

complied with) is equal to something more ;
and, accordingly, we encourage one of the
outside canes by allowing it to send a new
shoot up above the rest of the trellis. When

this is well started, the whole cane is bent |

over so as to go straight down to the ground,
and then curved outward so as to lie ina
trench afew inches deep, that it may be
covered with soil enough to protect it from
injury.

A new trellis is now to be constructed, if
it has not been done before, just 4 feet from
the old one ; that is, the two trellises are to
have a walk of just 4 feet in width between
them. The new shoot grows very rapidly
and can soon be tied up to the first post of
the new trellis and across the lower bar.
Now select a side shoot for each wire, and
almost before you are aware of it, you have
another complete grapevine. The engray-
ing will make it all plain.

The view is taken from the south side,
and the hives are just visible through the
foliage in their proper places.

One strong |

APIARY.

only. Although their remaining attached
to the old vine does not seem to impair its
productiveness, the aid they receive from it
is quite important. This matter we tested
by chopping one of the new vines off where
it left the old one, as we were hoeing about
them. It had been growing with great vig-
or, and had considerable fruit on it, but the
next day the sun hung its foliage like wilted
cabbage - leaves. By heavy mulching and
buckets of water, we induced it to look up
again, but it is far behind its comrades,
and we have decided not to sever ‘* pa-
rental ties’ in future at all, and if we are
careful in laying them down to tie them
close to the posts, they are never in the way.

The idea, that the culture of bees in any
way interferes with that of grapes, is a joke
entirely outside of our experience. Where
grapes are trained thus, fowls, if allowed,
will make sad havoc among them ; the bees
of course then work on the bruised ones, but

| seldom otherwise.

It may be urged that the above is too

=a,
STTTOTITITA

TCT ELST

vine will furnish shoots fer not only a new
one at the right and left, but even for the
whole six that are to surround the original
one, and in a single season, if need be. As
the new vines take root almost as soon as
laid down, the old vine suffers but little
loss, and we have known new ones, started
in this manner the 4th of July, to be well
loaded with fine grapes the next season;
their connection with the old vine enabling
them to become bearing vines in one year

THE LAWN OR CHAFEF-HIVE APIARY.

much trouble; it is some, but the fine crops
of fruit that are almost,sure to be secured
every season should pay well for it all;
and if you have more than is needed for
home use, you will find a ready sale for
such grapes at good prices.

LAWN OR CHAFF-HIVE APIARY.
With these we can dispense with the grape-
vines entirely; as their thick, chaff-packed
walls protect them from the sun, as well as

APIARY.

from the frosts of winter. Such an apiary
may be made very pretty, for it is in reality
a miniature city, with its streets and thor-
oughfares, During the swarming season, it
will probably, at times, be quite a busy little
city. Some expense and care is avoid-
ed by this plan, it is true, but the hives cost
considerably more, and are rather unwieldy
to handle when bees are to be moved about,
sold, ete. The fact that they can be safely
wintered on their summer stands, and that

15

APIARY.

something more than a century past.
The objections to the house-apiary are,
first, the expense; especially the first expense;
for one can make a start in bee culture with
avery small amount of capital, with the
out-door hives, and the sales of honey and
bees will at once furnish all the capital need-
ed, fora moderate yearly increase. With
the house, the capital to put up the building
must be furnished at the outset, and a house
for 50 colonies will cost much more than

il |
me

———

ih

STILLMAN-C”

A MODERN HOUSE-APIARY.

very little preparation is needed to enable | the same number of hives. Most apiarists
them to winter safely, is much in their favor. | prefer working in the open air to being
aan cramped up in a building (no matter how
THE HOUSE-APIARY. large it may be),even at the expense of hay-

This is a very old idea, having been rec-! ing to perform more labor aud take more
ommended and used at different times for | steps. Secondly, in a building, we are obliged

APIARY. 16

to get all the bees out of a room every time
Wwe open a hive,and bees are very untidy

when crushed by careless footsteps on the:

floor of a room.

To avoid this necessitates an almost in-
cessant use of the broom. Again, when
young bees are just sallying out for their
first flight, they will, if the hive is opened at
just the right time, come out in the house
in great numbers, and to try to stop them
by any other means than closing the hive, is
like trying to stop the rain from falling.
These bees, after having had their ‘‘ play-
spell,” will insist on returning to the hive
in the same way that they came out, and if
they are driven out of the house and the
door closed, they will sometimes collect in a
large cluster on or about the door.
true they are seldom lost, for they will usu-
ally be allowed to enter the hives nearest

It is |

the door; but it weakens the hive from |
which they came, and is very apt to puzzlea |

novice in the business sorely. To obviate
this trouble, we can avoid opening the hives

during the afternoon, or at such times as |

the bees are likely to rush out for a play ;
after a shower for instance.

On the preceding page we give a picture
of the house-apiary that we have used for
several years. A more accurate cut of the
building as it now appears will be found in
the picture of our apiary — see frontispiece.
The interior will be readily understood
from the accompanying diagram ; the upper
story is at present occupied by the children
asa play-room. Perhaps the most difficult
part to make in the whole building is the
roof, unless we make it of tin; this is some-
what expensive; but if kept well painted, it
will last almost indefinitely. The orna-

mental work is, of course, in no way essen- |

tial to the success of the establishment pe-
cuniarily.
Many house-apiaries are constructed of a

square or oblong shape, but our objections |
to such would be the difficulty of getting

the bees out of the corners of the room

(this might be obviated by having a square |

house with the doors at two opposite cor-
ners), and the increased danger of having
both bees and queen. get into the wrong
hives. From the engraving of the house-
apiary, and diagram of the ground plan giv-

en below, it will be seen that only 3 hives |

are onaside. The bees from the central
one will, of course, recognize their own en-
trance, and those at each side, being the end
of the row, will also find theirs without
trouble. To make the entrance to each hive

APIARY.

still more conspicuous we take advantage of

the battens on the building, as will be seen

from the diagram. The building is made of
pine or other boards one foot in width, and
these boards,which are put on up and down,
constitute the entire frame of the building.
Six of them, put as close together as they
will come conveniently, form one of the
eight sides, and the cracks are covered with
a beveled batten, one edge of the corner
boards being beveled slightly, that the bat-

ten may close the corner crack also.

A represents one of the heavy outer doors,
and B, the light door with glass sash ; these
doors are the same, on both the east and
west sides of the building. G is the shelf
that runs entirely around the room, on which
the hives are placed. It is about 32 feet
from the floor, and should be about 18 inch-

IZ
y Sa

Fu

DIAGRAM OF INTERIOR OF HOUSE-APIARY.

es wide. The hives are made by a simple
division-board, E, that holds a pair of metal
rabbets on its upper edge, one facing each
Way; the combs are hung on these; and
when all are in place, a sheet of glass, F,
bound with tin around its edges, closes the
hive by being hung in the rabbets the same
as are the frames. The top of the hive is
closed by the usual sheet of duck. During
winter and spring, the bees are protected by
thick chaff cushions laid on the duck sheets.
It will be seen that these sheets of glass face
the spectator on all sides of the room, and
when we can see the bees, during the work-
ing season, filling sections and building
comb just back of these glass division-
boards, the effect is more beautiful than,
can well be imagined. The room should
afford as few corners, where stray bees may
get a lodging, as possible; and to this end,

APIARY.

we close the triangular corners by bits of
board, I, I. They may have a knob on top,
and these boxes will then serve for little
cupboards, in which to keep various uten-
sils. If the room is open a great deal, the
bees are inclined to waste time in buzzing
against the glass; therefore it may be well
to have a cloth curtain to drop over them,
except when we wish to examine the progress
of the colony. To prevent the house from
becoming damp, we need a ventilator, H, in
the center of the ceiling, about a foot square ;
we can also have a trap-door in the cen-
ter of the floor to admit cool air from the
cellar, during very hot weather. D is the
door-step, and the entrances are shown
through the walls, just by the battens. It
will be observed that the middle hive on

each side has its entrance through, or rath- |

er under, the batten; this is that the bees
may have an additional mark for their own
hive, for the entrances (2-inch auger-holes)
at the sides, are made at the right and
left of the battens. The plan seems to work
well, for we have lost fewer queens in the
house-apiary than from any of our out-door
hives. The battens are also a shade darker
in color than the rest of the house; thus
making them ornamental as well as useful.
A light drab is a very pretty color for such
a building.

_ Besides the hives we have just described
on the shelf, we have precisely the same
arrangement of them on the floor, or, if pre-
ferred, raised on a platform a couple
of inches above the floor. In extracting,
we can get along very well with the lower
tier, by removing the sheet of glass, and
shaking the bees on the floor close to their
combs ; with the upper ones, we find it best
to stand on a chair or box, and shake them
on top of the frames close to the wall. If they
scatter about, and threaten to run all over
the wallsand ceiling, take the next hive from
the other side, until they get back, assisting
them meanwhile with a little smoke. For
comb honey, we work just as we do with
the out-door hives.

The upper story will be found very conve-
nient for storing various things about the
aplary, such as the chaff cushions during
the summer, and empty sections and combs
during the winter; for we wish to have
our lower room, at least, always neat and
tidy.

The good and desirable qualities of the
house-apiary are, first, it is always sheltered
and dry, and if the building is kept painted,
the hives will always be in good repair;

17

APIARY.

this is quite an advantage over out-door
hives. The hives can be much more quickly
opened, as they need no other covering than
the chaff cushions in winter, and a single
sheet of cloth in summer. Secondly, sur-
plus honey, either extracted or comb, can
be removed in much less time, for we have
only to remove it and store it in the center
of the room, instead of the laborious car-
rying that has to be done with out-door
hives. Also empty combs, combs filled for
destitute colonies, empty frames, frames of
section boxes, and, in short,everything need-
ed in working about the hives may be stored
in the center of the room, within arm’s reach
of every one of the 36 hives. Furthermore
we can handle the bees and do all kinds of
work with them during rainy and wet weath-
er when the out-door hives could not be
touched.

Nay, further! we can handle the bees by
lamplght after the duties of the day are
over; we have repeatedly made new
colonies thus, to avoid the robber bees that
were sO annoying in the day time, during a
dearth of pasturage.* By closing the glass
doors, and opening: the outer doors, we can
work in perfect freedom from robbers at
any season of the year. Artificial swarm-
ing, queen-rearing, etc., can be carried on
very expeditiously, and at a small expense,
for the reasons we have mentioned. It has
been said, that the bees sting worse in the
house than in the open air. This may be
the case under some circumstances, but we
think not as a generalrule. The house gets
unpleasantly filled with smoke from the
smoker, but it will be but little expense to
have a box in which to set the smoker, hay-
ing a smoke-pipe communicating with the
open air.

There is still another advantage in the
house-apiary, and it is perhaps the most im-
portant of all. Itis that the bees, honey, and
all the implements, can be easily kept under
lock and key; a very important item where
thieving is very prevalent. Where the api-
arist becomes the owner of more colonies
than can profitably be kept in one place, he
can establish house-apiaries at almost any
point, and I have long had visions of a large
central apiary, with 6 house -apiaries ar-
ranged hexagonally all about it; say three
miles from the center, and three miles from
each other. I think they could be so man-
aged that a visit once a week during the
honey season would, as a general thing, be
all that would be needed. Some loss would

*See ROBBING.

APIARY.

result from unexpected swarming, but this
could in a great measure be obviated by the
use of the extractor, or an abundant supply
of sections furnished with the fdn. If locat-
ed near a dwelling, some of the inmates
would soon learn to hive the swarms, and
look after things that might turn up. No
one should think of undertaking this, until
he has the ability of first caring well for one
apiary ; and it can never be made a success,

until we have got entirely over all such.

foolishness as allowing bees to starve, to re-
main along time queenless, or to dwindle
down from any cause, as too many of us
now do. :

With a good horse, and a trim light buggy,
it would be very pretty work, riding about
and overseeing these apiaries; but who
among us has the ability to do it successful-
ly? Instead of answering aloud, go to work
quietly, and let your works be the answer.

FLOATING APIARY.

This project, we believe, has never as yet
been put in practice in our own country.
The idea is to have an apiary on a large flat-
bottomed boat or raft, which is to be floated
along on some of our large rivers, so as to
be constantly in the midst of the greatest
flow of honey almost the season through.
It is well known that the white clover com-
mences to bloom first in the extreme south,
and then gradually moves northward ; if we
could be in the midst of this yield during its
height, for 8 or 4 months, it would seem
enormous crops might be obtained. We are
informed by history, that the ancient Egypt-
jians of the Nile made a practical success of
these floating apiaries, and that they were
warned when it was time to return home,
by the depth to which the boat sank in the
water, under the weight of the cargo of hon-
ey. That the bees might not be lost, the
apiary was floated to a new field during the
night. Something similar, located on wheels
to be drawn by horses, has been suggested,
but we believe never attempted.

Since the above was written, Mr. C. O. |

Perrine, formerly in the honey business in
Chicago, has put the project into practice,
on a rather large scale. Between four and
five hundred colonies were put on a couple
of barges, and towed by a steamer up the
river from New Orleans. The establishment
started out in the spring of 1878; but as the
affair terminated, I think the enterprise
can hardly be called a success. In conse-
quence of several accidents, the hives were
finally taken from the barges and carried by
the steamer until a favorable point was

18

APIARY.

reached, and then set out on the land, like
an ordinary apiary, the process being re-
peated as often as the forage began to fail. ©
As near as I can gather from newspaper re-
ports, the loss of bees, while flying on the
water, was one of the principal drawbacks.
Our friend Perrine declares it his intention
to try again, until all difficulties have been
met and overcome; and as he has invested
several thousand dollars in the: experiment,
he has the hearty sympathy of the bee-folks
of our land. Those interested will find fur-
ther particulars in the April GLEANINGS,
and in the August Bee-Keepers’ Magazine,

for 1878.
THE RAILWAY APIARY.

The honey-house is placed at the lowest
side of the apiary, and a track or tracks with
proper switches made to run between each
two rows of hives. <A barrel is fixed low
down in the car, and extractor and imple-
ments placed over it. The whole is covered
with a light square tent, made of canvas
and wire cloth, for an assistant to work se-
cure from robbers. Roll your car to the top
of the slope, hand the full frames from the
hive through a slit in the canvas to your
assistant until the hive is finished ; then roll
your car to the next two hives, and so on
until you get to the house, when your barrel
should be full and ready to roll off for an-
other.

The same arrangement would answer for
avoiding the labor of removing comb honey
from the hives; and if the bees are wintered
in-doors, the hives can be placed on the car,
and run directly into the wintering house.

Some experiments have been made with
hives permanently located on small low
cars, Which are to be run into a frost-proof
house for wintering, or whenever the weath-
er is such as to make it advisable to house

them.
WHICH STYLE OF APIARY TO ADOPT.

By way of summing up, I will state that
with my present experience I would choose
the chaff-hive apiary, for honey alone. For
raising bees and and queens for sale, I would
use the vineyard apiary and Simplicity hives,
lifting the bees into Chaff hives to winter.
If I were in a neighborhood where honey
and bees were very likely to be stolen, or if
I were going to locate an apiary away from
home, I would choose the house-apiary. Ob-
jections to the latter are, the inconvenience
of handling hives that you can not walk all
around, and the expense of the building.
For general purposes, I would use a vine-
yard apiary, with both Simplicity and chaff
hives,

APIARY.

MOVING WHOLE APIARIES TO MORE NOR-

THERN LOCALITIES IN ORDER TO STRIKE

THE CLOVER AND BASSWOOD BLOOM.

May, 1884.—At this present time much is
said about moving bees so as to strike the
honey-flow ; and several experiments have
been made that seem to indicate there is no
difficulty in making it a success. For in-
stance, we have had a single colony in one
day bring in as many as 18 ths. of honey from
the basswood-bloom. Now, this great hon-
ey-flow lasts but a few days. If it could be
prolonged for months, or even weeks, won-
derful things might be done. After the col-
ony above mentioned gave me 18 ths. of hon-
ey in a day, the honey-flow soon gradually
went down, and finally stopped altogether.
After a lapse of perhaps two weeks, when
basswood was entirely gone, and our bees
were trying to rob each other’s hives, I hap-

19 APIARY.

pened to make a visit in the northern part of
Michigan. There I found a brother bee-
keeper rejoicing in the height of the bass-
wood season. Now, by moving colonies
every ten days or two weeks, so as to strike
points where basswood flourished largely, it
seems to me we might secure immense crops
of honey — enough to repay with good inter-
est all the expenses of transportation, by rail
or otherwise. During this present season,
several experiments will probably be made
on quite an extensive scale in this direction.
Of course, the idea is alluded to under the
head of FLOATING APIARY; but there seems
to be a little difficulty or inconvenience in
transporting bees by water. Points where
basswood is known to yield honey largely al-
most every season are now being discussed a
| good deal through our bee-journals.

Ea ck }

: BS
——— ie : i
|

A PART OF OUR OWN ORIGINAL HEXAGONAL APIARY.

OLIVER FOSTER’S 14-HIVE HOUSE APIARY.

a= i = =
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5

Tear

A HOUSE APIARY FOR 20 HIVES.

SY! WN fi Ae hua de Z S| = —— = =
ma WiC Nene Aan T SNe NO = ei

A. A. RICE’S APIARY, INCLUDING HOUSE-APIARY, SEVILLE, OHIO.

mo

APHIDES.

APHIDES. It is with that class of these
insects that produce honey (or, rather, a
sweetish substance that bees collect and
store as honey), that we have to do. They
are a kind of plant-lice, and are to be seen
in almost all localities, and during nearly
all the summer and fall months, if we only
keep our eyes about us, and notice them
when they are right before us. If you ex-
amine the leaves of almost any green tree,
you will find them peopled by small insects,
almost the color of the leaves on which they
live ; while some are quite large, others are
almost or quite invisible tothe naked eye.
Now all these bits of animated nature, while
they feed on the green foliage, are almost
incessantly emitting a sort of liquid ex-
erement; and as this is usually thrown some
distance from the insect, it often falls from
the leaves of the tree, like dew. If this mat-
ter is new to you, I would ask you to ex-
amine the stone pavements early in the
morning, under almost any green tree; an
apple or willow will be pretty sure to show
spots of moisture, something as if water or
rain had been sprinkled over it ina fine
spray. The leaves of the trees will also be
found somewhat sticky where the exudation
is sufficient to make it noticeable.

This substance is, I believe, not always
sweet to the taste, but usually so. The
quantity is often so small as to be unnoticed
by the bees; but occasionally they will seem
quite busy licking it up. I have several
times found them at work on the leaves of
our apple-trees very early in the morning,
but never to such an extent that it might
really be called honey-dew. I have seen
them also on a willow fence, making it
hum like a buckwheat field, and at the same
time the ground under the trees looked as
if molasses had been sprinkled about. The
bees were at work on the ground also; the
honey tasted much like cheap molasses.
The strange part of the matter was that
this occurred during a warm day late in the
month of Oct.;it proceeded entirely from
the aphides, for they literally covered the
leaves of the willow, and could be plainly
seen ejecting the sweet liquid, while they fed
on the leaves. This was plainly the cause
of the honey-dew in this case, but it is by no
means clear that such is always the case.
See HONEY-DEW.

ARTIFICIAL COMB. Although
several attempts have been made to produce
comb for the bees of full depth of cell, we
believe all have resulted in failures; the

2

3 ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZATION.

them down, and build their own in place.
If given the base of the cell, however, with
only shallow walls of such depth that the
bees can reach to the bases with their man-
dibles so as to shape and thin the bottom as
they wish before the walls are raised, the
case is quite different; for they are used then
as readily, perhaps, as their own natural
comb, as has been abundantly proven by
the ComMB FOUNDATION, which see.

ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZATION. Much
time and money has been expended in wire-
cloth houses, and glass fixtures, to accom-
plish this result, the more, perhaps, because
afew sanguine individuals imagined they
had succeeded in having the queens meet
the drones in confinement, thus securing the
advantage of choice drones, as wellas queens,
to rear stock from.*§ <A friend of mine was
quite sure he succeeded; but after examin-
ing into the matter it was found that the
queens, got out and took their flight in the
usual way through the passage that was left
for the worker-bees ; he having based his
calculations on the oft-repeated statement
that a queen could not pass through a pas-
sage 5-32 of an inch in width. The queen
just before her flight is very slender, and
will get through a passage that an ordinary
laying queen would not, and those who
claimed to have succeeded, being rather
eareless observers, might have supposed
that the fertilization had in reality taken
place in the hive. Again, one of those who
claimed to have succeeded states that a
queen will always take exercise in the open
air, after she has been fertilized in confine-
ment; this seems to render the whole mat-
ter ridiculous, especially if she takes this
flight before she commences to lay. About
the year 1870, hundreds of bee-keepers were
busily at work, trying this project with a
view of keeping the Italian blood ina state
of absolute purity, in neighborhoods where
black or common bees were kept in consid-
erable numbers; and the subject affords a
fair illustration of the mischief which may
be done by careless or unscrupulous persons,
in reporting through the press, what has
been guessed at rather than demonstrated
by careful experiment.

Taking into view the in-and-in breeding
that would have resulted had the experi-
ments really been a success, it is doubtful if
it would have been a benefit after all.
When it was found that the Italians speedi-

* Since the above was written the matter has been
revived, and an account of at least a partial success,

is given inthe American Bee Journal for Nov., of

bees either leave them untouched, or gnaw | ye

ARTIFICIAL HEAT.

ly became hybrids where so many black bees
were all about us, asa matter of necessity
frequent importations from Italy began to
be made ; and when it was discovered that
stock fresh from their native home at once
showed themselves superior as honey-gather-
ers, the business assumed considerable pro-
portions, and now almost every apiarist of
50 hives has an imported queen of his own
to rear queens from. This has the effect of
not only giving us the best stock known,
but of giving frequent fresh strains of blood,
and is perhaps very much better all around,
than it would have been had artificial fertil-
ization been a success.

ARTIFICIAL HEAT. As strong.

colonies early in the season are the ones
that get the honey and furnish the early
swarms as well, and are in fact the real
source of profit to the bee-keeper, it is not
to be wondered at that much time and mon-
ey has been spent in devising ways and
means whereby all might be brought up to
the desired strength in time for the first
yield of clover honey. As market gardeners
and others hasten the early vegetables by
artificial heat, or by taking advantage of the
sun's rays by means of green-houses, etc., it
would seem that something of the kind
might be done with bees; in fact, we have,
by the aid of glass and the heat of a stove,
succeeded in rearing young bees every
month in the year, even while the weather
was at zero or lower outside; but so far as
we can learn, all artificial work of this kind
has resulted in failure, so far as profit is
concerned. The bees, it is true, learned to
fly under the glass and come back to their
hives ; but for every bee that was raised in
confinement, two or three were sure to die,
from one cause or another, and we at length
decided it was best to wait for summer
weather, and then take full advantage of it.

Later, we made experiments with artifi-
cial heat while the bees were allowed to fly
out at pleasure; and although it seemed at
first to have just the desired effect, so far as
hastening brood-rearing was concerned, the
result was, in the end, just about as before ;
more bees were hatched, but the unseasona-
ble activity, or something else, killed off
twice as many as were reared, and the stocks
that were let alone in the good old way came
out ahead. Since then we have rather en-
deavored to cheek very early brood-rearing,
and, we believe, with better results.

A few experiments: with artificial heat
have apparently succeeded, and it may be
that it will eventually be made a success;

24

ARTIFICIAL PASTURAGE.

but our impression is, that we had much
better turn our energies to something else,
until we have warm settled weather. Pack-
ing the hives with chaff, sawdust, or any
other warm, dry, porous material, so as to
economize the natural heat of the cluster,
seems to answer the purpose much better,
and such treatment seems to have none of |
the objectionable features that working
with artificial heat does. The chaff needs
to be as_close to the bees as possible; and to
this end, we would have all the combs re-
moved except such as are needed to hold
their stores. Bees thus prepared seem to
escape all the} ill effects of frosty nights
in the early part of the season, and we ac-
complish for brood - rearing, exactly what
was hoped for by the use of artificial heat.
For the benefit of those who may be in-
clined to experiment, I would state that I
covered almost our entire apiary with
manure, on the plan of a hot-bed, one spring,
and had the satisfaction of seeing almost all
die of spring dwindling. At another time, I
kept the house-apiary warmed up to a sum-
mer temperature with a large oil-lamp, for
several weeks, just to have them beat those
out of doors. The investment resulted in
losing nearly all in the house-apiary with
spring dwindling, while those outside stayed
in their hives as honest bees should, until
settled warm weather, and then did finely,
just because I was ‘‘too busy to take care of
them” (?),as I then used to express it. Aft-
er you have had experience onde to count
your profitable colonies by, the hundred, and
your crops of honey by the ton, it will do
very well to experiment with green-houses
and cold fraines; but beginners had better
let such appliances alone, unless they have
plenty of money to spare for more bees.
ARTIFICIAL PASTURAGE. Al|-
though there is quite a trade springing up
in seeds and plants to be cultivated for their
honey alone, and although we have about
4000 young basswood - trees of our own,
growing finely and promising to be the basis
of a honey-farm at some future time, yet we
can at present give little encouragement to
those who expect to realize money by such
investments. There is certainly a much
greater need of taking care of the honey
that is almost constantly wasting just for
lack of bees to gather it. <A field of buck-
wheat will perhaps occasionally yield enough
honey to pay the expense of sowing, as it
comes in ata time when the bees in many
places would get little else; and if it does
not pay in honey, it_certainly will in grain,

ARTIFICIAL PASTURAGE.
Tf one has the money, and can afford to run
the risk of a failure, it is a fine thing to
make some accurate experiments, and it
may be that a farm of one or two hundred
acres, judiciously stocked with honey bear-
ing plants, trees, and grains, would be a suc-
cess financially. It has been much talked
about, but none, so far as we know, have
ever put the idea in practice. To beginners
we would say: Plant and sow all you can
that will be sure to pay aside from the hon-
ey-crop, and then, if that is a success, you
will be so much ahead ; but beware of in-
vesting much in seeds that are for plants
producing nothing of value except honey.
Alsike, and white Dutch clover, buckwheat,
rape, mustard, and the like, it will do to in-
vest in; but catnip, mignonnette, Rocky-
mountain bee-plant, ete., etc., we would at
present handle rather sparingly. It should

be borne in mind that we can hardly test a |

plant, unless we have one or more acres of it
in bloom, and that small patches do little
more than to demonstrate that the blossoms
contain some honey, giving us very little
clue to either quantity or quality. Bees will
work on blossoms, and at times with great
apparent industry, when they are obliged to
make hundreds of visits and consume hours
of time, in getting a single load; we there-
fore should be intimately acquainted with
the interior of the hive, as well as the
source from which the bees are obtaining
the honey, before we can decide what is
profitable to sow as a honey-plant.

By way of encouragement, we may say
that both plants and trees, under thorough
cultivation, yield honey in much larger
quantities than those growing wild, or with-
out attention. Our basswoods that have
commenced to blossom, have shown a larger
amount of honey in the nectaries than we
ever saw in any that grew in the woods or
fields. The question, ‘‘How many acres of a
good honey-bearing plant would be needed
to keep 100 colonies busy ?”’ has often been
asked. If ten acres of buckwheat would an-
swer while in full bloom, we should need
perhaps ten other similar fields sown with
rape, mustard, catnip, ete., blossoming at as
many different periods, to keep them going
the entire warm season. It would seem 200
acres should do nicely, even if nothing were
obtained from other sources, but at present
we can only conjecture. A colony of bees
will frequently pay for themselves in ten
days during a good yield from natural pas-
turage; and if we could keep up this state of
affairs during the whole of the summer
months, it would be quite an item indeed.

25

ARTIFICIAL SWARMING.
Buckwheat, rape, and alsike clover, are the
only cultivated plants that have given pay-
ing crops of honey, without question, so far
as we have been informed. See HONEY-
PLANTS in Index.

ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. To
attempt to give all the various plans and
modifications that are recommended and
practiced successfully, would make a book
of itself ; we shall therefore only give those
we think safest and simplest.

If you are a new hand with bees, you had
better not undertake to do such work until
you find that bees are swarming naturally in
the neighborhood. At such a time, you will
probably succeed by almost any plan. If
you have plenty of money and not much
time, you had better buy your queens, and
the dollar queens will do very well; if you
should get them killed, it will be no serious
loss. If you also have plenty of empty
combs, you can make an artificial swarm in
avery few minutes, by simply moving any
strong colony several rods away, and plac-
ing a new hive filled with empty comb. (or
better, with one frame of hatching brood), in
its place. That the returning bees may not
kill the strange queen they find in place of
their accustomed mother - bee, we protect
her for a day or two in a cage. See
CAGES FOR QUEENS. Asthey enter with their
loads of pollen and honey, they seem very
much perplexed and astonished, scram-
ble out of the hive, and after a few turns
about the premises to reassure themselves,
they go in again, repeating this until too
tired, apparently, to bother their little heads
any further with a matter that is altogether
beyond their comprehension; and wisely
concluding that ‘‘ what can’t be cured must
be endured,’”’ unload in the empty combs
near the queen, and go after more spoils.
We have hada colony of this description
bring in over 20 lbs. of honey, during the
first two days. Let the queen out after they
get friendly to her—see INTRODUCTION OF
QUEENS—and your work is done. Should
the colony get weak before the young bees
begin to hatch out, give them a comb of
hatching brood from some strong stock.
This plan is only for the swarming season.

COMBS OF HATCHING BROOD.

As these combs of hatching brood
are a very important item in building up,
or strengthening stocks, and as we shall
have need of referring to them often, we
will explain that you are to look over the
combs of a very populous colony and select
one that has bees just gnawing through the
caps of the cells. At the proper season, you

ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 26

should find combs that will hatch out a doz-
en bees while you are holding them in your
hand; it should contain little or no unsealed
brood, for the new colony might not be able
to feed all the larve. One L. frame, if full
of capped brood, will make a very fair swarm
of bees; and as these newly hatched downy
bees—like newly hatched chickens for all
the world—are ready to take up with any-
body or any thing, we can put them safely
anywhere without fear of their being hos-
tile to either queens or workers.

Can we not get along without the empty |
comb by using foundation in its stead ?
Yes, we can, but it is hardly advisable unless
we can have two or three old combs to start
with, or a full hive of bees.

If you prefer to rear your own queens,
which every apiarist should do, move your |
colony as before ; but instead of the queen,
give them a frame of eggs from your choicest |
queen. Now if you want fine queens, equal-
ly as good as those reared in natural swarm-
ing, be sure you do not give them any large.
larvee, with the eggs. The best and safest.)
way is to get an empty comb, place it in
the center of your colony containing your im- |
ported or choice queen, and leave it there un- |
til you find eggs in it that are just hatching |
into larve ; these larve will be scarcely vis- |
ible to the naked eye when first hatched; but |
in place of the egg, you will see a tiny spot |
of the milky food that the nurse-bees place
round the embryo bee. This is just the age
you wish the larve for queen-rearing, and |
you may take the frame, bees and all, if you |
are sure you are not carrying your old queen |
along—look sharp—to your new hive. If.
you want as many queen-cells as you can
get, it will be a good idea to cut an oblong
piece out of the comb, just under the eggs |
and larve. If it is inconvenient to move |
your hive (as in the house-apiary) you can |
take only the combs with adhering bees, and
in fact you need take only so many of the |
combs as are necessary to get all the brood
and the queen.

In 12 days after the eggs are given the
bees, the queens may some of them hatch;
therefore, if you design saving the extra |
queens, you will need to remove all the cells
but one, or the first-hatched queen will de-|
stroy them all. We have had a young queen
destroy as many as twenty fine cells in a sin-
gle day, when we were so careless as to de-
lay attending to them just at the right time.
About 10 days after the queen hatches, you
may expect her to begin to lay, and then you
are as far along as when you purchase a

ARTIFICIAL SWARMING.

laying queen to start with, except that your
bees have been growing old all the time—see
AGE OF BEES—and unless they are supplied
with fresh eggs or brood, will be pretty
weak before ahy young bees will be hatched
to take thelr place. Now if you wish to
have matters progress lively, you can give
these bees a comb containing eggs every
two or three days during the whole time
they are waiting for the queen to be hatched

_and fertilized ; they will do much better if

they are thus employed, and they will be
quite a prosperous colony by the time the

| queen is ready to lay. To get these eggs,

you have only to insert an empty comb in
the center of a populous colony until the
queen has deposited as many eggs in the
cells as are required.

So far, all is very simple. To swarm a

large apiary, and at the same time Italianize *

all our new stocks, we would only have to

“repeat the process as many times as we

have colonies. But how about the surplus
queen-cells that we cut out? This is just
where the complication comes in; yet if we
look into the matter very carefully, we think
it~will be found quite simple. These queen-
cells, if cut out shortly before hatching, and
inserted into the combs of any queenless
colony, will usually furnish them a queen as

soon as the one left where it was built; and ~

if an artificial colony was made at the time
the cells were cut out, it is plain we should
have them supplied about ten days earlier
than the one that was obliged to start their
cells from the egg. Bees usually seem to
have a preference for building their own
cells, instead of having them furnished ; but
as they can by no possibility get a queen
hatched in less than ten days—perhaps nine
in extreme cases—the queen from the in-
serted cell will be out and destroy the others
almost as soon as they are started, and so
we heed be to no trouble to get all the un-
desirable brood out of the way, as in our

| first experiment. Unfortunately, there is

an 7f in the matter, and it is, if the bees do

‘not destroy this cell you have given them,

and proceed to raise one of their own in the
good old way. Many contrivances have

_ been invented to prevent them, such as cag-

ing the cell, etc., but we think you will do
well to waste no time in experimenting with
such machinery. The lamp nursery ena-
bles us to hatch almost any number of queen-
cells with safety, but occasionally the queens
are lost in introducing even then ; see LAMP
NURSERY.

The plan we would recommend for begin-

OS

ARTIFICIAL SWARMING.

hers, and perhaps for everybody else as well,
is to procure as many combs of hatching
brood from different hives as you have queen-
cells and to insert a cell in each; the manner
of inserting the cells will be found in
QUEEN-REARING. These combs are to be
all put in the one hive in which the cells
were built ; and if you have more than ten
cells, put on an upper story, or even a third.
As there are no bees in the hive except those
that built the cells and the young ones just
hatching, we shall have no cells torn down,
and inafew hours they will have waxed
them all firmly in their places.

Now with these combs of hatching brood,
every one containing a cell nearly ready to
hatch, we are in excellent trim to go on with
artificial swarming. We can not only re-
move hives and put empty ones in their
places as in our first experiment, but we can
take combs of bees and brood from any hive
in the apiary, blacks, hybrids, or any thing
and put them into a new hive located any-
where, put one of the frames with the queen-
cell among them, and, presto! we have a
good colony, requiring no more care what-
ever. Four combs of bees and brood will
make a good colony at any time of the year,
and they will be at work like an old colony
in ten days. We have never known a cell
destroyed when given to an artificial swarm in
the manner we have stated. Insubstituting
a new hive for an old one, we should, if pos-
sible, use a new hive precisely like the old
one, or much trouble may be found in get-
ting the bees to go into it. If we can not do
this, make it look at least like the old one.

EMPTY COMBS FOR ARTIFICIAL SWARMING.

These will almost always be on hand in
swarming time; but if not, a frame contain-
ing a Sheet of fdn. may be put in place of
any comb taken from a strong colony. The
fdn.is fully as good as the natural comb,
and, in some respects, even better. If you
have no fdn., let the bees build combs, one
at a time, in new frames, watching them to
see that they do not build drone-comb. If
they will not build worker-comb, contract
the space with a division - board, and have
the combs built in weaker colonies. Using
frames of fdn. is, however, far the better
way. During fruit-blossoms, and long be-
fore swarming time, an ample supply of
beautiful combs may be secured, built out
from foundation.

Caution :—The foregoing directions are
given generally for making artificial swarms
during the swarming season, or, at least, at
a time when honey is coming in abundant-

=

7 ASTERS.

ly. It will require more skill and more care
to make artificial swarms in the fall, or at
any time when the bees are disposed to rob;
and if a hive is moved away, as directed, the
new one must always have a comb contain-
ing unsealed brood, as well as the empty
combs, or the bees will not be certain to de-
fend their hive against robbers. See QUEEN-
REARING.

ASTERS. Under this head we have a
large class of autumn flowers, most of which
are honey - bearing; they may be distin-
guished from the helianthus, or artichoke
and sunflower family, by the color of the ray
flowers. The ray flowers are the outer col-
ored leaves of the flower, which stand out
like rays ; in fact, the word aster means star,
hecause these ray flowers stand out like the
rays of a star. Many of the yellow autumn
flowers are called asters, but this is an error;
for the asters are never yellow, except in
the center. The outside, or rays, are blue,
purple, or white. You may frequently find
half a dozen different varieties growing al-
most side by side. Where there are acres of
them, so to speak, they sometimes yield
considerable honey, but some seasons they
seem to be unnoticed by the bees. I do not
think it will pay to attempt to cultivate
them for honey; better move your bees to
where they grow naturally, when you have
determined by moving a single hive first, as
a test, whether they are yielding honey in
paying quantities.

Aaa
“ (6) :
\ SY re

ASTER.

Where the asters and goldenrod abound
largely, it may be best to defer feeding un-
til these plants have ceased to yield honey,
say the last of September.

} AlN

WI}
ii

Hh i i
Hy

FRANK BENTON’S AVIARY, LARNACA, ISLAND OF CYPRUS, MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

Euan

B.

BARRELS. [ would hardly advise |
using barrels for comb honey, although it is |

done to some extent, I believe, in districts

where the old style of keeping bees in log |
gums prevails; but for liquid honey, we.

shall probably never find a cheaper recep-
—taele that will stand the rough usage of
shipping honey, as well. It is true, we can
put our honey in tin cans, but these are
more expensive—the very cheapest costing
at least one cent for every pound of honey
they will contain—and they can not be ship-
ped safely, without first being crated. Be-
sides all this, a barrel of honey will be re-
ceived at 4 much lower rate of freight than

any other kind of package it is possible to |

make. If we are then all decided as to the
expediency of storing our honey in barrels,
we wish to decide upon the most profitable
‘size for these barrels. The regular size of

| scarcely candy atall.

leak all round, without having any practical
experience in the matter; and Iam very
glad to be able to tell you how to entirely
avoid it. It may be well to remark, that
honey has a funny way of expanding during
the candying process —it will generally
candy as soon as the weather gets cold—and
if your barrels or cans do not give it room
to expand, it will be pretty sure to push out
the corks or bungs. Some kinds of honey
expand more than others ; and under some
circumstances, perfectly ripened honey will
If the barrels are left
not quite full, and then filled up completely
when ready to ship, there will be very little
trouble.

We prefer barrels made of sound oak, but
I presume those made of other strong wood

_will answer, if carefully waxed as we shall

about 81 or 32 gallons is probably the cheap-.
est size, but it has been objected to on ac-

count of the difficulty of handling so great

a weight as 320 to 400 lbs., which the barrel |

and all would weigh. This, however, is no

great objection to one who knows how to |
‘‘take the advantage’ of a barrel, as my.
father used 10 express it to ‘‘ us boys,” when.

we were loading stone, and as economy of
money as well as ‘‘traps”’ is quite an item
where we have tons of honey, I think we had
better have large barrels principally.
the accommodation of customers who want a
smaller quantity, it may be well to have
some half-barrels also, but these will cost
considerably more, in proportion to the
amount of honey they hold. Some very neat
small ones, holding about 140 lbs., cost about
$1.75 each ; this would be at the rate of lic.

hold about 350 lbs.; this is less than #c. per
lb. for the package. From this it appears

that we shall have to charge a little more |

for honey put up in half-barrel packages.
LEAKY BARRELS.
I hope you will feel as I do about it, that
it is bad enough to talk about haying honey

For.
very materially.

direct. The hoops should be of strong hoop
iron, for honey is very heavy compared with
most other liquids, and we wish them to
stand safely the rough handling they are
likely to receive on the ears, even if they
should be sent back and forth several times.
The hoops should be secured by large tacks,
if they show any tendency to slip. If you
have had the barrels made for your own use
and intend them to be returned when you
sell honey, it isa very good idea to have
them heatly painted. This will keep the
hoops in place, and will preserve the barrels
There is one objection to
this, however, and that is, you are many
times under the necessity of waiting for
your -barrels to be emptied, and then they
are likely to be forgotten. We once waited
two years for some we had sent away with

_honey, and then succeeded in getting the
per lb. ~ Our large barrels cost us $2.25, and.

pay for them instead of the barrels, after
much importunity.
WAXING THE BARRELS
LEAKING.
A good barrel, carefully made of well-sea-
soned timber, should not leak, without any
waxing; but as they often do, we think it
safest to have them all waxed. This is sim-

TO PREVENT

BARRELS.

ply coating the entire inside with wax or
paraffiine. The latter we consider better, as
well as cheaper. Wax is worth from 30 to
40c. per lb., but the paraffine can be had for
25e. As the latter melts at a lower tempera-
ture, and is more limpid when melted, a
much less quantity is needed to coat the in-
side thoroughly and fill all cracks and inter-
stices, and less skill and expedition is needed

in its manipulation. You should have about |

a gallon of the melted liquid, for a small
quantity will not keep hot until you can
pour out the remainder after the waxing is
done, and too much of it will adhere to the

inside of the barrel. Tenor 12 lbs. will do very |
Have your bungs nicely fitted, and |

well.
a good hammer in readiness to get the bung
out quickly. With a large-mouthed tunnel,
pour in the hot liquid, and bung it up at
onee. Now roll the barrel so as to have the
wax go entirely round it, then twirl it on
each head, and give it another spinning so
as to cover perfectly all round the chime.
This operation will have warmed the air in-
side to such an extent that the liquid will
be forced into every crevice; and if there is
a poor spot, you will hear the air hissing, as
it forces the liquid through it. Just as
quickly as you get the inside covered, loosen
the bung with your hammer; and if your
work is well done, the bung will be thrown
into the air with a report. Pour out the re-
maining liquid, warm it up, and go on with
the rest. If the weather is cool, you had
better put your barrel in the sun, turning it
frequently and driving down the hoops, be-
fore you pour in the wax.

will take a much heavier coating; and the
main thing is simply to close all crevices.
For honey in quantities of less than 100 Ibs.,
perhaps tin cans will be handier than barrels
or kegs, for they can then be shipped short
distances as freight, without crating. See
EXTRACTED HONEY.

Good thick honey will usually become sol-
idat the approach of frosty weather, and
perhaps the readiest means of getting it out
of the barrel in such cases is to remove one
of the heads, and take it out with a scoop.
If it is quite hard, you may at first think it
quite difficult to get a scoop down into it;
but if you press steadily, and keep moving
the scoop slightly, you will soon get down
its whole depth.
some time near the stove, or in a very warm
room, the honey will become liquid enough
tobe drawn. out through a large-sized honey-
gate. After the head of a barrel has been

This is to save |
your material; for if the barrel is cold, it |

If the barrel is kept for |

30

BASSWOOD.

taken out, the barrel should be waxed agair
before using, around the head that has been
removed. Get out all the honey you can, by
warming and allowing it to drain, and then
with a tea-kettle of warm water, clean off
every particle of honey. The rinsings may
be saved and fed to the bees that there be no
waste, or used for vinegar. See VINEGAR. AS
barrels are apt to get musty, or give the hon-
ey a taste, I would advise washing and light-
ly coating them every season, before being
used again. After having been once coated,
avery small quantity of paraffine will answer
perfectly, the second time. I should have no
hesitation in using any kind of a barrel for
honey, if it were first scalded, allowed to dry
thoroughly, and then perfectly coated with
paratine. If the barrel is dry and warm, or
slightly hot, there will never be any danger
of its cleaving from the wood, as wax some-
times does. Paraffine has neither taste nor
smell, and does not decay as wax does, when
exposed to dampness or the action of liquids.

Caution: —A mixture of wax and rosin
was at one time used for coating barrels,
and after giving it, as I thought, a thorough
test, I used it for a whole crop of honey.
The result was that the honey tasted of ros-
in after being in the barrels over winter, and
it was sold at 10 c. when it would otherwise
have brought lsc. This is quite a serious
matter, as some of the journals seem to be
still recommending the rosin.

BASSWOOD. With perhaps the single
exception of white clover, the basswood, or.
linden, as it is often called, furnishes more
honey than any other one plant or tree.
known. Itis true, that it does not yield
honey every season, but what plant or tree
does?! It occasionally gives us such an im-
mense flood of honey that we can afford to
wait a season or two, if need be, rather than
depend on sources that yield more regularly,
yet in much smaller amounts. If a bee-
keeper is content to wait—say ten or fifteen
years for the realization of his hopes, or if
he has an interest in providing for the bee-
keepers of afuture generation, it will pay
him to plant basswoods. <A tree that was
set out just about 10 years ago, on one of our
streets, now furnishes a profusion of blos-
soms, almost every year; and from the way
the bees work on them, I should judge it
furnished considerable honey. A hundred
such trees in the vicinity of an apiary would
be, without doubt, of great value. See AR-
TIFICIAL PASTURAGE. Our 4000 trees were
planted in the spring of 1872, and are now—
1877 — many of them bearing fair loads of

BASSWOOD. 31

blossoms. We made some experiments with
basswood seeds, but they proved mostly
failures, as have nearly all similar ones we
have heard from. By far the best and cheap-
est way is to get small trees from the forest.
These can be obtained in almost any quan-
tity, from any piece of woodland from which
stock have been excluded. Cattle feed upon
the young basswoods with great avidity,
and pasturing our woodlands is eventually
going to cut short the young growth of these
trees from our forests, as well as of many
others that are valuable. We planted trees
all the way from one to ten feet in height.
The larger ones have, as a general rule, done
best.

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AMERICAN LINDEN, OR BASSWOOD.”
(Tilia Americana.)

The above will enable any one to at once
distinguish the basswood when seen. ‘The
clusters of little balls with their peculiar leaf
attached to the seed - stems are to be seen
hanging from the branches the greater part
of the summer, and the appearance, both be-
fore and after blossoming, is pretty much
the same. The blossoms are small, of a light

BEE-DRESS.

yellow color, and rather pretty ; the honey is
secreted in the inner side of the thick fleshy
petals. When it is profuse it will sparkle
like dewdrops, as shown at A, if a cluster
of blossoms is held up to the sunlight.

Basswood, and perhaps most other forest-
trees, require shade, especially when young ;
and, much to our surprise, some that were
planted directly under some large white-oak
trees, have done better than any of the rest.
Who has not noticed exceedingly thrifty
basswoods growing in the midst of a clump
of briers and bushes of all sorts? I would
place the trees not more than 12 feet apart,
for itisan easy matter to thin them out
whenever they are found too close. A
neighbor has planted basswoods entirely
round his farm on the road-sides, and they
add much to the comfort of travelers, are
pretty to the sight, and, without doubt, will
furnish honey enough, in time, to pay all ex-
penses.

The best yield of honey we have ever had
from a single hive, in one day, was from the
basswood bloom; the amount was 48 lbs. in
three days.” The best we ever recorded from
clover was 101bs.in one day. The honey
from the basswood has a strong, aromatic
or mint flavor, and we can tell when the
blossoms are out, by the perfume about the
hives. The taste of the honey also indi-
cates to the apiarist the very day the bees
commence work on it. The honey, if ex-
tracted before it is sealed over, when it is
coming in rapidly, has the distinctive flavor
so strong as to be very disagreeable to some
persons. My wife likens it to the smell and

| taste of turpentine or camphor, and very

much dislikes it, when just gathered; but
when sealed over and fully ripened in the
hive, she thinks it delicious, as does almost
every person.

BEE-BREAD. A term in common use,
applied to pollen when stored in the combs.
In olden times, when bees were killed with
sulphur to get at the honey, more or less
pollen was usually found mixed with the
honey ; it has something of a ‘‘bready”’ taste,
and hence, probably, has its name.
Since the advent of the extractor, and sec-
tion boxes, it is very rare to find pollen in
the honey designed for table use. See
POLLEN.

BEE-DRESS. Before the advent of
the Italians, and the convenient smokers we
now have, it was thought best to havea dress,
or sort of ‘“ jacket,” attached to the veil,
with sleeves for the protection of the op-
erator, while working among the hives.

BEE-DRESS. 8

Such things are now, I believe, almost out of
date, with the exception of veils, and the
gloves ‘hut are used to some extent. The
veils, without doubt, are often useful;
but I am so well satisfied that even a begin-
ner will get along better, and with less
stings, with his bare hands than with any
kind of gloves, that I have no hesitation in

advising him to have nothing to do with)
Have your smoker in good trim, and |

them.
there is hardly a necessity of your being
stung at all. While I can not think it best to
advise a dress particularly for bee-work, I
feel that it is a very wise precaution to have
your ordinary attire of such a nature that

bees may not get under the clothing; many |

severe stings are received in this way, from

bees having no ill will at all, but only sting- |

ing because pressed by the clothing.

When |

bees are shaken wr dropped off the combs, |
they are very apt to crawl up one’s feet, and |

I know of few things more annoying than
the sensation of a bee crawling up one’s leg
when he is too busy to stop and stamp until
it drops out of its unpleasant (to all par-
ties concerned ) lodging-place, or stings and

has it done with, as he is pretty sure to do if.

you are not careful. If you wear flannels,
and have them tucked inside your stockings,
this cannot happen; or if you wear boots and
have your pants tucked in your boot-tops,
you are bee-proof in this respect.
low shoes in the summer, and light cloth-
ing for out-door work; and when I am going

to shake bees off the frames, I always put

my pant-legs inside my stockings, even at
the risk of being stared at by visitors. If

I prefer |

you are obliged to handle bees in cool weath- |
er, or so late in the day that they have ceased |

flying, they are very apt to crawl under your
coat or vest, and sometimes up your sleeves.
I do not mind the stings so much as the time
it takes to get them out; and I dislike to
run any risk of carrying them into the pres-
ence of others, who may not be so indiffer-
ent to stings as Iam. Some years ago I

wore shirts that buttoned up in front, and |

the hybrids seemed especially fond of get-
ting inside my shirt whenever I particularly
desired them outside. Iam not partial to
new fashions in clothing; and when my wife
made a shirt that buttoned down the back,
she rather expected a sermon on the folly of
—well, she heard, in place of objections, a
declaration that I would. never wear any

other, because they were bee-proof. For the

same reason, I prefer the sleeves close at the
wrist, and my whole clothing, in general, so
close and free from openings that a bee can

|

3 - BEE-HUNTING.

crawl up my shoes, and go clear to the top
of my head and fly off, without any trouble
to either himself or myself, on the principle
of ‘‘ Live and let live.”’

When at work among the hives, if bees
are scattered about on the ground I am
always careful about stepping on them, or
so near that they may erawl up my person ;
and nothing makes me more nervous than
to have visitors who will walk right among
them with their careless feet, crushing them
into the dust. If it were right to return evil
for evil, I should sometimes think it was
good enough for them, if they did get a
sting ortwo. The natural home of the honey-
bee is the forest; and if they consent to take

up their abode on the ground at our very

doors, we certainly should forbear stepping
on them when we pay them a visit.

I have said nothing about the attire of la-
dies who work in the apiary, but I presume
I have given them a sufficient idea of what
is needed, to enable them to so arrange their
clothing as to avoid stings as much as pos-
sible. When bees are coming in heavily la-
den, we should all have respect enough for
them, to avoid standing in front of their

hives, or walking very near to theirentranc-

es. If they are scattered about on the
ground, step around them, and there will be
very little danger of the stings that we often
hear of, because a bee becomes accidentally
entangled in the clothing. See VEILS.

BEE-HUNTING. [| have warned you
so often, my friends, against leaving sweets
of any kind about the apiary, and about be-
ing careful not to let the bees get to robbing
each other, that it may seem a little queer,
to be directed how best to encourage and de-
velop this very robbing propensity in these
little friends of ours.

The only season in which we can trap bees
is when they will rob briskly at home; for
when honey is to be found in the flowers in
plenty, they will hardly deign to notice our
bait of even honey in the comb. Before
starting out, it will be policy to inform your-
self of all the bees kept in the vicinity, for
you might otherwise waste much time in
following lines that lead into the hives of
your neighbors. You should be at least a
mile from any one who has a hive of bees
when you commence operations, and it were
safer to be two miles. I do not mean by
this to say that there are no bee-trees near
large apiaries, for a number have been found
within half a mile of our own, and an expe-
rienced hand would have but little trouble in
finding more, in all probability ; but those

eee

BEE-HUNTING. 3

who are just learning, would be very likely
to get very much perplexed and bothered by
domesticated bees mixing with the wild
ones.

Perhaps the readiest means of getting a

line started is to catch the bees that will be |

found on the flowers, especially in the early
part of the day. Get them to take a sip of

the honey you have brought for the purpose, |

and they will, true to their instinctive love
of gain, speed themselves home with their
load, soon to return for another.

where they go. Very simple, is it not?
certainly is on paper, but it usually involves
a deal of hard work, when carried out in
practice. You can get along with very sim-
ple implements; but if your time is valuable,
it may pay to go out fully equipped.

one, you can set the glass over a piece of
honey-comb. Now cover it with your hand-
kerchief to stop his buzzing against the
glass, and he will soon discover the honey,
and ‘‘load up.”’
as soon as he is really at work at the honey,
gently raise the glass and creep away, where
you may get a good view of proceedings.
As soon as he takes wing, he will circle
about the honey, asa young bee does in
front of the hive, that he may know the spot

when he comes back; for a whole ‘* chunk”? |

of honey, during the dry autumn days, is
quite a little gold-mine in his estimation.
There may be a thousand or more hungry

mouths to feed, away out in the forest in his

leafy home, for aught we know.

If you are quick enough to keep track of |
his eccentric circles and oscillations, you will |

see that his circles become larger and larger,
and that each time he comes round, he sways
to one side; that is, instead of making the

honey the center of his circles, he makes it |

almost on one edge, so that the last few times

he comes round he simply comes back after |
he has started home, and throws a loop, as_
| Sily in saw-cuts made near the upper edge.

it were, about the honey to make sure of it
for the last time. Now you can be pretty

sure which way his home lies almost the |
very first circuit he makes, for he has his |
home in mind all the time, and bears more |

and more toward it.

If you can keep your eye on him until he
finally takes the ‘‘ bee-line ”’ for home, you
do pretty well, for a new hand can seldom do
this. After he is out of sight, you have only
to wait until he comes back, which he surely
will do, if honey is scarce. Of course, if his

ie)

To find |
the tree, you have only to watch and see |
It |

For |

|
instance, a small glass tumbler will answer |
to catch bees with; and after you have caught |

Keep your eye on him, and |

BEE-HUNTING.

home is near by, he will get back soon; and
to determine how far it is, by the length of
time he is gone, brings in another very im-
portant point. The honey that the bees get
from the flowers is very thin; in fact, it is
nearer sweetened water than honey, and
if we wish a bee to load up and fly at about

-anatural“ gait,”’ we should give him honey

diluted with water to about this consistency.
Unless you do, he will not only take a great
deal more time in loading up, but the thick
honey is so much heavier he will very likely
stagger under the load, and make a very
crooked bee-line of his homeward path. Be-
sides, he will take much more time to unload.
Sometimes, after circling about quite a time,
he will stop to take breath before going
home, which is apt to mislead the hunter,
unless he is experienced ; all this is avoided
by filling your honey-comb with honey and
water, instead of the honey as we usually
find it.

Now, it takes quite a little time to get a
bee caught and started in the work; and
that we may be busy, we will have several
bees started at the same time ; and to do this
expeditiously, we will use a bee hunting-box
made as in the following cut.

BOX FOR BEE-HUNTING.

This is simply a light box about 44 inches
square ; the bottom is left open, and the top
is closed with a sheet of glass that slides ea-

About a half-inch below the glass is a small
feeder, quite similar to the one figured in
FEEDING AND FEEDERS.

HOW TO USE THE HUNTING-BOX.

Take with your box about a pint of diluted
honey ina bottle. If you fill the bottle hak
full of thick honey, and then fill it up with
warm water, you will have it about right. In
the fall of the year, you will be more likely
to find bees on the flowers in the early part
of the day. When you geton the ground,

BEE-HUNTING.

near some forest, where you suspect the
presence of wild bees, pour a little of your
honey into the feeder, and cautiously set the
box over the first bee you find upon the
flowers. As soon as the box is well over the
flower, close the bottom with your hand,
and he will soon buzz up against the glass.
Catch as many as you wish, in the same way,
and they will soon be sipping the honey.
Before any have filled themselves, ready to
fly, set your box on some elevated point,
such as the top of a stump in an open space
in the field, and draw back the glass slide.
Stoop down now, and be ready to keep your
eye on him, whichever way he may turn. If |
you keep your head low, you will be more
likely to have the sky as a background. If
you fail in following one, you must try the
next, and as soon as you get a sure line on
one, as he bears finally for home, be sure to
mark it by some object that you can remem-
ber. If you are curious to know how long
they are gone, you can, with some white
paint in a little vial, and a pencil-brush,
mark one of them on the back. This is quite
a help where you have two or more lines
working from the same bait. Whena bee
comes back, you will recognize him by the
peculiar inquiring hum, like robbers in front
of a hive where they have once had a taste
of spoils. If the tree is near by, each one
will bring others along in his wake, and soon
your box will be humming with a throng so
eager that a further filling of the feeder from
the bottle will be needed. As soon as you
are pretty well satisfied in which direction
they are located, you can close the glass slide
and move along on the line, near to the
woods. Open the box, and you will soon
have them just as busy, again; mark the
line and move again, and you will very soon
follow them to their home. To aid you in
deciding just where they are, you can move
off to one side and start a cross line. Of
course, the tree will be found just where
these lines meet; when you get about where
you think they should be, examine the trees
carefully, especially all the knot-holes, or
any place that might allow bees to enter and
find a cavity. If you place yourself so that
the bees will be between you and the sun,
you can see them plainly, even if they are
among the highest branches. Remember you
are to make a careful and minute examin-
ation of every tree, little and big, body and
limbs, even if it does make your neck ache.
It is a good thing to look up once in a while,
just as it is a good thing to go out into the

34

woods, and get a view of outside things

BEE-HUNTING.

generally, now and then. If you do not find
them by carefully looking the trees over, go
back and get your hunting-box, bring it up
to the spot, and give them ‘‘ feed”’ until you
get a quart or more at work. You can then
see pretty clearly where they go. If you do
not find them the first day, you can readily
start them again almost any time, for, they
are very quick to start, when they have once
been at work, even though it is several days
afterward.

Bees are sometimes started by burning
what is called a ‘‘smudge.’’ Get some old
bits of comb containing bee-bread as well
as honey, and burn them on a small tin. plate,
by setting it over a little fire. The bees will
be attracted by the odor of the burning honey
and comb, and, if near, will sometimes come
in great numbers. Oil of anise is sometimes
used, to attract them by its strong odor. We
have had the best success in getting them
from the flowers as we have directed.

A spy-glass is very convenient in finding
where the bees go in, especially if the tree is
very tall; even the toy spy-glasses sold for
50c. or a dollar, are sometimes quite a help.
The most serviceable, however, are the ach-
romatic glasses that cost about $3.00. The
very best thing for the purpose is an opera
glass such as can be purchased for about
$5.00. With these we can use both eyes, and
the field is so broad that no time is lost in
getting the glass instantly on the spot. We
can, in fact, see bees with them in the tops
of the tallest trees, almost as clearly as we
can see them going into hives placed on the
ground. They can also be used to follow a
bee on the wing, as he leaves the hunting-
box. lf one’s time is valuable, an opera-
glass will be a very good investment.

After you have found the tree, I presume
you will be ina hurry to get the bees that
you know are there, and the honey that may
be there. Do not fix your expectations too
high, for you may not get a single pound of
the latter. Of two trees that we have recent-
ly taken, one contained just about as much
honey as we had fed them, and the other
contained not one visiblefcell} full! The
former were fair hybrids, and the latter well-
marked Italians. If the treelis}not a valu-
able one, and stands where timber is cheap
and plentiful, perhaps the easiest way may be
to cutitdown. This may result in a mashed-
up heap of ruins, with combs, honey, and bees
all mixed up with dirt and rubbish, or it may
fall so as to strike on the limbs or small
trees, and thus ease its fall in such a way as
to do very little injury to the hive of the

BEE-HUNTING.

forest. The chances are rather in favor of
the former, and on many accounts it is safer
to climb the tree and let the bee-hive down
with arope. If the hollow is in the body of
the tree, or so situated that it can not be cut
off above and below, the combs may be taken
out and Jet down in a pail or basket; for the
brood-combs, and such as contain but little
honey, the basket will be rather preferable.
The first thing, however, will be to climb the
tree ; and as I should be very sorry to give
any advice in my A BC book that might in
any way lead to loss of life, I will, at the out-
set, ask you not to attempt climbing unless
you are, or can be, a very careful person. An
old gentleman who has just been out with
us remarked that he once knew a very ex-
-pert climber who took all the bees out of the
trees for miles around, but was finally killed
instantly, by letting his hands slip, as he was
getting above a large knot in the tree. We
do not wish torun any risks, where human
life is at stake.

For climbing large trees, a pair of climbers
are used, such as is shown in the following
cut.

ALISA

il

A,

Ww

|

ECO

ALLL

iia

fc

ik

(y SEZOOLMLA LL

pra

ai

Z 3
Cis

: B
CLIMBERS FOR BEE-HUNTERS.

The iron part is made of a bar18 inches
long, # wide by# thick. At the lower end it
is bent to accommodate the foot as shown,
and the spurs are made of the best steel,
earefully aud safely welded on. These
points should be sharp, and somewhat chisel-
shaped, that they may be struck safely into
the wood of the tree; the straps will be
readily understood by inspection. When in
use, the ring A is slipped over the spur B,
and the straps are both buckled up safely.
If the tree is very large, the climber provides
himself with a tough withe or whip, of some
tough green bough, and bends this so it will
go around the trunk, while an end is held in
either hand. Ashe climbs upward, this is

30

BEE-HUNTING.

hitched up the trunk. If he keepsa sure
and firm hold on this whip, and strikes his
feet into the trunk firmly, he can go up the
most forbidding trees, rapidly and safely.
A light line, a clothes - line for instance,
should be tied around his waist, that he may
draw up such tools as he may need. The
tools needed are a sharp ax, hatchet, saw,
and an auger to bore in to see how far the
hollow extends. If the bees are to be saved,
the limb or tree should be cut off above the
hollow, and allowed to fall. A stout rope
may be then tied about the log hive, passed
over some limb above, the end brought down
and wrapped about a tree until the hive is
cut off ready to lower. When it is down,
tet it stand an hour or two, or until sundown,
when all the bees will have found and en-
tered the hive. Cover ‘the entrance with
wire cloth, and take it home.

If you want only the honey, and do not
care for the bees, you can slab off one side
of the hollow, cut out the combs, and let
them down in pails. The bees can very oft-
en be saved in this way, as well as the for-
mer. Fix the brood - combs about the right
distance apart, in a pail or basket; the bees
will in time collect about them, and may
then, toward dark, be carried safely home.
Many bee-hunters brimstone the bees; but I
am so averse to any such method of killing
bees, that I have not even the patience to
describe it. Sometimes the hollow is below
the limbs; in this case, the climber passes a
surcingle about him, under his arms, around
the tree, and in this position chops the bees
out. I have said nothing about smoke or
veils; for so far as my experience goes, none
seem to be needed. The bees become so
frightened by the chopping, that they are
pertectly conquered, and cease entirely to
act on the offensive. Jt may be well to have
some smoking rotten wood near, and a bel-
lows smoker would be very convenient to
drive the bees out of the way, many times.

After you have got them down where the
combs can be reached, the usual directions
for transferring are to be followed. A bee-
keeper who has a taste for rustic work,
might set the log up in his apiary, just to
show the contrast between the old style of
bee-keeping and thenew. Some very inter-
esting facts are to be picked up in bee-hunt-
ing. One of the trees we cut recently con-
tained comb as much as a yard long, and not
more than 8 inches wide in the widest part.
It has been said, that bees in a state of na-
ture select cavities best adapted to their
needs. JI am inclined to think this very poor

BEE-HUNTING.

reasoning. If a farmer allowed nature to
take care of his corn-fields, he would get a
very poor crop; and from what I have seen
of bee-trees, I should judge the poor fellows
need to be taken care of, almost as much as
the corn. We frequently get 100 lbs. of

comb from a hive, but I never knew a bee |

tree to give any such amount, as the product |
= : 2 |

We sometimes find quite

of a single season.
a quantity of honey in a tree, it is true ; but
it is usually old honey, and often the accu-
mulation of several years.

There are more bees in the woods than we
perhaps have any idea of, especially in the |

neighborhood of considerable apiaries. In
one of my first trials at bee-hunting I started
a fine line, directly toward the woods, but I
looked in vain for bees, after going into
them, and finally fave it up. Afew days
afterward I got an old hand at the business
to hunt them up for me, and he almost at
once pointed out a tree plainly visible from
where they were baited, standing in the open
lot. As the tree contained very thick old

honey, it had probably stood there unnoticed |
ting bee-trees.

for years, and yet it was in plain sight.
The same hunter very soon found another,
but a little distance trom this one.
within a few days we have found two more
in that same locality. Since these two have
been carried away and domesticated in our
apiary, we find the Italians apparently just
as thick on the wild flowers as they were
before, indicating that there are more trees
in the same vicinity.
DOES BEE-HUNTING PAY ?

If you can earn a dollar per day at some |

steady employment, I do not think it would,
as arule; but there are doubtless localities
where an expert would make it pay well, in
the fall of the year. With the facilities we

now have for rearing bees, a bee-keeper |

would stock an apiary much quicker by
rearing the bees, than he would by bringing
them home from the woods, and transfer-
ring. In the former case he would have
nice straight combs, especially if he used

the fdn., but the combs from the woods |

would require a great amount of fussing
with, and they would never be nearly as nice
as those built on the fdn., even then. So
much by way of discouragement. On the
other hand, a ramble in the woods, such as
bee - hunting furnishes, is one of the most
healthful forms of recreation that I know
of; and it gives one a chance to study, not
only the habits of the bees, but the flowers
as Well; for in hunting for a bee to start
with, we find many plants that are curious

And |

36

|

BEE-MOTH.

and many that we would not otherwise —

know they frequented. In our recent trips
we were astonished to find the Simpson
honey-plant, of which so much has been said
in our journals recently, growing in our own
neighborhood, and we saw the bees drinking
the sweet water out of the little hollow balls,
or rather pitcher-shaped blossoms. Again,
climbing and taking the bees out of one of
the monarchs of the forest, is really one of
the fine arts, if done safely; and I feel like
taking off my hat in deference to the one
who does the work nicely, something as I
would to a renowned doctor or lawyer, or an
expert mechanic.
NEVER QUARREL ABOUT BEE-TREES.

When you have found your tree, go at

once to the owner of the land, and get per-
mission to take your bees. No matter what
the law allows, do nothing in his absence
you would not do if he were standing by,
and do your work with as clear a conscience
as you would work in your own bee-yard.
Many quarrels and disagreements and much
hard feeling have been engendered by cut-
If Iam correctly informed,
bees are the property of whoever finds them
first; and on this account it is customary to
cut the initials of the finder, with the date,
in the body of the tree; but you have no
more right to cut the owner’s timber with-
out permission than you have to cut his corn.
I have never found any one inclined to with-
hold consent, when they were politely asked
for permission to get our bees out of the
trees. I do not wonder that people feel
cross when their timber is mutilated by roy-
ing idlers, and I can searecely blame them
for giving a wholesome lesson now and then

| Just to remind us that we have laws in our

country for their, protection. I hope my
readers will have no disposition to trespass
on the premises or rights of any one, with-
out permission. The most difficult and par-
ticular person in your neighborhood will, in
all probability, be found pleasant and ac-
commodating, if yon go to him in a pleasant
and neighborly way.

BEE-MOTH. It is very likely that
the moth worm is, as has been so often stat-
ed, the worst enemy the honey - bee has—if
we except ignorant bee-keepers—but if
such is the case, we can consider ourselves
very fortunate, for the moth is almost no
enemy at all, to one who is well posted and
up with the times. When you hear a person
complaining that the moth-worm killed his
bees, you can set him down at once as
knowing very little about bees; and if a

BEE-MOTH.

hive is offered you that has an attachment
or trap to catch or kill moths, you can set
the vender down as avagabond and swind-
ler. Youcan scarcely plead ignorance for
him; for aman who will take upon himself
the responsibility of introducing hives,
without knowing something of our modern
books and bee-journals, should receive treat-
ment sufficiently rough to send him home,
or into some business he understands.

When acolony gets weakened so much
that it can not cover and protect its combs,
robbers and moth-worms help themselves as
a natural consequence, but either rarely do
any harm if there is plenty of bees, anda
elean tight hive. Ifa hive isso made that
there are crevices which will admit a worm,
and not allow a bee to go after him, it may
make some trouble in almost any colony;
and I can not remember that I ever sawa
patented moth-proof hive that was not
much worse in this respect than a plain sim-
ple box hive. A plain simple box is, in fact,
all we want for a hive ; but as we must have
the combs removable, we must have frames
_to hold them; and if these frames are made
so that bees can get all round and about
them, we have done all we can to makea
moth-proof hive.

Of course, colonies will at times get weak-
ened; and with the best of care, with the
common bees especially, worms will some-
times be found in the combs. Now if you
have the simple hive I shall recommend,
you can very quickly take out the combs,
and with the point of your knife remove
every web and worm, scrape off the debris,
and assist the bees very much. If there is
an accumulation of. filth on the bottom-
board, lift out all the combs, and brush it
all off, and be sure you crush all the worms
in this filth, for they will crawl right back
into the hive, if carelessly thrown on the
ground.

If you keep only Italians, or even all hy-
brids, you may go over a hundred colonies
and not find a single trace of a moth-worm.
At the very low price at which Italian
queens are now to be purchased, it would
seem that we are very soon to forget that a
bee-moth ever existed ; and the readiest way
I know of to get combs that are badly infest-
ed, free from worms, is to hang them, one
at a time, in the center of a full hive of Ital-
ians. You will find all the webs and worms
strewed around the entrance of the hive, in
a couple of hours, and the comb cleaned up
nicer than you could do it, if you were to
sit down all day to the task,

37

BEE-MOTH.

HOW TO KEEP EMPTY COMBS SECURE FROM
THE MOTH-WORMS.

If you have Italians only, you may have
no trouble at all, without using any precau-
tion ; but if there are black bees around you,
kept in the old-fashioned way, or in “‘patent
hives,”’ you will be very apt to have trouble,
unless you “look out.’? Suppose, for in-
stance, you take a comb away from the bees
during the summer months, and leave it in
your honey-house several days; if the weath-
er iS Warm, you may find it literally infested
with small worms, and in a few days more
the comb will be entirely destroyed. Combs
partly filled with pollen seem to be the es-
pecial preference of these greedy, filthy-look-
ing pests, and I have sometimes thought
they would do but little harm, were it not
for the pollen they find to feed on. A few
years ago we used to have the same trouble
with comb honey when taken from the hive
during the early part of the season; but of
late we have had less and less of it; and the
present season—1877—I have scarcely seen a
moth-worm in our comb honey at all, and
we have not once fumigated our honey-
house. Iascribe it tothe increase of the
Italians in our own apiary, and those all
about us, for the greater part of the bees in
the woods are now partly Italian. These
have driven the moth before them to such an
extent that they bid fair to soon become ex-
tinet. Perhaps much has been also done, by
keeping all bits of comb out of their way ;
no rubbish that would harbor them has been
allowed to accumulate about the apiary; and
as soon as any filth has been found contain-
ing them, it has been promptly burned.
Those who take comb honey from hives of
common bees are almost sure to find live
worms in them, sooner or later.

How do the worms get into a box of honey
that is pasted up tightly, just as soon as the
bees are driven out? I presume they get
in just as they get into the comb taken from
a hive during warm weather. The moth
has doubtless been all through the hive, for
she can go where a bee can, and has laid the
eggs in every comb, trusting to the young
worms to evade thezbees by some means aft-
er they are hatched. This explanation, I
am well aware, seems rather unreasonable,
but it is the only one I can give. In looking
over hives of common bees, I have often seen
moths dart like lightning from crevices, and
have sometimes seen them dart among the
bees and out again; but whether they can
deposit an egg so quickly as this, lam un-

able to say. In taking combs from the hive
3

BEE-MOTH. 38

containing queen-cells to be used in the lamp
nursery, I have always had more or less
trouble with these moth-worms. The high
temperature, and absence of bees, are very
favorable to their hatching and growth, and
after about three days the worms are invari-
ably found spinning their webs. If they are
promptly picked out, for about a week, no
more make their appearance, showing clearly
that the eggs were deposited in the combs,
while in the hive.

When the queen-cells are nearly ready to
hatch, I often hear the queens gnawing out,
by holding the comb close to my ear. By the
same means, I hear moth-worms eating out
their galleries along the comb; and more
than once I have mistaken them for queens. |
They are voracious eaters, and the ‘t chank-
ing ” they make, when at full work, reminds |
one of a lot of hogs. As they are easily |
frightened, you must lift the combs with |
great care, to either see or hearthem at their |
work.

Their silken galleries are often constructed
right through a comb of sealed brood, and
they then make murderous work with the
unhatched bees. Perhaps a single worm will
mutilate a score of bees before he is dis- |
lodged. These are generally found at the
entrance of the hive in the morning, and nu- |
merous letters have been received from new |
beginners, asking why their bees should tear
the unhatched brood out of the combs, and
earry it out of the hives. I presume the |
moth is at the bottom of all, or nearly all, of |
these complaints. If you examine the capped |
brood carefully, you will see light streaks —
across the combs where these silken galleries |
are; and a pin or a knife-point will quickly
pry his wormship out of his retreat. As the
young worms travel very rapidly, it is quite
likely that the eggs may havé been deposit-
ed on the frame or edges of the comb. It is
a little more difficult to understand how they
get into a honey-box with only a small open-
ing, but I think it is done by the moth while
on the hive.

You may, perhaps, have noticed that the
moth-webs are usually seen from one comb
to another, and they seldom do very much
mischief unless there are two or more combs
side by side. Well, if in putting away your
surplus combs for winter you place them two
inches or more apart, you will seldom have
any trouble, even should you leave them un-
disturbed until the next July. There is no
danger from worms, in any case, in the fall,
winter, or spring, for the worms can not de-
velop unless they have a summer temper-

and my combs were saved.

| gas.

BEE-MOTH.

ature, although they will live a long time in
a dormant state if not killed by severe freez-
ing weather. I have kept combs in my barn
two years or more; but they were not re-
moved from the hives until fall, and were
kept during the summer months in a close
box, where no moth could possibly get at
them. I have several times had worms get
among them when I was so careless as to
leave them exposed during warm weather,
and one season I found nearly 1000 combs so
badly infested that they would have been
almost worthless in less than a week. The
combs were all hung up in the honey-house,
and then about a pound of brimstone was
thrown on a shovel of coals in an old kettle.
This was placed in the room, and all doors
and windows carefully closed. Next morn-
ing I found most of the worms dead; but a
few that were encased in heavy webs were
still alive; after another and more severe
fumigation, not a live one was to be found,
I have several
times since fumigated honey in boxes in
the same way. The following extract from

| Burt’s Materia Medica may contain some

hints as valuable to apiarists as to doctors.

Tn the form of sulphurous-acid fumes, or gas, sul-
phur is the most powerful of all. known agents as a

| disinfectant and deodorizer. To disinfect a room and

clothing from infectious diseases, as smallpox, ete.,

| first close up the chimney, and paste up all crevices

of the windows and doors to prevent the escape of
Now raise up all carpets, and hang up the
cloths, so that the fumes of gas may have complete
access to them. When this is done, set.a tub in the
center of the room with six inches of water in it;
in the center of this water place a stone that comes
just above the water; on this stone set an iron ves-
sel with two pounds of sulphur broken up into quite
fine pieces or lumps; on this pour a few ounces of
alcohol, to make the sulphur burn readily; set the

alcohol on fire, and leave the room, closing the door

behind you. It is well to repeat this fumigation
three or four times. .

After the bees have died in a hive, it

should never be left exposed to robbers and
moths, but should be carried indoors at once,
or carefully closed up. If you have not bees

‘either by artificial or natural swarming, to

use the combs before warm weather you
should keep a careful watch over them, for
a great amount of mischief may be done in
a very few days. I once removed some
combs, heavy with honey, in August, and
thinking no worms would get into them so
late, I delayed looking at them. A month
later, the honey began to run out on the
floor; and upon attempting to lift out a
comb, it was found impossible to do so.
When all were lifted up at once, a mass of
webs nearly as large as one’s head was

BEES.

found, in place of the honey and combs. So
much for not keeping a careful watch of
such property. i

By way of summing up, I would say: Use
plain, simple, unpatented hives; get Italians
as soon as you Gan; keep your colonies strong;
be sure that none of them by any means be-

your bees.
comb honey that has been taken away from
the bees in warm weather, keep an eye on it,
and either destroy the worms as soon as

rected. When your eye has become trained,
you will detect the very first appearance of

If you have spare combs, or.

39

BEES.

It is said in the South, that they have two
varieties of the common or black bee, but it
is quite likely they are one and the same
thing, for bees in the same neighborhood
vary much in color; the bees of one colony
may be almost a brown, while in another

they are almost black. I shall speak, in this
come queenless, and you need have no so-

licitude in regard to the bee-moth among.

book, of but two kinds—the black, or com-
mon, and the Italian.
HOW BEES GROW.
During warm weather, while your bees
are gathering honey, open your hive inthe

; , “* middle of the day, and put in the center a
hey appear, or fumigate them as Ihave di- frame containing a sheet of fdn.; examine it

a worm by its excrement, in the shape of a)

fine white powder. We sometimes hunt
them out thus and destroy them, when they

are so small as to be only just visible to the |

naked eye. Giving your combs a good freeze,

say a temperature of 15 or 20°, will answer |

the same purpose as the fumigation.

BEES. Everybody knows what bees
are, I suppose, and therefore I need not at-
tempt to give you a picture of them. If you
contemplate becoming a bee-keeper, I would

advise you to get a hive of them, and then to |

use your own eyes and ears, to see if what I
tell you about them is true. At present we
have but two varieties of bees that are in
common use for the production of honey;
and with the vast difference in favor of the
Italians, we shall very soon have only the
Italians. The Egyptians have been tried in
our country to some extent, but are, I believe,

inferior to the Italians, besides being much |
Bees from the island of |

more vindictive.
Cyprus and from the Holy Land are men-

tioned in connection with ITALIAN BEES, |

which see. Albino bees have also been
talked about; but after testing them in my
own apiary, I find them little different from
the common Italians. The fringe, or down,

that appears on the rings of the abdomen of |

young bees is a trifle whiter than usual, but
no one would observe it unless his attention
were called to it.
low, but the workers, as honey-gatherers,

are decidedly inferior, even to the second |

generation; and when we select light-colored
bees or queens for several successive gener-
ations, if we are not careful we shall have a

worker progeny lacking as honey-gatherers, |

and in ability to endure. By selection, we
can get almost any thing we want, and that
quite speedily with bees, for we can produce
several generations in a single season, if
need be,

The queens are very yel- |

every night, morning and noon, until you
see eggs in the cells. If you put it between
two combs containing brood, you will very

likely find eggs in the cells the next day.

A QUEEN’S EGG UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

If you have never seen an egg that is to pro-
duce a bee, you may have to look very sharp
the first time, for they are white like polish-

ed ivory, and scarcely larger than one of the
periods in this print.

They will be seen in
the center of the cell attached to the comb
by one end. The egg under the microscope
has much the appearance of the above. It
is covered, as you notice, with a sort of lace-
like penciling, or net-work, it might proper-
ly be called. As soon as you discover eggs,
mark down the date. Ifthe weather is fa-
vorable, these eggs will hatch out in about 3
days or a little more; and in place of the egg,

| you will, if you look sharp enough, see a

tiny white worm or grub floating in a mi-
nute drop of milky fluid. If you watch the
bees you will find them incessantly poking
their heads into these cells, and itis likely
that the milky fluid is placed on and about
the egg, a little before the inmate breaks its
way out of the shell. I infer this, because I
have never been able to get the eggs to
hatch when taken away from the bees, al-
though I have carefully kept the temper-
ature at the same pointas in the hive. The
net-work shown in the cut above will allow
the milky fluid to penetrate the shell of the
egg so as to furnish nourishment for the
young bee at just the time it requires it.
These worms are really the young bee in its
larval state, and we shall in future call them

» BEES.
larve. They thrive and grow very rapidly
on their bread-and-milk diet, as you will see
if you look at them often. They will more
than double in size in a single half-day, and
in the short space of 7 days they will have
grown from amere speck to the size ofa
full-grown bee, or so as to completely fill the
cell. This seems almost incredible, but
there they are, right before your eyes. I
presume it is owing to the highly concentrat-
ed nature of this same ‘ bread-and-milk ”’
food that the workers are so constantly giv-
ing them, that they grow so rapidly. If you
take the comb away from the bees for a little
while you will see the larve opening their
mouths to be fed, like a nest of young birds,
for all the world.

18
FROM THE EGG TO THE BEE.
The figures underneath are intended to

15

represent the age in days. First is the larva
just as it has broken the egg-shell on the
third day; next, the larva two days old.
During the fourth and fifth days they grow
very rapidly, but it is difficult to fix any pre-
cise mark in regard to the size. On the sev-
enth day the larva has straightened himself
out, and the worker-bees have capped him
over. I have made a pretty accurate exper-
iment on this point, and it was just six days
and seven hours after the first egg hatched,
when they got it completely capped over.
Just when they begin to have legs and eyes,
I do not know; but I have found that the
wings are about the last part of the work.
We are all of us too ignorant, by far, on this
matter, and I suggest that we set to work
and investigate the matter thoroughly. The
eggs of the common fowl have been broken,
and drawings made of the embryo, every
day from the 1st to the 21st. Can we not do
as much for the science of apiculture ?

After the larve are 7 days old, or between
10 and 11 days from the time when the egg
was laid, you will find the bees sealing up
some of the largest. This sealing is done
with a sort of paper-like substance; and
while it shuts the young bee up, it still al-
lows hima chance to breathe through the
pores of the capping. Heis given his last
feed, and the nurses seem to say, ‘‘ There!
you have been fed enough; spin your co-
coon, and take care of yourself.”

40

BEES.

I wish, my friend, I could tell you what
happens after this, but I have not yet been
able to see. Asa general thing, the young
bee is left covered up until he gnaws off the
capping, and comes out a perfect bee. This
will be in about 21 days from the day the egg
was laid, or it may be 20, if the weather is
very favorable; therefore he is shut up 10 or
11 days. Now, there is an exception to this
last statement, and it has caused not a little
trouble and solicitude on the part of begin-
ners. During very warm summer weather,
the bees, for one reason or another, decide to
let a part of their children go ‘*t bareheaded,”
and therefore we find, on opening a hive,
whole patches of young bees looking like
silent corpses with their white heads in tiers
just about on a level with the comb. At this
stage of growth they are motionless, of
course, and so the young bee-keeper sends
us a postal card, telling us the brood in his
hives is all dead. Some have imagined that
the extractor killed them, others that it was
foul brood; and I often think, when reading
these letters, of the family which moved

'from the city into the country; when their
_ beans began to come up, they thought the
poor things had made a mistake, by coming
| up wrong end first; so they pulled them all

up, and replanted them with the bean part
in the ground, leaving the proper roots
sprawling up in the air. My friend, you can
rest assured that the bees almost always

| know when it is safe to let the children’s

heads go uncovered.

As it is, many times, very important to
know just when a queen was lost, or when a
colony swarmed, you should learn these data
thoroughly; for instance, it will be safe to
say, 3 days in the egg,7in the larve, and
11 days sealed up.

The capping of the worker-brood is nearly
flat; that of the drones, raised or convex;
so much so that we can at a glance tell
when drones are reared in worker-cells, as is
sometimes the case.

The young bee, when he gnaws his way
out of the cell, commences to rub his nose,
straighten out his feathers, and then to push
his way among the busy throng, doubtless
rejoicing that he, too, is one of that vast com-
monwealth. Nobody says a word to him,
or, apparently, takes any notice of him; but
for all that, they, as a whole, I am well con-
vinced, feel encouraged, and rejoice in their
way, at a house full of young folks. Keep a
colony without young bees for a time, and
you will see anew energy infused into all
hands, just as soon as young bees begin to
gnaw out.

BEES.
If you vary your experiment by putting a
frame of Italian eggs into a colony of com-
mon bees, you will be better able to follow
the young bee as it matures. The first day
he does little but crawl round; but about
the next day he will be found ‘dipping
greedily into the cells of unsealed honey,
and so on fora week or more; after about
the first day he will also begin to look after
the wants of the unsealed larve, and will
very soon assist in furnishing ,the milky
food for them. While doing this,a large
amount of pollen is used, and it is supposed
that this larve food is pollen and honey,
partially digested by the young or nursing
bees. Bees of this age, or a little older, sup-
ply the royal jelly for the queen-cells, which is
the same, I think, as the food given the very
small larve.“ Just before the larve for the
worker-bees and drones are sealed up, they
are fed ona coarser and less perfectly di-
gested mixture of honey and pollen. The
young bees will have a white downy look,
until they are a full week old, and they have
a peculiar look that shows them to be young
until they are quite two weeks old. At
about this latter age they are generally the
active comb-builders of the hive. When
they are a week or 10 days old, they will take
their first flight out of doors, and I know of
no prettier sight in the apiary than a host
of young Italians taking their play-spell in
the open air, in front of their hive; their
antics and gambols remind one of a lot of
young lambs at play.

It is also very interesting to see these lit-
tle chaps when they bring their first load of
pollen from the fields. If there are plenty
of bees in the hive, of the proper age, they
will not usually take up this work until
about two weeks old. The first load of pol-
len isto a young bee just about what the
first pair of pants is to a boy-baby. Instead
of going straight into the hive with his load,
as the veterans do, a vast amount of circling
round the entrance must be done; and even
after he has once alighted he takes wing
again, rushes all through the hive, jostles
the nurses, drones, and perhaps queen too,
and says as plainly as could words, ‘‘ Look
here! This is 1; I gathered this, all myself.
Is it not nice ?”’ ;

We might imagine some old veteran who
has brought thousands of such loads, an-
swering grufily, ‘‘ Well, suppose you did;
what of it? You had better put it in a
cell, and start after more, instead of
making all this row and wasting time, when
there are so many mouths to feed.”’ I said

Al

BEES ON SHARES.

we might imagine this, for I have never
been able to find any indication of any un-
kindness inside of a bee-hive. No one
scolds or finds fault, and the children are
never driven off to work, unless they wish.
If they are improvident, and starvation
comes, they all starve alike, and, as I do be-
lieve, without a single hard feeling or bit of
censure toward any one. They all work to-
gether, just as your right hand assists your
left; and if we would understand the econo-
my of the bee-hive, it were well to bear this
point in mind.

Shortly after the impulse for pollen-gath-
ering, comes that for honey-gathering ; and
the bee is probably in his prime, as a worker,
when he isa month old. At this age he can,
like a man of 40, ‘Sturn his hand” to almost
any of the duties of the hive; but if the hive
is well supplied with workers of all ages, he
would probably do most effective service in
the fields. see AGE OF BEES.

If a colony is formed of young bees entire-
ly, they will sometimes go out into the fields
for pollen when but 5 or 6 days old. . Also
when a colony is formed wholly of adult
bees, they will build comb, feed the larve,
construct queen-cells, and do the work gen-
erally that is usually done by the younger
bees, but itis probably better economy to
have bees of all ages in the hive.

BEES ON SHARES. There are cas-
es, doubtless, where it is advantageous to
both parties to let bees out on shares ; but
as a general thing I would advise owning
your bees, even though it be but a single
colony, before you commence to build up an
apiary. It almost always happens that one
of the parties is dissatisfied; and as is fre-
quently the case with such partnership ar-
rangements, both the parties have been
wronged, to hear their story for it.

T believe it is customary for one of the
partners to furnish the bees, and the other
to do the work; at the end of the season,
every thing is divided equally. If new hives,
Italian queens, etc., are to be used, the ex-
pense is equally divided. The division of
stock is usually made as soon as the honey
season is over, and each party takes his
chances of wintering. To prevent any mis-
understanding, I would advise that the
whole agreement be put in writing, and that
whenever something turns up for which no
provision has been made, some agreement
be made in regard to it, and that this be put
in writing also. Instead of inquiring what
other folks do, arrange the matter just as
you can agree, and make up your minds in

BORAGE. 49

the outset that you are going to remain good
friends, even if it costs all the bees and your
whole summer’s work.

BLUE THISTLE (LKchium vulgare).
If I am correct, this plant is not a thistle at
all, but more properly a near relative of the
borage, which it closely resembles. It grows
in great profusion in many of the Southern
and Middle States, but the principal reports
seem to come from Virginia, and the valley
of the Shenandoah. As it blossoms fully four
months in the year, and produces a beautiful
white honey, it would seem that it might
well deserve a place among the plants on a
honey-farm. If we are correct, it needs but
little coaxing to cover whole farms; and in
Va., we are told there are hundreds of acres
of it growing wild, as a weed. Over 200 ibs.
of white box honey have been reported from
it, from a single colony, inone summer. A
field of blue is no doubt a very pretty sight
to the bee-keeper ; but to the farmers, who
find it a great pest, it may not look so hand-
some. We have really no right to make our
honey-farm a nuisance to the neighborhood,
by bringing in foul weeds; so perhaps you
had better take your bees down where it
grows, instead of sending for seeds.

Sept., 1880.—Recent reports indicate that
it is no worse weed than the borage. It dies
root and branch every fall, and is therefore
entirely unlike the dreaded Canada thistle.

BORAGE (Borago Officinalis). This
has been at different times recommended
for bees, but as those making the experiment
of planting several acres of it did not repeat
it in succeeding years, I think we are just-
ified in concluding it did not pay. I have
raised it in our garden, and some seasons
the bees seem very busy on it. It has a
small blue blossom, and grows so rapidly
that a fine mass of bloom may be secured by
simply planting the seeds on the ground
where you dig your early potatoes. If itis
to be raised by the acre, it should be sown
at about the same time and much in the
same manner as corn, in hills or broadcast.

In 1879 I had a hajf-acre of it. It was
moderately covered with bees for many
weeks, but was much inferior to the Simp-
son honey-plant.

BUCKBUSH (Symphoricarpus vulgaris).
This bush is sent in every season as a won-
derful honey-bearing plant, although on our
hands it has not amounted, as yet, to very
much. It is nearly allied to the snowdrop,
which it resembles, only the berries are small
and red, instead of white. It isssometimes
called the ‘‘ coral-berry,”’ from its looks. Its

| gray, and the silverhull.

BUCKWHEAT.

BUCKBUSH.
botanical name comes from the fact that sym

means together, or crowded. Pherein means
to bear, or carry, and carpus means fruit; so
that the name means, we might say, ‘‘ bear-
ing fruits crowded together.” I believe it is
usually found in the woods, and in some lo-
calities is reported to furnish some very nice
honey. I do not know that very much is
done in the way of cultivating it for honey.
The common snowdrop (Symphoricarpus ra-
cemosus) sometimes bears considerable honey,
but probably not as much as buckbush.

BUCKWHEAT. We have had reports
from three different kinds; the black, the
The two former
are old varieties, and are much alike; the
latter is new, and, as usual, great things are
claimed for it. We have hada piece near
us this season; it has given about as much
honey as the common varieties, but, so far
as we can discover, but little if any more.
It bids fair to give a greater yield, and is,
therefore, perhaps, somewhat preferable. It
will certainly pay for bee-keepers to raise

buckwheat; and if they are not land-owners, .

they can furnish the seed to the adjoining
farmers free,or pay them a dollar or two
per acre for the honey it yields. Although
this is not a buckwheat country, I think it
pays me, taking seasons as they come, to
pay $1.00 per acre for all that is sown within
14 miles of my apiary, and if there should be
50 acres sown, it would please me all the
better. Some such plan as this is probably
the safest investment we can make in the
way of artificial pasturage. The honey is
dark, and but few people like the flavor of
it, after they have used it a little time, but
it seems perfectly wholesome for winter,
saves purchasing sugar, all trouble of feed-
ing, encourages brood-rearing in the fall,
and keeps the bees away from the groceries
and dwellings, to a certain extent.”
CULTIVATION.

Buckwheat will grow and blossom on al-
most any soil; but if you want it to pay for
either honey or grain, it should have good
rich land. It is sown broadcast, about 3
pecks of seed per acre. The best crop of
buckwheat honey we ever had here was
from apiece prepared for and planted with

oe

“BUYING AND SELLING BEES.

corn. The corn was. so nearly killed by cut-
worms that it was harrowed over nicely and
sown to buckwheat in the latter part of
June. This is almost a month earlier than
buckwheat is usually sown here, but the
yield was such that, from the two acres, we
had at least 200 lbs. of comb honey, besides
the large amount that must have gone into
the brood-apartments.

The bees that gathered the largest part of
this were dark hybrids; the pure Italians
were at the same time storing white honey
from red clover. It was amusing to see
hives side by side both working in the sec-
tion boxes, one of which made white combs
and honey, like that in June, while the other
built combs of a golden yellow, and stored it
with the dark rich-looking buckwheat
honey. As the hybrids gave quite a large
erop of this dark honey, I began to be a lit-
tle partial to them; but after the boxes were
all removed, I found they had put it all
above, and left their brood-apartment almost
empty, while the more prudent Italians had
filled the brood-combs until they were in ex-
eellent condition for winter. It has been
several times advanced, that the blacks and
hybrids are ahead, when nothing but buck-
wheat honey is to be found in the fields.

BUYING AND SELLING BEES. With

every A B C scholar who wishes to com-

mence, or at least make a trial, with bees,
the question naturally arises, ‘‘ How shall I
proceed to get astart?’”’ Before I can an-
swer the question fully, I should want
to know something about you personally.
To one who has very little money to spare,
and expects to keep bees for the money they
will furnish, as well as for pleasure, I would
give a little different advice from what I
would to some professional man who wants
them as an ornament to his grounds, and
who has more money than time. The latter,
I should probably advise to purchase a col-
ony or two of pure Italians, in a chaff or
lawn hive, with all the section boxes, etc.,
ready for the bees to go right to work. If,
on the other hand, you want the bees prin-
cipally to fill up your spare moments, and
wish to commence with the least possible
expense, I would advise you to purchase one
or two hives of common bees in your own
neighborhood, and do all the rest yourself.
You can get them at almost any season of
the year you choose, and, if you are in the
mood, I should say the sooner you get them
the better. If you can choose from a num-
ber of stocks, take those having the great-
est amount of bees and stores, other things

43

BUYING AND SELLING BEES.

being equal. If you can turn up the hive so
as to examine the combs, smoking the bees
a little to make them get out of the way,
choose one having straight, regular cards of
comb, for it will be much easier to transfer.
I would not purchase more than two or three
colonies to commence with. When you
have learned to handle these few to your
satisfaction, it will be time enough to think
of more; and two colonies can be made to
build up a large apiary, of themselves, if
you manage them according to the latest
methods. For directions in regard to mov-
ing them home, see MoviING BEEs. As to
price to be paid, I would suggest that you
should not pay for common bees in box
hives more than about $3.00 or $4.00 in the
fall or early winter, and perhaps $5.00 or
$6.00 in the spring or summer. Do not pay
one cent more for bees in any kind of patent
hives. When you get them home, and they
are settled nicely, and flying if it is warm
weather, you are ready to transfer them as
per instructions under TRANSFERRING.
After they are well over the shock of being
transferred, give them an Italian queen, as
per instructions in INTRODUCING, and you
are then fully started for business. I think
itan advantage for you to perform all these
operations yourself, even though you should
make bad work of it the first time, because
it gives you valuable experience.

I would once more emphasize the impor-
tance of commencing with a very few stocks.
A young man once came to me to know if
he would not better buy 40 colonies to com-
mence with, as they were offered him very
low, and he was quite sanguine he could
manage them. Although I advised him
quite strongly not to take them, he decided
to run the risk. In less than a year he had
lost the greater part of them. Nevertheless
he became an enthusiast, bought more, and
increased until he had over a hundred ; but
when winter came, he lost heavily ; and so
on for several seasons, until his friends
plead with him to give up bees. He finally
came down to only a few colonies, which he
kept strong and in good order, and he is now
one of the most successful apiarists we have
in our neighborhood, in regard to wintering
his bees.

A ‘*CKUMB OF COMFORT’? FOR THOSE WHO
HAVE LOST IN WINTERING.

While the great losses have worked disas-
ter to many, a great good has resulted in
obliging us to improve our methods of ship-
ping bees, as well as queens, to those who
have quantities of empty hives and empty
combs.

BUYING AND SELLING BEES.

CAGES FOR SHIPPING BEES.

The trade now in bees in cages containing
one pound each, and a queen, is almost a
national industry. The bees are sent in
wire cages made of bands of wire cloth, and
our usual one-pound section boxes.

CAGE FOR ONE-HALF POUND OF BEES.

CAGE FOR ONE-EIGHTH POUND OF BEES.

i RICH
Maken man RYAN)
RR yy HORN

CAGE FOR ONE POUND OF BEES.

Bees mustof a necessity be sent by express;
none are allowed by mail except the dozen
or two that accompany the queen, and
freight is altogether too slow.

CANDY-BLOCKS FOR BEE-CAGES.

After several experiments we have decided
in favor of the little block shown below. It
is just 4inches long, and made to crowd in
close in a Simplicity section. The block is
13 inches wide by # deep. Two holes are
bored in it, 14 inches or a little larger. The
small holes are #. After the block is filled
with the Good candy, it is fastened with
wire nails in the section box—a block of
candy on each side. Bees then have access
to it through the small holes.

44. BUYING AND SELLING BEES.

WT:

BLOCK TO HOLD THE CANDY.

You will observe the block is made of
such dimensions that the wire caps when
squeezed down will not injure a bee. As
there are two blocks in a section, the quan-
tity of food is proportioned to the size of the
cage. The cage for two sections will hold
enough for one-half pound of bees, while the
cage for three sections will hold enough for
a whole pound. When the candy is made of
the powdered sugar, such as we have advis-
ed, there will be no trouble from the grains
rattling out. In fact, it stays in the box
in a pasty mass until the whole is consumed.
For trips longer than a week, perhaps it
would be well to use water-bottles; or the
block could be made to hold more candy by
putting the two holes a little further apart,
and make a third hole between these two.
Two openings for bees will probably be suf-
ficient.

TIN TUNNEL FOR SHAKING THE BEES INTO THE
ABOVE CAGES.

With the above tunnel, an expert will put
up a pound of bees ready for shipment, in
five minutes, after finding the queen. After
using the tunnel a dozen times or so, the
honey that shakes against the inside should
be washed off, and also the brush that is used
to brush them down with. When the tun-
nel is dropped, it should be set with its
mouth on the ground, and the small end
covered with the small cap, to keep robber-
bees from sucking up the new honey. The
cages may hold more bees than the weight
named, especially in cool weather ; in fact,
we often put 13 lbs. ina1-lb. cage; but if
the weather is hot, it is not safe to put in
more than 1 lb. For very long distances we
use a 1-lb. cage for only half a pound of bees.

SELLING BEES BY THE POUND.

May, 1884.—At present writing, sending
bees and queens in the manner above indi-

4

cated has grown to bea great industry. A
neighbor of ours, to see what could be done
with a good queen and a pound of bees, on
June 16, 1882, put them into a hive, with a sin-
gle comb of brood, all the rest being dry
empty combs. He increased them to five
fair colonies during the season, and winter-
ed them all. Of course, they were fed and
suppliedwith empty combs, but no help in the
way of bees or queens. When a purchaser
gets a cage of bees and queen, if he has old
combs or even hives where bees have died,
all he has to do is to let the bees run out of
the cage on to the combs, just as if they
were anew swarm. <As there is some dan-
ger of decamping, by far the better way is to
give them a comb containing some unsealed
brood. It will be noticed, that in purchas-
ing in this way one can put his bees and
queen on such combs as he is using in his
own hives, and it does not matter whether
his frames and hives are like those that oth-
er people use or not, for a pound of bees will
“*fit any hive or any kind of comb.

The question is frequently asked, if one of
these cages of bees with a queen may be
turned loose on frames of foundation. It
can be done, but you will have to watch
them a little until they get the foundation
drawn out, and the queen to laying in it.
When they have done this they are all right.
If you should attempt it at a time when hon-
ey is not rapidly coming in from the fields
you will have to put on a feeder and feed
them. One great advantage in purchasing
bees in this way, especially where ordering
from a distance, is that the express charges
are but a trifle compared with what they
would be on a whole swaim.

The question is often asked, How late in
the season will it do to attempt to build up
a pound of bees, with queen, into a swarm
that will winter? An expert ought to be
able to do it without any trouble, if he com-
mences the first of August—feeding, of
course, liberally at any time when honey is
not coming in. If he hasa good comb of
brood to give them by way of encourage-
ment, he might commence even a month
later. Novices had better not undertake it
later than June or July ; and if they could
start them in May they ought to get a good
strong colony, and something of a crop of
honey, if he does not attempt to increase
them. Unless one can have a brood-comb
to give the little colony, I would advise pur-
chasing not less than a pound of bees with
queen ; but if a comb of brood can be given,
and they be started early in the season, $ Ib.

BUYING AND SELLING BEES.

rc

9)

-taste.

BUYING AND SELLING BEES.

of young Italians with queen will make a
good full colony long before winter.

CONCLUDING SUGGESTIONS IN REGARD TO

BUYING BEES.

May, 1884.—During the past few weeks we
have bought, at different times, about 150
colonies. As we have plenty of new hives,
and plenty of new combs, we purchased
only the bees and brood; that is, taking
enough of the combs to get all the brood
and the principal part of the new honey and
new pollen. As we greatly prefer combs that
are built on foundation in wired frames,
we prefer not to take the old hives nor the
old combs. We paid for these bees from
five to six dollars per colony, on an average ;
but we find a vast difference in them. While
some colonies would perhaps be worth ten
dollars, others would hardly be worth three ;
so where you are buying bees, and have a
chance to take your pick, it will make quite
a difference, especially if bought in the
spring. Find a colony first that is full of
bees — the more the better. I never saw a
hive with too many bees in it to suit my
Next look out for the brood. If
there are many combs full of brood, even
though the quantity of bees is moderate, the
hatching brood will soon make the hive pop-
ulous. The amount of stores when you are
buying in the spring is of but little moment,
as bees can easily be supplied if they do not
get it themselves.

The next important item is the queen. A
good queen is ordinarily worth as much as
both bees and brood. She should be bright
and sprightly looking, active, and large. A
very old queen can usually be detected by
her looks; for one who is accustomed to
handling queens can tell a young queen from
an old one almost as easily as you can tella
young person from an old one. A hive of
bees having an old queen, little brood, and
few bees, may not be as well worth $2.50 as
one having a young vigorous queen, combs
of solid sealed brood, and a hive boiling over
with bees, would be worth $10.00. I hardly
believe it will pay you to send off for bees
and queens by express when you can get
them at the above prices from an experi-
enced apiarist living near you. The begin-
ner, in purchasing bees, will also get much
valuable knowledge from visiting a success-
ful bee - keeper. Perhaps the knowledge
gained from a single trip may be worth much
more than the colony of bees he purchases.

See How tro JOIN THE A BC CLAss, in
concluding remarks in the back part of this
book.

‘NYDIHOIC “LNONAYA ‘NOLIIN “A ‘OAD AO AUVIAV

_,

C.

CAGES FOR QUEENS. These are
for introducing, for sending them both
by mail and express, and for keeping them
safely many times about the apiary, espe-
cially when we find several just hatched out
in a hive. For introducing only, a cage
made by simply rolling up a piece of wire
cloth will do, many times; but as this gives
us no perfectly sure method of supplying
the queen with food, I can but regard it un-

safe, for queens have frequently been found |

starved when the cage was pushed between
two combs of sealed honey, the bees having
removed all the honey from around the cage,
as they almost always do when a comb is
erushed. To be on the safe side, it would
seem best to have a good supply of food in
the cage at all times. If this supply is given
in the form of honey, there is almost always
a liability of the bees and queen getting
more or less daubed or smeared with it; and
unless this can be soon removed by other
bees they are sure to die sooner or later, for
the breathing-tubes located in different
parts of their bodies are easily closed by
sugar or honey, if it is allowed to dry on
them. Honey inasponge has been one of
the most successful ways of giving a supply
for long journeys; but even this is apt to
give them a dauby look, and I have several
times found bees, and sometimes the queen,
wedged into or under the sponge, dead.
One of these was an imported queen; and as
all the bees with her were spry and active, I
could but think she had got entangled under
the sponge, and died from this alone. Can-
dy has been used for some time quite suc-
cessfully ; the only difficulty seems to be in
providing just enough moisture and no more.

Besides the above-mentioned wants, we
want a queen-cage that can be cheaply
made, especially if we are going to sell
queens for a dollar or less.

There are a great many different cages
made, both for shipping and introducing;
but the one that is giving the most univer-
sal satisfaction for both these operations,

and that is now being most generally used, is
THE PEET CAGE,
which I will now describe in detail.

The material should be thoroughly-sea-
soned basswood or cottonwood plank that
will plane to 1g. Cut these into lengths con-
venient to handle as well as to work to ad-
vantage (say 4 feet); then rip into strips that
will plane to 23. The sides. and edges now
being planed, we are ready for the boring-
machine, making the holes clear through the
thickness of the strips; 7. e., the 1§ distance.
The large hole should be 2 in., and the small-
er holes §, the smaller ones being so near to
the large one as to make a ¢ opening from
one into the other, as seen in the cut. These
holes will then occupy 22 inches ; and be-
tween one set of holes and another there
should be § in. left; then there will be 33
from the center of each hole to the center of
the corresponding one next beyond. Now
keep right on boring these holes in all the
strips of plank. Then rip the strips length-
wise 2 thick, and plane on both sides, leav-
ing them + thick. For sending queens long
distances, or in any case where it is desira-
ble to put a larger number of bees in the
cage, these strips may be left without rip-
ping, or only one piece, § thick, may be ripped
off. The next thing to be done is to saw a
small groove near each corner, for the tin to
slide in. This is done on a little miter plat-
form fixed at the right bevel, close up to the
saw. I think the cut will make it all plain.

rc

i

eV EV YU NEWS ESUYSEENNE FRY?

PEET’S INTRODUCING AND SHIPPING CAGE.

After the grooving is done, the sticks are
taken in bundles, being careful to have the
holes exactly match, and cut up so as to

CAGES FOR QUEENS. 48

make the cages complete, as far as this piece
is concerned.

The tin slide is cut 23 x 33; and after clip-
ping off the two corners at one end, folded
so as to slide into the sawed grooves, the
folds being + in., and on two sides and one
end, as shown in the cut. The slide should
enter the grooves at the opposite end from
that shown in the cut. After the slides are
in place, the two smaller holes should be well
filled with candy, made by kneading togeth-
er the best powdered sugar, such as confec-
tioners use, and honey, until there is formed
a stiff, moist dough. Itshould be made sever-
al days before using.

This candy was suggested by I. R. Good,
Tullahoma, Coffee Co., Tenn., and holds
moisture, during ordinary summer weather,
for from a week to ten days, without any
water.

After putting in the candy, and before
tacking on the wire cloth, place a piece of
strong manilla paper 18x2t over the holes to
prevent any stickiness from the candy on the
outside of the cage. The wire cloth should
be cut 2?x3%, and folded ¢ inch all around
to prevent its raveling and catching on any
thing. It will then be 24x34, and should be
fastened to the cage by six 4 in. tacks.

Now all is done, except making and put-
ting a pointed strip of tin on each side of the
cage. These strips and the slides may all
be made of the cheapest kind of tin.

{

HIT

TIN POINTS FOR FASTENING THE CAGE TO THE
BROOD-COMB.

Now, instead of cutting each piece out
separately,and then punching a hole in each,
cut strips +x3+. The hole for driving the
tack is now punched in each end, and then
a cut made diagonally across the middle —
thus saving a great deal of handling.

The next thing to be made is the wooden
cover, With a groove in it to admit air, to be
used in shipping queens.

BOARD TO TACK OVER THE WIRE CLOTH.
Take strips of basswood + thick by 14 wide,
and’ planed. Run these strips over a wab-
bling saw cutting a groove 4 wide, or more,
by 3-32 deep, in the middle of one side. Now
cut these strips into pieces 23 long. These

are to be tacked over the large hole on top of |

CAGES FOR QUEENS.

the wire cloth, with the grooved side down,
thus affording plenty of air for the bees.

There are a few who insist that bees stand
a long shipment better if there is in the cage
a bottle containing water; hence we have
had our engraver represent one in the cut.
Those generally used are made of tin. There
should be a small pinhole at the center, to
allow the bees to get at the water.

After having sent thousands of queens,
both with water and without, we are in-
clined to think, all things taken into con-
sideration, when the honey and pulverized
sugar is used as has been described, they are
better off, as a rule, without the water-bot-
tles.

The especial feature of this cage, invented
by Theodore O. Peet, formerly editor of the
Bee- Keepers’ Exchange, published at Canajo-
harie, Mont. Co., N. Y., is for introducing
queens. When the cage is received, the tin
points shown on the side are turned down

‘and pressed into a level place on the surface

of a brood-comb taken from the hive. The
slide is now withdrawn, and the queen and
her attendant bees are caged on the comb.
If the bees have not got her out after forty-
eight hours, she can almost always be lib-
erated safely by that time.

E. M. Hayhurst, of Kansas City, Mo., who
has had large and successful experience in
handling queens, recommends leaving the
tin slide in the cage when first put in, in
case the bees seem hostile; and the slide is
not to be removed until they do deport them-
selves quietly, and cease to cling to the cage.
With a feeble queen, however, I would put
her right on to the unsealed new honey, as
recommended above. See INTRODUCING
QUEENS.

The cage had better be put on sealed
brood, for then there will be less danger of
the bees gnawing them out too soon. If the
cage can also be made to cover a few cells
of fresh honey, it will be all the better fora
queen that has been on a long trip, for there
is nothing like being on a comb, right ina
hive, for a queen that is any way feeble.
As the queen is usually liberated by the
bees, she gets out without any such disturb-
ance as opening the hive, ete., and this is, I
suppose, one reason why the Peet cage to-
day stands ahead of all other methods.
When the cage is to be sent by mail, the
whole is tied with stout flour-sack paper,
with holes punctured for ventilation.

QUEENS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BY MAIL.

May, 1884.— During the year past, and
this year, such perfection has been at-
tained in making queen - cages, and in

CAGES FOR QUEENS.

methods of shipping, that Frank Benton,
G. M. Doolittle, and a number of others
have sent queens both ways across the
Atlantic by mail, with the most flatter-
ing suecess. This is an achievement that
we hail with the greatest delight, for it will
certainly save a great deal in both time and
expense, over the expensive and compar-
atively slow way of having them sent by ex-
press. The cages used have been very sim-
ilar in construction. Here is friend Doolit-
tle’s description of the cage he used and his
way of putting up the first queen he sent
across the ocean. This queen arrived safely
in Scotland with only two bees dead.

-Imade a cage as follows: I got out a basswood
stick, 2 in. square and 6 in. long; °g inch from either
end I bored a 1-inch hole nearly through, into which
the candy was to be placed. I nowturned the block
14 over and bored two 1%-inch holes, 1-16 of an inch
toward the center, from the two 1-inch holes at the
ends, which made the two1*-in. holes come together.
IT next poured melted wax into the holes on either
end, so as to prevent the moisture in the candy
from soaking into the wood, after which I cut a %
hole through each into the 1% hole as a means for
the bees to get the feed. I next made the candy by
taking pulverized sugar, and stirring honey into it
till it got rather thick to stir. I then took to knead-
ing it till I had it so I could roll it into a ball (as we
boys used to pack snowballs) and placed it in a
saucer, having it retain its shape, except flattening
a little on the under side, where it lay on the saucer.
If it would not do this, I kneaded in more sugar till
it would. This is the way I have made all my candy
for queen-cages this season, and I have not lost any,
except one that I think was injured before she left.
I have sent several to Texas, California, and even
as far as Oregon, without loss; hence I have been
particular in telling how I made the candy. I next
filled the waxed holes with this candy, pounding it
in with a stick till the holes were full within 14 inch,
when a cork was driven in, thus preventing any
escape of the honey. At about 11 o’clock I caught
the queen, together with 25 worker-bees which were
about six to eight days old, as nearly as I could
judge, and placed them in the cage, tacking wire
eloth over the top of the1% holes. In catching bees
to ship by mail, I always take those filling them-
selves with honey, waiting till they are nearly
filled. After tacking down the wire cloth on the
cage, I placed it, wire cloth down, on two %-inch
strips, and left it till next morning, thus allowing
the queen to rid herself of eggs, and the bees to

~~ clean the cage all out, so they would not be trying

to carry out little pieces of wood and dirt on their
journey. At 6 o’clock the cover was nailed on,
which was a strip 3-16 thick, and covered the whole
of the block on the side where the wire cloth was,
except two * holes, one over each 1% hole. The
whole was now wrapped in strong manilla paper,
except the two °4-inch holes, thoroughly tied with a
strong string, and a tag bearing the address tied
thereto. At Mr. Cameron's suggestion I registered
it, so as to secure safe delivery after it passed the
boundary of the U.S., as queens are not supposed
to pass in the foreign mails. G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Sept. 13, 1883,

49

CANDIED HONEY.

Frank Benton, Munich, Bavaria, who has
met with great success, uses a tin bottle of

water in his cages, and takes the precaution

to cover the edges of the pin-hole, for the
exit of water, with solder, to prevent their
being closed by rust.

CANDIED HONEY. All honey,asa
general thing, candies at the approach of
cold weather. It has been suggested that
thin honey candies quicker than thick, and
such may be the case; for honey that has
been perfectly ripened in the hive, that is,
has been allowed to remain in the hive
several weeks after being sealed over, will
sometimes not candy at all, even if exposed
to zero temperature. As some honey can-
dies at the very first approach of cold weath-
er, and other samples not until we have se-
vere freezing weather, we can not always be
sure that perfect ripening will-prove a pre-
ventive. Itis very seldom indeed that we
find sealed comb honey in a candied state,!°
and we therefore infer that the bees know
how they can preserve it best for their use;
for although they can use candied honey
when obliged to do so, it is very certain that
they dislike to bother with it, for they often
carry it out to the entrance of their hives
when new honey is coming in, rather than
take the trouble of bringing water with
which to dissolve it.

HOW TO PREVENT HONEY FROM CANDYING.

By following out the plan of the bees, we
can keep honey in a clear, limpid, liquid
state, the year round. The readiest means
of doing this, is to seal it up in ordinary
self-sealing fruit jars, precisely as we do
fruit. Maple molasses, syrups, and preserves
of all kinds, may be kept in the same way
if we do our work well, almost as fresh,
and with the same flavor, as the day they
were put up. We should fill the jar full,
and have the contents nearly boiling hot
when the cover is screwed on.!7 The bees
understood this idea perfectly, before fruit
jars were ever invented, for they put their
fresh pollen in the cells. cover it perfectly
with honey, and then seal it up with an air
tight wax cover. To avoid heating the hon-
ey too hot, it may be best to set the fruit
jars in a pan of boiling water, raising them
up a little from the bottom, by a thin board.
If the honey is over-heated, just the least
trifle, it injures its transparency, and also
injures its color; in fact it seems almost
impossible to heat some kinds of honey at
all, without giving it a darker shade.

CANDIED-HONEY CONFECTIONERY.
If you allow a barrel of linden or clover

CANDY FOR BEES.:

honey to become candied solid, and then |
scoop out the center after one of the heads_
is removed, you wil' find, after several |
weeks, that the honey around the sides has |
drained much after the manner of loaf sug-
ar, leaving the solid portion, sometimes,
nearly as white as snow, and so dry that it |
may be done up ina paper like sugar. If |
you now take this dry candied honey and |
warm it in an oven until it is soft, it can be |
worked like ‘taffy,’ and in this state you |
will pronounce it, perhaps, the most delic-
ious confectionery you ever tasted. You
can also make candy of honey by boiling, |
the same as molasses, but as it is little if
any better, and much more expensive, it is
seldom used. See EXTRACTED HONEY

CANDY FOR BEES. (ict atin sauce-
pan, and put into it some granulated sugar
with a little water—a very little water will
do. Make it boil, and stir it; and, when it
is done enough to ‘‘ grain’? when stirred in
a saucer, take it quickly from the stove.
While it is ‘‘cooking,” do not let the fire |
touch the pan, but place the pan on the
stove, and there will be no danger of its
burning. Cover the dining-table with some
newspapers, that you may have no trouble-
some daubs to clear up.

To see when it is just right you can try |
dropping some on a saucer; and while you
are at work, be sure to remember the little
folks, who will doubtless take quite an in-|
terest in the proceedings, especially the |
baby. You can stir some until it is very
white indeed for her; this will do very well |
for cream candy. We have formerly made
our bee-candy hard and clear; but in this |

shape it is very apt to be sticky, unless we |
endanger having it burned, whereas if it is
stirred we can have dry hard candy, of what
would be only wax if cooled suddenly with-
out the stirring. Besides we have much
more moisture in the stirred sugar candy,
and we want all the moisture we can possi-
bly have, consistent with ease in handling. |
If your candy is burned, no amount fo
boiling will make it hard, and your best.

way is to use it for cooking, or feeding the)
bees in summer weather. Burnt sugar is
death to them, if fed in cold weather. You
ean tell when it is burned, by the smell, color, |
and taste. If you do not boil it enough, it

will be soft and sticky in warm weather, and |
will be liable to drip when stored away.

Perhaps you had better try a pound or two

at first, while you ‘‘ get your handin.’”? Our |
first experiment was with 50 lbs.; it all got |
** scorched ” ‘‘ somehow.”

50

| well warmed through.

CANDY FOR BEES.

As the most convenient way of feeding
candy that will probably be devised is to put
it into your regular brood - frames (wired,
as per p. 56), I shall give directions for mak-
ing itin that form. If you do not like it so,
you can break it out, or cut it in smaller
pieces with a knife, when nearly cold.

Lay your frame on a level table, or flat
board; perhaps you had better use the flat
board, for you need some nails or wires driv-
en into it, to hold your frame down close,
that the candy may not run out under it.
Before you fasten the frame down, you will
need to puta sheet of thin paper on your
board, to prevent the candy’s sticking. Fix
the board exactly level, and you are all ready
to make your candy. If you have many
stocks that need feeding, you can get along
faster by having several boards with frames
fastened on them. You will need some sort
of a sauce-pan (any kind of a tin pan with

a handle attached will do) that will hold

about 10 lbs. of sugar. Put ina little water
—no vinegar, cream of tartar, or any thing

| of the sort is needed, whatever others may

tell you—and boil it until it is ready to sugar
off. You can determine when this point is

reached, by stirring some in a saucer, or you
can learn to test it as confectioners do, by
|dipping your finger in a cup of cold water,

then in the kettle of. candy, and back into
the water again. When it breaks like egg-
shells from the end of your finger, the candy
is justright. Take it off the stove at once;
and as soon as it begins to harden around

the sides, give it a good stirring, and keep it
| up until it gets so thick that you can just
| pour it.

Pour it into your frame, and get

in just as much as you can without running

it over. If it is done nicely, the slabs should
look like marble when cold, and should be
almost as clean and dry to handle. If you
omit the stirring, your candy will be clear
like glass, but it will be sticky to handle and
will be very apt to drip. The stirring causes

_all the water to be taken up in the erystalli-

zation or graining process, and will make
hard dry sugar of what would have other-

wise been damp or waxy candy. If you

wish to:see how nicely it works for feed-
ing bees, just hang out a slab and let the
bees try it. They will carry it all awayas
peaceably as they would so much meal in
the spring.

You can feed bees with this any day in
the winter, by hanging a frame of it close
up to the cluster of bees. If you put it
into the hive in very cold weather, it would
be well to keep it in a warm room, until
Now remove one of

CANDY FOR BEES.

the outside combs containing no bees, if
you can find sucha one, spread the cluster,
and hang the frame in the center. Cover
the bees at the sides and above, with cush-
ions, and they will be all safe. If a colony
needs only a little food, you can let them
lick off what they like, and set the rest away
until another time, or until another season.

WHAT KIND OF SUGAR TO USE FOR MAK-
ING CANDY.

We have generally used the coffee A, but
any of the sugars that are used for feeding
will answer for summer. Common brown
and maple sugars work nicely, although it
is plain to be seen that the bees prefer the
better article; for this reason, we have used
the latter. Coffee A sugar now costs us 9c.
by the barrel, and retails for 10c. As we
have to pay a confectioner 2c. for making,
the candy can not well be sold at retail for
less than 15c. As much as ¢ part of wheat
flour can be added to the sugar and it will be
nearly as white and hard: but the labor of
making is very much more, for it must be
boiled very slowly, and stirred to prevent
‘burning. The bees seem to prefer that con-
taining the flour, and it has the effect of
hastening brood-rearing, like pollen. After
it is stored in combs, it looks like honey
except for a slightly milky or turbid appear-
ance, but has a very perceptible flour taste.*

CAUTION IN REGARD TO CANDY-MAKING.

Before you commence, make up your mind
you will not get one drop of sugar or syrup
on the floor or table. Keep your hands clean,
and every thing else clean, and let the wo-
men-folks see that men have common sense;
‘some of them at least. If you should forget
yourself, and let the candy boil over on the
stove, it would be very apt to geton the
floor, and then you would be very likely to
“get your foot init,’ and before you got
through, you might wish you had never
heard of bees or candy either; and your wife,
if she did not say so, might wish she had
never heard of anything that brought a man
into the kitchen. I have had a little experi-
ence in the line of feet sticking to the floor
and shapping at every step you take, and
with door-knobs sticking to the fingers when
touched, but it was in the honey-house. We
have a 50-cent stove—came from the tin-
smith’s old iron heap—that has been made
to look quite respectable, and proves very
handy for melting candied honey, making

* Maple sugar, poured into wired frames while hot,
makes excellent bee-candy. Cakes of maple sugar
laid over the frames answer equally well.

5]

CATNIP.

candy, warming syrup in cold weather, etc.;
and if you keep a wash-basin and towel
near by, and keep the honey-house neat and
clean, it is a real pleasure to do all this work.

CATNIP. (Nepata Catavia). This is a
near relative of GILL-OVER-THE-GROUND,
which see. Quinby has said, that if he
were to grow any plant exclusively for the
honey it produced, that plant would be Cat-
nip; and very likely he was not far from
right. But as we have never yet had any
definite report from a sufficient field of it to
test it alone, either in quality or quantity of
the honey, we remain almost as much inthe
dark in regard to it as we were at the time
he made the statement, several years ago.
Several have cultivated it in small patches,
and have reported that in astate of cultiva-
tion it apparently yielded more honey than
in its wild state, for bees are found on it
almost constantly, for several months in the
year; yet no one, I believe, is prepared to
Say positively that it would pay to cultivate
it for this purpose.

CIDER AND CIDER-MILLS. Not
only are many of our bees drowned in the
eider, in the vicinity of cider- mills, but
the cider, if gathered late in the season, is
quite apt to prove very unwholesome as a
diet for our little friends. Probably much
of the dysentery that causes such havoe is
the result of this unsealed cider stored in
the cells when winter comes on. If the col-
ony is very strong, and well supplied with
winter stores, the cider may do but little
harm; but where they are weak, and obliged
to use the cider largely, they sometimes die
even in the fall. Weat one time fed a col-
ony about a gallon of sweet cider, and they
were dead before Christmas. At another
time a barrel of sweet cider was found to be
leaking, but as the,bees took it up greedily
as fast as it ran out, their;owner kindly al-
lowed them to work away. They all died
quite promptly, after the experiment.

The bees of a large apiary will take sweet
cider from the mill nearly as fast as it can
be made, and we at one time had quite a se-
rious time with the owner of such a mill,
because the Italians insisted on ‘ going
shares,’”? whenever he made sweet cider.
After paying quite a little sum in the way of
damages, and losing our bees every season
there was a large apple-crop, besides buying
sugar in the vain attempt to call them away
by counter-inducements, we, at the sugges-
tion of one of the other sex, hung white cloth
curtains over all the openings to the mill.
Some strips of pine, $2.50 worth of sheeting

CLOVER. 5

24 yards wide, anda couple of hours’ time,
fixed the mill so that scarcely a bee was to
be seen inside. Inavery short time they
gave up flying around the mill, and appar-
ently forgot all about it.

CLOVER (Trifolium). The most im-
portant of the Clovers, common White Clo-
ver (Trifolium Repens), which everybody
knows, is perhaps at the head of the entire
list of honey-producing plants. We could
better spare any of the rest, and I might al-
most say all the rest, than our White Clover
that grows so plentifully as to be almost un-
noticed almost everywhere. But little ef-
fort has been made to raise it from the seed,
because of the difficulty of collecting and
Saving it.

There is a large variety known as White
Dutch Clover, that is sold by our seedsmen,
to some extent. I have not been able to
gather whether it is superior to the common.
The common Red Clover — T. pratense—
yields honey largely some seasons, but not
as generally as does the white, nor do the
bees work on it for as longa period.’ While
working on Red Clover, the bees bring in
small loads of a peculiar dark-green pollen;
and by observing this we can usually tell
when they are bringing in Red - Clover
honey. The Italians will often do finely on
Red Clover, while the common black bees
will not even so much as notice it. The
general cultivation is much like that of AL-
SIKE CLOVER, which see; but the safest way
for a beginner is to consult some good farm-
er in his own neighborhood, as different lo-
calities require slightly different treatment.
The same will apply to saving the seed,
which can hardly be saved profitably with-
out the use of a clover - huller, made espe-
cially for the purpose.

While most persons seem to tire, in time,
of almost any one kind of honey, that from
Clover seems to ‘‘ wear” like bread, butter,
and potatoes; for itis the great staple in
the markets; and where one can recommend
his honey as being pure White Clover, he
has said about all he can for it.

There are quite a number of other clovers
such as Lucerne, white and yellow Trefoil,
Alfalfa, Esparcette, etc., but none have been
sufficiently tested to warrant recommending
them much. Strong statements are made
in regard to the value of white and yellow
Sweet Clovers; and the former, under the
name of Melilotus Leucantha, was quite ex-
tensively sold some years ago. From the
fact that those who invested in it gradually
dropped it, I would not advise investing
much money in it to commence with.

id

el

COMB-BASKET.

Sweet Clover (Melilotus alba, or Melilot),
has some valuable traits, as standing frost
and drought; but many times and seasons, —
the bees will hardly notice it at all. The
statement has been made, that an acre will
support 20 colonies of bees, and afford from
500 to 1000 lbs. of honey. As it is quite dif-
ficult to get accurate figures in the matter, I
think the statement should be received with
due allowance; about 4 Ibs. of seed are need-
ed for an acre, sow like alsike. It will grow
on almost any barren hillside, but it is a
bad weed to exterminate ; if ,however, it is
mown down to prevent seeding, the roots
will soon die out.*

COMB-BASKET. When the bees are
gathering no honey, especially during the
lull that usually intervenes between spring
and fall pasturage, it is many times quite
difficult to remove combs of brood, or open
hives at all, without getting robbers at work.
Any one who has had quite a time with rob-
bing - bees, will remember for some
days, that it makes trouble to leave a comb
outside the hive while we are handling oth-
ers inside. Robbing - bees will get at them,
and soon they will learn to follow us about,
and finally ‘‘dive”’ right into the unsealed
honey the minute a comb is exposed. Sup-
pose we do not have robbers; still, when we
take a frame out of a hive, it is very conven-
ient to have some place where we can set it
down safely, while we look at the rest. If
we stand them up against the hive, or one
of the posts of the grapevine trellis, unless
we are very careful, bees are killed; and if
the day isa windy one, the comb is quite
apt to be blown down in the dirt. To avoid
all these mishaps, we have sometimes car-
ried about an empty hive; but this is un-
wieldy, and does not keep away robbers
either, unless a cover is carried with it.
Comb-baskets have been made of wood, but
these are unsightly unless kept painted; and
if any honey drips from the combs, it soaks
into the wood in a way that is far from be-
ing tidy. The one shown in the engraving
is made of light tin, and I believe meets
all requirements.

It can be readily carried from hive to hive,
and the light cover is very quickly closed
bee-tight, whenever occasion may require.
Where extracting is done indoors, the bas-
ket can be used to very good advantage, for

* Sept.,1880.—We have had, this season, half anacre
covered with a most luxuriant growth of melilot, but
it certainly is not a profitable honey-plant with us.

WNov., 1882.—This season the bees have been 80 ex-
ceedingly busy on it, we have materially changed
our opinion, and are preparing to give it a more ex-
tended trial.

COMB-BASKET.
five heavy combs are about as many as one

cares to carry at once. The combs should
hang on metal rabbets the same as they do
in the hive, to avoid crushing bees when
they are set in hastily. Your tin-smith
should be able to make you one like the
above, for about $1.25.

COMB FOUNDATION. Since the in-
troduction of foundation, within the past few
years, many difficult points have been solved
completely ; such as, how to insure straight
combs, how to insure all worker-comb or all
drone-comb., as the case may be, and how to
furnish the bees with the wax they need
without being obliged to secrete it by the
consumption of honey. It is so simple a
matter to make a practical test of it by
hanging a piece in a hive when honey is
coming in, that I think I may be excused
from describing the way in which the bees

use it, at any great length. Neither will it |
be needful to dwell on the successive steps |

by which it was discovered, and brought to
its present state of perfection.
mention we have of wax foundations that
were accepted by the bees, was published in
a German bee-journal as far back as 1857.
Mr. J. Mehring, of Frankinthal, Germany,
if I am correct, seems to have been the
original inventor. For nearly 20 years the
matter seems to have slumbered, although
different ones at different times, among
whom was our friend Wagner, took it up,
made some improvements, and dropped it
again. The sheets made in both England
and Germany had no side-walls, but simply
indentations. Mr. Wagner added shallow
side-walls, making it much more like nat-
ural comb. Until recently it was all made
with a pair of plates; and even yet the
Given press is used and liked by some;
but it did not require much wisdom to
decide that such an article, if wanted in
large quantities, should be rolled out by
machinery. In the latter part of 1875 I

58

The first |

COMB FOUNDATION.

talked with a friend of mine who is quite art
artist in the way of fine mechanical work
and machinery, and told him what I thought
was wanted. The result was that he made
a machine for me, of which I submit the en-
graving below, that would roll out a con-
tinuous sheet, with very fair side-walls of
wax, and perhaps superior to any thing be-
fore made. Since then he has made ma-
chines for many parties in our own
country, and they have also been sent to
both England and Scotland. Mr. A. Wash-
burn, of Medina, O., is the inventor and
manufacturer of these machines. Many tons
of wax have been worked up during the
present year — 1877 — and the demand is in-
creasing so steadily that it is quite probable
the supply of wax will be the only limit to
its manufacture and use.

if

sal

Ih

y

I}

—=

Tl

ORIGINAL FOUNDATION-MACHINE WJTH 12-IN. ROLLS.
Many experiments have been made with a
view of substituting something in place of
real beeswax, such as paraffine, ceresin, and
the like, but all, so far, have resulted in fail-
ure. Paraffine will make beautiful fdn., and
the bees will accept it at once; butas soonas
we have warm summer weather, the beauti-
ful comb, honey and all, will fall down in a
shapeless mass in the bottom of the hive.
HOW TO MAKE THE WAX SHEETS.
This is done by dipping a sheet of thin
wood in a tall vessel of melted wax. The
4

COMB FOUNDATION.

wax must be neither too hot nor too cold,
and the dipping-plate must be kept wet by
immersing it in tepid water before each sheet
is dipped. The dipping-plate is about one-
fourth inch in thickness, 9} wide, and about
36 inches long, with the edges rounded to a
blunt knife-edge. This size will give sheets
of such size that each one will make two
for an L. frame. When the plate is first
used, you will probably have to soak it for
a time with water, to make the wax come
off readily; and when it gets roughened
it must be dried and scraped or sand-
papered until it is smooth again. Brush
the water over the plate well, to make
it adhere, and you are then ready to plunge
it into the melted wax. When it touches
bottom, lift it out immediately, and hold it
above the melted wax until the wax has
cooled enough to allow it to be dipped the
other end down. We usually dip four times ;
but if the wax is pretty warm, you may have
to dip six times. After the last dipping, as
soon as it has ceased to drip, dip it all over in
the tub or tank of cool water. Take it out
and commence to strip off the sheets. If too
hot, the wax will break, and if too cold it will
stick; in the latter case you must scrape the
wax off with a knife, and try again. After
a little practice, you will make it go as fast
as the sheets can be handled. Two hands
are needed to work rapidly. One dips,
and the other takes off the sheets, and
brushes and wipes the dipping-plates. Now
your tub of water will very soon get warm;
and as this will not do at all, cold water
must be added. If much work is to be
done, a tank made of boards is best, with an
apartment for cold water in one end of it.
Besides, the wax will be rapidly cooled, and
at the same time lowered; to keep up the
supply, we have a boiler on the stove, with
a honey-gate attached. This boiler is made
large enough to take in the ordinary cakes
of wax of commerce, and should be made
deep so as to set down into the stove for the
purpose of getting the advantage of rapid
heating, and to allow all impurities to settle.
Besides this, the boiler must be made dou-
ble, and the outer space filled with water; for
if wax is burned in the least, it is utterly
spoiled for comb-making. That we may get
only the pure wax, the gate is put in near
the top of the boiler, so that none of the im-
purities that settle to the bottom may be
drawn off, and it has a sheet of fine wire
cloth put in so as to strain the melted wax
before it passes through it. In our factory,
the wax is melted by a series of copper pipes
through which steam passes. See WAx.

5A

COMB FOUNDATION.
The tin can that holds these pipes is simply
the can of the honey-extractor, as seen on
another page.

Wax sheeted in this way is of a light esa:
tiful yellow, and the fdn. is fit for use in the
surplus boxes, without any sort of bleaching.
When you start up, your dipping-boiler must
be full of melted wax, and we have this also
made double, with hot water all. ‘round it,
that we may set it in the stove in place of
the other when starting. With the above
arrangement and number of hands, 200 lbs.
can easily be dipped in a day. Separate
lots of wax can not well be worked alone,
unless of 100 lbs. or more; as the above pro-
cess will make bright wax out of the worst
looking, it can hardly be thought desirable,
to work lots separately.

May, 1884.—During the past two or. thee
years the demand for foundation has been
so great that tons of wax have been import-
ed; and even with this supply, the price of
wax still ranges from 35 to 40 cts. per Ib.

ROLLING THE WAX SHEETS.

The machine shown below is the size for
the Langstroth frame for rolling sheets 9
inches wide. We at first covered the rolls
with a lather made of soap and water, to
prevent the wax sticking; but, for obvious
reasons, slippery elm was substituted for
the soap, and afterward it was found that

FOUNDATION MACHINE WITH 10-IN. ROLLS.

starch, prepared just as the women use it,
was just as good as any thing. When the
rolls are new, the wax will sometimes both-
er a great deal; but if the particles are care-
fully picked out with a quill toothpick —any
thing harder might injure the rolls—and the
rolls, as wellas the sheet of wax, are kept well
covered with the starch, it will soon come
out nicely. As soon as the edge gets
through, it is to be picked up with the fin-

—— I ee

™ eo,

COMB FOUNDATION.

gers, then held between two pieces of wood,
and drawn out as fast as the rolls are turned.
Two hands, after a little practice, will roll it,
with a 10-inch machine, about as fast as it
can be dipped. The sheets roll with less
trouble from sticking, if allowed to stand a
couple of days after being dipped, as the
wax hardens slightly by being exposed to
the air. This explains why bleached
wax is harder than the common yellow. On
this account, the bees work the bleached
Wax so much slower, that I would not advise
its use, even for box honey.
TRIMMING, SQUARING, AND CUTTING THE
SHEETS.

As the sheets are taken from the rolls, lay
them squarely upon each other until you
have a pile 2 or 3 inches high. Now lay on

_ them a board cut the exact size you wish the

fdn. to be, and with a sharp, thin-bladed,
butcher or other knife, cut through the
Whole, all around the board. To prevent
the knife from sticking, dip it occasionally
in the starch, such as is used in rolling the
sheets. To have the knife work nicely, you
should have a coarse whetstone near by,
with which to keep the edge keen. As the
board is liable to shrink, warp, and get the
edges whittled off, where a great number of
sheets of a particular size is wanted, we
have frames; made sharp on their edges and
lined with tin. The tin is folded, and put
on so that the edge of the knife does not
strike it, if the blade is held in the proper
position.

To cut sheets 12 by 18, we have a frame
made as follows :

SSS

= = Hig, 2
FRAMES FOR CUTTING SHEETS FOR BROOD-
FRAMES.

The diagonal piece in figure 1 serves as a
brace to keep it true and square, and also
for a handle to lift it by. The frame is
placed over the sheet so as to cut to the best
advantage, and the knife is run around it.
Figure 1 is for cutting sheets 12 by 18, and
figure 2 for the L. frame, 8 by 164 in. For
the wired frames shown on the next page,
the sheets are to be cut 88x17$.

For cutting a great number of small pieces,
such as starters for sections, a pair of
frames like those shown in the engravings
in next column are very convenient.

Fig. 1 is composed of seven 4-inch strips,
12 inches wide, by about 20 inches long.

55

COMB FOUNDATION.

The spaces are just wide enough to allow
the knife to run between them. Fig. 2 is
composed of the same number of boards,
but they are 33 wide, by about 16 long. You
will observe that this allows one frame to be
placed over the other, each fitting in be-

Fig. 1.

a
| Wy ie

MACHINE FOR CUTTING STARTERS FOR SEC-
TION BOXES.
tween the cleats of the other. To use the
machine, place a sheet (or sheets) of fdn.,
say 12 by 18, on Fig. 1, and lay Fig. 2 over
it. Run the knife through all the spaces,
and then turn the whole machine over. Now
run it through as before, and your sheet is
cut into oblong pieces, just such as we put
in the 44 section boxes when we ship them
in complete hives. We should, perhaps, use
pieces somewhat larger, were it not that
there would be greater danger of their
breaking out with the rough handling they
get when the hives are sent by freight. The
pieces, as made with the above frames, are
12 by 3% inches.* If much work is to be done
with these frames, they had better be coy-
ered with tin, like the frames before men-
tioned.
FOUNDATION FOR COMB HONEY.

The only trouble with it for comb honey
is that, under some circumstances occurring
very rarely I believe, the bees will build on to
the foundation, without thinning the center
at all, as they usually do. I believe this is

*At this date, May, 1883, the decision is strongly in
favor of having the thin foundation entirely fill the
sections, and for the Simplicity sections, they are
eut 3%x3{, made of foundation with the base about
as thin as natural comb. If the foundation is prop-
erly made, the honey will be in no respeet different
from that stored in natural comb.

5

COMB FOUNDATION.

more apt to occur when a good yield of hon-
ey comes during rather cool weather, the
bees being unable to get the wax warm
enough to work readily. The remedy for
this will be in making the base of the cells
of the fdn. exceedingly thin, and the small
5-inch machines seem best for this purpose.
We have made machines for making the
fdn. four, four and a half, and five cells to
the inch. The latter is now agreed by all, I
believe, to be best for the brood-apartment,
the others being used for comb honey. As
the queen is not much disposed to lay eggs in
the fdn. 44 cells to the inch, it may serve an
excellent purpose; but as the bees can work
the fdn. with 4 cells to the inch (drone
comb) faster than any other during a yield
of honey, this size will perhaps be used.

For box honey or sections, we want the
base of the cell about as thin as natural
comb ; and to get this, we screw the rolls
down close and roll only narrow strips, say
3% inches wide, for the 1-lb. sections. Wide
sheets can not be rolled vey thin.

Foundation with flat - bottomed cells is
used by the bees, but I can not think with
the same facility as that having the natural
shape.

CARLIN’S FOUNDATION-CUTTER.

This implement was invented by C. R.
Carlin, of Shreveport, La., and is intertded
to take the place of a knife. It is cheaply
made, with a wheel of tin, but better ones
have a steel wheel. After using it one sea-
son, we find that the greater part of our
hands prefer a knife.

SAGGING OF THE FOUNDATION.

At the time of this writing (Nov., 1882),
many devices are being tried to prevent the
' sagging of the fdn., and consequently slight

6 COMB FOUNDATION

on thin wood; but as the bottom of the cell
is flat, they are compelled to use wax to fill ©
out the interstices, and the value of this
surplus wax, it seems to me, throws the
wood base entirely out of the question. I
do not like the fdn. with wire rolled in it, on
account of the greater expense, and because —
we cannot fasten it in the frames as securely
as we can where the wires are first sewed
through the frames.

Aside from the production of drone-cells,
we want combs that will not break out of
the frames in shipping, handling, or extract- —
ing, in either hot or cold weather; we also
want frames that will not sag, no matter
how heavily they may be filled with honey.

For several seasons I have been using combs
in which the fdn. was rubbed against fine
wires stretched across the frame, and we
have now in our apiary a thousand or more ©
combs so strong that, although they are new ~
combs just built out, they can be thrown on
to the floor, without any danger of injury.
Not only this, but by a couple of diagonal
wires and center-bars of. folded tin we have
braced the frames so there is no more sag-
ging of the top and bottom bars, even though
they are less than + of an inch in thickness.

pet RR et
N iy
neal
WLLENVCLI Al
L. FRAME WIREDZREADY FOR USE.

The wires are put in, as in the cut shown
above, with the thin bar of tin in the center,
to support the top-bar.

The wire used is No. 80, tinned iron wire.
After the wires are in and drawn up tight,
the foundation is cut so as to fill the frame,
and the wires are then imbedded into the
wax by means of one of the various devices
for that purpose. During this operation the
foundation is supported on a level board cut —

ap

elongation of the cells, in the upper part of
the comb. With the L. frames, this is so
slight that it occasions no serious trouble
with the greater part of the wax of com-
merce; but with deeper frames, or with some
specimens of natural wax, the sagging is
sufficient to allow the bees to raise drones in
the upper cells. Paper has been tried, and
succeeds beautifully, while the bees are get-
ting honey; but during a dearth, when they
have nothing to do, they are liable at any
time to tear the nice combs all to bits, to get
out the paper, which I have supposed they
imagine to be the web of the moth-worm.
In our apiary I have beautiful combs built

so as to just slip inside the frame, and come
up against the wires. The board is to be
kept wet with a damp cloth, to prevent the
wax sticking to it. It is to be turned once,
of course, to fasten the wires on each side.

IMPLEMENT FOR FASTENING THE FOUNDA-
TION TO THE WIRES.

Until quite recently we have used a sol-
dering-iron with a grooved curved point, as

a COMB FOUNDATION. 57 COMB FOUNDATION.

shown in the cut. A pair of the irons | wire used for it must be considerably finer
are used, one being kept warm by a lamp. | than No. 30. No. 36, I believe, is generally
Of late, however, the soldering-irons have | used, and this we find too frail for our use,
been discarded in favor of a common carpet- | shipping bees, ete. As yet, I believe it does
stretcher. not put foundation into wired frames so that

A common carpet - stretcher, like the | they will bear shipment, while that put in by
cut below, is fitted with a short handle,
and then the wax is =
warmed up so as to be
quite soft. The wires
are imbedded by laying
the points along the =”
wire, and pressing down
while the fdn. is sup-
ported as in the preced-
ing cut. The advan-
tage of the carpet- CARPETSTRETCHER.
stretcher is, that none of the cells are in any
Way injured, as is the case with the soldering- |
iron method that was first used. With the
latter, we sometimes have arow of drone-
cells where the wire passed; but with the
carpet-stretcher, the bees finish out the cells
as perfectly as if nothing of the kind had
ever touched them. It may be well to add,
that the foundation is put in the frame in
such a way that the diagonal wires are on
one side of the sheet, while the vertical
wires are on the other. The wires are im-
bedded first on one side and then on the | -
other.

Still later, the implement figured in
the cut below has found favor, and our

Sa (TUNITY

eestaresrs

no
ne
mn i

li
|

GIVEN FOUNDATION-PRESS.

hand can be shipped safely anywhere during
warm weather. Neither is it adapted to
making sheets of foundation that entirely
fill the frames; and I should always want
the sheets to come clear up to the wood on
all sides. As the manufacturers are improv-
ing these presses continually, they may
eventually make them to surmount all the

EASTERDAY’S FOUNDATION-FASTENER. | Mifficulties mentioned.

girls now consider it quicker and easier than | FASTENING STARTERS IN SECTION BOXES.
any other plan heretofore tried. You see, For this purpose the foundation is made
the points strike one at a time, therefore no | in narrow strips, as has been before explain-
very great pressure is needed; and yet by | ed. For the Simplicity section we have dip-
rocking the implement the work is done very | ping-boards 3? inches wide ; and after being
rapidly. rolled, they are then cut up into pieces that
GIVEN FOUNDATION-PRESS. nearly fill the sections, or as much less as the
This press is just now finding considera- | taste or purse of the bee-keeper demands.
ble favor. With a pair of dies just the size | The pieces are fastened only to the top-bar
of the inside of the frame, plain sheets of | of the section, and this is done by either of
Wax are made into foundation by imbedding | the machines shown on next page. The idea
the wires into it at one and the same opera- | is, to simply rub a thin edge of the wax into «
tion. The price is a little more than the | the dry wood of the section. The motion of
price of rolls. The objections to it are, that | the machine spreads the wax down, and
it makes sheets of only one size; that the | mashes it into the wood, as it were. It is

COMB HONEY.

then tipped with the fingers so as to hang
straight down, and the s2ctions are ready to
go into the hives. Gray’s machine is work-
ed by foot power.

PARKER MACHINE FOR FASTENING START-
ERS IN SECTIONS.

GRAY’S MACHINE FOR FASTENING START-
ERS IN SECTIONS.

To use this machine, fasten it to a bench
or table, so the treadle just clears the floor.
Before putting in your sections with founda-
tion, moisten the lower edge of the block c,
where it touches the foundation, with a
brush accompanying. Place the foundation
so the block will just catch the edge of the
wax, then push toward the table with your

foot, until the wax is rubbed into the wood, |

and the section slides nearly from under the
machine. The foundation should be warm
enough to be quite soft. If it is cool, place
it in the sun, near the stove, or near a heat-

ed flat-iron, until it gets well softened. <As |
you lift out your sections, place them in |
By adjusting |

your wide frames or crates.
the little strip that touches the section, you
can make it fasten the foundation just in
the center of the section.

COMB HONEY. I would have comb
honey stored in section frames, instead of
boxes, because they are clean and nice to
handle, can be retailed without the trouble-
some daubing, and, above all, because the

58

|

of exactly the same dimensions.

COMB HONEY.

public will pay a much higher price for hon- —
ey in that shape. For the same reason, I
would have the sections small. I would also —
have them made to fit inside of your regular
hive-frame, or rather in a wide frame, made ~
This sim- ©
plifies the work greatly, because we can
then hang a frame of sections in any hive,
and in either the upper or lower story, as we
may have occasion. This is a great conve-
nience, for it enables us to get nice comb

honey from any colony, however weak, by

simply hanging a frame of these sections, on
one or both sides of the brood-combs. If
the bees have been kept in a small space, so
that every comb is occupied with brood and
pollen at the approach of the honey season,
they will start in the sections almost at once,
if they are given them just as soon as they
begin to be crowded for room. Give them a
single frame at first, and when they are well
at work in this, give them another. Do not

/put on an upper story until they are ready
to go into it in large numbers.

Do not let
the bees, by any means, get to
CLUSTERING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE.
HIVES.
If you have been ‘‘ up and dressed, and on
hand,’ they will seldom commence this
when honey is to be had in the fields; but if

_a strong colony gets to hanging out prepara-

tory to swarming, you must get them into
the boxes at all hazards. The first thing is
to be sure they have room near the brood ;
the next, that the hive is properly shaded ;
and we have found ita good thing, many
times, to drive them in with smoke. After
they once get started at work, you will sel-
dom have trouble with them, but a little

neglect may be the means of losing a fine

crop of honey. Sections partly filled out by
other colonies will almost invariably set
them at work. If you can do no better, di-
vide them ; but I should try every thing else
before doing this, if my object were comb
honey.

HOW TO REMOVE THE FILLED SECTIONS.

Ido not know that I ever really enjoyed
any work in the apiary more, and that is
saying a great deal, than taking off these
little section boxes.

I hardly know which plan is quicker; to
remove a whole upper story and let the bees
leave it and go back into the hive before the
sections are taken out, or to pick out the
filled sections as fast as completed, and re-
place them with empty ones. Where you
have a large number of hives with the boxes
mostly filled, I would adopt the former plan.

OY iat pe

COMB HONEY.

59

COMB HONEY.

Lift off the upper story and place it in front | trance, or, if more convenient, on the top of

of the hive.
empty upper story filled with sections and
fdn. After the bees are all or nearly all out,
sort out the finished sections, and put the
unfilled ones with new sections to fill it out,
into an upper story for the next hive, and
so on, until we get through. The bees will
work on sections partly filled from another
hive, justas wellas on those from their own.as
far as we have been able to discover. Where
the work is considerable, a cheap hand can
do the sorting and crating as well as any one
else. <A girl that is careful, one who will
not seatter the sections and knock them
Over against each other, is just what you
want. They are to be handled just like
eggs, and the fingers should be so clean
that they will not soil white paper. If you
wish your honey to bring the highest price,
you must insist that no sections are left
standing about, but that each case or upper
story is finished and covered up before an-
other is opened. There are but two places
for all that are found, either in the shipping-
case or in the upper stories to go on the
next hive. (If you have been so careless as
to have some of the fdn. starters that have
dropped out, you had better send such sec-
tions of honey to the children of some of
your neighbors who do not keep bees). If
you wish nice clean true work,
ALWAYS USE THE TIN SEPARATORS.*

Although you can get sections that do
very well asa general thing without them,
the expense and bother of having a comb
built so that it must be broken before the
sections can be separated, or of having even
one in 50 bulged into its neighbors in a way
that would prevent its going into the packing
case, would, with us, pay for the separators
for the whole lot, especially as one set will
answer for a lifetime, so far as we know.
After the wide frames are procured, with
the separators, the only expense is 4 cent
each for the sections, and you are not obliged
to go to this expense even, until-the first lot
are filled and ready to sell.

If you are using the chaff hives, or if you
have only a few hives, or if honey is coming
so slowly that only a small part of the sec-
tions are ready to remove, it will be your
better way to lift the frames, take out the
filled sections and replace them with empty
ones, without brushing the bees off at all.
If the sections are set down near the en-

*May, 1884.—A number of our successful honey-
raisers are, at present, using sections 1% or % inches
wide without separators, and give reports of consid-
erable success.

Now on this first hive place an | the frames you have just examined, the bees

will be nearly all off as soon as you are ready
to close the hive. It is a very easy matter
to take out the finished sections and leave
the others, when you once get the hang of
it. You can get out the first 2-inch frame
without killing a single bee; see H1IVE-MAkK-
ING. Stand this at one side of the hive
in the shade, or in an empty hive if robbers -
are about much, and then proceed to lift out
the next one. Now there is a very conveni-
ent way of supporting a frame, while you
are cutting out or inserting queen-cells, re-
moving a queen for caging, clipping a
queen’s wings, removing section boxes, and
doing a variety of other things; and to be
sure to make it plain, I will give you a dia-
gram.

Let A BC D represent the hive or the up-
per story of a hive; the frame of sections is

Shown with one of the ends of the top-bar

resting in its usual place in the rabbet, while
the bottom-bar of the frame rests on the op-
posite rabbet. One advantage of this meth-
od of support is that all, or nearly all, the
bees will run off from the lower corner—
shown by the dotted lines—on to the frames
below, and we thus avoid having them scat-
tered about on the ground. It is very plain,
that you have every facility in the world
for getting out the upper corner sections, at
E; if those adjoining it are finished, they

‘will come out equally easy, and there will

be no danger of any of the rest sliding out of
place while you are doing it, for they are
held securely by gravity ; when these are all
out, and their places supplied with empty
ones, you are ready to take those from the
other end in the same way. If the bottom
sections are all filled before the upper ones,
simply turn the frame upside down; your
frame is held securely, and you have both
hands to work with. When done, put it in
place of the first removed, and so on until
the whole are finished. If you leave the
honey in the hive until the bees have stopped
gathering, you will have to get it off ina
hurry, or they (especially hybrids) will un-

COMB HONEY.

cap and earry it below just the minute you
commence work with them. Drive them
down with smoke, then get out your honey.

The engraving below gives a very good
idea of the sections we use and recommend.
They are 44 inches square, and 1§ inches
thick. I prefer this size, because they con-
tain just about 1 lb. of honey, and 8 of them
just filla Langstroth frame. While these
have commanded 25e per lb. at wholesale,
sections that held from 14 to 2 lbs. have on-
ly brought from 20 to 22c. This is too great
a difference to lose, so long as the bees will
put it in one shape just as well as the oth-
er. We have tried a great variety of sizes,

60

COMB HONEY.

GETTING BEES OUT OF BOXES, OR OFF FROM
COMB HONEY.

I presume not many of the friends will
have honey stored in the old-fashioned box-
es, with glass in the ends ; but if they should
do so, it is sometimes quite desirable to
know how to get the bees out quickly. We
sometimes take a whole case of sections
from a hive at once, and wish to get the bees
all out without going to the trouble of break-
ing each section loose from the waxing that
the bees put on it. With the crate that
goes under the half-story cover, this is often
quite desirable. The old-fashioned way of
doing this was to drive out as many bees as

ey re

rox

A SECTION BOX FILLED WITH HONEY.

but the bees seem somewhat loth to store |
honey in any thing very much less in size;
some, 24 inches in size, were very well filled,
but it was only after they had filled all the
larger ones placed in the same hive.

Of course, you will be methodical enough |
to have your shipping-case by your side when
removing sections, that you may put them
in their places as fast as they are removed.
We can not afford to handle things unnec-
essarily, to say nothing of having our work |

scattered about, and in danger of being for- |

gotten or tumbled down in the dirt. When
you have your eases filled, tack on a ship-
ping-tag, with yowr own address on it, as
well as the address of your honey-merchant,
and it isready to go. If afterafew days you
should find traces of worms, see BEE Mora.

Is it nota satisfaction to have every pound
of your honey sold the very minute you get
it off the hives, and to have none standing
around in the way, waiting for a purchaser
to come along ?

possible with smoke, then put all your boxes
into a large box or barrel, and spread over
this a. thin white sheet or cloth. Bees, in
trying to get up to the light, will in time
cluster on this cloth, when it may be turned
over, and so on until all are out. Fasten
the cloth down so the wind will/not blow it
off, or you may have a big rumpus, and but
little honey left. ;

A friend of mine once removed his whole
crop of comb honey, and placed it in the or-
chard to let the bees crawl out at their leis-
ure. This was in the fall, after the bass-
wood yield had ceased. It made such a row
in that neighborhood that the people have
hardly forgotten about it yet. It was the
first crop of honey he ever raised ; and while
I think of it, I believe it was the last. See
ROBBING.

Another friend once placed a large box of
honey before an open window, and then
wondered because the honey went out, and
the bees came in all over the house, Well,

COMB HONEY.

it takes some time to watch the bees on the

cloth, and turn it over every little while, so
implements have been devised that would
let bees out, but would not permit them to
return. The wire-cloth covers figured at the
close of the article on DRONEs worked pret-
ty well for this purpose. Another device,
much used by our English friends, is called
a bee-trap. The bees,in going out, raise a
pin, or nail ; and as this drops after them it
makes a pretty sure thing of it. A young
friend in our own country has devised a sim-
ilar arrangement made of pins. We give an
illustration of it below, and also his letter of
explanation with it:

My plan is to prepare a close-fitting box with an
entrance (or, rather, place of exit) similar to that of
the chaff hive; over this entrance I have arranged
a sort of trap so that the bees can pass one way only.
Take a wooden bar about the size of a lead-pencil,
and put through it a row of common pins, about 7 to
the inch; this must be swung on pivots, so that the
pin-points may rest on the ‘‘ jumping-off board.”

POUDER’S BEE-TRAP.
Just place your comb honey inside of this box, and
no more is required. Now, friend Root, is the idea

old, or is it too much machinery? I know it works
well, for I have tried it.

Wewant some one to invent a little bucket for the
bees to carry when honey is abundant. Wouldn't
that be nice, to see them skip out so early in the
morning, and bring back honey by the pailful?

WALTER S. POUDER.

Groesbeck, O., March 24, 1884.

In the article on HoNEyY-HOUSEs, a plan
is given to let the bees out at the window,
but not permitting them to return again.

MARKETING COMB HONEY.

There is nothing that can make a bee-keeper fee]
better than clean cash for his surplus honey at the
end of the season.—Adam Grimm, page 86, Vol. I.,
—GLEANINGS.

Every thing, nowadays, depends on having
goods neat, clean, and in an attractive
shape, to have them ‘‘ go off” readily; even

our hoes have to be gilt-edged, for I noticed

some ata hardware storeafew days ago,
and it seemed that those that were gilt, or
bronzed, perhaps, were selling far in advance
of the plain steel ones. We have been told
of gilt-edged butter that sold for fabulous
prices, but we hardly think it will be advi-
sable to have our honey put up in that way,
although we do wish it to look as well as any
other of the products of the farm.
BOXING UP COMB HONEY FOR SHIPPING.
There is one caution suggested in the fol-
lowing note from our commission-house in

61

COMB HONEY.

Cleveland, to whom we sent a couple of cases
of sections as a sample.

The sample of honey is very nice, and we think it
will sell readily, but we can not tell at what price.
Our opinion, however, based upon reports from oth-
er markets, is that it will bring more now than later.
If you have a stock of it, please send us a little lot ;
do not on any account box it up invisibly tight, but
pack it so the expressmen can see what they are
handling. Give us your price and we will see how
our market will respond; by all means make it low
enough to sell readily. STAIR & KENDEL.

Cleveland, Ohio, July 5, 1877.

You see, the hives would make the honey
invisible, and, of course, the expressmen
would smash it. Now, to determine about
what sized package would be best, we sent
to a manufacturer of fruit and berry crates,
for they have determined, by much experi-
ence, what is probably best. We procured a
very pretty crate from Batterson, of Buffalo.
It is strong, light, cheaply made, and has
convenient handles to lift it by. From this
we decided that we wanted a package com-
posed of about 2 sections in height, 4 long—
just as they stand in the hive—by 6 wide.
This would make just 48 sections, and they
weigh just about as nearly a pound each as
they can well be made to do. The engrav-
ing given on the next page will, we trust,
make all plain.

The glass is to slide in at the upper edge,
after the box is all made. Ifa glass should
be accidentally broken, one may be easily
slipped in by simply unscrewing the cover.

The end boards are of § stuff, 94 inches
wide, by 12 long. They are rabbeted at
both upper and lower edge to let in the tops
and bottoms, which are of % stuff. The ends
of the end-boards are also rabbeted just
enough to receive the glass; this is done by
a single saw-cut. Strips of # stuff, 14 wide,
are put across above and below the glass;
they reach below, and are nailed into the
bottom-board to give it strength. The case
is completed by nailing strips of the same
kind on the’ends of the end-boards, and it is
then ready to slide in the glass. To have
them look neat, they should be well painted
before the glass is put in. Ours were so
much admired before painting, that we an-
ticipated an additional surprise when
they were all painted a pure white, but we
were somewhat astonished to find that the
honey looked several shades darker by the
strong contrast. Will some of our feminine
friends who have a taste for appropriate col-
ors, tell us what shade to paint our honey-
cases ? White is objectionable, aside from
the reason mentioned, because it soils too
easily.

COMB HONEY. 6
The two sheets of glass can be purchased
anywhere for about 12 cents, and we have
all the advantage of glassed boxes, with less
than + of the expense, for nothing can be
handier for a retailer, than to set this case
on the counter and simply raise the cover
and hand out the neat little 1 1b. sections to
his customer. The case itself, filled, is
about the best advertisement one can pos-
sibly have, and the contents are always free
from dust, and secure from flies. No glass
is needed on the sections, for they are so
small and thick through, that they can be
safely wrapped up in a piece of paper.

COMB HONEY.

sure to sell readily in almost any town, and
nothing further remains for us to do but
study how we can get it in this shape cheap-
est.

KEEP YOUR HONEY CLEAN, AND FREE

FROM STICKINESS.

Do not take a single section from the hive
until every cell is sealed, and the honey —
clean and dry.!? Each one should be as clean —
and perfect as a newly laid egg, and there is
no trouble about having them so, if you do
not yield to the'temptation to take any that
are almost finished. Just as surely as you
send cases to market with the honey drip-

SS.

Sree cnt
EOSIN ie

try

CASE FOR STORING

After we had finished the first case, it was
sent as a sample, with the remark that we
thought the honey should retail for 25 cts.
per lb. ; this is their reply :

The case of honey was received to-day, and was un-
exceptionally in the best shape of any honey we ever
saw for retailing. We had no trouble to get the
price, 25 cents at wholesale, closing out the entire 45
lbs. net. We will say, you may send us all you have
of such honey in same shape. We will either buy it
or sell for you as in times past.

It will not be well to crowd it on account of the
outside cases or else we would say, send all you have
at onee. If you have a ton or two it will not matter,
only we would say, send about 500 Ibs. at a time,
which could be sent by freight, if it could be trans-
ferred at Grafton with care. STAIR & KENDEL.

Cleveland, Ohio, July 7, 1877.

Honey put up in this shape will be pretty

AND SHIPPING

HONEY.

ping and daubing every thing it touches,
_just so surely will you have to take up with
| an inferior price for your crop; do not rest
satisfied until you can show as nice goods in
| your line as any other person in the busi-
‘ness. You will get along just as fast, by
keeping every thing neat and tidy. If you
should be so awkward as to get some of the
comb broken and the honey running, just
place all the leaky sections in a hive fora
half-hour, and the bees will empty all bro-
_ken cells, and clean up better and with more
economy than you could ever do it.

Lest this notice should induce a great
many to write to Messrs. Stair & Kendel to
sell their honey, I would remark that it will
probably be of no use, unless you have some-

“=r

___fiap, and can be quickly opened.

COMB HONEY.

63

COMB HONEY.

thing in small sections of about one pound | tion to those who have honey to dispose of,
each, and put up as neatly and nicely asI| we submit the following, which was pub-

have described. Nice comb honey in boxes
is quite plentiful at 15 cents, in many places.

In order to test the shipping qualities of
our cases, as well as the markets in our dif-
ferent cities, we sent a case, such as we
have figured, to Cincinnati, one to Chi-
cago, and one to New York city. They
had no protection at all, but all went safely ;
and I know of no reason why a glass case of
honey should not have as careful treatment
as a basket of peaches, or a crate of straw-
berries, for that matter. All praised the case
and honey, some of them extravagantly, and
most of them wanted more. It is so clean
and convenient for retailing that a brisk de-
mand has sprung up at home, and it looks
now as though we might sella ton or more
right in the apiary, without stirring a‘‘ peg ”’
to hunt.up a customer. My friends, we can
sell our honey, our queens, aye, and our bees
too, all in this very way, if we will keep ful-
ly up to the light we now have. Throw
away patents, adopt one uniform hive, hon-
ey-package, etc., and let those who choose
to follow the old jumbled-up way of doing
things hunt for customers, and sell at half
price even then.

A similar case, but holding only a single
tier of sections, is shown under HivE-MAk-
ING. This is made to go into the hive and
therefore answers the double purpose of a
case for holding the sections in the hive, and
also a case in which to send them to market.

PASTEBOARD BOXES FOR ONE-POUND SEC-
TIONS OF COMB HONEY.

This package has a bit
of ‘‘ red tape” attached
to it, to carry it by. Itis
a safe and pretty package
for a single section of
honey, being very conve-
nient for the customer to
— carry, or pack in his va-
BOX FOR SITING lise or trunk, if he wants
wo to. It is closed by a tuck
Finely
colored lithographic labels may be used on
one or both sides. Their cost in the flat,
without labels, is about $12.00 per 1000, and

very pretty labels can be had for about $3.50

per 10C0.
MAKING HONEY SELL.

In getting a good price for our honey,
very much depends upon the way in which
it is cared for and exhibited at the grocer-
ies and commission stores. As an illustra-
tion of this point, and also as a good sugges-

lished in GLEANINGS for January, 1884:

Friend Root:—So many of your correspondents
are giving their plans for selling their surplus hon-
ey, through the columns of GLEANINGS, I will give
you mine, and the way I created a market at and
near home.

In former years I had trouble to sell my surplus
honey at alive and let-live price at Brookville, the
county-seat, on account of the farmers selling their
dark strained honey at 5 or 6 cts. per lb., and comb
in broken pieces smeared all over with honey, from
6to8 cents. I could not afford to sell mine at those
prices, and therefore had to ship it to large cities,
and I lost considerable by its being smashed while
in transit.

I had often noticed, that if goods were placed in a
show-window, or fine show-case, they would sell
faster than when laid on the shelves; and the
thought came to my mind, that if the pretty white
sections filled with snow-white capped honey were
put in a show-ease, and set on the counter in a con-
spicuous place in a leading grocery, they would
draw the attention of the customers, as well as oth-
er goods.

Tat once ordered one made, 2% ft. high, by 16 in.
square at base and top, three sides glassed, and the
fourth side a panel door painted a sky blue; on the
pane opposite the door I had the inscription in gilt
letters, shaded brown, as in the cut.

SHOW-CASE FOR HONEY.
I made arrangements with one of the leading grc-
‘cers to have the case put on his counter, allowing
| him a commission of 20 per cent on all he sold. I
filled it with one and two pound sections, arranging
; them in the shape of a cone, the two-pound sections
| at the bottom. On the top of the case I put twelve
two-pound jars of extracted honey, arranged ina

STURWOLD’S

COMB HONEY.

square, and above them eight one-pound jars, with
a pane of glass between them, and one jar on top of
that, with a few one-half pound tumblers on each
corner. All the jars were labeled, and capped with

tinfoil caps,ala Muth. This pyramid of jars was |

covered with fine white mosquito-netting, to keep
the flies from soiling the labels and jars.

T tell you it looked pretty, and made me feel hap-
py when I heard the grocer exclaim, ‘“* Well, well! if
that won’t sell, Mr. S., I'll give up the grocery busi-
ness.’’ Dol hear you ask if it did? Well, I should
think so. In six weeks all my comb honey, 350 lbs.,
was gone, and he wrote me for more. You see, if
we put our honey up in an attractive manner it will
sell, and that at a good price too. I sold my comb
at 20, and extracted at 15 cents per pound. The
honey placed in and on the show-case was not han-
dled, for I furnished him enough in the shipping-
case. J. W. STURWOLD.

Haymond, Ind., Dec., 1883.

KEEPING COMB HONEY.

It is sometimes desirable to keep comb
honey for a better market, or that we may
have a supply the year round, etc. Well, to
keep it with unimpaired flavor it must not
be subjected to dampness. If water con-

64

COMB HONEY.

denses on the surface of the comb, it soon
dilutes the honey, and then it sours, etc. On
this account the honey should never be put
into a cellar or other damp room. Better
put it upstairs; and that there may be a free
circulation of air, without admitting bees
or flies, the windows should be covered
with painted wire cloth. We are accustom-
ed to keeping comb honey the year round,
and rarely have it deteriorate in the least.
The same remarks will, in the main, apply
to keeping extracted honey. During damp
and rainy weather, the doors and windows
to the honey-room or honey-house should be
closed, and opened again when the air is
dry.

If I am correct, comb honey should also
be stored where it is not likely to freeze, as
freezing contracts the wax so as to break the
combs and let the honey run. Under the
head of HoNEY-HovuseEs will be found some
further remarks bearing closely on this sub-
ject.

pn ae

ht

St ey

tose ee

Sh ae

oe

ae tt

By man. Co. Cin:

: —SS

- J. ARCHER’S BEE RANCHE,

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFOR

NIA.

[ss See

D.

DANDELION = (Taraxacum).
plant, I am inclined to think, is of more im-
portance than is generally supposed, for it
comes into bloom just after fruit - blossoms;
and as it yields both pollen and honey, it

keeps up brood-rearing, when it is of the ut- |

most importance it should be kept going.” I
do not know that it would pay to raise a field
of Dandelions expressly for the bees ; but as

they grow to a great size and luxuriance

when allowed to stand and blossom in the
garden, I feel pretty sure that a cultivated
plat of them would furnish a great amount
of honey. What a pretty sight it would be
on our honey-farm! They do not ordinarily
blossom until the second season, but. per-
haps, like catnip and clover, they would do

So, if sowed early, and cultivated. As Dan-|
delions seem to be much on the increase in |
the fields and about the roadsides in our vi- |

cinity, I think we can safely conclude that
the more bees there are kept, the more such

plants we shall have ; for the bees, by fertil- |

izing each blossom, cause them to produce
an unusual amount of good sound seed. I
do not think of any other purpose for which
the Dandelions can be used, except as greens
in the spring ; if we allowed stock to forage
on our yellow flower-garden, I am afraid it
would mar its beauty, if not its usefulness
for honey.

I really can not say much in praise of the
Dandelion honey, for we extracted some that

we called Dandelion on account of the taste,

and we could not use it atall. It was so

dark colored and strong, that we with diffi- |

culty gave it away. The honey may have
been from the shell - bark hickory, however,
as that comes in bloom at about the same time.

DISEASES OF BEES. I am very
glad indeed to be able to say, that bees are
less liable to be affected with disease than
perhaps anyother class of animated crea-
tion. Itis perhaps because the individual

This |

members of a colony are so constantly giv-
ing way to other younger members, as they
are hatched out and come on the stage of
action. Nothing but a really contagious
disease could do very much harm, where
vigorous and youthful members are being
_added to the family circle almost daily, and,
for a great part of the year, by hundreds or
thousands. Therefore, if your bees lack
thrift, all you have to do is to start brood-
rearing briskly ; and if the queen is in any
way at fault, you can simply remove her and
substitute another, without even so much
as disturbing the regular daily routine.

So long as this is the case, we have little
to fear from any disease that does not attack
or interfere with the brood or young hatch-
ing bees. Luckily we have but one such
disease. This is termed FouLt BRoop, and
the subject will be found fully discussed un-
der that head. The disease next in impor-
tance is DYSENTERY, and many seriously
doubt whether this should be called a dis-
/ease at all, unless, forsooth, we should say
_a boy had some disease when he ate green
| apples, or went about with his feet wet on
a bitter cold day. The difficulty seems nearly
allied to what, for want of some better name,
| has for the past few years been termed
| SPRING DWINDLING.
| In olden times, and up to within the past
| ten years, bees seldom died with honey in
their hives; and when it was announced
_that good colonies of bees were gone, leaving
their combs filled with honey, many were
‘incredulous. Very soon, however, some

of our best bee-keepers began to lose in the
| same way, and, ere: long, whole apiaries of
hundreds of colonies were swept off ina
few weeks, during the months of February,
| March, and April. If I am not mistaken, as
| soon as the bees began to get new honey
'from fruit - blossoms or other sources, they
'began to build up, and then every thing

DISEASES OF BEES.

went along as usual. The blame was first
thrown on the extractor, because some bees
died in hives from which the honey had been
extracted, and others in the same apiary
that had their combs left undisturbed, came
through healthy as usual. This undoubted-

ly made a difference, for the honey gathered |

in the fore part of the season is often more

wholesome than that gathered late in the |

fall; but it was by no means all the trouble,
for apiaries having only box hives were in
many instances devasted entirely. Expos-
ure to the weather was suggested as the
cause, and fine wintering-houses and cellars
were constructed, and for a while every thing
seemed prosperous ; but very soon they died

out on the floors in the dead of winter, be-
smearing their hives, and deporting them-
selves in almost any but a satisfactory way.
Some succeeded so well with bee-houses and

them ;
wintering; and in many localities, bees have
wintered under almost all circumstances,
if only supplied with plenty of food.

In a great majority of cases, it has seemed
pretty conclusive that the trouble
caused by bad food; the Italians may have
been somewhat to blame for this; for during

unfavorable seasons, they stored up large |

amounts of honey from the aphides or honey-
dew, or from other sources that bees are not
usually wont to frequent. The use of the
extractor has many times, without doubt,

aggravated the trouble, as we have mention- |
ed, where all the combs in the hive have |

been repeatedly emptied; for in such a case,
the bees are driven entirely to the late-gath-
ered and oftentimes unsealed stores, for
their winter supplies. To remedy this mat-
ter, it was suggested that their honey be all
extracted, and that they be wintered entire-
ly on stores of a good quality of sugar syrup.
This course proved successful, in the great
majority of cases; but by the time we got

well into it, the dwindling mania had par- |

tially gone by, and those that were left with
their own stores wintered all right also, so
that very little was proven. Besides, it was
a great deal of trouble to do this feeding at
atime when the bees were much disposed
to rob, and so it, like all the other remedies,
was gradually dropped. This was especially
the case when extracted honey became so
cheap that it was no object to extract and sell
it. Again, this bad fall honey that killed
the bees one spring almost as surely as fly-
poison kills flies, if kept over until the next,

Was |

68

DISEASES OF BEES.

could be fed to them with perfect impunity.
This may not have been always the case, but
it was in some quite well - authenticated in-
stances. ‘‘Of course, then, it was a disease,”
said many, ‘‘and it is a disease that is catch-
ing too,” said others; ‘‘for after it got among
my bees, they ‘ jest all went.’ ’’*

Well, my friends, I really do not know
whether it was a disease or not, and
Ido not know that it matters very much.
We learned pretty thoroughly that, what-
ever it was, it usually came in the spring,
just about the time the bees began to rear
brood considerably, and that the old bees
were generally gone, just after a spell of

| badspring weather. Also that the very “‘bad-
in these repositories also, the bees coming |

dest”’ honey, if I may be allowed the expres-
sion, did no harm at all, if fed in very warm
weather. One more fact, and I am done.

Colonies that were queenless, or that were

|

_by any means entirely prevented from raising
cellars, that they have all along adhered to |
but so have others with outdoor |

brood, seldom, if ever, caught the —— the
‘* dwindling.”” I declare, there is one more
fact after all, that I had almost forgotten.
It is, that very strong colonies with tough

old brood - combs almost invariably pull

through, especially if they have a good live-
ly-queen. Such colonies will stand like the
sturdy oak, year after year, while the new
stocks that are so rapidly built up vanish,
like the smoke, from their new combs and
small clusters of brood.

In view of the above facts, and after try-
ing almost every thing else, I began, at the

| suggestion of friend Townley, of Tompkins,

Mich., to experiment by making the bees fill
their brood-chamber, and surrounding them
with chaff, brought up close to the bees.

My first experiment was made on a pretty
strong colony. The chaff packing was about
4 inches thick, on all sides. These bees did
not commence brood-rearing as soon as the
others; but about the time natural pollen ap-
peared, they commenced to gather it brisk-
ly; and when fruit-trees bloomed, they began
to send a stream of hot air out at the en-
trance that would melt the frost in front of

the hives after a cold night, for several

inches. Do you suppose sudden changes of
weather affected them? or that they caught
the ‘‘ dwindling’? Of course, they did not;
and what is still more cheering, I have had
no case of dwindling in a strong colony thus
prepared, although I have practiced the plan
for the past three winters. Of course, some-
thing may happen yet, to upset all the chaff
experiments, as has repeatedly been the case
with other things, but I feel pretty sure that
a good chaff packing close to the cluster of

DISEASES OF BEES. 69

bees will do away with all the troubles we

have experienced with cold and backward
springs. With the chaff cushions and chaff
division-boards, you can very easily make
the experiment on any colony that has be-
gun to dwindle down just about the time
they commence to rear brood. When I first
stocked our house-apiary, I was much taken
up with the idea of having the hives simply
covered with a single thickness of cloth, that

‘we might more easily open and work with

them. As the house was to be kept free
from frost, I thought there would be no
necessity of any other covering, even in
winter; but I had the worst form of spring
dwindling I ever knew, and lost every col-
ony except a few that were in old tough
thick combs. The next winter I prepared
them just the same, but placed heavy cush-
ions of chaff at the sides and above the bees.
They all wintered without a particle of
dwindling, and by pushing one’s hand under

_ the cushion, directly over the bees, it was

found to be as warm as if you were touching
a living animal. Now, all this heat, the win-
ter before, had been passing off into the air,
almost as fast as the bees generated it. Do
you wonder their little bodies were exhaust-
ed in the attempt to rear brood and keep
warm, and that they ‘‘ got sick ’’? See WIN-

TERING.”
OTHER DISEASES.

I believe I do not know any other, unless
it be one that I can give no name for. It af-
flicts the bees in warm as well as cold weath-

er, and the inmates of heavy hivesas well

as weak ones. The symptoms area sort of
quivering and twitching motion, and final-
ly the bee becomes so much emaciated

_ that he looks like a shiny black skeleton of

what a bee should be. I have seen bees
thus affected, in perhaps a dozen or more
colonies, but it all disappeared after a time,
except in one colony. That one I broke up
after it had become pretty well reduced,
by destroying the queen, and giving the bees
to other colonies. A neighbor has also
lost a colony from the same trouble. I have
noticed it more or less for the last four or
five years, but have seen it only in the two
apiaries mentioned.*

It may be well to mention, that when a bee
is crippled or diseased from any cause, he
crawls away from the cluster, out of the
hive, and rids community of his presence
as speedily as possible; if bees could reagon,
we would call this a lesson of heroic self-

*Since the above was written we have had reports
of something quite similar, from several different
localities, 5 i Bey ee)

DIVISION-BOARDS.

sacrifice for the good of community. If
your bees should get sick from some other
cause than I have mentioned, I would advise
putting enough together to make a good lot,
surrounding them with chaff cushions close
up to the cluster, and giving them plenty of
sealed honey also close to the cluster. If
you have not the honey, and the weather is
cool or cold, use candy. If the cluster is
small, give them a small piece at a time,
right over the cluster, under the cushions.

Weak colonies sometimes get a mania in
the spring for destroying their queens; this
can hardly be termed a disease, and yet the
colony has become to a certain extent de-
moralized, and out of its normal céndition,
much as when they swarm out, as given in
ABSCONDING SWARMS; they will generally
come out all right if fed carefully and judi-
ciously, as we have described. Bees are al-
ways prospering when they are accumulat-
ing stores, and they are very apt to get
astray, in some way or other, when they are
very long without some way of making dai-
ly additions to their ‘‘stock in trade,” unless
it is during the winter, when they, are asa
general thing, mostly at rest. Almost all
sorts of irregular vagaries may be stopped
by regular daily feeding, and I would advise
the candy, for it furnishes both honey and
pollen, if made with the addition of flour as
we have advised.

DIVIDING. This term is usually ap-
plied to the operation of increasing the
number of stocks, by putting half the bees
and combs into a new hive, just about
swarming time; it is really one method
of artificial swarming. If you have an ex-
tra laying queen to give the queenless por-
tion, it may do very well; but otherwise, it
is a wasteful way of making increase, and
has mostly been abandoned. If the bees are
just ready toswarm, and have queen-cells
pretty well along, it may answer very well;
but even then, it would pay better to take
but two combs with the queen-cell, and get
a laying queen before making the actual
division, as advised in ARTIFICIAL SWARM-
ING.

DIVISION-EOARDS. Make a frame
of lath, precisely of the outside dimensions
of the frame you use in your hive. As ordi-
nary lath is 18 wide, you will have a frame
quite similar in appearance to the wide
frames that hold the sections, except their
being roughly made. When this is done, you
are to tack stout cloth all round the sides
and bottom as shown in the engraving; and
as you tack it on, it is to be filled with chaff,

9

DIVISION-BOARDS.

so as to make a sort of soft cushion. You
lid better use duck for this purpose, as our
division - board may be required to stand
some severe pulling, to tear it loose from
the propolis, when it is to be removed. You |
will need to pucker or gather the cloth slight-
ly at the corners, that they may not draw in
when the board is finished. When this is
done, nail securely on each side a thin board |
about 3-16 in thickness, filling in between
the two with chaff. Now our board is finish-
ed when we have fastened a small roll of |
duck to each end of the top-bar, to close the |
groove in the metal rabbet. To get this roll
on securely and in neat shape, itis put on
the top-bar before it is nailed to the rest of |
the frame. The tacks that hold the outside
end of this strip of cloth are driven into the
end of the top-bar, and the cloth is then
rolled over the heads so as to entirely con-_
ceal them; the other end is nailed between |
the top-bar and the end-bar as, in fact, is the |
end of the long strip of cloth also. |

CHAFF-CUSHION DIVISION-BOARD.

This division-board, if made of the proper
dimensions, should fit nicely and easily, in
any hive. It will stand securely where
placed, fits air-tight,even if the hives should |
vary a trifle in size inside, and yet can be al-
ways taken out easily, because the chaff
cushions are yielding. When used to con-
tract the space of a small swarm or nucleus,
it can be easily pushed up until the bees fill
their apartment, and it leaves a warm)
sinooth flat side toward the bees. I prefer
the board side to cloth, because if combs are |
built beside it, they are always smooth and
flat, and the bees can never bite through the
board, as they will in time through even
duck, when used for a division - board. If
you wish to use them for dividing two colo-
nies in the same hive, the division is perfect,
and no bee ever gets round or over them, to
killa queen in the other apartment. But
the principal use of these boards is to fix an
ordinary hive for wintering. To accomplish
this purpose we put one against each outside
wall of the hive; if the colony is not a full

70

DRONES.

one, push them toward each other until itis —
a full one on a smaller scale; put your chaff —
cushion on top, and they are in a very good ~
winter nest. 4
If you wish to feed a nucleus so as to build —
comb and raise brood in cool fall weather, you ~
can do it nicely, using these division-boards. —
Place one on each side of the bees up to one —
side of the hive, and feed liquid food in the
empty part, by means of the wooden feeder.
Have the apartment for the bees contracted
so that some will be crowded out around the
entrance, and fold a sheet of duck soasto —
perfectly close the space above the frames.
Get them to wax it all tight with propolis if
they will. They will soon find the way to

and from the feeder, by passing round the

lower corner of the division-board at the en-
trance of the hive and; as the warm air can
in no way escape, they are, to all intents, —
getting their honey from outside. With ©
such an arrangement in Simplicity hives, I
have been building colonies up beautifully

during the present month of Oct. (1877), and

by feeding nothing but a syrup made of .

_grape sugar. Where the space was contract-

ed so as to ‘‘squeeze” the bees out at the en-
trance, except when very cool, I have suc-

ceeded equally well with but space for
three frames.

DROWES. These are large noisy bees
that do a great amount of buzzing, but never —
sting anybody, for the very good reason that

they have no sting. The bee-keeper who
_has learned to recognize them both by sight

and sound, never pays any attention to their
noise, but visitors are many times sadly

frightened by their loud buzzing. We will

commence as we did with the worker-bees,
at the egg, and see how much we can learn
ot these harmless and inoffensive inmates of —
the bee-hive.

If our colonies are prosperous, we may —
find eggs in the drone-comb of some of the —
best hives as early as March, but not, as a
general thing, until April. You can tell —
the drone-cells from the worker at a glance
(even if you have never seen them) by the ©
size, as you willsee by looking at HonEry-
Comp. Whenever you see eggs in the large —
cells, you may be sure they are drone-eggs. —
I donot mean by this that the eggs that
produce drones look any different from any
other eggs that the queen lays, for in looks
they are precisely the same. They are al-
most the same in every respect, for the only
difference is that the egg that produces the
worker-bee has been impregnated, while
the others haye not; but more of this, anon. ©

<s
J

DRONES.

The egg, like those producing workers, re-
mains brooded over by the bees until it is
about 8 days old, and then by one of nature’s
wonderful transformations the egg is gone,
anda tiny worm appears, amere speck in the
bottom of the cell. This worm is fed as be-
fore, until it is about a week old, and is then
sealed over like a worker, except that the
eaps to the cells are raised considerably

more; in fact, they very much resemble a |

lot of bullets laid closely together on a board.

They will begin to cut the caps of these cells |
. = . |
in about 24 or 25 days; the caps come off in
around piece, very much like those from a/

queen cell,

DRONE-BEE.

The body of a drone is hardly as long as
that of a queen, but he is so much thicker
through than either queen or worker, that
you will never mistake him for either. He
has no baskets on his legs in which to carry
pollen, and his tongue is so unsuited to the

_ gathering of honey from flowers, that he |

would starve to death in the midst of a eclo-
ver field.

I presume the young drones are ready to
leave their hive after they are about two
weeks old, and they do this shortly after
noon, of a warm pleasant day. They come

out with the young bees as they play, and |

first try their wings, but their motions are
far from being graceful and easy, and

they frequently tumble about so awkwardly |

that, as they strike against your face, you
might almost think them either drunk or
erazy. I donot know how we can very well
decide how oldadrone must be to fulfill

~

1 DRONES.

the sole purpose of his existence, the fertil-
ization of the queen, but should guess any-
where from three weeks to as many months.”
Perhaps they seldom live so long as the last
period named, but I think they sometimes
do. Many facts seem to indicate that they,
as well as the queen, fly long distances from
the hive—perhaps two miles or more. We
have now satisfactory evidence that the
meeting between queens and drones takes
place not very highup fromthe ground.
Several observers, during the past season
(1875), have reported having seen this meet-
ing not very far from the hives, during the
swarming season. The queens and drones

' both sally forth during the middle of the
, day, or afternoon, and in from fifteen min-
-utes to an hour, or possibly a couple of

hours, the queen returns with an appendage
attached to the extremity of her body,. that
microscopic examination shows -to be the
generative organs of the drone. These facts
have been observed by hundreds of bee-

_ keepers, and are well authenticated. In at-

tempts to have queens fertilized in wire-
cloth houses, I have, after letting the queens
out, seen the drones pursue them until both
parties vanished from my sight. Still anoth-
er fact: If you take a drone in your hand
some warm afternoon just as he has sallied
from the hive, and press him in a certain
way, he will burst open something like the
popping of a grain of corn, extruding the
very same organ we find attached to the

queen, and dying instantly. It is generally

conceded that he dies in the act of fertiliza-
tion. The fertilization of queen bumble-
bees has frequently been witnessed; but al-
though it is quite probable, it by no means
follows that the queens and drones of hon-
ey-bees meet in the same way. Several ac-
counts have been given; but as the drone
and queen are only seen whirling about each
other on the wing, there is much about it
that still remains inobscurity. See QUEENS.

In the fall of 1876 I saw a swarm of black
ants sporting in the sunshine. A. close look
showed them to be both males and females;
and as pair after pair fell to the ground, I
had ample. opportunity of noting all circum-
stances. In this case the drones at first
seemed paralyzed; but after the queens flew
away, they revived and afterward flew away
also. One point here particularly impressed
me: The ants of both sexes were in such
countless thousands, that they must have
come from all the ant-hills for, I should say,
miles around; the result was, as you see,
that there was hardly a possibility of insects

DRONES.

from the same family meeting. Now, is
there any other way in which the strain of
blood could be so effectually crossed with
that of some distant colony, as by this huge
jubilee of both sexes ?

Queen-ants, like queen - bees, seldom if
ever come out of their homes at any other
time, and, as if by some preconcerted ar-

rangement, they meet and mix up apparent- |

ly for the very purpose of effectually pre-

venting ‘‘in-and-in breeding,” as it is usual- |

ly termed when applied to stock. Do queens
and drone-bees meet in the same way, in
vast numbers ? Many circumstances seem
to indicate they do, yet it, like many other
things, lacks positive proof. Drones have
been seen in out-of-the-way places, in larger
numbers than we would think could possibly

come from one hive ; and many have heard |

their loud humming who have not seen
them.
fertilized in so short a time after leaving the
hive, seems strange, unless it really is a fact
that she is called to the swarm of drones
by their loud humming (which she would
instinctively recognize from a long dis-
tance), flies among them, falls to the ground
and tears herself loose from her dead
mate by her strong limbs, and then returns
to her hive, having been absent only a few
minutes. I have ventured to theorize thus

much, hoping that our friends will aid in |

corroborating or controverting, as the case
may be, the deductions as given above.

One of the most wonderful things about |
the drone, or male bee, is that it is hatched |
So)

from an egg that is unimpregnated.
wonderful indeed is this, that the matter
has been for ages disputed, and is even now,
by many who have not looked into the mat-
ter and examined the evidence. What we
mean by unimpregnated, is that queens that

have never met the male bee at all will lay |

eggs, and these eggs will hatch, but they al-
ways produce drones, and never workers.

Those who have had the care of poultry, are |

well aware that the hens will lay eggs right
along, if no cock is kept in the yard at all;
and if I am not mistaken, a pullet would
commence and lay perhaps nearly her usual
number of eggs, if she had never seen a
male bird.
with regard to the queen-bee. If she fails
to meet a drone during the first 80 days of
her life, she usually begins to lay eggs, but
she seldom lays as many, or with the same
regularity, as a fertile queen. The eggs the
hen lays, if she is allowed to sit, never pro-
duce any chicks at al], The eggs laid by the

72

The fact that a queen should become |

Now, nearly the same is true |

DRONES.

queen, under the same circumstances, as I
have said before, always produce drones.
There is one more fact connected with the
common fowl: If the male bird is put into
the yard with the hen for one day only, good
fertile eggs will be laid for many days, pos-
sibly a whole laying. If a black-Spanish
cock should get among a flock of white hens
for only a single day, all the eggs laid for
many days afterward will produce chicks
with more or less black feathers on them. I
give these statements from actual facts.
The point I wish you to observe, is that: the
eggs of even the common fowl] are fertil-
ized as they are laid by the hen, or possi-
bly a few days before. With the fowls, one
/meeting with the male bird suffices for the
fertilization of an egg daily, for a week, or
more ; with the queen-bee, for her whole life
_of three or even four years.

I do not know whether the hen has the
power of laying fertile or unfertile eggs at
will, or not; perhaps not; but Ido know that
a queen-bee lays both fertilized and unfer-
tilized eggs, alternating from one kind to
the other in rapid suecession. Skillful
microscopists have carefully dissected eggs
from worker cells, and found the living
spermatozoa in numbers from one to five.
These living spermatozoa were precisely
identical with those found in dissecting a
mature drone. Again: every egg a queen
lays, passes a little sack containing a minute
quantity of some fluid; the microscope
shows that this fluid contains thousands of
these spermatozoa. Is it not wonderful that
these spermatozoa should live four years or
_more in this little sack, awaiting their turn —
to be developed into a higher life whenever
they should be required to fertilize the egg
that is to produce the worker-bee? Very
well; now the egg that is taken from a drone
cell contains no trace of spermatozoa.
Therefore it, like the egg of the common ~
'fowl, unimpregnated, should never hatch.
But, my friends, it does hatch, and produce
the drone. The first glimpse we get of the
little bit of animated nature, is the tiny
speck alive at the bottom ofthe cell. Does
he grow out of nothing, without parentage,
at least on the paternal side? If his mother
was an Italian, he is also Italian; if a black
queen, he is also black. We shall have to
conclude, perhaps, that he is the son of his
/mother, and nothing more. The egg that
has never been impregnated in the usual —
way, must, after all, have some living germ
incorporated in its make-up, and this germ
must come only fromthe mother, The great

DRONES. ’

skill and proficiency with the microscope,
required to make these minute examina-
tions is such that but one or two have ever
succeeded in exploring as far as I have men-
tioned, and it is somewhat like our investi-
gations in the polar regions. Who among
us will educate himself for the work and
earry it along?

Drones are also hatched from eggs laid by
worker-bees. These drones are smaller in
size than those from a queen, and the
question as to whether they are capable
of fertilizing queens, so as to be of some
value, like other drones, is one that I believe
has never been decided. Some facts have
been brought to light that seem to be pretty
good evidence on both sides of the question;
but, so far as I know, nothing very definite.
I confess, that I would not want to make
use of them, even if they were good, for I
want the strongest, healthiest, and largest
drones I can get. Fora further account of
the mothers of these queer drones, see FER-
TILE WORKERS.

After what I have said, you will perhaps
see how clear it is, that the drones are in no
way affected by the fertilization of the
queen ; or, in other words, that all daughters
of a purely fertilized Italian queen, produce
drones absolutely pure, whether they have
been fertilized by a black drone or not.

Until quite recently, we have had no easy |

way of repressing the production of drones
in far greater numbers than could ever be
desirable. Since the introduction of the
fdn., however, it is quite an easy matter to
make almost every cell in the hive a worker-
cell. On the other hand, if we choose, we can
have a hive filled entirely with drone-comb,
and a good queen could, I think, be induced
to raise nearly, if not quite, a full peck of
drones at one time. By this means we can

have our drones raised from such stock as |

we choose, and we can save the vast amount
of honey that has so long been wasted by
rearing and feeding drones that we do not
need. While extracting, I have found as
many as several pounds of drone-larve in a
Single hive; and, to save the honey they
would consume as soon as hatched, we used
to shave their heads off with a very sharp
knife. This is certainly rather expensive
business, for it must take more than a pound
of honey, to say nothing of the value of the
pollen, to get up a pound of sealed brood. If
all this labor and material had been utilized
in the production of worker-brood, it would
doubtless have been equivalent to a swarm
of bees. All worker-comb would have in-
sured this without trouble.

DRONES.

It is quite probable, that all the drones
will be raised that can usually be required,
without making any special provision for
them; but still, it may be a good idea to
devote one hive, in an apiary of 50 or a hun-
dred colonies, to the production of choice
drones.

RESTRAINING UNDESIRABLE DRONES.

Drones undesirable for breeding purposes
may be prevented from going out to meet the
queens, by keeping them from going out of
the hive, or by letting them go out into a
cage through which workers can pass and
they can not. This is done by taking advan-
tage of the fact, that a worker-bee will pass
readily through slots in perforated metal 5-382
of an inch in width, while a drone can not.
In the figure below we give the form of the
perforated metal.

PERFORATED ZINC FOR EXCLUDING DRONES.

Zine is the material generally used, because
it is cheap, and will not rust. If we put a
strip of this material over the entrance, the
worker-bees can go out, but the drones can
not; but as a simple strip of zinc is liable to
get clogged if there are many drones in the
hive, an arrangement like the figure below is
ordinarily used.

THE JONES ENTRANCE-GUARD.

This we call the Jones entrance-guard, be-
cause, if I am correct, it,was devised or sug-
gested by him. Although he manufactures
perforated zine for this purpose, the material
was by no means originated by himself, for
frequent mention of its use is made in the
British Bee-Journal as early as 1875.

When it is desirable to get the drones all
out of a hive without permitting any to get
back again, we put a guard over the entrance
and then shake all the bees in front of the
hive. The workers will, of course, crawl
back on the empty combs; but the drones
will have to stay out, and the queen too, un-
less she should happen to be very small and
slender.

DRONES.

In the morning, when stiffened with cold,
they may be destroyed, or fed to the chick-
ens. Another way of accomplishing the
same result is to fasten on a drone-guard
having on the outside of it a cone made of
wire cloth, as shown below. The drones go
out at the mouth of the cone, but can not get
back.

ALLEY’S DRONE - EXCLUDER.

If it is desirable to get the drones into a
box, so they may be carried to some other
apiary, for instance, a cage is made with an
upper story, and a couple of these wire cones
conduct the drones ‘up stairs.” If any
worker-bees should go up too, they can read-
ily go down through the perforated zine.
This latter arrangement is shown in the cut
below.

ALLEY’S DRONE-EXCLUDER, DRONE AND
QUEEN TRAP COMBINED.

The exact form of the arrangements de-
scribed in the last figures was suggested by
H. Alley, of Wenham, Mass., who has been
for many years engaged in queen-rearing,
and who publishes a book entitled The Bee-
Keeper's Handy Book.

It is claimed for these devices, that they
will also prevent swarming by keeping the
queen from getting out of the hive. So many
reports have been given, showing that a good
many queens will get through any place that
will allow a worker to pass readily, I think
that, at the present writing (May, 1884), the
matter needs demonstrating by more actual
experiments. The perforated zinc is also
sold largely for making honey-boards, and I
believe they have been pretty thoroughly
tested for this purpose. They seem to at
least discourage the queen from going into
the upper story, if they do not absolutely
prevent her going. For both extracted and
comb honey we can, by this means, be rea-
sonably sure of not having any brood in the
upper story, where we desire none.

74

DRONES.

Within the past few months much atten-
tion has been turned to the proper size for
these perforations. The zine imported from
England, and manufactured by friend Jones,
in Canada, has perforations a little more than
5-32 in width. That figured on the previous
page, haying the perforations oval at the
ends, instead of square, are a scant 5-32.

While either kind answers completely for —

excluding drones, the larger size answers
only partially for restraining queens. Now,
if we are to prevent swarming by means of
the queen-trap shown on the opposite col-

‘umn, we want the perforations just large

enough to let workers through, but so they
will not admit of even an unfertilized queen.
The smaller size does this, so far as I have yet

been informed, and offers but little hindrance |

to the passage of the worker-bees, unless
they are unusually large. While I think of

it, this perforated zinc is a pretty good gauge

for determining the size of honey-bees, it be-
ing a well-known fact that a colony from one
queen-may differ quite a little in size from
that of another queen.

ZINC HONEY - BOARD.

The honey-board that is now being used by
many of our friends is represented in the cut
above.

This honey-board is intended to prevent
the queen from depositing eggs in the upper
story, where we wish honey stored, and noth-
ing else; and I believe either size of the zine
does this with but few exceptions.

REARING DRONES OUT OF SEASON.

This is quite a difficult matter to accom-
plish, especially in the spring; and although
we have many times fed colonies with this
end in view, we have always found some
other colony that would have drones flying
just as soon, without any artificial aid.
Drones may be kept almost any length of
time, by making the colonies containing
them queenless, or by putting them into
queenless colonies. During warm dry weath-
er in the summer or fall, drones may be pro-
cured by feeding, but the feeding must be
regular, and given every day for several
days or weeks. By feeding one colony a
barrel of sugar in the fall, I succeeded in
getting a nice lot of drones in October.

Of
course, their combs were taken away and —

——
aad
ae

DRONES.

empty ones given them, to give the queen

room. Before we can get drones, we must
get worker-brood under good headway, and
then, if we put a drone-comb right in the

center of the brood-nest, the queen will, if |

all things are favorable, begin at once to fill
it with eggs.

supplies, they will not hesitate to pull the

young drones out of their cells and sacrifice |

them without mercy.

DESTRUCTION OF DRONES IN THE FALL.

This does not necessarily occur in the fall,
but may take place at any time in the sum-
mer; and I have several times known the
drones killed off between apple-bloom and
white clover, only because supplies ceased,
causing the bees to become discouraged and
give up swarming for the time being. I
know of no way in which you ean tell so
well that the yield of honey has ceased, as
by the behavior of the bees to their drones.
When, in the midst of the honey season, you
see a worker buzzing along on the back of a
drone who seems to be ‘‘scratching gravel”’
to get away from the hive, you may take
warning that the yield of honey is failing,
and that you had better stop making artifi-
cial swarms, and prepare for feeding, if it is
your intention so to do. I do not know that
I ever saw bees sting drones, but they some-
times pretend to do so; I rather think it is
only a feint to drive them away. The poor

The feeding must be kept up, |
however, for bees are very easily discour- |
aged; and if a stoppage occurs in the daily |
hatched with imperfect wings, lay eggs that

75

| ficult matter to explain.

drone, at such times, after vainly frying to |

go back into the hive, will sometimes take
Wing and soar away off in the air, only to
return after a time to be repulsed again, un-
til, through weakness perhaps, and want of
food, he flutters hopelessly in the dust, and
so submits to the fate that seems to bea
part of the inexorable law of nature, and of
his being.

To preserve drones for late queen-rearing,
I have been in the habit of carrying all
frames containing drone-brood, to some
queenless hive, knowing they would be safe
there as long as wanted, even if it were all
winter. I believe drones have been, under
such circumstances,
whether they are of any value in the spring

- or not, I am unable to say; I should fear

they would not be by the time queens could
be reared. We usually have drones in some
of our colonies as soon as April, and that is
as early as I should care to undertake to
rear queens, in ordinary seasons. Ihave sey-
eral seasons reared queens and had them
successfully fertilized, even after all the

wintered over; but | :
| | have seen hives where all the drones were

DRONES.

drones had been gone some time, so far as I
could discover; and as they proved to be
purely fertilized, I have been not a little
perplexed. Is there a possibility that, by
some other strange exception to the rule, a
queen may lay eggs that will produce
workers as well as drones, without being
fertilized ? Ifsuch is the case, it will ac-
count for the rare instances in which queens

produce worker-brood. We know that
aphides and some other insects reproduce
their species without any agency of the
male, for several generations. It is of no
use to say we do not believe it, for the evi-
dence is indisputable. How wondrous are

| thy works, O Lord !

DRONES WITH BRIGHTLY COLORED HEADS
OF DIFFERENT COLORS.

This is a queer feature in natural history.
Almost every summer some one writes or
sends us specimens of drones with heads of
different colors. The matter has been report-
ed and commented on at different times in
GLEANINGS. Not only do we occasionally

-find drones with white heads, but we find

them with heads of a cherry-red color ; again,
of a bright green, and at other times yellow.
I confess there is something very wonderful
and mysterious to me in this matter. Why

queer old dame Nature should decide to sin-

gle out the heads of drones to sport with in
this way will, it seems to me, be a pretty dif-
Why should. this

‘peculiarity show itself in the drones more

than in the queens and workers? Again,
why should heads be the subject of these
bright rainbow colors? Is there really any
purpose or design in it? orisit just because it
happened so? I presume there are very few
among our readers but will say there is a
purpose and a design in it; and the next
thing is to decide why it should be so. Here
is a question for scientists.

A singular fact in regard to this matter is,
that we find many of these colored drones in
one hive; that is, where you find one red-
headed drone in a hive, you will probably
find more ; and a queen that produces them
once will do so again. If I am not mistaken,

colored in this strange way ; and their heads
were all alike — of one color.

DYSENTERY. When you see your
bees covering the door-steps and entrances
to their hives with a yellowish, disagreeable
looking excrement, you may say they have
the dysentery, or what is usually known as
such. Ifthe weather becomes very warm

DYSENTERY.

Led

‘

6 DYSENTERY.

and pleasant, they will usually get over it,| and comfort. The hives often used are so
after they have had a full flight. If, on the large and barn-like, in respect to the win-

contrary, the symptoms show themselves

before warm weather, and no opportunity is _

given them to fly, they may get so bad as to

cover their combs with this substance, and

finally die in a damp, filthy-looking mass.
CAUSE OF DYSENTERY.

I believe the most common cause is bad
food, coupled with an open, cold hive, with
a small, or insufficient cluster of bees. I can
hardly think any food alone would produce
the disease, because we rarely, if ever, find
the bees suffering from any thing they will
gather, in warm summer weather.
gathered from rotten fruit, if we may call it
honey, is very productive of this complaint,
and cider from cider-mills is almost sure to
kill bees at the approach of cold weather.
See CripErR. I knew a lady who boiled up a
mash of sweet apples and fed to the bees, be-
cause they were short of stores, and she
could not afford to buy sugar for them.
They all died of dysentery, long before
spring. Where dampness accumulates from
their breath, and settles on the combs, dilut-
ing the honey, it is very apt to cause these
symptoms. Sorghum syrup has brought on
a very aggravated form, and burnt. candy or
sugar is almost sure poison to bees, although
it may be fed them with impunity in the
middle of the summer. The burnt sugar, or
caramel, attracts moisture from the air very
rapidly in damp weather, and I am inclined
to think it is this moisture that produces
the disease.

While it is very certain that no such symp-
toms are found in warm weather, it is also
certain that a strong colony in a hive with

|

ter’s brood-nest, that comfort is almost out
of the question, for it does little if any good

to pile straw, corn-fodder, etc., over the out-

sides of the hives, while the cluster within

has no sort of protection at all. If they were
in a hollow tree, the diameter of which was
so small that they could fill it completely,

they would be in a much better place, espe-

cially if the sides were lined with soft dry

rotten wood. I have seen icicles nearly as

large as my arm,in box hives that were
tight and large; these had all formed from

Honey |

the condensation of the breath of the bees.
Now, should they melt during a thaw, in
such a way that this water would run down
on the bees and their unsealed stores, it
would be very apt to produce unhealthiness,
to say nothing further.

PREVENTION OF DYSENTERY.
From what I have said, you will probably

infer that I would make the swarm larger,

son.

ily, you have the idea so far.

or the hive smaller, during the winter sea-
If we say also, have the walls of the
hive of some warm porous material that will
absorb moisture and afterward dry out read- ~
Perhaps the
chaff cushions and DIVISION-BOARDS are the
readiest means at our command of accom-
plishing this.

While they may get along on ees any.
kind of food when thus prepared, I would
by no means fail to give them good whole-
some stores, as far as possible. Honey gath-
ered in the middle of the season is generally
wholesome, for by the time winter comes,
it is thoroughly ripened, by the same dry-

ing-out power I have spoken of. Honey

soft, warm, dry, porous walls, will stand an |
amount of bad food that a weak one, or one_

exposed to drafts of cold air, will not.
have known bees having considerable stores
of cider, to winter very well, if the colony

I
“watery liquid,

were strong enough to keep the whole in- |

terior of the hive, dry and warm.
ful colony, if left with their hive uncovered
during a rain storm,
selves ; and while they are doing this they

shakes the water off his hide and dries him-

self by his internal animal heat. While they |
have the health and numbers to repel mois- |

ture in this way, they are safe against al-
most any thing. But to help them to keep
this internal strength, they should have
close and comfortable quarters, very much
such as you would need, my friend, to enable
you to pass a severe winter’s night, in health

will soon dry them- |
are short of stores, it is probably the cheap-
remind one of a sturdy cart-horse, as he)

A power-

gathered in the fall, if sealed up, is generally
good ; but some of the fall flowers produce a_
honey that seems to separate into a thin
and a granular substance,
something like candied honey. I am not
quite sure this causes dysentery, but it looks

in some seasons very much as if it does. A |
syrup made of white, or whitish sugar, I be-
lieve is always wholesome ; and when bees

est and safest of any thing we can feed late .
in the fall. We have had one report of the

new grape sugar seeming to indicate thatit .

might be productive of dysentery, but it has
answered so nicely in our apiary, up to this
date, Jan. 15th, 1879, that -I am inclined to
think the quality of the sugar was not quite
like that we use.

I once wintered a colony on sugar stores,
that came out so healthy in the spring that

DYSENTERY.

they did not even spot the white snow visi-

bly, when they voided their excrement at.

their first flight in the spring. This, I be-
lieve, we may consider perfect freedom from
any sign of dysentery. A friend who is_an
old - time box-hive bee-keeper, says it is the
pollen that makes them spot the snow; that
if they are wintered without pollen, they
will make no perceptible spot. I think there
may be some truth in this, for those winter-
ed without pollen seem to spot the snow but
little. Spotting the snow is not always an
indication that we should be alarmed, espe-
cially if the bees seem to rise without troub-

le, and get back to the hive in safety; but

should they soil the entrance and inside of
their hives, and then fall around the en-
trance in considerable numbers, unable to
take wing, it is pretty safe_to say, that with-
out very warm fine weather they will soon be
demoralized and broken up.

CURE FOR DYSENTERY.

Summer weather seems to be a sure and
certain cure. One day of summer weather,
or a day warm enough for them all to fly
freely, is, I believe,a cure usually; especial-
ly if they are provided with wholesome food
and tucked up warm, after they have had
this fly.

The question now comes up, Can we not
give them this needed fly by artificial
means? It has been done, many times with
success, by taking the hive into a warm
room, and fixing a square frame of thin
cloth or netting over it, in which they can
fly and empty themselves. This frame
should be about a yard square. The room

_ Should be light and warm. After they are
_ through, the temperature should be allowed

to fall, until they are driven back into the
cluster on the frames. To avoid soiling the
hive and combs, papers may be spread over

them, only allowing an opening for the

bees to come up into the cage. This is a
troublesome and disagreeable task, and I

think will hardly pay, unless it is with a few

hives, or to save a very valuable queen. A
beginner is very apt to be alarmed, when

_ there is no trouble at all; and I repeat, un-

warm day.

less the bees are soiling the combs in the
hive, and getting themselves soiled, damp,
and demoralized, I would let them alone
(after tucking them up with chaff cushions)
to take their chances -until there comes a
I know of a beginner who, on

_ looking into his hive and finding only a

small cluster away down in the combs, im-|

agined they were nearly all dead; and hear-

- ing, through the journals, of giving them a

q

77

+ at sucha time.

DYSENTERY.

fly ina cage, took the innocent and unof-
fending bees into the house, and warmed
them up. The little knot of bees began to
unfold under the influence of the warmth,
and turned out to be a good-sized colony.
They had packed themselves down into a
little sphere, so small that an inexperienced
person would have been likely, at first
glance, to call them only a good-sized hand-
ful ; but they were a good swarm, and were
in just the shape they should be to stand a
zero freeze, or, rather, they had done the
very best they could do in a winter brood-
nest four or five times as large as they really
needed.

If the trouble is caused by bad honey, and
this is many times the case, they should be
removed from their combs, after their flight,
and supplied with honey which you know,
or have reason to think, is good, well rip-
ened, and wholesome. Every bee-keeper
should have a stock of such combs on hand
for emergencies. They can be taken from
the hives during the yield from clover or
linden, in July or Aug. If you can not get
these, I would give them candy, a small
lump at a time, just over the cluster, the
bees, of course, being on empty combs. ’Tis
rather; risky, I know for after the bees have
become diseased as I have mentioned, they
seem to be discouraged, and to have lost all
heart to do any thing. I have known them
to starve with candy or honey close to them,
If you can stir up some am-
bition in them, and get them to clean off
their wings and ‘‘plumage,” and go to work,
there will be no trouble; but so long as they
preserve that listlessness and indifference,
there is but little hope for them; they will
probably swarm out on the first warm day,
if you do “‘tinker them up.”’ If the season is
pretty well along, say April or May, you can
often stir up their ambition by giving them
a little unsealed brood from another colony.
The old adage; that an ounce of prevention
is better than a pound of cure, will apply
most emphatically to dysentery. It may be
that we can not always prevent dysentery, for
some cases seem rather difficult to account
for, but I think we can in the great majority
of cases.

THE AGENCY OF THE APHIDES IN PRODUC-
ING DYSENTERY.

Perhaps the most productive cause of dys-
entery is the honey from the APHIDES; or
at least most complaints have been made of
this honey. As bees seldom touch this, ex-
cept during droughts or unfavorable seasons,
it is quite likely it has been the cause of

DYSENTERY.

much of the mischief. If the early honey is
all extracted from the brood-combs, and the
bees left with ncthing but this bad honey,
gathered late in the fall, the matter is much
worse ; and many cases have been reported,
of colonies dying where the extractor had
been used, while those untouched had been
free from the disease. The moral is, re-
frain from extracting too closely from the
brood-apartment. I would, at least, let the

ow MUCK HONE"
Sin vousay’ ~
You

78

DYSENTERY.

bees fill their brood-chamber with clover or

linden honey, just before the yield ceases, —

extracting toward the close of the harvest,

only from the combs in the upper story, un- —

less you choose to feed them up for winter,

on sugar or candy. We have had one or —

two favorable? reports of wintering .on the -
aphidian honey, from which we may con-
clude it is not always deleterious.

TeWELES, OUNCES
& INCREASED FROM ,
COLONIES roa

A CALIFORNIA APIARY, NEAR SAN DIEGO.

E.

ENEMIES OF BEES. These are, so
far as I know, taking them alphabetically,
ANTS, BEE-MOTHS, birds (KING-BIRDs), mice,
parasites, skunks, ToAps (and frogs), and
wasps.
boys or men who have so little regard for
the rights and faithful hard earnings of their
fellows, that they sometimes steal hives,
honey and all, just for the trifling amount of
honey to be got from the mashed-up ruins,
which they generally make of the bees and
hives. To be frank, I should add patent-
hive men; and these latter, so far as my ex-
perience goes, have been worse enemies of
the bee than any I have yet enumerated. It
has been said, and with much justice, that
ignorant bee-keepers are the bees’ worst
enemies. If ignorance had coupled with it,
willful deceit and fraud, I do not know but
that I should subscribe to the asSertion ; but
as those who have been ignorant are now
very rapidly becoming educated and intelli-
gent bee-keepers, I have much charity for
them. The man who is persistently and will-
fully bad, is not only the worst enemy of
bees, but of all mankind, himself included;
and of this class are the greater part of those
who take money for their pretended inven-
tions in bee-hives. I am speaking severely,
Iam aware; but could you, year after year,
hear, as I have, the statements of those who
have taken up the pursuit with all honest en-
thusiasm, and hear them tell of how they
have invested money ‘and time, all in a
wrong direction, of how they have been pur-
posely kept in the dark in regard to what was
really known about bees, of how they have
been told that the bee-moth is the one great
enemy, and that no one else has the secret
of its banishment, I think you would agree
that these land-sharks in human form are
Worse enemies than all the moths, birds, and
toads combined, that ever infested the
neighborhood of bee-hives.

Ants and bee-moths have been noticed al-
ready in their respective places; under the
head of Krin@-BIRDs we shall mention what

Perhaps I should also add, wicked |

is known of the depredations the feathered
tribes make on bees.
MICE.

Mice do harm only when they get into the
hives, and this part of the subject will be
sufficiently noticed under the head of EN-
TRANCES. It may be well to remark that
mice sometimes make sad havoc among sur-
plus combs, when stored away with small
patches of honey in them. The combs will
be completely riddled during the winter
time, if they are left where mice can get at
them. On this account, the honey-house
should be mouse-proof ; and for fear that a
stray one may by accident get in, it is well
to keep a trap ready, baited with toasted
cheese. If you have not a tight room, make
a tight box, large enough to hold all the sur-
plus combs which have honey in them.

PARASITES.

The only parasite we have ever seen is
the Braula, or Italian bee-louse, and we
have never seen them except on bees just
imported from Italy. I feel safe in saying
no fear may be anticipated from them, if the
bees are kept in strong colonies, and in clean
tight hives, with no old refuse and rubbish
accumulating about them. One or two re-
ports have been received of bee-lice in our
own country, but I think they were excep-
tions.

SKUNKS.

Skunks have been known to approach the
hive at night time, and, by scratching
on or near the alighting-board, to entice the
bees out where they could ‘‘ gobble them
up.’’ It would seem a little strange that
these animals have no fear of stings, but
they, doubtless, are guided by a sort of in-
stinct that enables them to divine how to
get hold of the bee with its sweet morsel of
honey in its honey-sack, without receiving
harm from the sting.

SPIDERS.

Spiders, and the method of repelling them,
we have mentioned under ALIGHTING-
BOARDS and Porticos, They too, as well

ENEMIES OF BEES.

as toads, seem to have a rare appreciation
of a heavily laden bee as he returns to the
hive; we should therefore be careful that
all spider-webs be faithfully kept brushed

away from the hives, and that the hives |

have no corners or crevices about them, to
harbor such insects.
place which the broom will not clear out at
one sweep; for where we have a hundred

Be sure that there is no |

82

hives we can not well spend a great amount |

of time on each single one. The house-apia-

gives me a fine appetite for breakfast to
go out bareheaded, and brush off every trace
of a web, with such genuine good will that
the poor spiders, as soon as they have recoy-
ered: from their astonishment, with one ac-
cord agree that the locality is an unhealthy
one for those who believe in driving a thrif-
ty business.

Iam inclined to think that many of these
so-called enemies only take up the destruc-
tion of bees as a chance habit, and that it is
not always to be looked for or expected.

ing theirowneggs ; but itisso unusual an 0c-
currence that we can hardly regard it as a
matter of any very serious importance.
may be well, at times, to look out for the

thing, I think they are quite capable of
fighting their own battles, if we give them
the proper care and proper hives.

WASPS.

Wasps and hornets sometimes capture and |
carry off honey-bees; but unless they should |

take part in the work in great numbers, I
would have no solicitude in regard to them.
A large fly, called the bee-hawk, or mos-

quito- hawk, has been mentioned by our |

Southern neighbors, but it is said to be easi-

warfare with whips and sticks.*
THIEVES AND PATENT-RIGHT VENDERS.
Under APIARY I have mentioned how we

can protect our hives from the inroads of |

thieves, but I fear it will require something
more than tight high fences to protect bee-
keepers from venders of patent hives. I do

not know a single patented feature on bee- |

hives and implements (and there are hun-
dreds and hundreds of them), that would
come into general use if the patent were re-
moved.
descriptions and circulars of some patent
hive, asking if I would advise investing in
them; and although I have faithfully exam-
ined every thing that has come up, I find

* For further particulars, and also for descriptions
of Asilus Missouriensis, Mallophora orcina, Mallopho-

ra bomboides, and other insect-enemies to bees, see
Prof. Cook’s Manual.

It |

Almost constantly I am receiving |

ENTRANCES TO HIVES.

them pretty much all alike; either wretched
mistakes and blunders, or the work of
greedy, unprincipled, bad men. Have noth-
ing to do with them, and under no cireum-
stances think of paying them money. No,
not even if they are ministers of the gospel,
as many of them claim to be; and some of
them are, I presume,God-fearing men whom

the sharpers have, by oily words, persuaded

to undertake the work; for they know full

well that there is no advertisement in the
ry is quite convenient in this respect, and it |

| sharpers.
enemies that prey on bees; but, as a general |

world like having Reverend attached to the
name of their agent, or among the testimo-
nials appended to their circulars. I would
that I were able to convince some ministers
of the sacredness of their calling, and of
the importance of the most zealous care in
guarding it from contamination®

So far as the winged, feathered, and four-
footed tribes are concerned, we have, my

friends, but little to fear from enemies of

bees, and we shall have but an easy task to
keep them in subservience; but from igno-

-rant and unprincipled men we have much to
Common fowls sometimes get a habit of eat- |

fear; and we have abundant need of the
most earnest and faithful work, in the shape
of Christian kindness, united with a firm
and decided stand against speculators and

ENTRANCES TO HIVES. I do.
not know that it makes any very great differ-
ence to the bees, or with the amount of hon-
ey gathered, where the entrance is; wheth-
er at the very lowest part of the hive, or
right in the top. I have had them do well
with their entrance in almost all positions.
On many accounts, an entrance even with,

or a little below, the bottom-board of the

hive would be most desirable. This gives
the bees every facility for removing filth, or

_dead bees that frequently clog the hive and
ly frightened away by opening a vigorous |

combs in cold weather, also bits of refuse

comb, cappings from the cells, dust, ete., for
this all falls to the bottom of the hive, and

is naturally carried toward the entrance by
the passage, out and in, of theinmates. Al-
so, if the upper part of the hive is close and
warm, the warm air generated by the clus-
ter, rising by its lightness, compared with
the colder air outdoors, has a much less
chance for escape than if the entrance were
nearer the top of the hive. If the entrance
is a little below the bottom-board, cold
winds and storms are not so readily ad-
mitted. ;

It has been said, that an entrance part way
up will not be so liable to become clogged
with dead bees. This I admit; but I think
it would be much better to have no dead
bees at all in the hive, and we seldom, if

Sb OL

_ them use these for entrances ?

ENTRANCES TO HIVES.

ever, see any in the chaff hive or in any hive
that is equally well protected. It has also
been said, that if the bees could get in near-

er the top of the hive, they would have a |

short path to the center of the brood-nest,
where they generally make their way about
as soon as they gain a foothold. This I ad-
mit in part; but if we give the bees this short
eut in, we also give the warm air of the
brood-nest a short cut out. Besides, with
the shallow L. frames we use and advise,
the bees have but a short distance to climb.
All things considered, I think we can not do
better than to have the entrance just below
the bottom-board, as in the two hives we

have illustrated. In the Simplicity hive, the |

entrance is made by pushing the hive for-
ward so as to project a little over the bottom-
board. This arrangement, while about as
simple as any thing can be, has some very

‘decided advantages; if the entrance is to be

enlarged, itis done by simply moving the
hive forward still further. This gives the
most thorough ventilation, without in any

way confusing the bees by making unusual |

openings; and with a very strong colony it
permits all hands torush out for the fields
in the morning, with a facility I have never
seen in any other arrangement. With the

old-style L. hives, we used to have a venti- |

lator at the back. Of course, these ventila-
tors would be used by the bees as places of
exit. If we covered them with wire cloth,

bees would be constantly biting and buzzing |

at the wires, trying to get out. Why not let

did; but when it became desirable to close

them in the fall, many bees would be con- |

fused and lost, when, by simply enlarging

and contracting the usual entrance, we have |

no such trouble.

I need hardly add, that where we have the |
entrances arranged in this manner, close to /
the ground, we must have the ground clean |

and free from weeds for several feet around
and in front of the hive.
ALIGHTING-BOARDS.

The entrances to all hives, in the winter
time, should be closed to such a width that
no mice can by any possibility get in; if they
do not exceed 2 of an inch, there will be no
danger. When bees are wintered in the open
air without protection, the dead bees are
liable to fall down, and clog the entrance.

83

Well, so we |

See APIARY and |

ENTRANCES TO HIVES.

every accumulation. The hives and combs
should then be fixed so that no more may
straggle away from the cluster and get fro-
zen between the empty combs.

SIZE OF ENTRANCES.

With strong colonies, this is a matter of
no great importance, providing the entrance
is large enough to let all the bees out and
in readily, in the height of the honey season,
and not so large as to let in too great an
amount of cold air during the severest win-
ter weather. In the house-apiary we use a
two-inch auger-hole, but it is, in reality, re-
duced to about 12, by a piece of thin white-
wood veneer steamed and rolled up into a
tube. The size of these entrances seems
about right for a strong colony; if the colo-
ny is weak, we reduce it with a wad of pa-
per. The entrances are left full size all win-
ter, and, all things considered, I think the
size is about right. We were, one winter,
troubled somewhat by mice getting in at the
lower ones, and metal guards were made,
reducing the size to a 2-inch slot; this kept
out the mice, but it bothered the bees so
much that we were glad to take them away
and get a big cat to guard the outside,
which he has done so faithfully that we
have had no further trouble. See ENEMIES
| OF BEES.

The entrances to the chaff hives are 2
wide, by about 8 inches long. If the colony
is a full one, we leave them open full length
/all winter. If weak, contract to about one
‘inch; and-for nuclei, sometimes, so that
just a single bee can pass. We contract
| them by cutting a piece of wood 7x2x,
and covering it with some warm thick wool-
en cloth. Some apiarists, I believe, prac-
tice closing the entrances to all hives dur-
ing very severe weather, opening them
| again when the weather moderates. This,
I think, is carrying the matter entirely
too far, and it reminds one of the philan-
thropic old gentleman who stood in the rain
while he held his umbrella over the ducks
ina puddle. We have wintered bees in the
chaff hives, with the entrance open its
whole length, during the most severe win- -
_ters, with scarcely a dead bee having been
| brought out when it came off warm, and I
| think the bees are perfectly capable of tak-
| ing care of themselves for at least six
months of the year, if they have proper
food and protection. To have the entrance

AS soon as a warm day comes, they will try | left open full width, of course we must have
desperately to get out. The apiarist should the hive contracted to a smll compass, and
be on hand at such a time, and while he lifts perfectly closed above, or the entrance will
the hive from the bottom-board, an assistant | draw in the cold air, like the draft to a stove.
with a broom should quickly brush off | Stop every crack and crevice, with chaff

EXTRACTED HONEY.

cushions tightly crowded in; and if you do
your work well, instead of cold air forcing
its way in at the entrance, you will find the
bees can keep warm, and send a stream of
hot air out atthe entrance besides, as soon
as they commence rearing brood in the
spring.
close up with the chaff cushions, as I have
advised, it may be best to close the entranc-
es during very severe weather; but I think
I would always leave room enough for one
or two bees to pass, lest they be forgotten,
when warm weather comes unexpectedly.
It is very bad policy to confine bees to their
hives when the weather is such that they
would try to get out. Bees wintered ina
dark cool cellar may have wire cloth tacked

over the front and top to keep them from |
getting on the floor, if you choose, but in|

this case you should take them out and re-
lease them should the weather get so warm
that they are impatient or uneasy. When
bees are wintered on their summer stands,

they are always ready for a fly whenever a |

warm day occurs, and are in shape to take
care of themselves, under almost any cir-
cumstances, providing they have a free and
unobstructed entrance.

Mr. Quinby and others have recommended
having an auger-hole in the front end of the

hive, and adduce as proof of its utility, that |

the bees at once show a preference for this
pass-way. I have no doubt of it, and I think
if an auger-hole were made directly in the
top of the hive, they would show a still
greater preference for that; but for all this,
I do not think it would be best for them.
With tall frames, I think such an auger-
hole might be a great advantage, but with
our shallow L. frame I would prefer not to
have it, although it would perhaps do no
perceptible harm to a strong colony with old
and tough combs. You can easily make the
experiment; and if you do not like the auger
holes, plug them up again. I ‘much prefer
you should verify these statements by tests
of your own. If I have made a mistake
anywhere, write, and I will correct it, before
I send out any more A B C books.

EXTRACTED HONEY. Liquid
honey, taken from the comb withthe honey-
extractor, has now been before the world
for 10 years, and much has been the discus-
sion, pro and con, in regard to its merits,
and its desirableness compared with comb
honey, for table use. If I have made no
mistake, I extracted the first ton of honey
ever taken from one apiary, with the extract-
or; and as it was put directly into market,

84

If you have hives that you cannot |

EXTRACTED HONEY.

and such honey has been kept in market con-
stantly ever since, I have had a pretty good
opportunity of knowing all about it.

| Ifall the extracted honey put upon the
market were as good as some we have raised —
_and purchased, there would, I am quite sure, —
_be no trouble at all in deciding that it would
drive honey in the comb almost out of the
_question. Much has been said about adul- —
_teration, but I have very little fear in that
‘direction. It is almost as impossible to imi- —
tate a really fine article of clover or linden —
| honey, as it is to imitate fresh strawberries.
Let the people taste of the honey they are
asked to buy, and they will very soon say —
whether they want it, and what they can —
_afford to pay for it.” ,
A really nice article of extracted honey
will bring 20 or 25c., quicker than a poor —
article will bring 10 or 15; and I have seen
/some, aye, and have offered it for sale too,
that I do not honestly think was worth over
5c., if it was worth anything at all, unless to
feed bees. Is all this difference on account
of the source from which it was gathered ?
| Not at all; for all the honey we get here, in
the great majority of seasons, is from clover
and linden. Then where is the great differ-
ence? Itis,sofaras my experience goes,
‘simply because it is taken from the hive
before it is ripe. I know there are many
_who do not agree with me, and I presume
_in some seasons, and in some localities, the
| honey may be ready to extract as fast as it
is gathered from the flowers. I make this —
admission solely from what others have said,
for Ihave never seen any honey I thought
_was fit to extract, until it was all sealed
over. Still further, I do not believe it is
nearly as nice, even when it is all sealed
over, as it will be if left in the hive three or
'four weeks after it has been all sealed. I
will tell you some of my experience to illus-
trate the point.

In 1870 we extracted, from our apiary of
less than 50 colonies, over 3 tons of honey. —
It was put up in 1-lb. bottles, and more than
half was sold for 25c. per lb. During the
| fore part of the season, the honey was al-
_lowed to get pretty well capped over; but
_during basswood bloom, we, bees and all,
got somewhat crazy, I fear, and they brought
-in what was but little better than sweet-
ened water; we extracted and put it in-
to bottles, and hurried it off to fill orders,
hoping it would all get ‘‘ good,”? as soon as
the weather got cool. It candied when the
weather became cool, for almost all honey
will candy, or at least one portion will can-

f

4

4
‘
:
;
.

liquids standing

EXTRACTED HONEY.

dy, leaving a thin watery part, which, if it
- does not sour, acquires in time a disagreea-

ble brackish flavor, like that acquired by
in an old barrel. At

_ about this stage it shows that peculiar qual-

ity of pushing the bungs out of the barrels,

and the corks out of the bottles, running

a

over on the shelves and tables, to the dis-
comfiture and disgust of everybody who
likes to be cleanly in his habits. When I
tasted some of the honey in one of these
bottles, 6 months afterward, I did not won-

_ der it had stopped selling, and I made up

my mindit should no more be offered for
sale. I believe it was all poured out of the
bottles, and sold to a tobaceconist. The con-

_ tents of the jars were not all alike, for the
_ thin watery honey has quite a tendency to

swim on top. We, one season, commenced |

to. retail from a barrel of what all pronounc-
ed fine clover honey: one day a custom-

er returned some, saying it was not like

- what he bought before.

We assured him it

_ was drawn from the same barrel, and went
and drew some, toconvincehim. Behold! it
was sweetened water, compared with the
first. The thin honey having risen to the

top, it was the last to be drawn out.

Again, new honey has, many times, a
rank, disagreeable odor and taste. I have

; been told that in the Eastern States
_ much honey is sometimes obtained from the
_ fields where onion seeds are raised for the

t

i

market, and that this honey, when first
gathered, isso strong of onions that it can
not be used. In afew weeks, however, this
rank and disagreeable flavor is all gone,
and the honey is very fair. Few persons

can tolerate the strong, aromatic flavor of
_ basswood honey when first gathered, and

some of the jars I have mentioned, when

opened, gave one an impression that some-
thing akin to turpentine had been mixed
with the honey. This was because it had

_ been closely corked when first gathered; had
it been left in the comb until sealed, the un-
_ pleasant taste would have been mostly gone.

4

_I say mostly, for even sealing does not seem

i .
_ toentirely remove the rank flavor, unless
_ the combs have been some weeks in the

hive.

A few days ago I took a beautiful-

: looking piece of comb honey out of ajar
_ that was found in the market. On opening
_ the cells I found the honey had such a rank

“

basswood flavor, that it was, to me, quite

_ disagreeable, and yet I am fond of the bass-

_ wood flavor,
Isseldom of the fine, pure, sweet flavor of

Very white, new comb honey

honey that has been along time capped

.

8

DD)

5 EXTRACTED HONEY.

over, such as is found in the dark-looking
comb. To which shall we give the prefer-
ence — looks or taste? In 1876 we were so
busy that we could not attend to extracting,
and so we raised the filled stories up, and
put those filled with empty combs just un-
der them over the brood. This occupied
little time, and the bees were not hindered in
their work, a single moment. I have never
seen bees amass stores faster. Some swarms
filled four stories to repletion, and the whole
was left on the hives until the latter part of
the summer. In fact, I left them on the
hives to be safe from the depredations of
the moth, intending to cut out the honey
and sell it in the comb, or to extract it,
whichever form should prove most market-
able. This honey was cut out of the frames
and sold the following winter, and it was
the nicest and richest honey I ever saw or
tasted. To my astonishment, the liquid
portions that ran out when the combs were
cut would not candy at all, even when ex-
posed toa zero freeze. The honey was so
thick, that a saucer full could be turned
over without spilling, and it had a bright
crystalline clearness, when compared with
ordinary extracted honey.

Extracted honey, if taken out while
‘‘oreen’’ (as I have often termed the un-
ripened state), has a greenish tinge, which
well-ripened honey has not. Some speci-
mens have a turbid, or cloudy look, and I
believe such honey is never really fine
flavored. I am well aware that I am con-
demning the honey I have been selling, by
these remarks, but I can not help it. IfI
had now some extracted honey such as was
taken from those well - ripened combs, I
would feel that it was preferable, at 25c, to
that which I am now selling at 15. Proper-

‘ly ripened basswood or clover honey has a

sparkling clearness, like white flint glass,
and the flavor is pure and exquisite. I
have never seen any nice-looking comb hon-
ey equal to it, for the market always de-
mands comb honey that is white, and has
not remained on the hive along time. I
do not mean to say that extracted honey
should be without color, like water, for it
usually has an amber tint, or it may be
quite yellow; but it should be clear, so that
you can read print, without trouble, through
ajar of it. After it has candied, if it does
gandy, it should be hard and free from any
liquid portion, like that in unripened hon-
ey. This thin liquid portion is the part
that usually changes and gives it the bad
taste, In fact, if the Hauid portion be

EXTRACTED HONEY.

drained off, as directed under CANDIED
HONEY, the solid portion may be melted,
and it will be found very nearly like that
ripened in the hive.

HOW TO SELL EXTRACTED HONEY.

Get it well ripened, as I have just told
you, and then strain it into clean tin cans,
into barrels coated with paraffine or bees-
wax, or into some utensil that you know
will not taint it in the least. Honey is
very easily damaged by any thing that will
mar its pure flavor, or clear transparent
appearance to the eye. If you are going
to retail it you can keep it ina tall can,
with a honey-gate at the bottom. Set it up
at aconvenient height, and have a pair of
cheap scales directly under the gate, on
which you can set the bowls, pitchers, or
pails, that your customers may bring. You
can by this means weigh it out to a fraction,
without any dripping or daubing. If it is
to be sold in honey-jars, set your jars ina
basin, under the gate. I say in a basin, for
unless you are more careful than people
generally, you will get some over the sides,
or run a jar over, and it is much pleasanter
to have it in the basin than on the table or
floor. I have given the preference to the
self-sealing quart fruit-jars, because every-
body has use for these, and will be likely to
keep them. If the jars are purchased by
the gross, they can be retailed with the
honey, at a slight advance on first cost, full
enough, usually, to pay all expenses of
handling, anda good interest on the use of
the money invested. The Mason jar, which
we generally use, costs $12.50 per gross,
and we charge for them, with the honey,
10e. A quart jar holds about 3 lbs. One-
pound jars sell rather better, but we have to
sell three times as many, and consumers
have little or no use for the jars when
empty. I think it will be well to keep
both kinds on hand, as well as some +4-lb.
tumblers or jelly-cups, for the multitudes
who want ‘‘ just a little ’’ for one reason or
another. If you commence giving, now and
then, a little without any charge, you will
find the demand a severe task on your time
as well as honey; and if you have these
small packages all ready at hand, for 10 or
15¢e., you will find a great many will be sold
in the course of a year.

If you wish your honey to keep from can-
dying, seal it up hot, like fruit, as directed in
CANDIED HoNEy. The self-sealing fruit-
jars need no directions, but the bottles with
corks will have to be made tight with melt-
ed beeswax, Dip the corks in melted wax

86

EXTRACTED HONEY.

until they are perfectly coated on both
sides, and then push them in place while
the mouth of the jar is hot, and perfectly
dry. If it is wet, or has the least particle
of honey onit, you can never make it air-
tight. To make a neat job of it, you can
dip the mouth of the jar carefully in some —
bright nice yellow wax, and then you will —
have it, as faras possible, protected from —
the air with a capping of wax, precisely as —
the bees do it.
This thin, watery honey, when heated to —
melt the candied honey, with which it may
be commingled, even if itis exposed toa
heat much less than the boiling-point, will
turn a dark reddish color, and the flavor is
something as if the honey was burned
slightly. I, at first, was inclined to blame
my wife for overheating it, when I desired —
her to make the experiment ; but as the
honey was white when this liquid portion —
was entirely drained off, I finally guessed at
the truth. Wecan getsome beautiful, pure,
ripe honey out of a very bad lot, by drain- —
ing the candied portion for several weeks, —
and then melting it.
To give you an idea of how extracted hon-
ey sells in our cities, I give youa few notes
from a friend on the Cleveland market, to
whom we have sold several barrels of honey
during the past six months. The honey was ©
put up in Muth’s 1-lb. glass jars. Each jar
was labeled, wrapped in a sheet of clean pa-
per, and packed in sawdust, in the same box-
es that the jars came in. To prevent the
boxes from being ‘‘dumped,”’ we nailed strips —
of wood to each side of the box, rounded off
the projecting ends to make convenient han-
dles, and shipped them as freight. The R.
R. employes, I suppose, looked at the smooth —
handles, knowing at once what they were
for, read the label that kindly asked them
not to ‘“‘dump,”’ and the consequence is, not
a single bottle has ever been reported injur-
ed. Were you a “railroad man,” you would
probably do as railroad men do. Here are the
letters.
That honey sold quickly this morning. It you can i
furnish me that quality, I can sell it. Send the oth-

er as soon as possible. L. B. OVIATT.
Cleveland, O. Aug. 16, 1877.

We received the one pound bottles last Friday; put
them on the stand Saturday, and retailed 44 of them
that day. If you can furnish me that kind of honey
Ican sell it. The small bottles I have just got from
the depot, allin good shape. Please send 12 doz. 1-Ib.
bottles as soon as possible. Get them here Friday
if you can. L. B. OVIATT.

Cleveland, O. Sept. 3, 1877.

I shall want some honey in a few days. Have
about 30 of the 1 Ib. hottles left yet. The 1-lb. bottles

.

EXTRACTED HONEY.

sell best. Iam getting very nice comb honey now

for 19¢ per lb., which is hurting the sale of bottled

honey. I do notthink that will lastlong. Your hon-

ey gives good satisfaction. Iscalda few bottles ata

time, and it makes it look very nice. I will order in

a few days. L. B. OVIATT.
Cleveland, 0., Nov. 8, 1877.

Please send me a ease of honey, if you can send it
like the last shipment. That is thicker and better
flavored than the other, and sells rapidly. Send it in
the 1-lb. square bottles. I want it the first of the |
week. I did not know I was sonearly out or I would
have ordered before. I am about done with comb
honey, and I can sell bottles fast after this, if it is
nice. What is your price for those tin cans for fill-
ing bottles? L. B. OVIATT.

Cleveland, O., Feb. 22, 1877.

Mr. O. paid us 16e for the 1-lb. bottles, put |
up in the way I have mentioned. The one
lot that he did not like was some unripened |
honey that we purchased of a neighbor.

Some attempts have been made to get hon-
ey into a marketable shape in its candied
state, but so far have been unsuccessful, so
far as I know, although candied honey can
be drained out so dry that it may be done
up in a paper safely, and we have had some
specimens nearly as white as loaf sugar.”

HOW TO KEEP EXTRACTED HONEY.

Where one has a large crop of it, and but
a small price is offered, it is sometimes |
quite an item to know what to do with it.
Without question, the very best way to keep
it is to seal it up while hot, as before de-
seribed, either in self-sealing jars, or in glass
bottles with their corks coated and made
tight with beeswax. The expense of the
jars, and the troublesome jok of sealing |
them, is the principal objection. Perhaps |
the next best way to keep it is in the coated
barrels, or in tin cans.” <A friend keeps his |
very nicely in stone crocks, with stone coy-
ers Over them. Jn these itis candied and is |
as hard as tallow ; but it can easily be cut out, |
when wanted. After it is candied in the.
‘barrels, the hoops must be moved to get it
out. See BARRELS. Doth extracted and |
comb honey should be kept in a dry room. |
If this room can be at the same time frost- |
proof, it will be much the better; for when |
dew or dampness of any kind forms on the |
surface of honey, it is absorbed, and thus
dilutes and injures the honey. This pro- |
cess will, in time, cause it to sour or ferment
on the surface, and will surely injure your
reputation if you try to sell it. Jars that.
are used to hold extracted honey are some-
times so hastily washed and rinsed, that
enough water is left sticking to the glass, to
produce the same effect, and I am quite
sure that not a little of the trouble expe-

87

have honey unless it 7s candied.

EXTRACTED HONEY.

rienced with bottled honey has come from
this cause. Let the bottles be clean and dry,
and the honey perfectly sealed while hot.
Then you can keep it down cellar, or up
stairs, or anywhere you wish. A friend in
the West says he keeps his extracted honey
outdoors in an open shed all winter, and
that when the neighbors come for it, he cuts
it out of the barrels with aspade. I think
such a place would be preferable to a damp
cellar.

VARIOUS PACKAGES FOR SHIPPING

SELLING EXTRACTED HONEY.

It is now November, 1882, and extracted
honey has just taken quite an impetus in
public favor. <A little to my surprise, peo-
ple are beginning to demand honey that is
candied, instead of making it an objection.

AND

| Our friend ©. F. Muth, of Cincinnati, one of

the largest honey-dealers in the world, says
he now has many customers who will not
Friend
Jones, of Canada, of whom mention has
been made, has also done much, as has C.
H. Dadant, of Hamilton, Ill., toward getting
the honey into convenient packages to bring
it before the public. Friend Dadant has
given us five sizes of covered pails; viz., 14,
24, 5, 10, and 25 lbs. respectively. Friend
Jones struck on the idea of putting it up in
packages still smaller, and commences with
a package of only 4 lb. that can be sold for 5
cents, or given away as a sample of the
honey. The sizes are 3, 4, 4,1 lb., 24, and 5
lbs. For each size, friend Jones has origi-
nated beautiful lithographed labels, which
are, in tact, beautiful chromos; and as the
surface is varnished, these labels are easily
cleaned, if any honey gets daubed on their
surface. The 4 and + sizes are simply tin
boxes with a cover slipping over, and are to
be taken to the grocer, with the honey ina
tin can, and he fills them as they are sold.
They are easily handled when filled, after
the honey has become candied. The 4 and 1
lb. boxes are made so they can be sealed up
by wax, or the ordinary fruit-can cement,
and thus become marketable, already filled.
The 24 and 5 lb. are made in a similar way,
but have bails so as to make a very pretty

| little pail when labeled with these chromo

labels. As the covers are easily removed
without injuring the pail, the purchaser has
a very handy little pail for use, after the
honey is taken out. All of these sizes that
close with cement can be sealed up while
the honey is hot, and thus prevent granula-
tion. Some very handy waxed strings have
been devised, for sealing these pails and
boxes rapidly, and in a cleanly manner.

EXTRACTED HONEY.

Below we give you a picture of a 23-lb. pail,
showing the manner in which it is made.

JONES S 24-POUND HONEY-PAIL.

The 5-lb. pail is exactly like it, only twice
as high. These pails are made so cheaply
that their expense is less than 2 cents per Ib.
for each pound of honey they contain.

A FEW NEW PACKAGES.

May, 1384.—Within the past two years two
new packages for honey have found favor.
We illustrate them below.

SCREW-CAP PAIL. SLOPING-SIDE PAIL.

This is the Jones screw-cap honey-pail.
This cap is sufficiently tight to admit of ship-
ping long distances, without leaking. The
pails are made inY sizes, from 4 to 6 lbs. The
other is a honey-pail holding about 74 Ibs.,
made with sloping sides, so they will nest to-

88

‘the retailer.
'in glass is its candying property; but as a

| i |

EXTRACTED HONEY.

gether, for the purpose of shipping. By this
means we are enabled to pack 100 pails and
covers in a good-sized common barrel.

While friend Jones has done so much to
develop tin packages for extracted honey, it

will be seen that friend C. F. Muth, of Cin-

cinnati,O., has been equally active in giving
us nice packages made of glass. Below we
illustrate the four jars that he uses. The
smallest size is what Mr. Muth ealls the
‘‘dime”’ jar, and has been lately introduced.
It holds about five ounces.

The price of these is $3.25 per gross, ship-
ped from Cincinnati, which would be a little
over two cents each. Corks and labels would
make them toward three cents each. Count-
ing the five ounces of honey worth five cents

| (putting the honey at 16 cts. per lb. for such —

small Guantities), your.dime jar would cost.
you eight cents, allowing two cents profit to
One great trouble with honey

great many like it best in a candied state,
this offsets a part of the objection. Another
thing: These small jars may be very quickly
melted by setting them on a thin board laid
on the stove where it is not very hot.

HONEY-TUMBLERS.

A large trade has also sprung up in honey
put up in jelly-tumblers. These are of two
sizes, chiefly ; those holding 4 lb. and 1 Ib.
They are made honey-tight by laying a piece
of soft paper over the tumbler before the
tin cover is pressed on, and then tearing off
the surplus paper. Covering the paper on
the side next the honey, with the white of
an egg, makes a hermetically close joint.
The tumblers cost only three and five cents
each respectively. On the next page we pvre-
sent you with a handy stand for exposing for
sale honey put up, invented by Geo. F. Wil-
liams, of New Philadelphia, Ohio.

EXTRACTED HONEY.

WILLIAMS’ STAND FOR SELLING EXTRACT-
ED HONEY.

In pleasant weather this stand
may be placed on the side-
walk in front of the store,
and the grocer can be paid a
commission for simply keep-
ing the stand full. After he
has got a trade started, he
will usually be willing to buy
the honey for cash, at a rea-
sonable price. We herewith
show a modification of the
jelly-tumbler, called a glass pail. Of course,
the top to this must screw on securely, or
there will be danger of the bail, cover, and
all, coming off at the wrong time.

IRON - JACKET SHIPPING - CANS.
None of the packages heretofore mention-
ed are suita»le for shipping extracted honey,
without being boxed or crated. We have
given the matter considerable study, and
have decided upon what are called the *‘ iron-
jacket’ cans, as shown below, as being most
desirable for all purposes as a shipping-can.

HONEY-PAIL, OF
GLASS.

We have sent these thousands of miles, and
have had no report of leakage or damage.
They are to be recommended in place of bar-
rels, because there is no danger of their com-
municating a taint to the honey, as barrels

89

EXTRACTED HONEY.

| and half-barrels are almost always liable to
do. Five sizes are kept in stock, holding
from one to ten gallons. Counting 11 lbs. of
honey to the gallon, these cans hold. from 10
to 100 Ibs., and a little over. They are made
of nice new tin, and tested in regard to leak-
age, by steam. They are then ineased in a
stout sheet-iron jacket, makine them ex-
tremely durable.
HONEY-KNIVES.

Before we can extract the honey, the caps
of the cells must be sliced off; and several
patterns of knives have been desired for this
purpose, called honey, or uneapping knives.
It is true, we may throw out the honey be-

fore the bees have had time to seal it over ;
but I believe the most of our fricnds have
decided in favor of letting the bees keep it
till they have it thoroughly ripened and
thick, as we have before remarked. The
knife shown below is one devised by myself,
and very extensively used the world over.

Hilt MMO

THE NOVICE HONEY-KNIFE.

This knife is almost as good as any for un-
capping, and it is also very handy indeed for
cutting honey or combs. The blade is very
thin, sharpened on both edges, and of the

very best steel and temper. When it is de-
sired to cut combs free from the sides of the
hive, or when the bees have carelessly been
allowed to build against the cover, this knife
will spring down straight and close to the
wood, so as to do a nice job, scraping off ey-
ery bit of the wax.

Shortly after my knife was put into the
market, our veteran friend M. Quinby had
one made with a curved point, as shown
below.

QUINBY HONEY-KNIFE.

The curve is to enable us to go down into
cavities and hollows on the combs. While
Mr. Quinby and many others considered this
quite an improvement, I have not found it
so convenient as the sharp-rounded point of

our own knife. Fora knife for uncapping
the cells alone, the Bingham & Hethering-
ton knife shown on next page is probably
ahead of any other.

EXTRACTED HONEY.

BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON ILONEY-KNIFE.

The cap-catcher shown in the engraving is
liked by some. It catches the caps and pre-
vents them from tumbling down in the way.

The above knives cost from 70 cents to
$1.00 each ;_but many of the friends have de-
vised several good home-made substitutes,
among which’is the common mason’s trowel,
which can be purchased at a cost of about 50
cents; and recently some Yankee friend has
suggested that a 10-cent steel garden-trowel
will do as well as any thing, although it
doesn’t make so wide a cut. Of course, the
edges are to be ground sharp.

UNCAPPING-CANS.

One of the largest honey-producers we
have, Chas. Dadant, of Hamilton, Ill., uses
and recommends what he calls an uncapping-
can, which is seen in the cut below :

DADANT’S UNCAPPING-CAN.
This is something like an ordinary ex-
tractor-can, only it is made in two pieces —

the upper one slipping into the other. A
wire-cloth partition, as shown in the cut,
catches the caps as they fall, and the honey
drips down, to be drawn off through the gate.
The very finest of the honey will come from
this uncapping-can, as it has been all ripened
and sealed. While shaving the caps off with
the honey-knives, the combs rest on the tin
bars, as shown suspended just below the top of
the can. :

90

EXTRACTED HONEY.

There are many substitutes for uncapping-
cans. At the present writing, friend W. 8.
Hart, of New Smyrna, Fla., sends us a sketch
of one he uses, made of a common cheap
wooden bowl. <A tube is fastened to the
bottom of the bowl, extending down through
the table into a honey-can or barrel. A
wire-cloth screen is put over the top of the
bowl, to catch the cappings; and as the bowl
turns on the tube the comb can easily be
swung around in any position while shaving
the caps off.

BRUSHES FOR GETTING BEES OFF THE
COMBS.

Besides the honey-knife, another imple-
ment is required in extracting; and of late,
considerable attention has been given to
this. Itis abrush for brushing bees from |
the combs. Until recently a bunch of as-
paragus-tops, some green twigs, or even a
wisp of clover-heads or grass has been used ;
but these soon wear out, or get limp or wilt-
ed, or worse still, get daubed with honey.
One of our California friends suggested the
little brush shown below, which is a dried
leaf-stalk from a large species of yucca, or
‘**Sentinel of the Desert,’ as the plant is
sometimes called.

YUCCA BRUSH.
Many thousands of these have been sold

throughout the United States. The fiber is
vegetable, and does not irritate the bees as
hair, feathers, or any animal substance would
do. By the way, it has been suggested that
the visits of Bruin have, in ages past, preju-_
diced the bees against any thing approach-
ing fur. After the yucea brush had had a
great run, our friend, the late T. J. Cook,
of Newpoint, Ind., devised a similar brush,
but made a good deal wider, which we figure
below.

COOK’S BEE-BRUSH.

After the decease of friend Cook, for a
while the bee fraternity were destitute; but
another friend, J. 8. C. Davis, of Ballstown,
Ind., gave us another improvement. These
were made with handles of galvanized wire,
so that, even if left out in the rain, or drop-

EXTRACTOR.

ped and stepped on, they sustain no injury.
If daubed with honey, as they are sure to be-
come after a while, any of these brushes may
be quickly washed and dried, and they are
as good as ever.

= ——— = AIS

i
NT

DAVIS’ IMPROVED BEE-BRUSH.

As your brush is liable to get lost, I think
it will pay you to have at least two or three.
Have one hung up in your extracting-house,
another hung up on a post in the apiary ; or
for a large apiary, have them hung up in
two or more places. Then make every one
who uses them hang them up, instead of
laying them down. If you follow this up
thoroughly, probably at least one of them
can be found when you are in a hurry.

EXTRACTOR. The advantages and
disadvantages of using a honey-extractor in
the apiary are considered under head of ex-
tracted honey. That more honey can be ob-
tained by the use of the machine than by
haying it stored in section boxes in the
shape of comb honey, all are agreed; but all
are not agreed as to how much more. If it

is nicely sealed over as it should be before |

being extracted, I do not think more than
twice as much will be obtained, on an aver-
age, although the amountis placed by many
at a much higher figure. A beginner will
be more certain of a crop, than if he relies
upon having the bees work in boxes; he will
also be much more apt to take away too
much, and to cause his bees to starve. This
lastisa very disagreeable feature attendant
upon the use of the implement, especially
where the bee-keeper is prone to carelessness

91

EXTRACTOR.

|and negligence. To secure the best results
with the extractor, plenty of empty combs
| should be provided, that ample room may be
| given, in case the hives should become full
_before the honey is ripe enough to remove.
'Ifasecond story does not give room suffi-
cient, I would add a third for a heavy stock,
during a good yield of honey.

Full directions for using extractors are
given with the price-lists that manufacturers
send out; therefore I will not repeat them
here.

HOW TO MAKE AN EXTRACTOR.

Although it will not usually pay to make
your own, there are circumstances under
which it is very desirable to know how.
In places so remote that the shipping rates
| are very high, it would be well to have some
bee-keeper of a mechanical turn make them
to supply those in his own vicinity. As the
manufacture of implements and supplies is
getting to be quite a business, the ma-
chines can probably be manufactured at
many different points. Whoever does the
best work will probably get the most orders.

Experiments have been made, almost with-
out number, and the general decision now
seems to be in favor of a mYachine made en-
tirely of metal, with every thing stationary
about it except what must be revolved. The
momentum of heavy, metal, revolving cans,
or of honey after it has left the comb, defeats
the very object we have in view; and noth-
ing will so effectually convince one of the
difference, as an actual trial of the two ma-
chines side by side. With the light, all-met-
al machines, the comb is revolved at the
speed required almost instantly; and as soon
as the honey is out of the comb, the operator

| is aware of it by the decrease in the weight

as he holds the crank in his hand; but
with the heavy, unwieldy machines, the stop-
ping and starting take more time than do-
ing the work. The same objections apply to
making machines for emptying four combs
at once. They require to be made much larg-
er, and are correspondingly heavy and un-
wieldy.

A reference to the engraving of the ex-
tractor with its inside removed will enable
almost any tin-smith to do the work. The
gearing had better be purchased from a deal-
er in supplies; butif you should have many to
make, it may pay you to have them cast,
using the sample forapattern. The shaft
of the inside part is made by rolling up a tin
tube, double thickness. This is quickly and
nicely done with the machine the tinner uses
to make the bead on the edge of eave-spouts.

EXTRACTOR. 9

The frame-work is made of folded strips of
tin.

For a Langstroth frame, we make the
shaft the full length of a 14x 20 sheet of
tin. The corner - pieces are made of a strip
2 inches wide by 14 long, with a seam folded
on one edge, anda square fold of $ on the
other. The bars that support the wire cloth
are six in number, including the top and
bottom ones, and are made by folding one-
inch strips of tin, three times, so as to make
a stiff rod of metal. They are 10 inches in
length, and our revolving frame is 10 inches
one way, and 11 the other. For greater se-
curity against sagging, we run a similar rod
of metal, up and down across the middle of
these bars, and still another lies flatwise
across this, to brace the whole, something
like a truss bridge. This gives a surface
very stiff, and yetvery light. The wire cloth,
which should be tinned like all the other
metal work, is made of stiff wire, 5 meshes

INSIDE OF EXTRACTOR.

to the inch.
that neither zine nor galvanizediron should
ever be used about honey - utensils. The
acid principle in the honey quickly acts on
all oxidizable metals; and galvanized iron,
though bright in appearance, quickly poisons
the honey, or even pure water, as has been
proven by experiment. Two sheets of wire
cloth, 15 inches long by 10 wide, are needed
for an L. extractor. They are simply laid
inside against the metal bars and tacked
with solder. To cover the ragged edges at
the top and bottom, we fold a strip of light
tin 10 inches long by 4 inch wide, at a right
angle, so as to make a square trough, as it
were; thisis soldered on the top rod, so as
to cover the upper edge of the wire cloth.
A strip of wire cloth, 15 inches long, and 4

| particle of honey thrown over.

2 EXTRACTOR.

wide, with the edges hemmed by folded
strips of tin, isput across the bottom, to sup- —
port the frames. Two inches from each end —
it is bent at right angles, and then 4 inch —
from each end, still again, that it may catch —
securely over the lower bar of the frame. —
The frame is completed by the cross - pieces —
at the top and bottom, to hold the two wire- |
cloth frames at the right distance apart. —
These are strips of heavy tin 14 inches wide
by 11 inches long. A seam is folded on each
edge, so that the bars are left only 1 inch
wide when finished. At each end, a4 inch
is folded square, to catch over the outside of
the frame where it is soldered.

Now, to attach this frame to the shaft is a
matter somewhat important; for if we use
too much breadth of surface with the arms,
they will ‘‘blow” like a fanning-mill, and we
shall have a current of air that will carry
with it a fine spray of honey over the top of
the can. This isa most grievous fault, for

EXTRACTOR COMPLETE.

It may be well to remark here,! who likes to have honey daubed over his —

clothing? Our first machine was made so
that the combs revolved only + inch below
the top of the can, and yet we never had a
This frame
was made very light indeed ; and when heay-
ier and stronger machines were made for
sale, we were much puzzled to hear an occa-
sional complaint that the honey was thrown
over the top of the can, in a fine spray. Isoon
found by experiment that it was caused by

the braces being placed flatwise to the line

of motion. How to make them strong and —
stiff, without catching the air, was the prob-
lem. We do it nicely by using 12 braces,
made of heavy tin, with a seam folded as
just mentioned. Thel2 are formed of six
pieces. The6 pieces are laid across each

EXTRACTOR.

other in pairs, forming 3 letter X’s. Each
letter X has a hole punched at the crossing,
large enough for the shaft to be driven
through; when it is soldered securely, the
ends are bent down and attached to the cor-
ners of the frame as shown in the engraving.
The lower X also supports the wire cloth
that the frames rest on, by being tacked with
solder where it passes it.

The gearing isattached to this revolving
frame by driving the small gear - wheel into
the end of the hollow shaft, and soldering it
securely. The casting is first,well tinned by
a soldering-iron, that there may be no slip-
ping loose.

MAKING THE CAN.

There is nothing difficult about this, except
the bottom of the can. It had been, for a
long time, quite a problemto geta strong
stiff bottom, without some kind of a wooden
support; but I struck on the idea, while try-
ing to devise some kind of a bottom that
would let the honey all out—the gate, or fau-
cet being the lowest part. I will tell you,
presently, how I did it. The top edge of the
can must be stiff and rigid; more so than we
ean get it by any kind of a wire or rod. I
found some very stiff hoops that were made
for milk-cans, and it is these I would advise.
They are so made as to give great stiffness,
with but a small amount of metal.

We present a view of a cross-section of the
hoop, the concave side, of course, being in-
ward. A is the hoop, and B is the tin of
which the can is formed. The can A
is made of four sheets of 14x20, 1X fp
tin. For an({L. frame, we need a
hoop just 17 inches in diameter.

For large sizes, we use 20-inch

hoops. The two sizes mentioned will ac-
commodate almost any frame used, and we
therefore furnish gearing for only these two
sizes. After you have made the body of the
can, and have your hoop nicely soldered on,
you are ready for the bottom.

Lock two of the sheets together, and cut a

circular piece 18 inches in diameter. From

one side, cut a wedge-shaped piece, as shown
in the cut below.

124

me |
ims

HOW TO MAKE THE BOTTOM TO THE CAN OF
THE EXTRACTOR.

The space, A B, should be about 2 inches in
width; and, after cutting it out, you are to
fold down the edges of A B, about 4 inch.

93 EXTRACTOR.

Draw these edges toward each other, and
you will make the bottom concave, as shown
in Fig. 2. They can be held in this shape
for the time by a slip of tin temporarily
tacked with solder across the gap. Turn
over the edge and put this bottom on the
can, in the usual way. The opening left is
for the channel that leads to and holds the
honey-gate. Cut apiece of tin similar to the
wedge-shaped piece you took out, but some-
what larger. Fold this up trough-shaped, as
shown in Fig. 3, and fit it over the opening.
We are now ready to solder in the gate, but
we must have something for our can to stand
on. Thisis fixed by a tin hoop, with a heavy
wire at its lower edge, made just large enough
to slip closely over the lower part of the can,
as seen in Fig. 4. This hoop, or band, rather,
should be about 4inches wide, and in one
side you are to punch a round hole, just
large enough to take in the gate. Solder it
securely in place, put in the gate, and then
be sure to try your can by pouring in some
water to see if it will ‘‘hold.’”? We donot
want any leaking after we commence ex-
tracting honey.

Now, in the center, C,on the inside, we
solder a piece of steel saw - plate; over this
we put a blank iron nut, with a 4-inch hole
drilled init. This is to hold the bottom piv-
ot,which is made of refined Stub’s steel, nice-
ly rounded and polished off on the point.
As the bearings for the gearing are all cast
steel, our machine should almost run of itself,
if every thing is made just right. The steel
pivot at the bottom is soldered in the end of
our tin tube, by rolling some thin tin around
it until it will drive in tight.

You should never attempt to use an ex-
tractor, and I might almost say any piece of
machinery, until you have it securely screw-
ed down to the box or platform on which it
is to stand. The screw - holes are made in
the bottom ring just above the heavy wire
that rests on the floor. The screws are put
in a little slanting. It should also be at a
convenient height for easy work. The ma-
chine could be made heavy enough to stand
still from its own weight, it is true, and it
might be made perched on legs,also, to save
the trouble of building a box or platform on
which to stand it; and if you are making
them for home use, it may be well to do so;
but if making them to ship to customers, I
would never think of sending them any thing
that they could procure at home, thus saving
heavy shipping expenses. I would say the
same in regard to making cans large enough
to hold 100 lbs., or more, of honey, below the

EXTRACTOR.

revolving frame. When the extractor is be-
ing used, the honey-gate is supposed to be
open, and utensils can always be supplied to
hold the honey, much cheaper than to have
the extractor thus enlarged. Those I have
described can be very conveniently worked
over the bung of a barrel, or you can have a
tin can made on purpose to set under the |
honey-gate.

The gearing for the extractor, including a
tinned honey-gate, will cost about $2.00;
the materials and labor for the inside should |
not cost to exceed $2.50; seven sheets of tin |
for the can would be 7Ce; a half-day’s work |
in the making, $1.25 ; hoop for the top, 50c; |
and perhaps the solder and other items, 25c; |
this would bring the whole cost up to $7.20. |
Your own time in ‘‘bossing”’ the tinner, and |
the liabilities of making mistakes, and doing |
a bad job on the first one, would probably |
bring the expense up to about the usual sell- |
ing price; viz., from $7.50 to $9.00. Machines
for different sized frames are made much in |
the same way ; for the American and Gallup
frames, we can make a short can, only the
height of the width of a sheet of tin, instead |
of the length. Of course, these can be made |
ataless cost. Where the frames hang in
the extractor the same way that they do in
the hive, no wire cloth support is neede.l
across the bottom of the comb-basket, unless |
itis preferred for extracting small pieces
or bits of comb.

94

EXTRACTOR.

No cover is ever needed over the extractor
while at work, for it would be greatly in the
way; but after we are through, or stop only
temporarily, the machine should be covered
to keep out dust and insects. The most con-
venient thing for this purpose is a circular
piece of cheap cloth, with a rubber cord run
inthe hem. This can be thrown over in an
instant,and all is secure. When honey is
coming in abundantly, it may be safe
to carry the machine, located on a suitable
platform, around to the hives, especially if
the apiary is much scattered about. But if
the bees are disposed to rob, allsuch attempts
will ‘‘come to grief” very quickly.

EXTRACTING FROM BROKEN PIECES OF
COMB, OR FROM SECTION-BOXES.

As we always use the IL. extractor, we

have extracted from pieces of comb by set-

ting them up on the wire cloth at the bottom.

The smaller, shallow extractors, for Gallup,

Adair, and American frames, have no such
attachment; therefore some arrangement is”
really needed for the purpose. At the same

time, it would be very handy for the tall ex-

tractors, when any mishap occurs to break a
comb down, or when we wish to extract from
heavy pieces of comb, in warm weather.

| Several devices have been deseribed in the

journals, but none of them suit me so well

as the one figured below, which was sent me

=>

————aSa—SSSSS =
————S—S—_——eqeqaaS=—O
EXTRACTOR WITH SPACE FOR HONEY BE-
LOW REVOLVING-FRAME,

properly in place.

by J. D. Slack, of Plaquemine, La.

He uses it for extracting from section box-
es also, but I think I should prefer to do this
in the wide frames that hold them, thus do-.
ing a full set of eight at one time. With
this machine, only one could be extracted at
once.

EXTRACTOR

FOR PIECES

OF COMB.

At C are a pair of hinges, that the machine
may be opened the more readily to receive a
heavy, soft comb. The wires, B, are of one
piece, and are also made to turn that they
may be hooked into A, when the comb is
The hooks, A, are to
hook over the top-bar of the inside of the re-
volving frame of the extractor.

MD.

SS SSS

Su —

MORE,

BALTI

5

E

K

OF CHAS. H. LA

ARY

APT:

Fes = 2s on we 3 ee ee
Ce a ee ee a ae

eS a

EF.

FAIRS— How they may be used in the de-
velopment of the bee and honey industry.—Of
late, very much indeed has been accomplish-
ed by the exhibits of bees, honey, and apiari-
an implements at State and county fairs.
Several of the larger societies have had very
pretty buildings erected on the fair-grounds
for these displays, and often the bee-keepers
who meet at such places have very interest-
ing conventions during the day time or even-
ing.

It was my good fortune to attend an exhib-
it of this kind at Toronto, in the fall of 1883.
The exhibit of honcy in cans and tin pails
and other receptacles, as well as the fine lots
of comb honey, was wonderful indeed, and

‘filled me with surprise and astonishment, as

it did thousands of others who were in at-

tendance. Our friend D. A. Jones, who has
become justly celebrated, not only for his
immense crops of honey, but on account of
introducing the Cyprian and Holy-Land bees,
was the leading spirit of the occasion. To

recompense the bee-keepers who made the

displays, for their time and trouble, as well
as for standing there day after day and ex-
plaining to an eager multitude thirsting for
knowledge, they were permitted to sell their
honey on the fair-grounds. Many tons were
disposed of at good prices in this way.

Bee-keepers, look well to what may be ac-
complished at your county fairs ; and if those
near you are too much given to gambling
schemes and horse-racing, make it your busi-
ness to interest the boys who go there, in
learning some wholesome, honest industry.
Our own State of Ohio has recently erected a
very pretty building on the fair-grounds at
Columbus.

FEEDING AND FEEDERS. As
a general rule, I would not advise beginners
to take their honey away, and sell with the
idea of feeding their stocks up in the fall
with some substitute for honey; and if a
person is inclined to be careless and neglect-
ful he had better never think of feeding
at all. Leave the tencombs in the lower

story untouched by the extractor, and you
will very seldom have reason to feed.”8 If
you use section boxes in the lower story,
you had better take them all out in time to
let the bees fill combs for winter stores, in
their place, unless you have very heavy sur-
plus combs laid away, that will contain on
an average 5 lbs. of sealed honey each; in
this case, give them 6 of these combs and a
chaff-cushion division-board on each side of
them in place of the sections, and you have
them then in the safest shape for winter
you possibly can, providing they are in
a chaff hive (according to my ideas of
wintering). Now,if we were only sure of
having the well - filled surplus combs, we
might skip ‘“‘ feeding” entirely; but, alas!
there will come seasons and circumstances
when we must feed. I have never known a
season when a colony of Italians with a
good queen would not get an ample supply
for winter, and furnish some surplus; but I
am told there are such occasionally; and the
present one (1877) is said to have left many
n a Starving condition in California, right
in mid-summer.

Again, where one raises bees and queens
for sale, he may divide and sub-divide to
such an extent as to have many colonies
with bees enough, but with too little food.
The only remedy in these cases is to feed.

WHAT TO FEED.

If I had sealed honey in the combs, I
should use it for giving the requisite stores
in preference to sugar, unless I could sell it
for more, pound for pound, than the sugar
could be purchased for. If the honey is late
fall honey, such as buckwheat, goldenrod,
autumn wild flowers, etc., I should consider
it just as safe as any other, if well seasoned
and ripened, unless I had by actual experi-
ment good reason to think otherwise:
in such a case I would feed sugar. Quite a
number of reports have been given that
seemed to show bees wintered safely on the
spring honey, or that gathered in the early

FEEDING AND FEEDERS.

part of the season, when others in the same
apiary where all this spring honey was ex-
tracted, and they were confined to the au-
tumn stores for winter, were badly diseased.
Whether a chaff packing around them would
enable them to use such honey with safety
or not, remains to be shown; but I have
much faith that it would, for all the bad
honey I have ever experimented with could
be used with perfect safety in warm wea-
ther.

Well, supposing we have not the honey in
frames, What then? If we have extracted
honey two questions come up; which is bet-
ter—sugar syrup, or honey? and which will

cost the more? I would unhesitatingly take |
syrup made from granulated sugar, in place |

of the best clover or any other kind of hon-
ey, if offered at the same price.
after having fed many barrels of sugar, and
after having carefully noted the results of
feeding both sugar and honey.

Inregard to expense: A gallon of water to

20 Ibs. of sugar will make 28 lbs. of nice |

thick syrup; and as the sugar is now worth
about 10 cents by the barrel, our syrup will
cost us about 7 cents per Ib. I think, if my

extracted honey were all ready to ship, and |

I could get 10 cents cash for it, I would sell
it and buy the sugar. Perhaps a safe rule
will be to say, that whenever we can trade a
pound of honey for a pound of sugar, we
had better do so, for the difference in favor
of sugar will certainly pay for all the trouble
of making it_into syrup.

I say this |

98

fussed with feeders know how untidy and

the hives and disturbing things inside for —

ing time; the honey they got out of them

In regard to the cheaper grades of sugar |

than the standard A, I will say that I have
used the C sugar, without being able to de-

price is but very little different, I rather de-

getting from them, and we soon became sat- —
tect any difference in the results, but as the | isfied that the honey in the cappings was —

even worse than thrown away, for it hadin- —

cided in my own mind, without any definite |

proof, that the A contained about the same
amount of pure sugar, for the money, as did
any of the cheaper grades. I also fed a few

would otherwise have gathered a‘much larg-

has followed feeding so many times, that we

colonies for winter on the cheapest brown |

sugar, and, somewhat contrary to my expec-
tations, they wintered tolerably well. Ihave

ed.

not used brown sugar extensively, because |

in my experiments with candy for feeding, the sugar as soon as honey is to be obtained, —

even in small quantities.

I discovered that burnt candy or sugar—car-
amel—was certain poison to bees when con-
fined to such stores in cold weather. See
CANDY. As brown sugar frequently owes
its color and taste to this same caramel, it
is very unsafe for winter food.

WOW TO FEED.

Although the number of feeders described, |
invented, patented, and offered for sale are |

almost without number, I would pass them

are pretty sure to be emptied in a single —
‘night.

FEEDING AND FEEDERS. "i

all without notice (and I have pretty thor- —
oughly tried nearly all of them), except the —
simple atmospheric or ‘‘ pepper-box feeder,”"™
that has been so often described. A pepper
box explains the whole principle, if you fill ©
it with water and invert it; and,in fact, you —
may use the cheap tin pepper-boxes for feed- —
ers if you have but few colonies. Fill-one ©
with honey or syrup, place it in frontof —
the hive at nightfall, and you will find it all —
taken into the hive by morning, without a
single bee or any part of the hive having be-_
come daubed or sticky; those who- have

disagreeable every thing soon gets, unless —
great care is taken.

[ would feed outside the hive, beeause I
think the bees behave more naturally when
the food comes in this way, and because, —
by so doing, the labor of opening and closing ~

the accommodation of a feeder is avoided; —
also, if we feed during the day time, the —
bees all stay at home, and the honey that —
might otherwise have been gathered is lost. —
I have several times fed stocks during the
fall to build them up; and although they —
were induced to take many pounds of honey
or syrup, they would be in no better condi-
tion than others that had not been fed at all,
for they ‘‘loafed” and fussed with their
feeder, while the rest were doing very fair
days’ works. Again, I once gave a partic-
ular colony all the cappings during extract-

amounted to 3 or 4 lbs. per day, but this was
only about half as much as we were before

duced the bees to stay at home, when they

er quantity from the fields. This result
are loth to resort to it, when it can be avoid-
Feeding sugar, especially the cheap
sugars, is less liable to disturb their work
in the fields, than honey, for they will desert

The feeders we generally use are one-
quart fruit-cans with a cover of perforated
tin; these cost only 10 cents each, and they

When placed in front of the hive
near the entrance they should be slightly
raised with bits of wood, that the bees may _
have a fair chance at all the holes in the cap
at once. If by any means the feeding has

“3

ae oe to

FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 99

been delayed until very late, or if you have
many colonies to feed, and but little time in
which to do it, you can use a feeder that
will hold enough at one time to give them
their winter rations. This size has been
termed a “‘ tea-kettle feeder” on account of
its size and shape. I have with such a feed-
er given a colony 25 lbs. of syrup in less than
halfa day. These large ones we place in
the upper story, as they may not be emptied
in a day or two. If they are set directly on
the frames, right over the brood, they will
be emptied soonest. When these feeders
are first inverted it should be done over a
pan of the syrup, for a little will run out be-
fore it gets level and quiet. After inver-
sion, they may be carried to any part of the
apiary.
HOW TO MAKE THE SYRUP.

After stirring the sugar and water, you
ean boil it if you choose; but I assure you it
does not doa particle of good, and should
you burn it a little, it may do a great deal of
harm. If you have an extractor, pour in
your sugar, and some boiling water on it,
then turn briskly, and your syrup will all be
ready to draw off into the feeders. I have
fed a barrel of sugar in less than 3 hours,
and had it all done with, except removing
the feeders when they were emptied. The
barrel was broken open in a large tank, and
the staves and heads were washed with a
tea-kettle of boiling water. More water
was poured in, and the whole was stirred
with a hoe until it was a fair syrup. Large
feeders were then filled and placed on a
shelf in the tank, until they had ceased to
drip. From this they were removed to the
hives just at dusk, that no robbers might
interfere. When all’ were filled, the tank
Was rinsed out with the tea-kettle, and the
rinsings placed over a hive, in the feeder,
so that not an ounce of sugar was wasted.

Cream of tartar, tartaric acid, vinegar,
and the like, have been used for preventing
granulation, but I feel sure we do not need
any thing besides pure water and pure su-
gar, and I think it makes little difference
what the proportions are. If the sugar and
water be boiled together, there is perhaps
less liability to granulate. We now do it
rapidly by means of a steam-pipe let down
into the syrup.

FEEDING FAST OR SLOWLY.

I have not been able to see that it makes
any material difference whether we feed it
all at once, or a little at a time for winter-
ing purposes; only but for brood-rearing it
is assuredly best to feed a little at a time, say

tity.

FEEDING AND FEEDERS.

a pint every night. I have, during severe

droughts reared queens, brood, and had

beautiful comb built, by the latter plan.
WIEN TO FEED.

Although colonies have been wintered
well when fed after cold or freezing weath-
er, I think much the safer plan is to have it
all done during warm dry weather, that they
may have it all ripened and thoroughly
sealed up. If you have been so careless as
to have bees that are in need of stores, at
the beginning of winter, I would advise
frames of sealed honey if you can get them;
and if you cannot, use CANDY, which see.
If the candy is covered up with warm chaff
cushions or something equivalent, it may
be fed at any time, although it does not
seem to be as satisfactory under all cireum-
stances as stores sealed up in their combs.

In feeding in cool or cold weather, you are
very apt to uncover the cluster, or leave
openings that will permit the warmth from
the cluster to pass off. I have several times
had colonies die,in the spring after I com-
menced feeding, and I imagined it was from
this cause alone. When they first commence
raising brood in the spring, they need to be
packed up closely and snugly; making a

hole in the quilt or cushions above the clus-

ter, and placing the feeder over this so as to
close it completely, does very well, but is not,
after all, as safe as giving the feed from be-
low: for feeding in early spring, especially
if the stock is weak, I would prefer the can-
dy, or well-filled combs of sealed stores.

Since the above was written we have had
quite an August drought, and it has given
me an opportunity of making a further test
of the different modes of feeding for the
purpose of inducing brood-rearing, and of
keeping colonies from starving. Plenty of
pollen was to be had from the corn-tields,
though but little, if any honey. Old stocks
hung idly a great part of the day, in and on
the hives, and nuclei either ceased rearing
brood entirely, or reared very little. Many
of the queens stopped laying entirely. At
this stage, a little feed during the night,
would start the queens laying wonderfully,
and the fed colony would rush to the fields
for pollen in a way that demonstrated at
once that feeding at such a time was a very
profitable investment, if one wished to build
up weak stocks and nuclei. A stock that
had been fed half a teacupful only, would
go out for pollen an hour earlier than the
others, and would bring in double the quan-
A still smaller quantity will set them

FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 10

to building out foundation most beautifully, /
and I never in my life saw the work in the |
hive go on so satisfactorily as it did during
the hot, dry, dusty days, under the influence
of a very moderate amount of feeding dur-
ing the night. I take great pleasure in
giving you a feeder that I think is, in sever- |
al respects, rather ahead of the former one.

Get a piece of basswood, pine, or other |
light soft wood, two inches thick by two
wide, and about a foot long; with a buzz-
saw set wabbling, plow grooves in it, three |
in number, as shown in the following en-

0) FEEDING AND FEEDERS.

over them; they will like it all the better
that way. For feeding the two - frame nu-
clei (see QUEEN-REARING) set the feeder
on the end of the shelf, in front of the en-
trance. To get them started, pour a little

soon “boil out,’ and discover the feed.
Even a weak nucleus will empty the feeder
in a very short time—long before morning.
If you have but a little feeding to do, just
put some sugar in the trough, wet it with a
little water, and it is all done, without even
soiling your hands.

graving.

SIMPLICITY BEE-FEEDER.

We have shown it turned over on one side,
that you may see the way in which the
grooves are sawed out, so as to leave two
thin partitions through the middle. The
holes from one partition to the other are to
allow all three of the apartments to fill up
at once, that the danger of running them
over when filling may be avoided. I con-
fess, when I made the first one I was a little
fearful that the bees would drown in
them after all; but when I saw how they
clung to the wood as they sipped the honey,
I had no fear; and after a trial of them for
several weeks with all kinds of feed, all the
way from sweetened water to syrup as thick
as tar, all kinds of candied honey, sugar and
water stirred up hastily in all proportions,
etc., I have yet to see a single dead bee ina
feeder. They may be used inside the hive,
in the upper story, before the entrance, or
where you choose.

They are always emptied in a twinkling,
and with perfect safety to the bees. Where
we are building up stocks, we set them in
the hive, close to the division-board. For a

GRAY’S IMPROVEMENT ON THE SIMPLICITY
FEEDER.

Of course, the Simplicity feeder can not be

placed out of doors during the day time.

, They must either be used inside of the hive,

or placed at the entrance after the bees are —
done flying at night; and ‘even’ then, if the

f night should happen’ to be; cool, so that the

bees did not take, it all“in,’a free fight might
be the result next morning. To remedy
these defects, a modification of the Simplici-
ty is made, as shown below.

TT ADMINADDIIUNI IU DI DILL aA
put — |
TILL UAT JOIIULLAI NUIT

GRAY’S IMPROVED FEEDER.

As before, the whole is made from a single —
block of wood, with the exception of cover on
one end, and a small strip tacked across at
the other end. A sheet of glass slides in
grooves under the little board, so as to open
and close the place for filling, which is seen
at the left, covered with wire cloth. Bees
can be seen feeding through the glass, and it
is often desirable to see when the feeder is
empty.

full colony, we set them just before the en-
trance ; if the hive has blocks and a portico,
set them across from one entrance-block to |
the other. In this case they may remain
there as long as you are feeding. All you
have to do is to go round with your coffee-_
pot of feed just at dusk, and fill them up: |
you can not drown a bee, even if they are
crowded into the feeder when you pour it
in, Pour it right on their backs, and all

GLASS-TUMBLER FEEDER.

This is a modification of the Hains feeder.
It is made from a common jelly or honey
tumbler with tin top. Punch a two-inch hole
through the tin top, then solder this tin top
into a little square tray, like that shown by

of the feed into the hive; they will very —

ia

FEEDING AND FEEDERS.

the side of the Hains feeder. Fill the tum-
bler while it is right side up; put on the cap
with tray attached; invert the whole quick-
ly, and it is ready to set into the hive.

- With all the desirable qualities of these
feeders, they are cheaper than anything that
-has heretofore come under our notice. The
size we have mentioned holds about one
pint, and can be made and sold as lowas 5
cents, or 4 cents by the hundred.

FEEDING TO PRODUCE COMB HONEY.

You could feed white sugar so as to pro-
duce very nice-looking comb honey, but it
would be sugar syrup in honey-comb, after
all, as you would find to your sorrow if you
should attempt to sell it as honey; and
furthermore, it is doubtful if you could do

101

it without losing money, were such not the |

case. Many are the attempts that have been
made to produce honey by feeding sugar;
but all have resulted in failures. Where
you can purchase nice white extracted hon-
ey for 10¢ you may be able to feed it so as
to make it pay, if you can get 20 or 25c for

the honey in the comb. Several of our)

neighbors have fed out their extracted hon-
ey in this way, and they think it can be
done profitably, with the aid of the founda-
tion. This should all be done by a few col-
onies, because they must have quite a quan-
tity, perhaps 25 Ibs., before they are in shape
to build comb. The feed should then be
given as rapidly as possible, if we wish to
get nice white honey; for the quicker we
can get our comb honey out of the hive, the
whiter and nicer will it be. Bees, when fed,
are to some extent demoralized, and forget
to be as particular as they usually are, about
being neat and tidy. Sometimes they will
‘scamper over the white honey with dirty
feet, like a lot of children who have been
fed sweetmeats to an injudicious extent,
and this we wish to avoid. I am just
now making some experiments in this di-
rection, and have found that a common
‘milk-pan, placed in a third story on a Sim-
plicity hive, answers the purpose excellent-
ly. The first story contains the brood-
combs; the second, the section boxes sup-
‘plied with foundation as usual, while the
third contains nothing but the pan of syrup.
The plan of preventing the bees from drown-
ing is very simple; a sheet of cheese-cloth
is spread over the pan, before pouring the
honey into it. I have had but very few bees
drowned in this manner, but it is not as
clean and simple as the wood feeder; and as
.the cloth may get displaced, is not as sure
of success; the most awkward or inexperi-

FEEDING AND FEEDERS.

enced person can,hardly make a mistake or
have a mishap with the former, and it is
very desirable indeed to have implements
for bee culture which possess such quali-
ties.

For the purpose of more accurately test-
ing the exact amount of loss incurred in
feeding extracted honey, in order to get it
into comb honey in the sections, I have
had a platform scale made with a dial, that

_the weight of the hive and all the apparatus

may be seen at a glance. A Simplicity hive,
3-story, with section boxes in the second
story, was placed thereon; and when the
combs in the sections were partly filled, the
colony was fed with the milk - pan, as men-
tioned above, about 50 lbs. I then watched, -
with great interest, the hand on the dial, to

_see how many pounds they lost in weight, -

while the combs were being capped over.
To my great surprise, I found that the hon-
ey weighed just about as much in the combs
as it did in the pan; even after the combs
were all nicely capped over, there had been
a loss of only about one pound in ten, of the
honey fed. As the extracted honey was
bought of a neighbor for 10 ects., and the
filled sections were readily sold for 25 ets.,

_the investment was a paying one, without

question.

There is one point that should not be lost
sight of, however; that is, before the honey
will be stored in sections, the brood-combs
will be filled to repletion, and a large amount

'of brood will be started. Perhaps 25 lbs.

will be used in this way before they will
commence to store in the sections, in real
earnest. On this account the brood-apart-
ment should be contracted, and all combs
removed except those actually needed for
the brood. A neighbor now extracts suffi-
cient honey to feed in the fall, for the pur-
pose of getting all his unfinished sections
filled, that he may not have such a quantity
of dead capital in hand over winter, and no
unfilled sections to be taken off and cared
for until another season. This is quite an
item, as we often have, in our apiary, sever-
al thousand partly filled sections to keep
over, and a great many will be almost full
enough to be marketable. But few colonies
should be chosen to do this work, and they
should be gentle to handle, as a matter of
convenience to the one who does the work.*°

LIABILITY OF EXTRACTED HONEY TO CAN-
DY IN THE CELLS, WHEN FED BACK TO
THE BEES.

If candied honey is to be fed, of course it
must be melted; anditisa gga unpleas-

FEEDING AND FEEDERS.

ant fact, that honey which has been once
candied is very apt to candy again, even aft-
er the bees have sealed it up in the sections.
At least, such has been the result with hon-
ey fed in the cool fall weather, and such sec-

tions have been slow of sale, on account of |

the sealed candied honey.

THE HAINS FEEDER; HOW TO MAKE IT.

These may be made of
any size, but the one sent
me for a sample was
made of a piece of tin
about 24x44. Roll it up
and solder the edges, so
as to make alittle cup.
The bottom is just a
round piece of tin, laid 3M
on and soldered. Thisses
cup is to be inverted ina HAINS FEEDER.
square tin box as shown in the cut. It is
soldered to each of the four sides, so as to
be about 4 of an inch from the bottom, or so
that no bee can crawl inside. ‘To fill it, dip
it in the syrup while on its side, and raise it
out, in the position shown in the cut.

not possibly get daubed. It can be set in
the hive, at the entrance, or anywhere you
wish.
five cents.

Below we give an engraving of the device
to be fastened on a quart fruit-jar.

——

AAA
MAINS FEEDER FOR A FRUIT-JAR.
The jar may be filled level full before the
cover is put on, and it is then to be inverted
quickly, in the same manner as the pepper
box feeders. The advantage it has over the
latter is that it feeds more rapidly, the
places of exit being Jarger, and the holes
never get stopped up and need punching out.
For queen-rearing, building out founda-
tion, or building up colonies, the feeder
should be so made as to feed not overa
pound or twoaday. With a weak colony,
perhaps not even so much as that should be
fed at once.
CAUTION IN REGARD TO FEEDING.
Before closing, I would most earnestly
caution the inexperienced to beware of get-
ting the bees robbing. I have advised feed-

t
cee

The |
bees can take every drop out, but they can |

Pint feeders can easily be made for |

10

| had no honey from either locust or clover.
| over 300 colonies from starving, we have fed per-
| haps a ton of soft magle sugar, by just laying it o

| top of the frames. without any feeder at all. Ast

)

_

FERTILE WORKERS.

ing only in the night time, to avoid danger;
for attempting to feed in the middle of the
day will sometimes result in the robbing
and destruction of strong colonies. Where
food comes in such quantities, and in such
an unnatural way, they seem to forget to
post sentinels as usual; and before they have
time to recover, bees will pour in from all
the hives in the apiary. I do not know who
is to be pitied most at such a time, the bees,
their helpless owner, or the innocent neigh-
bors and passers-by. Sometimes, all that can
be done is to let your colony slide, and wish

‘for it to get dark that the greedy ‘‘elves”
Now when you ~
commence feeding, remember that my last
| words on the matter were, ‘t Look ouT !”

may be obliged to go home.

For open-air feeding, see WATER FOR

| BEEs.*

FERTILE WORKERS. These queer
inmates, or rather occasional inmates, of the
hive, are worker - bees that lay eggs. Aye,
and the eggs they lay, hatch too; but they
hatch only drones, and never worker-bees.
The drones are rather smaller than the drones
produced by a queen, but they are neverthe-
less drones, in every respect, so far as we
can discover. It may be well to remark
that ordinary worker-bees are not neuters,
as they are sometimes called: they are con-
sidered undeveloped females. Microscopic
examination shows the undeveloped germ
of nearly every organ found in the queen,
and these organs may become, at any time,
sufliciently developed to allow the bee to lay
eggs, but never to allow of fertilization by
meeting the drone as the queen does.

CAUSE OF FERTILE WORKERS.

It hus been over and over again suggested,
that bees capable of this egg - laying duty
are those reared in the vicinity of queen
cells, and that by some ineans they have re-
ceived a small portion of the royal jelly,
necessary to their development as bee-moth-
ers. This theory has, I believe, been entire-
ly disproven by many experiments; and it is
now pretty generally conceded that fertile
workers may make their appearance in any
colony or nucleus that has been for some
days queenless, and without the means of
rearing aqueen. Not only may one bee take

*June, 1882.—We have just had a cold, backward,
and wet spring, and at this date, June 10, we have
To keep

bees fly freely every day, we have fed dark and even
burnt sugar without harm. Unless this feed was
kept up, we found brood-rearing would cease inya-
riably; of course, this, at this season, would have
been at a great loss. .

FERTILE WORKERS.

upon herself these duties, but there may be
many of them; and wherever the bee-keep-
er has been so careless as to leave his bees
destitute of either brood or queen, for ten
days or two weeks, you may be pretty sure he
will find evidences of their presence, in the
shape of eggs scattered about promiscuously;
sometimes one, but oftener half a dozen ina
single cell. Ifthe matter has been going on
for some time, you will see nowand then
a drone-larva, and sometimes two or three
crowding each other in their single cell; some-
. times they start queen-cells over this drone
larva: the poor motherless orphans, seeming
to feel that something is wrong, are disposed,
like a drowning man, to catch at any straw.

HOW TO GET RID OF FERTILE WORKERS.

I feel very much like saying again, that
prevention is better than cure. If a colony,
from any cause, becomes queenless, be sure
they have unsealed brood of the proper age
to raise another; and when this oneis raised,
be sure that she becomes fertile. It can nev-
er do any harm to give a queenless colony
eggs and brood, and it may be the saving of
it. But suppose you have been so careless
as to allow a colony to become queenless,
and get weak, what are you to do? If you
attempt to give them a queen, and a fertile
worker is present, she will be pretty sure to
get stung; it is, in fact, often almost impossi-
ble to get them to accept even a queen - cell.
The poor fellows get into a habit of accept-
ing one of the egg-laying workers as a queen,
and they will have none other, until she is
removed; yet you can not find her, for she is
just like any other bee; you may get hold of
her, possibly, by carefully noticing the way
in which the other bees deport themselves
toward her, or you may catch her in the act
of egg - laying; but even this often fails,
for there may be several such in the hive at
once. You may give them a small strip of
comb containing eggs and brood, but they
will seldom start a good queen-cell, if they
start any at all; for, in the majority of cases,
a colony having fertile workers seems per-
fectly demoralized, so far as getting them in-
to regular work is concerned.

My friends, you have allowed them to get
into this condition, by being negligent in
supplying brood when they were on the verge
of ruin for the want of a single egg or young
larva, and the remedy now is to give them
afresh invoice of bees, brood, and combs from
some other hive; if you wish to make a sure
thing, give them at least three good combs
of brood and bees. This is almost start-
ing anew colony, but it is the cheapest way,

103

FIGWORT.

when they getso they will not receive a queen.
If the stock has become very weak, it may
be best to unite them with some other colony,
for it"certainly does not pay to have them
killing queens, and tearing down queen-cells.

If the fertile workers are discovered when
they first make their appearance, before
you see any of the drone - larve scattered
about, they will often accept a queen-cell, or
a fertile queen, without difficulty. I have
before advised giving all colonies or nuclei,
some eges and brood just before the young
queen is old enough to take her flight: when
this is done, there can be but little chance of
fertile workers, for they willalways have the
means of rearing another queen, if theirown
is lost in taking her flight. Sometimes a
fertile worker may be disposed of by mov-
ing the combs into an empty hive, placed at
a little distance from the other; the bees will
nearly all gointo their old hive, but the queen,
as she thinks herself to be, will remain on
thecombs. The returning bees will then ac-
cept a queen or queen-cell. After all is right
the combs may be returned, and the fertile
worker will be—well, I do not know just
what does become of her, but I suspect she
either attends to her legitimate business, or
gets killed.

See that every hive contains, at all times,
during the spring and summer months at
least, brood suitable for rearing a queen, and
you will never see a fertile worker.

HOW TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OF FER-
TILE WORKERS.

If you do not find any queen, and see eggs
scattered around promiscuously, some in
drone and some in worker cells, some attach-
ed to the side of the cell, instead of the cen-
ter of the bottom, where the queen lays
them, several in one cell, and none in the
next, you_may be pretty sure you have a fer-
tile worker. Still later, you will see the
worker-brood capped with the high convex
cappings, indicating clearly that the brood
will never hatch out worker-bees. Finding
two or more eggs ina cell is never conclu-
sive, for the queen often deposits them ina
feeble colony where there are not bees
enough to cover the brood. The eggs depos-
ited by a fertile queen are in regular order,
as one would plant a field of corn; but those
from fertile workers, and usually from drone-
laying queens, are irregularly scattered
about.

FIGWORT (Scrofulavia Nodosa). This
plant is variously known as Square-Stalk,
Heal-All, Carpenter’s-Square, Rattle-Weed,
etc., the name indicating some of its peculi-

FIGWORT.

arities, or real or supposed valuable medical
properties. Much has recently been said in
regard to it, under the name of the Simpson
Ifoney-Plant, J. A. Simpson, of Alexis, Ills.,
having first called attention to it.

THE SIMPSON

IONEY-PLANT.

The engraving presented will give a fair
idea of it, and will enable any one to
distinguish it at once, if it grows in his lo-
cality. The pretty little ball-shaped flower,
with a lip somewhat like the Pitcher - plant,
is usually found filled with honey, unless the
bees are so numerous as to prevent its accu-
mulation. This honey is, of course, thin, like
that from clover or other plants, when first
gathered, and is in, fact, rather sweetened
water; but still it is crude honey, and the
plant promises to furnish a larger quantity
than any thing else [have met with. We
have had one report from a single plant un-
der cultivation, and, as might be expected,
the quantity of honey yielded was very much
increased, and the plant grew to a great
height, continuing to bloom and yield honey
for full four months. The little flower, when
examined closely, is found to be very beau-
tiful. The following is Mr, Simpson’s (de-
scription of the plant: |

104

FIGWORT.

It is a large coarse grower from 4 to 8 feet in
height, coarse leaf, and a branching top covered with
innumerable little balls about the size of No. 1 shot.
When in bloom there is just one little flower-leaf on
each ball,which is dark purple, or violet, at the outer
point, and lighter as it approaches the seed-ball. The —
ball has an opening in it at the base of the leaf, and —
hollow. It is seldom seen in the forenoon
without honey shining init. Takea branch off and —
turn it down with a sharp shake, and the honey will 3
fallin drops. It commences to bloom about the 15th ‘
of July, and remains until frost. Bees frequent it
from morning till night. The honey is a little dark,
but of very good quality. I think it would be best
to sow in seed-bed, and transplant.

It grows in its natural state among brush-—
heaps, in fence-corners, and amid hedges, to —
the height of from 3 to 6 feet. The seed is
easily gathered in Sept. and Oct. As they —
vary much in size, it is likely that we could —
produce a variety with much larger balls, —
by cultivation, and by a careful selection of
the seeds. In doing this we should be care-
ful to select also such as produce much honey,
and, if possible, much good honey. Bees, and
plants too, are like wax in our hands, if we
go to work understandingly.

It is now December, 1879, and I have had
the plants under cultivation during the past
season. The following in regard to them is ©
taken from the Aug. and Sept. GLEANINGS:

SIMPSONS HONEY-PLANT.

In the spring I purchased about 200 plants —
of friend Simpson, and planted them on our
honey-farm, setting them about as far apart —
as corn. Somewhat to my surprise, they are
now, July 8th, commencing to bloom; and,
sure enough, every little pitcher-shaped blos-
som has a shining drop of nectar in it. This —
nectar is very fair honey, although it has a
sort of weedy flavor, which, I presume, the
bees will readily remove. The amount of —
honey is what astonishes me. One of these —
little flowers contains, I should say, as much —
as a hundred basswood-blossoms. At pres-
ent I know of no other plant that promises —
so well for cultivation for honey alone. A
single plant in the garden, for curiosity, if
nothing more, I think, would be well worth
the trouble to every bee-keeper.

HOW BEES “‘ MAKE” HONEY.

Four o'clock P. M., August 19, 1879.—The
Simpson honey-plants ave at the back part of —
the honey-farm, and, as it gives me a pretty
fair walk, I usually go over there when tired
of writing. Well, I have just been over,and
the very great numbers of bees on so few
plants aroused my curiosity; so, watch in-
hand (I borrowed the watch), I counted the

is

number of bees that visited a certain flower

in a certain length of time. Tomy surprise,

-FIGWORT.

they averaged just about a bee a minute.
The flower might not be visited for two min-
utes, and then, again, it would be visited
twice in one minute. I very soon dis-
covered that the bees that came twice ina
minute made much shorter stays than when
an interval of two minutes elapsed. Was it
possible that enough honey could collect in
that tiny flower to make it profitable for the
bees to visit it all day long, from daylight
until dark? If so, I ought to be able to see
it by looking sharply. I found a flower, in
the right position to receive the direct rays
of the sun, and, just after a bee had licked it
out clean, I watched the nectaries to see how
soon any more honey was visible. To my
great astonishment, in just three-fourths of
a minute I saw a little shining globule of
honey begin to push its way up, right where
the bee had licked it off. I watched it most
intently — no mistake at all—this little glob-
ule was enlarging before my very eyes, and,
before two minutes were up, it had spread
over, like a little silver mirror, and run along
the side of the pitcher-shaped petal of the
flower. A bee now became anxious to push
his way in, and I Jet him lick it out, and then
saw the process enacted over and over again.
To be sure that I was not mistaken, I called
a friend, and he, too, saw the little ‘‘ tab-
leau ’’ enacted over and over again.

Under WATER FOR BEEs I speak of a’

way the bees seemed to have of reducing
thin, watery honey to the proper consisten-
cy. Well, I secured a position where the
bees would come between myself and the
sun, and watched to see how inany bees went
toward the apiary loaded. To my surprise,
I saw one and then another, while on the
wing, humming from ore flower to another,
discharge this same watery fluid, and, when
my eye had become accustomed to it, I saw
all the bees at work expelling the water in
this way, while on the wing. This, then, is
the process by which they make clear, crys-
tal honey from the sweetened water, as it
were, that is exuding so constantly into the
nectaries of these little flowers.”

June, 1884. — This plant has now been
grown by the acre, and gives great promise.
Plants raised in a hot - bed or cold frame
will blossom the same season, and give quite
a crop of honey during Aug., Sept., and oft-
en in Oct. Ishould think one acre would
support ten colonies nicely. The plants are
as easily raised and transplanted as cabbage
plants, when you get used to them. See
SPIDER PLANT and Introduction.

May, 1884.—We can now report, after hay-

10

=

3)

FOUL BROOD.

ing raised Figwort by the acre. On deep,
rich soil, the plants will blossom and bear
considerable honey for three or perhaps four
years ; but like strawberries and other small
fruits, they will then begin to run down, and
new plantations must be made. Unless the
soil is rich and deep, the secretion of nectar
will be meager. At present I do not believe
it will pay to raise any plant for honey alone,
and I am inclined to think our honey-farms
will have to embrace, mostly, alsike, buck-
wheat, rape, including, perhaps, the shcck-.
pea of the South, and such other plants as
will pay for the crop they yield, aside from
the honey. See ARTIFICIAL PASTURAGE.

FOUL BROOD. I know of nothing in
bee culture so much to be feared as foul
brood ; and I believe it is pretty generally
agreed that all other bee diseases together,
and we might almost say all other draw-
backs, are as nothing compared to it. It
is not a disease of the bees. but of tl e sealed
brood. The symptoms are a dwindling down
of the colony, because the brood fails to
hatch; and when the capping of the sealed
brood is examined, it is found to be sunken,
instead of slightly convex, as with healthy
brood. A little later, the caps are found to
have a minute hole in the center, as if a pin
had been pricked through it. It is quite
likely that the bees bite these holes through,
with a purpose of cleaning out the cells as
they do ordinary chilled brood; but becoim-
ing disgusted with the sickening sight and
smell, they abandon the task in despair. If
you take a pin or the point of a knife, and
move the matter out of such a cell, you will
perceive a strange sickening smell, which is
sometimes perceived in simply passing by
the hives, when the malady has assumed a
very dangerous form. The worst feature of
the business seems to be, that the disease is
communicated to other stocks by simply
carrying honey from an infected hive. This
makes sad havoc among bee-keepers who
are inclined to be negligent, and various
remedies have been given for the malady,
many of which are claimed to be perfectly
successful; but as the years pass by, one aft-
er another of them seems to have been
dropped, and the apiarist has been obliged
to feel the truth of the old adage, that
prevention is better than cure. Many who
have had a trial of its ravages, among
whom are some of our best bee-keepers, ad-
vise destroying both bees and hive, by fire
or burying, and commencing anew with
healthy colonies. This remedy is, I believe,
sure; and evenif the disease should reap-

FOUL BROOD.

pear, by promptly destroying all diseased
brood, the very minute it is discovered in
the hives, it seems finally to become totally
eradicated. Where the disease prevails,
there should be the utmost diligence exer-
cised in guarding against sending it to other
localities, either by selling honey, bees, or
queens.

Microscopic investigation has revealed the
fact, that foul brood is a species of minute
fungus, which, when once started growing,
increases with astonishing rapidity, and on-
ly ceases to extend when the supply of ma-
terial that it feeds on gives out, or the tem-
perature is either raised or lowered to such
a point that the vegetation is killed. It is
on this account that honey from diseased
hives is rendered perfectly wholesome for
feeding bees by being scalded, as this is
fatal to the seeds of all such microscopic
vegetation. As severe freezing produces
the same result, we may suppose that hives
that have contained foul - broody stocks,
would be rendered safe by being exposed
to severe winter weather, without bees in
them. Great care should be exercised in
this respect, however, and perhaps it will be
safest, all things considered, to burn up all
hives that have ever contained the infection.
The name of the microscopic plant is Cryp-
tococcus Alveario; you know we always feel
a great deal better, to know just what a
thing is. I have never possessed a colony
having the disease; but pieces of comb con-
taining the diseased brood have been sent
me several times, and I have examined
hives in the State of Michigan that were
slightly affected, and feel somewhat ac-
quainted with the disease. Ido not know
that it now exists in the State of Ohio, un-
less it is on Kelley’s Island, in Lake Erie; it
was brought there by a simple piece of
comb, several years ago, and has existed
there ever since.

REMEDIES.

I believe the most successful remedy, all
things considered, has been in shaking the
bees from their combs, putting them into a
new hive without combs, and leaving them
confined to it until they have consumed
every bit of honey in their honey - sacs,
which will take from 24 to 48 hours. They
must, in fact, be almost starved to death.
After this they can be fed, and allowed to
build comb; and when the queen lays in this
new comb, the brood will usually be found
healthy and natural.*! If it should show dis-
eased cells, go through the same operation
again, being sure that other bees do not, by

106

FOUL BROOD.

any means, get a single taste of the honey
from the infected hive, and you will be pret-
ty sure to find them all right.

Much has been said of late years, of sal-
icylice acid; and our German neighbors
across the water, who gave us this discovery
with many others, claim to have been per-
fectly successful, as well as quite a number
who have tried it in our own country. The
acid is used in solution, and, even if quite
weak, it seems to have the property of kill-
ing the germs of the disease, wherever it
touches. To make a sure thing of it, it
seems that every diseased cell should have
its cap opened, and some of the solution
sprayed into it; but quite a number report
having succeeded by simply spraying the
combs. Mr. Muth, of Cincinnati, O., recom-
mends using borax with the salicylic acid;
about + of an oz. of each is dissolved ina
pint of pure soft water. With this, he has
been perfectly successful in ridding his api-
ary of it by a single application. As some
of our English correspondents failed, using
the most thorough measures with the acid,
I am inclined to think there are several
phases of the disease, although [have no
doubt at all but that it will yield, like al-
most every thing else, to thorough and faith-
ful treatment. If there are many diseased
stocks, it isa saving of time to put all the
combs having infected brood in them, into
a single large hive, without any queen. All]
brood that does not hatch out, may be then
treated without having far to go, or many
hives to look after; and as no more brood is
reared, the disease can not gofurther. Our
German friends recommend giving a weak
solution of the acid as a feed to the bees.
This may be a good idea; but as I am rather
opposed to doctoring either bees or human
beings with drugs, to any great extent, I
hope you will pardon me if I am a little in-
credulous in regard to the propriety of such
measures.

For spraying the bees and combs, an atom-
izer, or spray-diffuser, kept by druggists, is
a saving of time and labor. Those used with
a rubber ball are handiest.

CAUSE OF THE DISEASE.

Many reasons have been given for the ap-
pearance of foul brood, and it has been
sometimes claimed that the disease might
be generated by the decomposition of con-
siderable quantities of chilled brood, if left
in the hive. I can not but think that this is
a mistake, and I also think that a great
many cases are called foul brood that are
nothing like it, The real virulent foul brood

|

FRUIT-BLOSSOMS.

does not usually yield without pretty severe
treatment ; and it is claimed by some, that
the worst type of the disease can be erad-
icated only by a total destruction of the
hives, combs,and bees. Very likely there
are several types of the disease, and it may
be that the milder forms yield without much
trouble; but if we admit it to be a fungoid
growth, as the best authorities tell us, I do
not know how it can originate without the
germs or seed being brought by some means,
from some locality where it prevails, like
smallpox, and other diseases of like nature.
The theory of spontaneous generation of
either plant or animal life has for ages, over
and over again, fallen to the ground, when

the experiments were made with sufficient |

care; therefore I think we may feel sure it
will never come into our vicinity, unless it
is brought in.
Michigan, Wisconsin, and some other States,
have been affected with itso many years,
that it is liable to break out at almost any

time, and it may be a hard matter many |

times to decide whence it comes; but if we
are prompt, destroying or cleansing all dis-
eased cells the very moment we discover
them, I think we need have little fear or
trouble. It is quite likely that the evils of
this malady, like the moth troubles, are
greatly exaggerated by careless and shift-
less bee- keepers. Box - hive bee- keepers,
even now, will tell the most doleful stories
of how the moth has ruined all their hopes
and apiaries, while one who is at home with
bees knows that the owner is‘*much more at
fault than the poor, much-abused miller.

ERUIT-BLOSSOMS. Although the
honey obtained from this source is not equal,
either in quality or quantity, to that from
clover, basswood,and some other sources,
yet coming, as it does, just when the bees
have, usually, nearly exhausted their old
stores, itis a crop of great moment to the
apiarist.** I do not know ofa prettier sight
to the bee-keeper, than the yellow - banded
Italians at work on fruit - blossoms, nor a
pleasanter sound than their merry hum of
rejoicing. One would suppose the honey
from choice early cherry-trees must be un-
usually fine; but I believe those who have
tried it, all agree that it is any thing but&de-
licious. It seems to have a strong rank

taste, much resembling the taste noticeable |
in chewing cherry - tree bark, or the buds. |
‘fruit absolutely depend on the agency of

The honey from apple - bloom is much the
same. It is excellent for starting brood-
rearing, but itis of little or no value for
table use. I once extracted about 10 lbs, of

Some parts of York State, |
equal to any; and friend Sanford, of Union-

107

|
|

FRUIT-BLOSSOMS.

honey from fruit - blossoms, by putting two
fair colonies together early in‘ the spring,
thus giving about the working force of a col-
ony in June.

Although it will not be advisable to try to
get surplus honey from the fruit-bloom, it is
sometimes an excellent idea to put a frame
or two of sections in the lower story, that
they may get the fdn. nicely built out ready
for the clover season. If they should store
some of the dark honey in the sections, it
will all be removed, in all probability, during:
the interval between the - fruit bloom and
clover.

July, 1883.—The above statement in regard
to apple-tree honey has appeared in print un-
challenged, so far as I recollect, since the
A B C book was first published, in 1877.
During the present spring, however, several
have reported apple-tree honey as being fully

ville, Ct., has taken the trouble to send me a
tumbler of nice honey from this source, which
all declare, who have tasted it, to be equal to
any honey furnished from any source. The
flavor is distinctly apple-bloom ; that is, one
who had ever chewed apple-blossoms would
have no difficulty in deciding at once as to its
source. The flavor is not only beautiful, but
the honey is very thick and remarkably clear.
Whether this result is peculiar to this season,
or whether the honey that I extracted and
bottled in former years was mixed with hon-
ey from the dandelion, hickory, or other
sources, I am unable now to say; but this I
do know, that apple-tree honey is, at least
sometimes, equal to any.

DO BEES INJURE THE FRUIT, BY TAKING
THE HONEY FROM THE BLOSSOMS?

This is an idea that has been advanced
over and over again, and will probably be
many times more, by those who take only a
casual view. If I am not mistaken, the
matter was carried so far ina town in Mass.,
that an ordinance was passed obliging a bee-
keeper to remove his bees to another local-
ity. After a year or two had passed, the
fruit-growers decided that they would rather
have the bees brought back, because so little
fruit was set on the trees, in proportion to
the amount of blossoms appearing. <As it
was a fruit-zgrowing district, it was a matter
of considerable moment, and the bees were
brought back. Of course, with the bees,
eame fruit in abundance, for many kinds of

bees in fertilizing the flowers, to enable
them to produce fruit at all. It seems that
the small drop of honey which nature has

FRUIT-BLOSSOMS. .

placed in the flower is for the express pur-
pose of attracting bees and other insects,
that the blossoms may be surely and proper-
ly fertilized. It has been stated, that unless
we have a few hours of sunshine when early
cherries are in bloom, we shall have no cher-
ries at all; and occasionally we have a sea-
son when cold rain storms so prevent the
bees from getting out, that nota cherry is
produced.

It is well worth while, I believe, for an
apiarist to locate near extensive orchards,
even if he should not think of planting fruit-
trees, with the especial end in view, of hav-
ing his bees benefited thereby. A large
yield of honey from fruit-bloom is pretty
sure to lay the foundation of a good honey
season.

The very best time to transfer bees is
when the honey just begins to come in from
this source, for they are then all busy and
happy, and but little honey is in the way to
run down and hinder the work. I have look-
ed at populous colonies during fruit - bloom,

108

FRUIT-BLOSSOMS.

that had not a dozen cells full of honey in
the hive, in the morning, but by night the
hive would seem very well supplied; the
next day would show the same aspect of af-
fairs, indicating how rapidly they consume
stores, when rearing brood largely. Should
a stormy day intervene, stocks in this con-
dition will be injured very much, if they do
not starve, by being obliged to put the un-
sealed brood on such short allowance. A
friend once came to me, in May, to have me
come and take a look at his bees; he said
they were sick. It was a box hive; and as I
turned it over, I agreed with him that they
were sick, and no mistake. I called for a
bowl of sugar; and after stirring in some
water, I sprinkled it all over the bees and
combs. In less than an hour they were all
perfectly well, and he paid quite a tribute to —
my skill in compounding medicines for sick
bees. My friends, be sure that your bees
do not get ‘“‘sick”? during fruit-blossoming
time, nor afterward either.

eee es

APIARY OF W. G. PHELPS, GALENA, MD.

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COGSWELL’S APIARY, LOS ANGELOS CO., CALIFORNIA.

G.

GILL-OVER-THE-GROUND. (Nepata
Glechoma.) Some 40 or 50 years ago, when
this county was mostly woods, my father
and mother commenced life on a little farm
near where I am now living. Woman like,
my mother wanted some flowers around the
log house that they called home; and going to
a neighbor’s a few miles away, she took up
various roots and plants. It was just about
the time, or a little before fruit-trees bloom,
and amid the shrubbery, she found a little
blue flower, growing ona vine. <As blue has
always been my favorite color, I can readily
excuse her for wanting to take home a root
of this humble-looking little vine. The vine
grew and throve ‘* mightily;’? so much so,
that when my father moved back to the old

GILL-OVER-THE-GROUND.

farm after a dozen years’ absence, he found
my mother’s blue flower all over, every-
where, and giving fair promise of being able
to choke all the grass and almost everything
else out entirely. When ‘‘ we boys” com-
menced trying to make a garden, we scold-
ed so about this ‘‘pesky weed” that my fath-
er said it must be thoroughly ‘“‘dug out,”’ be-

fore it went any further. After some feeble
and ineffectual attempts at getting it out,
he finally offered a younger brother a fine
colt if he would rid the farm of the weed. I
do not know how hard he tried, but I believe
he never got the colt.

It transpired in later years, that this plane
yielded a great deal of honey; and in some
localities favorable to its growth, such as
the beds of streams where there is plenty of
rich vegetable mold, it has furnished so
much honey that it has been extracted in
considerable quantities. Coming in, as it
does, between fruit - blossoms and clover, I
think it might well be given a place on our
honey-farm, even if it does hold so tena- _
ciously to the soil when it once gets a start.
That you all may recognize it, I give youa
cut of roots, branches, leaves, and flower.

The honey is rather dark, and I believe a
little strong; but if it is allowed to become
perfectly ripened, I think it will pass very
well. Perhaps the greatest benefit to be
derived from it, however, will be to keep
the bees uninterruptedly rearing brood, un-
til clover and locust begin to furnish a
supply.

This plant is a near relative of the catnip,
which it closely resembles in the shape of
the leaf. Both were originally from Nepata,
in Germany, hence the Latin names, Nep-
aia Cataria, and Nepata Glechoma. I pre-
sume it would be an easy matter to raise
this plant from the seed, but I would hesi-
tate some in sending out such seed. It
spreads much more rapidly than the catnip,
because it catches in the soil like strawberry
plants, from the little rootlets shown in the
engraving.

GOLDENROD. (Solidayo). This, in
some localities, furnishes the bulk of the
great yield of fall honey. It grows almost
all over the U.S.,and there are so many
different varieties that it would be almost
out of the question to try to give you a pic-
ture of it at all; the botany describes 53 dif-

GOLDENROD.

ferent varieties, and it is common to finda
half - dozen growing within a few rods. Its
name describes it,so that almost any one
should be able to identify it. If you see
autumn flowers as yellow as gold, growing
on the top of tall rods, you may be ‘pretty
sure they belong to this family. The flow-
ers are very small, but grow in great mass-
es, sometimes in long racemes, and again in
dense bunches. The general characteristics
are such that, after a little practice, you can
readily identify any one of the family; but to
assist you, we give the cuts.

Bees are almost incessantly humming
over the flowers in some localities; in others,
they seem to pass them entirely unnoticed.
I have passed it in localities where bee-
keepers say they have never seen a bee on
itatall. Bees are seen on it, occasionally,
in our locality, but I do not think they get
enough honey from it, in; ordinary seasons,
to make it perceptible in the hive.

The honey is usually very thick, and ofa
rich golden color, much like the blossoms.
When first gathered, it has, like the honey of
most other fall flowers, a rather rank weedy
smell and taste; but after it has thoroughly
ripened, it is rich and pleasant. On getting
the first taste of Goldenrod honey, one
might think they would never like any oth-
er; but like many other kinds, one soon tires

111

GOLDENROD.

of the peculiar aromatic flavor, and goes
back to the clover honey as the great uni-
versal staple to be used with bread and but-
ter. A patch of Goldenrod might havea
place on our honey-farm, and perhaps, with
cultivation, it might do better and givea
surer crop in all localities; but as it is only
a common weed on our farms, I would hard-
ly favor a general distribution of the seed.

THREE VARIETIES OF GOLDENROD.

TUTE

lo.

; FL
Sa Oe

THE LAWN OR CHAFF HIVE.

H.

HIVE-MAKING. Although it is
very important to have good, nicely fitting,
well-made hives for the bees, I would by no
means encourage the idea, that the hive is
going to insure the crop of honey. I think,
as Mr. Quinby used to say, that a good

swarm of bees would store almost as much |
honey in a half - barrel or nail-keg, as in the.

most elaborate and expensive hive made,
other things being equal.” This is suppos-
ing we had a good swarm, in the height of
the honey-season. If the colony were small,
it would do much better if put into a hive so
small that the bees could nearly or quite fill
it, thus economizing the animal heat, that
they might keep up the temperature for
brood - rearing, and the working of wax.

of honey, unless more room were given
them at just the right moment, a consider-

able loss of honey would be the result. The)

thin walls of the nail-keg would hardly be
the best economy for a wintering hive, nor
for a summer hive either, unless it were well
shaded from the direct rays of the sun.

Hives with thick walls, made of some po-

rous material that isa good non-conductor |

of heat, as well as an absorbent of moisture,
have been well proven to have decided ad-
vantages over hives made of a single thick-
ness of boards, especially for wintering;

but, as they are heavy to move around, and |

rather more expensive in the start, I think

it well to have both winter and summer |
hives in the same apiary. Thesingle-walled |

hive which we call the Simplicity, on ac-

count of the simpleness of its construction |

and management, answers almost as well as
the winter hives for summer use, and can al-
so be so arranged as to do tolerably for win-
ter: the winter hive which we call the chaff
hive, because the walls are made about four
inches thick, and packed with chaff, are
much the safest for winter and spring, and
are also Very convenient for summer use, ex-
cept that they are not easily carried about.
These chaff hives are permanently a two-

| story hive; that is, the upper story is not re-

|

movable, as is the case with the Simplicity
hive. On this account, the latter is much
the cheapest hive in an apiary, for a single
story can be used for small swarms or nu-
clei, and answers every purpose of a full
hive, until more room is needed, and then
an extra story can be added, or even a third,
as the case may require. For these reasons,
the Simplicity hive is the one most used,
and is always needed, no matter how many
chaff hives you may have.

As an illustration of how our friends take
to the Simplicity hive, I would mention that,
during the year 1888, we sold 15,000 of these
hives, besides 4000 chaff hives and 1000 porti-

| co L. hives.
Also, should the bees get their nail-keg full |

HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLICITY HIVE.

If I were going off on a journey, and
should desire a lot of new hands to make
some hives in my absence, I should talk to
them about as follows: .

Boys, I want these hives good and nice;

_and, to have them so, you must be careful.
| The first thing you are to do is to get some

lumber, and,if you can, you would better
get white pine. If you can not get this, you
would better use whitewood. If you can not
get that either, get the best lumber that they
have for house - building, in your locality.
For the body of the hive, you want boards
just one foot wide. For the cover and bot-
tom - boards, which are one and the same
thing, you want boards not less than 162
inches wide. For the narrow boards, we
get best barn-boards, and we pay for them,
at this date, $24 per M.; for the wide boards,

| we have to pay about $28. As soon as you

get your lumber home, have it nicely ‘‘stick-
ed up.”? I say nicely, for I do not believe I
ever had a boy: that would put up lumber
safely, unless he was told a great many
times. Your lumber would better be 16 feet

long, for this length works with less waste

than any that is shorter. Now, before you
stick it up, you are to prepare a level place
for the first board; or, rather, you are to

HIVE-MAKING. 114 HIVE-MAKING.

have the first board lie straight and flat. If| way of doing, on many accounts. Get your
it is to be left out of doors, it should have lumber seasoned as well as it possibly can

slant cnough to carry off the water. If you
have shop room, you can put it in doors. Do
not lay the first board on the floor, but have
some sticks under it. These sticks for stick-
ing up lumber should be of an exact thick-
ness, and I think it will pay to provide some
that are just right. If you are making many
hives, you will have refuse sticks that will
come very handy for this purpose. The
sticks should be about 13 inches wide, exact-
ly ¢ thick, and 15 or 20 inches long. A stick
should be placed at each end of the boards,
and two more between them, so as to make
the spaces about equal. Put the sticks ex-
actly over each other, or you will, if you
have a large pile, have the boards bent or
warped by the weight of those above. When
they are all piled up square and true, you
can feel safe in regard to them.

would put it up in this way as soon as it is
unloaded.

If you are going to make accurate work,
you must have your lumber all of an exact
thickness; and as itis much easier to talk
and write about having it exactly ¢ than it
is to make it so, I will explain to you a kind
of gauge that I had to give the planing-mill
men, before we planed our own lumber.
Below is a picture of it, full size.

. Ww \, ‘SNE
| @
"Yoo Large.

Too Swad\.

‘GAUGE FOR PLANING LUMBER.

When you carry them the lumber, tell.
them if it is planed so that the ‘‘too large” |
notch just fits it, it will have to be planed |

over again; and that, if it goes into the ‘“‘too
small” notch, itis spoiled. This will soon

get them into the habit of having it ‘‘ just |
Their planers must also |

right,” every time.
be so adjusted that both edges of the board
are just right.

it is by far the most profitable way, to have
a planer of yourown. Then you can set it
just as accurately as you choose, and it will
pay for itself, where there is work to do, in
afew weeks. The usual price for planing
is $1.00 per M., and we can do that amount
without trouble per hour, with a 44-horse-
power engine. If the lumber is not well

Even if the
lumber is to be used within three days, I.

Since the 18-inch Lilliputians |
cost only $75, if you have much work to do, |

| be, before you commence work, and, if you
are obliged to use that which is not well sea-
| soned, cut your stuff to the exact length,
then stick it up, and leave it until the very
last moment, before you take it to the exact
width you wish it. This is, perhaps, one of
the surest ways, especially when the work
‘is not all to be sent off immediately. We
frequently leave covers in this way, and only
bring them to the finishing width the
| very day they are to be shipped. It is espe-
cially needful that the covers be well season-
ed, for a season-check would let in water,
and endanger the life of the colony. —
A great many of Barnes foot-power saws
are in use; therefore I shall give my direc-
tions for them, and, if you have different
| saws, you can modify the directions to suit
your conditions.
_ We will first talk about making the -body
of the hive. Your pile of one - foot boards
is to be cut up in lengths of 87 inches. Re-
member, just one inch more than a yard.
To avoid making mistakes, you can cut a
stick of just that length. If you have quite
-apile of stuff,a gauge that you can push
the boards against will be very handy. Al-
Ways commence at the best end of the
_boards. If the end is checked or bad, allow
| a little for waste. Cut off 5 lengths, and
leave the surplus of half a foot or more on
the last piece; that is,do not cut it off.
Pile these last pieces by themselves. You
will need an assistant to do this, and if you
have a boy or girl 10 or 15 years old, she can
help ‘‘ papa’ a ‘‘ big lot,’ in making hives.
_ The table of the saws, as it comes from the
factory, is hardly large enough to make
hives on conveniently, and so we will
piece out the stationary side by a sort of
leaf about 1 foot wide. This leaf is easily
fastened on securely, by a couple of hard
wood strips screwed on the under side of
both leaf and table. After your boards are
all cut up, you will proceed to bring them to
an exact width and straighten one side. As
we want the boards to finish 114, we will
trim them, the first time, to about 113;
those that will not hold out this width, can
be saved to make frames of. To bring one
side straight, you must set the parallel barat
the left of the saw, at just the right distance
from it, and then push the boards through,
| holding closely up to the gauge. Very like-
ly when you start, your saw may “‘run,’’ as it
'is termed; this may result from either of two

seasoned it may be well to have it planed causes. If the teeth are filed longer on one
to the too-large gauge; but this isa very bad | side than on the other, and insufficiently set,

a
oR.
es
Sm
heal
-¥
“e
;

HIV E-MAKING.

the saw will be very likely to run either into
or out of the lumber. This will not do at
all, for we can never have an accurate hive,
unless we get a straight edge, in the first
place, to work from. Give the saw set
enough to make it run clear, as explained in
SECTION HONEY-BOXES, and have the teeth

so that the cut ahead of the saw shows as in

the diagram below.

IMPROPERLY FILED. PROPERLY FILED.

A second cause of trouble may sometimes
be found in your parallel bar, which must
be just parallel, or you can not have a true
straight cut. The diagram will show you
the consequences of having this bar improp-
erly set.

Fig 2
THE PARALLEL BAR.

SETTING

between the saw and the gauge wedges, as

it were; and, when this is the trouble, you |

will see the surface, at A, shows as if it had
been planed; this is done by the face of the

saw, which rubs or burnishes the wood, as |

it squeezes past. The remedy is plain;
move the end, D, away from the saw a little,
or the other end nearer to it, as may be nec-
essary to preserve the proper distance. In
fig. 2 we see the opposite extreme; and
when this is the trouble, you will find it al-
most impossible to keep your board up
against the gauge, for the saw is all the
time crowding it off. The piece B will
constantly be getting too narrow, and the
strip that comes off, too wide. Before you
attempt to do any work, and thus spoil your
lumber, you should test your saw and gaug-
es, on some refuse pieces. When it is all
right, the saw should run clear and smooth-
ly in the center of the saw-cut, and the stuff
should easily be kept close up to the gauge.

While you have been doing this work, the
movable side to the table should be taken
off, as it is not needed, and would only be in
the way.

bring the boards all to this width.

115

After one edge is trimmed, set.
your gauge so as to cut exactly 114, and

Now, before going further you are to sort |

the boards, so as to have the heart - side of
the lumber come on the outside of the hive.
If you look at the end of each board, you

| in fig. 2.

HIVE-MAKING.

can see, by the circles of growth, which is
the heart-side, as is shown in the cuts.

aN
WHY BOARDS WARP.

At B, you see a board cut off just at one
side of the heart of the tree; at C, near the
bark; at A, the heart is in the center of the
board. Youall know, almost without being
told, that boards always warp like C; that
is, the heart side becomes convex. The
reason is connected with the shrinkage of
boards in seasoning. When a log lies until
it is perfectly seasoned, it often checks, as
You will observe that the wood
shortens in the direction of the circles, and
but very little, if any, along the lines that
run from the bark to the center. To allow
this shrinkage in one direction, the log

| splits or checks in the direction shown.
In fig. 1, the bar is set so that the board |

Now, to go back to our boards, you will see
that B shrinks more than A, because A has
the heart of the tree in its center; that C
will shrink, in seasoning, much more on the
bark-side than on the heart-side; that this
can not fail to bring the board out of a lev-
el; and that the heart side will always be
convex. You have all seen bee-hives, prob-
ably, with the corners separated and gaping
open, while the middle of the boards was
tight up in place. The reason was, that the
mechanic had put the boards on wrong side
out. If the heart-side had been outward,
the corners of the hive would have curled
inwardly, and, if the middle had been nailed
securely, the whole hive would have been
likely to have close, tight joints, even if ex-
posed to the sun, wind, andrain. This mat-
ter is especially important in making covers
to hives. If your boards are all sorted with
the heart side downward, we are ready to
proceed. I say heart side downward, for
you want them placed just as they are to be
used on the saw. I have seen boys that
would turn every board over, just as they
picked it up to put on the saw table, instead
of piling the whole just as they were to be
used. I have seen others that would carry
each one of several hundred boards 6 or 8 ft.
to the saw, when the whole pile might have
been put almost within one foot of the place
where it was to be used. Itis very awkward

_and extravagant to do work in this way.

HIVE-MAKING. 116 HIVE-MAKING.

Before we cut these boards into sides and | | Much time is also saved, in changing saws,
ends, a groove is to be sawed for the shoul- | | by having your saws and wrench close at
der under the cover,and the lower edge is to| hand. The fifteen-cent screw-driver, with
be beveled, to allow the hives to be piled | a wrench, exactly fits Barnes saw-man-
over each other. The following cut showsa_ drel, and we keep one tied, by a stout cord,
side and end view to the frame of the machine, that it may be —
of the board. The always in readiness. To be obliged to stop
groove, A,is to be | _ your work, and hunt for tools when you are ©
just 2 inches from ‘ina hurry, is ‘‘ awful.’? You would better
the top B, and is to | fix some kind of a drawer in your saw-table, —
be 4 deep. This you | to keep your saws, or they may get down
can easily do by among the rubbish, and be lost. I have —
setting your paral- : : known people to lose their cut-off saw, and
lel bar just 2 inches from Hie saw, and screw- | be obliged to stop and hunt for it; andI —
ing the table-top up until the saw cuts 3} should not be surprised, if they scolded some-
deep, cutting the groove in the heart-side, body who was not to blame at all. Ihave ©
of course. Now, to take off the three-cor- | spoken of having one of the children help
nered strip at the lower edge, a little differ- by handing you the boards, etc.; if they do, —
ent rigging is required. In fact, we must | be sure that you make the work pleasant
have a table to slide the boards on, and it forthem. If you lose your tools and scold,
must setat an angle. Thisangle we willhave you certainly will not make good hives.

45 degrees, because our table will then be You probably have not made any mis-
just right for making the corners of the takes, thus far; but now, before you com-
hives. The beveling platform is easily | _mence cutting off the pieces to the exact
made of a piece of 2-inch plank, 6 inches size, be careful. As you will need a pair of
wide, and 2+ feet long. Take a three-cor- | iron frames for putting your hives together,
nered piece from the lower edge, and then Ithink you had better have them on hand —
nail this piece against the other edge, in “now, to take your measurements by. If you
the position shown by the following eut. attempt to measure with a square, you will
get it wrong side up or something, and get
your gauges set wrong. It was but yester-
day that one of the boys cut up a whole pile
of boards to the wrong length, because he
looked on the wrong side of the square.
|For fear he would do something of the kind,

This piece, A, is to rest directly on the top 1 had given hima board just right, for a sam-
of the parallel bar of your saw-table. When | ple; but some one else wanted it, and so he

took the dimensions, and it turned out as I
fits closely to the table, screw it fast to the | have said. Go to your blacksmith, and get
bar. This allows the piece to be adjusted | him to make Jens iron frames like the pic-
upon any spot on the table, and gives usa ‘re below. They are to be made of 4-inch
square miter to any stuff that may be laid Und iron, and the dimensions, inside, are
on it while it is being sawed. Adjust the | to beas exactly 16 by 20} as you and he
whole at the right distance from the saw, | both can make them. When you have, with
and then take off the corner of all the Some trouble, got them nearly right, do not
boards, on the opposite side from which we S@y that is near enough, but make them ex-
sawed the groove, as shown at the bottom act.

of C, in the figure at the top of this column.
Now remove the beveling platform, and you |
are ready to cut up the boards. We have , :
all this time been using the rip saw; we PAIR OF IRON GAUGE- FRAMES, FOR
will now change and put on the cut-off. TIVE-MAKING.

I think we would better ‘‘oil up,” at about! The corners, you must finish out with a
this stage of proceeding. I do not know file,so that they are sharp and true. For
why it is, but I scarcely ever take hold of a convenience of slipping them over the hives,
foot-power saw when it would not be great- | they are to be madea little flaring, like a
ly improved by giving ita thorough oiling. | barrel-hoop; if they are 4 inch larger, each
It is really asaving of time, as well as of | way, on the large side, it will be about right.
strength, to oil your machinery often. | Now for the buzz-saw. You will observe

BEVELING PLATFORM.

you get it adjusted so that the thin edge, B,

HIVE-MAKING.

that the sliding half of the table has a bar
bolted to its top, for a square cut off gauge;
this gauge must be set accurately, like the
other, or you will have much trouble. It is
to be so set, that, when you cut off a board
held closely against it, it will be exactly
square across the end. You can test this
with a good square, but I think I would pre-
fer to take a board with true straight sides;
cut off a little, say a half-inch; now turn it
over, and cut off again; if the strip cut off
is of exactly the same width at each end,
your gauge isset true. For fear you may
not get the idea, I give you a picture.

= =
IOW TO SET THE CROSS-CUT BAR.

If your gauge is set right, the slices, C,
will be exactly straight; i. e., not wedge-
shaped, even if you turn the board over so
as to cut from the opposite edge at every
cut you make. When you are satisfied with
this, set your parallel bar so as to cut the
Side - pieces of the hive to just go into the
iron frame lengthwise, and the end-pieces,
to just go in crosswise. ~The 87-inch boards
will just make one of each. If you want to
test the accuracy of your work, pile the
boards on each other, and see if they are all
exactly alike all around. I should, right
here, suggest that you have your work nice-
ly piled up, all the time; and a couple of
willow clothes - baskets, set near the saw,
will be just the thing to toss all your odds
and ends into. One of them should be set
directly under the table, to catch all the
sawdust. Do not let u scrap or splinter be
thrown on the floor. Always put them in the
basket. It will pay well in dollars and
cents, and then, when a visitor comes in, he
will say ,—

‘““Why, what beautiful work you are doing,
and what a pleasant place this is.” On the
contrary, if you have your lumber all scat-
tered about, and sticks breaking and crash-
ing under foot among your tools, he would
be very apt to say ,—

‘““Well, I’m glad I do not have to work and
drudge through life as that fellow does.”’

Another thing: If your stuff is scattered
about, you will very likely miss some, and,
after you have changed your gauges that
were set so nicely and carefully, you will
have to go and set them over, just to finish
the few odd pieces. This second time you
will be likely to do it in a hurry, because you
are cross about having been so careless, and

117

HIVE-MAKING.

perhaps this will be the means of making a
bad job of. the whole lot of hives. Keep all
your pieces piled up square and true, and all
together, so that none can be missed.

You will remember that we had some
longer pieces, that came from the extreme
ends of the boards. In cutting them up,
you can save lumber by making two sides
or three ends of these pieces, or even two
sides and one end, as the stuff may happen
to come out.

While cutting up stuff, I would have a
gauge of the length wanted, right handy,
and every little while just try a board and
see if itis just exactly right. If you have
a board that you know is just right, stand it
on end, beside the pieces you are cutting,
and then pass your finger along their tops,
and you can readily tell which is longest, if
there is any difference.

Our stuff is now all in two piles; and, if
we wish to come out even, there should be
just as many end-boards as side-boards;
that is the two piles should be of equal
height; as you come pretty near the last,
you can manage so as to ‘fetch up” the
pile that is lowest. You will remember that
these boards were cut off, so that the short
ones just fill the iron gauge-frames cross- —
wise, and the long ones lengthwise; well,
now we are to miter or bevel the corners, so
that, when four of the boards are set up in
this shape—see cut—
the iron frame will
just drive over them.
You will observe
that the top of the |
hive shows that the
boards are put to-
gether just like a pic-
ture-frame; and to saw this miter is our
next job. Put on the beveling platform, as
before, and, with your cut-off saw keen and
sharp, cut off a corner so as to leave a sharp
feather-edge on each end of every board.
You can tell when your gauge is right, by
the way in which the iron hoop drives over
the four boards. If the angle is just right,
the corners should close up so as to leave
scarcely a visible crack where the joint is.
All the boards are, of course, to be mitered
at the corners in this way, and then we are
ready to take off the strips that go around
under the covers. If you will look at the
eut of the beveling platform, you will see
beside it a 3-cornered bar with a couple of
wires twisted init. This baris to be fast-
ened, by the wires, to the planed iron track
on which the moyable side of a saw-table

HIVE-MAKING.

slides, the movable side being removed.
Now set the beveling platform so close to
the saw that you can eut the strip clear off,
leaving the desired shoulder, as in the cut.

TAKING OFF THE STRIP UNDER THE COVER.

In the above cut, let A be the stationary
side of the saw-table; B the square end of
the parallel bar to said table,and H the saw.
C is the beveling platform screwed to B; E
the side or end of the hive lying on it F; the
strip that goes under the cover, and G the 3-
cornered piece that is wired to the iron
track. This last piece is to rest the square
edge of the board against while pushing it
through, to cut off this strip. You will ob-
serve that the table is screwed up high
enough to allow the saw to cut just into the

teh I, that we sawed in all t} ieces be- |
BT ae i -except the handles, or, rather, hand - holes-

fore they were cut up. Our side-pieces are
now finished, and the ends are all done, ex-
cept cutting the rabbets for the frames to
hang on. This operation is so simple, it
need hardly be described. In the accom-
panying cut you will see a cross-section of
one of the ends that has been rab- B

beted, and one that has not. We
first saw in #, and then saw
down from B, to meet it. As the
lumber is §, if we take out 8, we
shall have just a half-inch of wood
left. When the metalrabbetis in
place, and the frame hung in the
hive, the top of the frame should
be just ona level with the shoulder
C. As our frame is just 9% deep, and we
want just about % under the bottom-bar,
making 94 in all, we want just 94 inches
from the shoulder, C, to the bottom edge of
the boards, D. This will insure just 2 be-

tween the upper and lower frames when the |

hives are used with two stories. If our

metal rabbets are made to stand just + inch |

higher than the wood, and the projecting
arm of the top-bar is also +

shoulder, C.

You will observe that I have calculated |

for # between the upper and lower frames,
and between the bottom of the frames and
the bottom of the hive. Well,+inch would
be still better than %, if we were sure the lum-

inch, the)
shoulder, A, will be just + inch lower than the |

118

outside of the hive, all around; not more —
In cutting out —

HIV E-MAKING.

ber would never shrink by after-seasoning —
so as to make it any less than}. As it will

shrink some in spite of us, I think we would

better caleulate on 3. This is also the dis- —
' tance we need between the frames and the —

than 3, and not less than #¢.

your rabbet, you will, of course, first cut
down from A,and I would gauge from D

instead of .from the sharp edge B, thus ‘
avoiding inaccuracy.
B, rest the stuff on the shoulder, C, and you

| saw wabble, ordinarily, is by a pair

When you cut in from

will have no trouble in getting the saw-cuts
to match nicely. If you have a rabbeting-

head, you can take the wood all out at one

operation; but then you have shavings in-
stead of strips, and it takes a little more
power. The strips are of no particular use,
it is true; but we find them very handy for
sticking up covers, as you will see presently.
While I think of it, in the absence of a foot-
power saw you can make the bevels and

_shoulders by grinding a plane in the shape

you wish ; in this way you can get very nice
joints, but itis rather slow business.
The body of our hive is nearly all done,

that you lift them by; these are made with
a wabbling saw. Sometimes our saws have
a fashion of ‘‘ wabbling,’ just when we
would rather they wouldn’t, and it would

_seem to be quite an easy matter to make one

wabble: so it is; but, with the Barnes man-
drels, it is not quite so easy after all; be-
cause they have their saws run on a shoulder
that is considerably larger than where the
screw is cut. The way in which we make a

of wooden washers like this cut.
But the Barnes saw-arbor requires
that we, after making the washer as
above, cut on the side of one of
them a shoulder something like this,
to hold the saw true. The idea is to
have the saw securely clamped be- :
tween the two wooden washers; to have
it clamped so it can not really slip round, or
out of true. I mean by out of true, so that
the teeth are just as long on one side as on
the other. Unless you have it so, the
cavity will be deeper at one side than at the
other. The first washer should be thick
enough to allow the saw to clear the table,

and, as the movable side of the table is ad- —

justed, we can give the wabbling saw all
the space it needs. You will need both the
parallel and cross - cut gauge for this buBi-
ness, and they are to be so set that, when the

HIV E-MAKING.

dropped down on the saw, one endata time,
a nice cavity for the fingers will be cut. To
smoothe out the bottom of the cut,“you have
only to move your board slightly sidewise
just before you lift it off the saw. This
trims off the strings, as it were, left between
the saw-teeth. I would have these handles
made in the sides, as well as the“ends, for it
is often convenient to lift a hive, when the
ends, one or both, are not convenient to get
at; for you must remember the Simplicity

hives can be placed tight up against each |

other, as there is nothing in the way of"so
doing.
HOW TO MAKE THE COVERS.

For those you will need pretty good lum-
ber, and it must be of such {width that,
when fully seasoned and finished, it will be
16 inches; or, to make it plainer, each cover
board, when done, must exactly fillithe iron
gauge-frames we pictured on page 116. The
length we can manage without any trouble ;
but the width, taking into consideration how
prone to shrink 16-inch boards are, is a little
more difficult. If our covers are not season-
ed thoroughly, they are very apt to split
from end to end, after having the sides
nailed as securely as we do it.

I would first cut all the boards in two, in
the middle, using a measure, to prevent cut-
ting in such a way as to spoil a cover, and
then rip off a strip so as to reduce all to 164
inches. This gives us one straight edge,
and shortens the boards so we can handle
them. If you have no assistant, you can
cut them in two once more, and this will
enable you to handle them very readily.
With the straight edge against the cut-off
bar, cut your boards up carefully to 20}
inches long, or just so as to slip in the iron
frame. If your lumber is seasoned as well
as you can get it, you may now bring it to 16
inches width, or so it will just squeeze into
the iron frame sidewise. After this, it is
only to be rabbeted. That you may under-
stand perfectly the purpose of rabbeting and
cross-nailing I will give you some cuts.
remember that we had 2-inch strips from
both sides and ends, when we made the bey-
els on the hive. Well, four of these strips
placed in the iron frame, and nailed, will

HOW TO MAKE THE COVER.
Fig. 1 shows the cover-board all rabbeted,

ready to be pushed into Fig. JI, Fig. IT,

You)

119

HIV E-MAKING.

is a cross-section of the cover, and shows how
the nails are to be driven. If the covers are
g, you will have a half-inch of wood to leave,
as shown, after taking out 2, to get the
shoulder ; but, as much of the lumber will
dress more than ¢, and some of ita full inch,
I would plane it just enough to get asmooth
surface, and no more.

Now, supposing you can not get perfectly
seasoned lumber (and, in fact, according to
my ideas, the lumber as it comes from the
lumber-yards is never seasoned as it should
bz for covers), what shall we do? I will tell
you; getout your covers just as I have men-

| tioned, except you will omit rabbeting one

edge. Pile the boards up, piacing between
them the sticks that came out of the hives
when we cut the rabbet; or, if more con-
venient, use pieces of lath, or any strips
of an even thickness. Put the sticks close
to the ends of the covers, and pile them up
clear to the ceiling of yourroom; the higher
the better. Now, when you wish to use
some cover-stuff, or fill an order, take down
as Many as you want, and rabbet the re-
maining edge until the cover justs slips into
the frame.
NAILING HIVES.

We use 6-penny finishing nails, and put
four nails in each side all around the hive.
Nail the corners securely, first, and drive
your nails as close to the corner as you ean,
without having the nails split out. Never
let the point of a nail show itself, under any
cireumstances, and do not have any split-
ting or botch work, if it takes you a whole
forenoon to nail up a single hive.

IRON SMOOTH-PLANE FOR DRESSING THE
BEVELS TO AN EXACT FIT.

To work to good advantage, a pair of iron
frames are needed, although you can get
along with but one. In your first attempts,
it is hardly to be expected that you have
been able to get the hive-stuff so it will just

| drive into these frames, and I hope you have

been on the safe side, and made your boards
a little large,if any thing. If such is the
case, you are to have one of the neat little
iron smooth - planes to be had so cheaply
now a days, and plane off the ends until
they are just a tight fit. The iron frames
will draw them up, so that you can hardly
see where the jointis. Now nail them ag

HIVE-MAKING.

directed, and cross - nail. The cross - nails
should come so near each other that they
almost touch. We nail down through the
cover with 4-penny nails, and cross-nail into
the end with 6-pennies, as before.

You can not very well get lumber that will
make all the covers so as to be weather-
proof; therefore we sort out the poorest,
and use them for bottom-boards. By this
means we have the covers all good, and no
lumber wasted. It is for this reason, and
that we may have as few separate pieces in
our hive as possible, that I advise making the
cover and bottom boards all one and the
same thing. If you are out of the one, you |
can use the other, and vice versa. There-
fore, the Simplicity hive is nothing but this
plain simple body, and the plain simple
cover; and,if we make these two pieces
just right, we are all right.

Since the invention
of the mat for cover-
ing the frames, we
have made the Sim-
plicity hives with the
corner - joint like the
cut opposite. It pre-
sents the same finish- |
ed appearance as the
straight bevel, and, with proper machinery,
is little, if any, more work to make. It also |
makes a stronger corner, when thoroughly
cross-nailed.

THE SIMPLICITY LANGSTROTI HIVE.

As there are some who insist on having a.
hive with a permanent bottom-board and the
old-style Langstroth portico, I have devised
such a hive that will take the regular Sim- |
plicity for an upper story.

=
=
SE=

4

LANGSTROTH HIVE TO TAKE A SIMPLICITY |
UPPER STORY OR COVER.

It will be observed that the sides are pro- |
longed to make the portico; the bottom-
board is also made to project just 3 inches

120

leak in time, in spite of you.

HIVE-MAKING.

in front. The sides are made in pairs, and
are 233 inches long, by 11 wide, when fin-
ished. The back end is made on a miter,
like the Simplicity; to hold the front end
firmly, a rabbet is cut into the sides # by #;
to hold the bottom - boards — securely,
and to make a neat - looking job outside, a
rabbet is also cut in both sides and back end.
The bottom - board runs crosswise, and is
made in two pieces. The portico roof ex-
tends over, and is nailed on the top edge of
the front end-board; it also has a lip, or pro-
jection, on its upper back edge, that makes
the bevel around the top. By this means
the front end-board is simply a plain board
15 inches long by 8% inches wide, rabbeted
at the ends to fit into the side-boards.

On some accounts, such a hive is desira-
ble ; but as it can never be used as a second
story, at least without making holes in the
bottom or having the bottom movable, I
think I would have the greater part of the
hives in the apiary of the usual Simplicity
form, both upper and lower story alike. As
the entrance is fixed, we are compelled to
use the usual 3-cornered movable blocks.

COVERS TO HIVES.

In the old-style L. hive, it has been usual
to make the covers to the hives of two
pieces. They are tongued and grooved to-
gether, of course, but, in our apiary, this
kind of covers has made more trouble by
leaking, than almost any other. They will
It is for this
reason that I have used one single clear
board for covers. Buta good many people
want a cover with projections: itis pretty
expensive to buy clear lumber for covers
more than 16 inches wide. In our locality
we can not figure such at less than $35.00

_ per thousand.

THE STORY-AND-A-HALF HIVE.
Then what shall we do with people who
want a cover that won’t leak, and must have

it project? Narrow boards, 8 or 10 inches
wide, are cheap and plentiful, compared with
wide, clear stuff, and I have devised the
cover to the hive shown above. The ridge-
board is 4 stuff, 5 inches wide, and can be

HIVE-MAKING.

grasped easily so as to raise the cover with
one hand, when the other is occupied. The
other two boards are 4-inch stuff, 6+ inches
wide; they are lapped under, and screwed
firmly into, the ridge-board before nailing.
The rest of the cover is $-inch stuff, put
together like the Simplicity hives.

Another item comes in here. A good
many winter bees in the Simplicity hives,
with but a single story, and the cover is too
shallow for a cushion and breathing - room
above. By making our new cover 5 inches
deep, we get room fora cushion and venti-
lation; and more than all, it will allow ofa
single tier of section boxes over the frames,
so it is, really, a story-and-a-half hive.

If we use sections over the frames, under
such a cover, no bees must get outside the
sections, or they would get mashed when
the cover is set down.

CRATE FOR STORY-AND-A-ITALF LLUVE.

I have for years thought of a shipping-case
that could be set directly on the hive to be
filled, and taken right off the hive and sent
to market;

stood in the way, until now. The

but difficulties have always |
above |

121

HIVE-MAKING.

separate them in the middle, and swing
them around, so that the finished ones will
come next the glass.

HOW TO MAKE THE CHAFF HIVE.

This is all, except the corner posts, made
of cull lumber, which can be purchased at
any lumber-yard; we get it for $10 per M.
Get it long enough beforehand to have it
piled up and seasoned, if you possibly can;

if you cannot, you must manage to have the

stuff piled up so as to season after it is got
out; it will season very quickly in these thin
narrow strips, and so we often cut it up, un-
seasoned, when we are behind on orders.
Fix your table, as before directed, and cut
your whole pile of boards, before being
planed, into pieces two feet long. If you
do not cut them all so exact, it will not mat-
tera great deal for this hive, as you will

| presently see.

After your boards are all cut up, put on

your rip-saw, and split them up three inches

wide; but instead of cutting them square,

/cut them on about the angle shown below.

HOW TO CUT THE STUFF FOR SIDING.

If you find any bad knots or shakes, ‘do
not split them, but pile them up nicely «at

one side, to be used as rough bottom-boards.

has bottom-bars to protect and hold the sec- |

tions, precisely like thcse on the wide
frames, and they are supported by a groove

cut along the lower edge of the end-boards. |
Now, to space these bottom-bars as they lie.

in the grooves, exactly so as to match the
bottom-bars of the sections, we use a spacing
strip shown in the engraving, below the
ease. This strip, when pushed down in
place, also holds the separatcis at just the
right height. The secticns are closed tops;
and when they are all in place, a thin strip
is pushed down so as to rest on the top edges
of the separators, and hold the boxes firmly
upright, and in place. A strip of glass runs
along each side, which allows the apiarist to
see how fast the bees are working, by simply
raising one side of the cover to the 13-story
hive. See SECTIONS, etc.

If the central sections are capped first,

| This ripping can be done either on the foot
COMBINED SHIPPING - CASE AND ITICNEY- |

power saw or with the hand -ripper; we use
the latter, and I think it does the work more
rapidly. To cut the pieces on the bevel, you
are to serew a bevel-shaped piece on the saw
table.

PROPER BEVEL.

Two wedge-shaped pieces, of which only
one is shown at C,are used to give the board
the proper inclination; the other one is sup-
posed to be where you see the nail-holes, at
D. A iswhere the saw comes up through,
and Bisa square bar that the edge of the
rough lumber is rested against. Itisfasten-
ed to the table by screws put through the
table - top from the ‘under side into these
pieces C. With the hand-ripper, we screw
the two pieces fast to the two light wooden
bars that constitute the only wood about
the machine. :

HIVE-MAKING. 122

The first piece that comes off will be like
A; turn it over, and run it through again,
and it will be like B; the next operation is
to split each piece, like C. This you will
-have to do with the hand ripper, forthe foot
power saw would not reach through so far.
If you do not split the pieces exactly in the
middle it does not matter, and a very thick
one occasionally will be all the better, to
give the hive strength without extra
expense. You can plane this siding by
hand very cheaply, or it may be done on the
cigar-box planer; if on the latter, you will
be obliged to reduce them to a uniform
thickness unless you choose to save out the
thickest pieces, and plane them afterward
with the planer a little higher. Plane only
the one side just left by the saw. If youare
not going to use this siding at once, pile it
up crosswise, as coopers do their staves,
until it is thoroughly seasoned and straight.

Our chaff hive is built by nailing these
pieces of siding to corner-posts, with planed
side outward, of course. As nails have a
fashion of drawing out when exposed to the
sun (some carpenters say the sun pulls them
out), we will drive them all from the inside,

and then if ‘‘Old Sol’ tries to pull them out |

by the feet he will have a tough job, and
will only draw the heads up tighter. The
corner-posts that we use are made of solid
wood, and are cut from 38-inch plank. The
plank should be so clear from knots and
shakes that there will be no danger of the
pieces breaking while nailing into them.
Cut your plank, which should be as wide as
you can get it, into pieces 22 inches long.
Now with the beveling platform that I
showed you in hive-making, you are to cut
out the corner-posts in this way:

a =
FLY

HOW TO MAKE TIE CORNER-POSTS.

You will observe that the saw goes in at
each side until the cuts meet, so as to take
out pieces like fig. II. After you get them
all out, you are ready to nail up the outside
of the hive. ‘Lay two of your corner-posts,
sa shown above, on your work-bench, and
have them 2 feet and 24 inches apart. To
get these dimensions without measuring, I

HIVE-MAKING.
would nail a couple of strips to the bench —
just the right distance apart; also a third
across the_end, that we may always have the ©
hive square and true. The chaff hive is not
quite square; itis #inch narrower on the
entrance-side and the back; therefore when ~
you are nailing the back and front, you are —
to slip a strip of wood # inch wide between ~
one of your posts and yourstop. Oursiding —
you remember, is just 2 feet long; well, the
pieces_on both front and back go clear up
into the corners of the corner-posts. This
will prevent the side strips from coming
clear up by 4 inch, as shown below.

EXTERNAL SHELL, AND CORNER-POSTS OF
CHAFF IIvE.

A is the entrance; B, B, B, B, the corner-
posts, and C, C,C, C, the siding. Now after
we have got the siding nailed securely with
the beveled edges so arranged as to keep the
rain out of the chaff, we will nail in each
corner an inch strip, shown at D, D, D,D;
these are put in with heavier nails, and lock
the whole structure most securely.

As thereis no need of uncovering the chaff
part when we uncover theyhive, we make
the cover so as to extend over the interior
only, and have a permanent cover over the
space containing the chaff. This permanent
cover is our next piece of work. Get out
some long strips, just as you did the siding,
only have them # inch wider, preserving just
the same bevels on each side. Plane it on
both sides down to 7-8, and then cut out a
part as shown in the diagram.

Bis! Gg e

Fig. 1 shows the piece before taking out
the strip, and fig. II. after it is done. You
are to cut in 4 inch at A on the same bevel
as the sides, and then 2f at B to meet the
other cut. Now turn your cross-cut bar at
an angle, just as if you were going to make
a picture-frame, and make a picture-frame —
in reality, of the stuff shown at fig. II. The
inside dimensions of the frame must be just —
19+ by 20+; you must be very exact about the
194, for the frames will not have the right
play, otherwise; that you may get the

HIVE-MAKING.

proper idea, I will give you a diagram of
this frame.

FRAME THAT HOLDS THE COVER.

To make the joint water-tight at the}
miters, a saw cut is made in each end of each
piece as shown at A; and after the frame is
nailed at the corners, a strip of tin is pushed |
in. The outside of this frame will proba-
bly bea trifle large.

This rim, when nailed true and square, is |
to be fitted to the tops of the corner-posts ;
the posts can be given the proper bevel, with
the circular saw, before the siding is nailed |
on. This bevel is the same as that of the
siding. The top-pieces of siding are to be_

of pretty good thickness, that we may nail |
this rim securely to it, as well as to the posts.
It may be well to state here, that the top- |
pieces of siding are nailed on first; 7 pieces,
of the dimensions we have given, form the |
hive. Before nailing in the last piece, you |
are to cut the entrance in the upper edge.
This entrance is to be 8 inches long by #|
wide. The cut below will make it:plain. |

Having now completed the outer shell, we |
will see about the inside. |
INSIDE OF CHAFF HIVE. |

This, as well as the outside, is all made of |
cheap cull lumber. I would by all means |
advise getting out your boards a little wide,
and sticking them up until thoroughly sea-
soned, as I have mentioned before. Cut your
stuff in two in the middle, so that you can |
handle it readily, and then, with the hand-_|
ripper, rip the boards + inch wider than you |
need, and cut them up to the exact length.
When this is done, and your boards are all |
piled up square and true as before, you are
ready to split them through the middle. It |
is not hecessary that the boards be planed
on more than one side, for the back side of.
all of them is next the chaff; and as the
rough surface would tend to impede the cir-
culation of currents of air, I do not know .
but that I would rather have them unplaned. |
Neither is it important to have the boards |
split exactly in the middle ; in fact; one end |
I had in view, while inventing this chaff |
hive, was to avoid the necessity of having to
be so exact as we must be with hives where
both inside and outside are exposed to view.
You see as we go along, that while the in-
side dimensions of the hive are to “a dot,” |

123

_ber of frames than the lower.

HIVE-MAKING.

the boards constituting it may be of all sorts
of thicknesses, and lengths too, or at least a
part of them, for nearly all the joints are lap
joints. ‘As before remarked, it is very im-
portant that the back and front of the hive
are at the right distance apart, and this
proper distance is 18}inches; to insure this
every time, we make-the side-boards with
shoulders as shown below, 3 by 4.

ONE OF THE SIDES OF THE INSIDE OF THE
CHAFF HIVE

It will be observed that four of these
boards are used—two above and two below,
183 inches from shoulder to shoulder.

The width of these boards, when finished,

is to be just 93 inches by about 192 long.

We will cut the shoulders on the planed
sides, of course, because they come inside of
the hive. The ends are of unequal length,
for the upper story contains a greater num-
The bottom

ones are 143 in. long, and the upper ones 204
/in.; both are 9 in. wide.

In the Simplicity
hive we were obliged to cut a rabbet into

the upper edge of the end-boards ; but with

these, we simply nail the tin rabbet directly
on their upper edges. The rim before men-
tioned forms the back to those in the upper

DIAGRAM OF CHAFF HIVE.*

*May, 1884.—Sinee the above cuts were made there
has been some change in the way we make the en-
| trances. ‘the bottom-hoard piece that comes Oppo-
site the entrance is cut 9 inches wide and *, thick;
| and from the outside of the inside shell to the inside
| of the outside shell it is beveled 1 inch, leaving the
| end 14g thick, under which a cleat-is nailed, to pre-
vent checking, ete. The entranee, then, instead of
being at B, will be 44 inch lower; and the slot, in-
stead of being on the edge of the board, as repre-
sented, is cut with a wabbling'saw, on the same bev-
el as the edges, 14, inch below the upper edge. This
prevents all possibility of severe storms beating
| into the hive.

HIV E-MAKING.

story, and a strip, nailed on to connect the
two stories, forms the back to those in the
lower story. This inside work is
made of + or # inch stuff. The bottom
of the lower story is also
this same thin stuff; and in nailing it on it
does not matter if the boards lap over and
project at both the sides andendstoo. The

diagram given, a transverse sectional view |
of the chaff hive, will, I think, make it all |

plain.

Both the outside and inside are nailed up |
separately, and then they are put in place, |

and nailed together, the only points of at-
tachment being the rim which rests on the

of the lower story, which rests on a couple
of strips that are attached to the siding on
either side, and to which the bottom is nail-

all |

made of |
| portions of the hive vacant. When the chaff

124

_a case of section boxes, or any other article

ed. Let A,A, represent the siding; B,B,B,B, |
the chaff, and C,C,C,C, the light boards that |

constitute the inner hive.
that holds the cover, and E,E,the cover itself.
F is the ridge - board that holds the siding
of which the cover is made. G.G, are strips
about 14 inches square, that support the up-
per story, and attach it securely to the lower
one. The shelf, or ledge, formed by making
the upper story broader than the lower one,
is exactly on a level with the top-bar of the
lower frames, and therefore the upper tier
of frames must hang just 2 of an inch from
these, to prevent, as much 2s_ possible, the
building of combs between the two. II is
the entrance, which is simply a covered pas-
sage-way from the inside hive, through the
chaff, to the outside.

, D,is the rim | ; 3 ; wee
Y nitride F many different pieces to the chaff hive, it is

HIVE-MAKING.
either kind as-yet, and the oat chaff is

probably the warmer, because it is softer
The chaff —

and more downy, like feathers.
should be packed sufficiently to prevent it
from ever settling so as to leave the upper

is all nicely filled into the sides, you are to
put as much over the bottom as possible and
have the tarred paper and rough bottom-
boards go in, and then the whole is to be se-
curely nailed, both down into the strips, J,
and through from the siding, into the ends
of these bottom-boards. Now we are ready
for the cover.

To contrive a light, cheap cover that would

top edge of the upper story, and the bottom | be absolutely water-proof, that would allow

of being readily lifted with one hand, and
still afford a flat place on the top for setting

used in the apiary, caused me more hard
study and experiment than all the rest of
the hive put together. There are a great

true ; but these pieces are all made of cheap

lumber, and one kind of pieces is made to

answer a great variety of different purposes.
For instance, the roof - boards of the cover
are all sorted out of the same siding that is
used for the body of thehive. Before piling
this siding away, you are to select all of the
poorest and knottiest pieces for these coy-
ers. For the sake of lightness we will
plane these down to 2, or a little less.
Where we get hold of very thick stuff among
our pile of culls we can often make 3 roof-

boards of a piece, thus saving lumber, and

A frame is shown in |

place in the lower story, and the ends of.

three of them in the upper story, hanging
at right angles to those below.

heavy pieces of rough unplaned ‘stuff, that |

support the bottom of the inside hive.
below these is the rough bottom of the hive,
which is made of the knotty and shaky
pieces that were rejected, when we were
getting out the siding. To keep out the

dampness of the ground as much as possible, |

as well as to. discourage mice from any at-

tempt to get into the siding, we put a sheet |
of tarred building-paper just under J,J, and |

between them and the rough bottom-boards.
These rough bottom- boards are the last
thing put on; when the body of the hive is
all finished, it is turned bottom upward and
the chaff filling put in. The chaff may be
either wheat or oats.; it has been suggested
that wheat would be less liable to get damp
and settle down so as to. be soggy and moldy,
but we have noticed no such trouble with

Just |

time in dressing it down. Now these boards
or strips are to be bent in the middle, to get
the slope to the roof; and to do this we

75 Ge two | will make a broad saw-cut nearly through

each of them, as shown below.

ROOF-BOARD TO CHAFF HIVE.
Make the cut so nearly through, that the

board will bend along the line, without

trouble. To keep them bent just right, and
to make a solid ridge-board with the flat
place on top, we will get outa piece of ¢
stuff, 232 inches long, and 5 inches wide.
Fix a beveled piece against the parallel bar
on your saw table, so that you can eut out
this board thus:

Let A represent the paral-
lel bar; B, the beveled piece
screwed to it; C, the ridge
board we are making, and D
the dotted lines where we -

{

HIV E-MAKING.

After going through on one side, the board
is to be turned over, so that the piece E is

COVER TO CHAFF HIVE, READY FOR THE
TIN SHEETS.

To make these cheap roof-boards water-
proof, we will cover them with tin. Get
12 x 24 roofing tin, which will cost, at pres-
ent prices, about $7.00 per box. Two sheets
are required for a cover. Notch out two of
the corners to each sheet, $x #; fold three
sides of the sheet at right angles, ? of an
inch, and it is then just right to put on the
covers, if the covers are as they should be.
The tin is nailed fast only in the edges of
the eaves and along the gable-ends, no nails
being on the top side of the cover. In our
picture of the cover, the ridge-board is rep-
resented in place, but it is not to be put on
until after the sheets of tin. It is put on the
last thing, and held by nails from the inside,
none of them being allowed to come up
through. This tin cover is to be painted
like the rest of the hive, and, so long as it is
kept painted, the tin will last unimpaired.

As the rim that holds the cover is on a
bevel, we wish the strip that goes under the
eaves, aS well as the gable-end piece with
the ventilating - hole in it, to be beveled at

their lower edges also; the former we make |

of thick pieces of siding, by splitting them
in two on the proper bevel. As these are to
hold the nails along the eaves, they should
be at least thick. For the gable-ends, we
adopt a little different line of management,
and, as the principle is a very important one,
I will take a little space to explain it.

Much time is occupied in handling all
these little bits of lumber; and to employ a
strong man to handle little bits of pine, and
turn them end for end, when he could,
without fatigue, handle a dozen or a hundred
just as well, is something that should be
avoided as much as possible. The same
idea is brought out very strongly in mak-
ing section boxes; but to make irregular
forms is a little more difficult. Even if we
can accomplish no_more than to have two of
the pieces attached, so that the workman
can perform two operations on them, while
the stuff is right in his hands, it is quite a
saving. This gable-end piece, you see below.

GABLE-END TO CHAFF-HIVE COYER.

125

HIV E-MAKING.

You will notice, that each piece has a
tapering cut at eachend ; that it has a bevel
at the lower edge; and that it has a hole
bored through it. To pick it up and lay it
down for each of the four operations, espe -
cially if you are one of the awkward kind

‘that have to turn around and stoop over

every time they lay a piece down and pick

‘another up, requires a good deal of time.

If we should take a piece of 3-inch plank,
we could cut the tapers and bore the holes
in at least siz pieces at once, for they need
not be over %, and then we could saw off the
pieces after all was done. But 3-inch plank
is pretty expensive, because there is so little
demand for it. If we can buy 2-inch plank
at a low figure, it may do to use this; but
even if we do,after boring the holes and
cutting the tapers, we would better cut them
in two in the middle first, so as to have
about inch pieces, as you will see. Very
likely it will be best to use your culls, so we
will get out a piece of inch stuff planed as
thick as it will work, 5 inches wide by 223
long. This piece will make 4 gable-ends, by
running your saw through the dotted lines,
as Shown below.

mi

HOW TO MAKE THE GABLE-ENDS.

First we take off the corners, A,A ; then
bore the holes; next we cut from B to C
and from D to E; lastly, split them through
the middle, and they are finished all but
planing. The ventilating - hole should be
about 14 inches in diameter, and should be
covered with wire cloth, on the inside. Itis
never safe to omit these; for the bees ina
strong colony will exhale so much moisture
as to cause drops of water to hang on the
roof-boards, and large icicles to form in the
winter. I have wintered bees in the chaff
hives, without the ventilating-holes, but was
obliged to open them occasionally during
very severe weather, to let the roof and cush-
ions dry out.

ONE-STORY CHAFF HIVE.

A chaff hive is also made one story high,
so as to receive a Simplicity body for the up-
per story. Of course, this would receive a
Simplicity cover, and any of the arrange-
ments used on or in the Simplicity hives.
While I do not consider them equal to the
regular chaff hive, they are quite an advan-
tage over the unprotected Simplicity hive,
especially when a good cushion is put in the
upper story.

HIVE-MAKING.

FRAMES FOR HIVES.

The frames to fit the hives I have describ-
ed, cre 173 by 94. I took these dimensions
from a frame Mr. L. sent me several years
ago, in answer to an application to him for
a frame of the dimensions he would prefer.
Although some of the frames in common
use, called the L. frame, differ somewhat
from these dimensions, yet the frame will
fit the greater number of hives in common
use, known as the L. hive. There is some
difference of opinion in regard to the com-
parative merits of frames with metal sup-
porting-arms, and those having the top-bar
prolonged at each end, so as to form a sup-
port. I decidedly prefer those with the
metal bearing, as being more easily
handled, even at the risk of having them
slip about once in a while, when we do not
want them to. I want a frame so “ moy-
able ” that it can be picked up at any time,
with one hand even, in spite of all the pro-
polis the bees can fasten to its attachments
to the body of the hive.
frames have considerably the advantage in
cheapness, and they can be got up on short
notice, with very little machinery.

It is a very important thing to have all
our frames, as well as our hives, exact in
size; and to insure this, we have gauges
made for each separate part. We formerly
used wooden gauges; but after long use, we
find there is danger of inaccuracy from the
shrinking and swelling by changes of weath-
er, or loosening of joints by use, and we
have, therefore, decided on steel gauges,

which we make of a cheap carpenters’ |

Squares, such as are to be had at almost any
hardware store.
brass, and are put on with rivets, as there
is always more danger of a solder joint giv-
ing way than of a riveted one. The draw-
ing below will make it all plain, I think.

GAUGE FOR FRAME-MAKING.

The plate on the end is put on that end of |

the square that reads one inch, thus enabling
us to read the dimensions in inches, at the

same time that we are trying a piece of |

board to see if the length is right. One side
of the square gauges the top-bar, and the
other side, the bottom-bar.
side gives the length of the end-bars. For
frames, we use box lumber that costs about
$30.00 per M. A cheaper quality would an-
swer, and we might work cull lumber to
quite an advautage, were it not that there

_ would be great danger of bad pieces getting |

The all - wood |
it advisable to try to get along with anything

The stops are made of |

The notch in the |

126

lis in bee-hive manipulations.

HIVE-MAKING.

in, and we really need the very best straight-
grained pine for our frames, both brood and —
section, that we can get. For the metal —
corners, the lumber is to be planed just ¢ of —
an inch; after trying frames with the bars —
of almost all widths, I think I would prefer —
this to any other width. Square the end of
your board with the cut-off bar, and then
set the parallel bar at such a distance that —
the pieces cut off will be of such length, as
to just push in between the stops on your
gauge. Do not say, when you have it near- —
ly right, ‘‘That is near enough,” but have it
just as nice a fit as it can be; then you can
go on cutting up your boards, without any
fear of inaccuracy. For metal - cornered
frames, you have only to cut off two lengths;
the longest for tops and bottoms, and the
shortest for ends. If you are making the
all-wood frames, the top-bars are to be 14
inches longer than the bottom-bar. This
allows a projection of # of an inch, for the
frames to hang on. This I think as great
a length as we ever need, and I do not think

less, if we wish to avoid the effects of propo-
A bee can
pass freely through an opening of 4 of an

inch; but if it is much less, he is disposed to

bridge it across with propolis ; if it is much
greater, combs will be built in the space.
For these reasons, comb-frames are usually

_separated from the sides of the hive, about

gofaninch. Well, if we do not want the
bees to fill up the rabbet with propolis, we
must have a channel for them to walk in,
about this width; and 2 outside of the rabbet,
added to the % inside, gives us just ? for the
projecting arm.

I would put the frames together, at the
corners, With the grooving-saws, such as we
use for section boxes. In the § stuff, I
would have four grooves and four tenons,

as shown below.

This work is very rapidly done with four
saws having collars between them, to sepa-
rate them just the right distance. ‘The ©
boards, when cut up into lengths, are then —
run over them, being held at the right depth —
by gauging the height of the saw - table.
Where the four saws are not at hand, this
grooving may be done, but of course not as —

‘rapidly, with a single saw cutting one —

groove atatime. To get the distance just —
right, a blade, or track, is set in the table,
by the side of the saw, just large enough for

———

HIVE-MAKING.

the grooves to slide over. The first groove
is cut by running your boards against the
side of the track, as a gauge, and the next,
by running the groove on the track, and so
on. This method is more liable to inaccura-
ey than that with the four saws, yet very
nice work can be done by means of it, and
we are not limited to any size of stuff, or
material. Section boxes, or boxes for a va-
riety of purposes, may be made with this
kind of dovetailed corners, with great facil-
ity. Great care should be used, to have the
stuff held closely down to the table, that it
may be all grooved to the full depth. An
ordinary saw, with the teeth set very wide,
will answer for this grooving ; but a thick
saw made on purpose, ground thinner in the
center, so that it may be sure to clear well,
is much better. Cutter-heads will do fora
small amount of work; but having only two
teeth instead of many like a saw, they are
so quickly dull that I would much prefer
the saw. For the metal-cornered frames, I
would have all the corners made as above;
the grooving in the top of the ends is to be
made a little deeper, to accommodate the
extra thickness of the top-bar. The top-
bars, we rip off 5-16, the ends and bottom-
bar, 7-32. The bottom-bars would do just as
well 4, were it not that heavy combs are
sometimes made to rest on them, as in trans-
ferring, etc. For the wired frames, shown
on page 56, 7-32 will be heavy enough all
around, the comb-guide being omitted.
Where the frames are made all of wood, I
would make them as in the cut shown.

ij an
0

If they are made so as to drive together
just right, it gives a very stiff frame, and
but a single nail is required to fasten the
corner. Care should be taken that the neck
on the ends of the top-bar is not cut too
deep, else the projection may be in danger
of breaking off at the narrow point. The
neck should be so made as to have about
7-16 of the wood left; this will allow the
mortises to be just 7-32 deep, and the same
in width. We make these with a grooving-
saw, with a cut-off saw, same diameter,
clamped closely on each side of it. It is made 4

127

HIV E-MAKING.

in the boards before they are cut up. The
mortise in the ends of the top-bars, we make
by placing the four grooving-saws close to-
gether, the washers being left on the out-
sides. Cutting in the end of the wood is
rather trying work for both saws and cut~
ter-heads, and they will need sharpening
often. Great care should be taken to have
all these joints just right, for the strength
and beauty of the frame depends on haying
them driven up as tightly as may be, with-
out splitting the wood. The comb-guide, |
for both kinds of frames, we make of nice
straight-grained pine, 9-16 wide, and just
thick enough to fill closely the groove cut
by one of these grooving-saws. Thisisa
little less than 4 of an inch ; for you will re-
member that four grooves and four tenons
make just § of an inch. The groove is to be
exactly in the center, and ? deep, and is, of
course, made in the end of the board before
the pieces are ripped off. The top-bar is al-
so to be grooved on the under side, its
whole length. Below we show you a section
of both top and end bars, with the groove to
hold the comb-guide.

As the comb-guide is 9-16, and the cut in
the end-bar #, we have 3-16 left for whole
wood in the top-bar, as at A, and the table
should be so set as to leave justthis amount
of wood uncut.

Even if the fdn. is fastened in the frames
with melted wax, as many do, I would have
such a comb-guide, because it adds so much
to the strength of the frame, and obviates
the necessity of having avery heavy top-bar.
The bees will, in time, build their combs
right over such a comb-guide, and use the
cells above the brood for honey.

HOW MANY FRAMES IN A HIVE?

You will remember that the width of the
Simplicity hive inside, as well as the lower
story of the chaff hive, is just 14+ inches.
Well, this space is just right for ten frames,
bringing them a trifle less than 14 inches
from each other, from center to center.
After we have our frames placed in the
hive, and spaced with the eye and fingers,
so as to have about the same amount of
room for each frame, we are to consider
what is to be used to keep the bees down on
the frames, and to prevent them from build-
ing their combs clear up against the cover,
and fastening the latter down with pr opolis.

HIV E-MAKING. i

WHAT TO COVER FRAMES WITH.

This is a very important matter, and one
that must be carefully attended to, or there
will be no end of ‘‘ troubles.’’ If the bees
get up under the cover they will daub the
whole inside with propolis, waxing all joints
and crevices, and making it almost impossi-
ble to lift the cover without jarring and en-
raging them. They will also use this space
for a loafing-room, if no surplus boxes are
on, When we want every bee down amid the
brood-combs. Worst of all, when the cover
is replaced, bees will be sure to be in the
joints, where they will get crushed; and
when you have to kill bees in opening and
closing your hives, you will very soon dis-
cover that there is something radically
wrong somewhere. Cloth sheets and quilts
have been used for the past few years, and
in many respects they are far ahead of the
honey-boards formerly used. For the past
two years I have recommended and used
enameled cloth, with a strip of tin folded in
the ends. This has given excellent satis-
faction, but two faults have developed with
its use. In time, it gets soft by the damp-
ness of the hive, and then the bees gnaw
holes in it as they do in the duck. The next
is, that it is hard to make it stay in its place
and perfectly close the top of the hive, un-
less we use the tin ends mentioned; with
these it can not be folded up so as to cover
a smaller colony, and it is awkward to use
with the division - boards now so generally
employed. I have just now (March, 1879)
devised the mat shown below.

MAT FOR COVERING THE FRAMES.

The great beauty of it is, that while it can
not shrink so as to let the bees out at the

ends or sides, it can be rolled back, folded |

smaller, and adapted to the varying sizes of
the hive with a division-board, even better
than any cloth. After it is placed so not
a bee can get above it, as it is nearly level
with the top of the hive, every bee that does
not get off can easily be brushed off and
made to go in at the entrance. The strips
are of basswood, and are 1-16 by 4 inch.
They are woven in a loom, with hard hemp
twine.

In cool weather, or in winter, the chaff
cushion is always to be used over this mat,
for it is not to keep the bees warm, but only

28

HIVE-MAKING.

to keep them down, and to protect the cush-

ion above it.*

HOW TO USE THE WIDE FRAMES OF SEC- |
TION BOXES.

For the one-story hives, you have nothing
to do but to just hang the frame of sections
in the hive. The separators, of course, will
_be turned toward the brood, and this will
serve to keep the bees from putting pollen
_in the section-combs, as well as to keep the
/queen out. I have never seen any pollen, or
any eggs, carried into a frame of sections,
| where separators were used.

_ Although you can get nice honey from a
one-story hive, I would not, as a general
| thing, recommend them; because almost
any swarm of bees will very soon need more
room; and if it is not furnished, they will be
pretty sure either to swarm or to lie idle,
for want of it. With the extractor, we can
get along very well with one story, for we
can extract the honey ; but we can not well
take off the sections until they are capped
over ; and when the two frames are full and
ready to cap, the bees will have little or
/nothing todo. This is why I would have a
_ two-story hive. If you have the upper story
filled with sections, I do not know that there
is any particular advantage in having any
sections in the lower story at all; for, after
the bees once get to working well above,
they will, as a general thing, rather neglect
the lower ones. Different colonies work
differently in this respect, but side-storing,
unless in hives with taller frames than the
'L., has been pretty generally abandoned.
| You will remember that the Simplicity hive
is 144 inches wide, and that the wide frames
'to hold the sections are 2 inches wide;
therefore 7 of the latter would fill the hive
into about 4 of an inch. Well, as we wish
| the tin separators to lie as flat and smooth
as possible, we will wedge up in this + inch,
to bring the seven frames as closely together
as possible, and then, when the wedges are
removed, we can get out the first frame of
sections without any trouble. As the tops
of these frames are tight together, we shall
_have no occasion to use the sheet of enam-
_eled cloth, and this may be laid away until
the season of surplus is over. It is true, the
bees will get: above through this 4-inch space
where our wedges are put, but we will stop
this by a thin slip of wood, similar to our
comb-guides, only a little longer. Only two
wedges are required to hold the wide

*Sept., 1880.—After a more extended trial of both
mats and enameled sheets, I greatly prefer the lat-
ter, especially where bees are to be handled much,
as in queen-rearing.

HIVE-MAKING. 1

frames tight up to each other, and these are
toward the middle, just opposite the up-
rights of the section boxes, between the sep-
arators and the sides of the hive. The dia-
gram below will illustrate it.

Ny a [ |
: | i i i
a
HN
TO WEDGE UP THE FRAMES OF
SECTIONS.

A and B are the wedges. When they are
withdrawn, you can pry over and lift out the
frame, almost as easily as ally brood-frame,
and the operation of taking out the honey is
a very easy and a very simple one indeed.
At first thought it seems a little singular
that the sections are much easier to take
out when filled than when empty; but such
is, nevertheless, the case ; for they are then
rigid, solid blocks, instead of the frail
structures which were put in.

HOW

PAINTING THE HIVES.

va

After the hive is nailed, the nail- heads |

should all be set in slightly with a suitable
nail-set, and then I would advise going over

the corners and all rough places, with a/§

keen and sharp smooth-plane, set so as to
cut a very light shaving.
all rough places with some sandpaper and a
block, and you are ready to give ita priming.
This priming may be simply boiled linseed
oil, or boiled oil and ocher, or something of
that sort. Cheap red paint is said to hold
better than any other color;

sive heat, I would avoid all dark colors,
even for a priming ; for somebody might be
careless, and let the paint wear off until the
priming showed through, and then, if the

hive, the little fellows might be made very
uncomfortable, to say the least. I once had
a brown hive which got so hot that it melted
the combs, and let the honey run out in
front. I painted it over white, and had no
further trouble, although I allowed it to re-
main in the sun as before. I once was quite
a friend to a kind of chemical paint; but,
Since having a larger experience, and test-
ing pure white lead by the side of other
kinds of paint, I have come to the conclu-
sion that the pure lead and linseed oilismuch
the nicest and most durable, besides being,
probably, as cheap, in the long run, as any

After this, rub off |
|

but, for the |
sake of avoiding the consequences of exces- |

2.

=

9 HIVE-MA KING.

thing else. Instead of putting on a great
many coats of paint to commence with, I
would paint lightly at first, and then give
them another coat, as often as it will im-
prove their looks or durability. Do not go
by fits and starts in fixing up your aplary,

| but keep fixing all the time, and keep it nice
_all the time.
| paint and fix up is to lift the combs out, and

Perhaps the better way to

set them into a hive all rigged and painted,
and then, after that one is fixed, carry it to
the next, and so on. This plan is very
convenient where the hives need a nail or
two, which could not well be put in while it
contained bees. J do not think fresh paint
is especially offensive to bees, nor do I think
new swarms are often driven off by the
smell of paint, but I should prefer to have
the hives dry, before the bees are putin. I
have often painted hives containing bees,
without perceiving any bad results, except
that the bees sometimes stick fast to the
newly painted surface, which is certainly
annoying to the poor little fellows, if noth-
ing more.

CONCLUDING REMARKS ABOUT HIVES.

Work carefully, and avoid mistakes and
blunders by carefully measuring, trying,

and testing every thing, as you go along.

Do not get a lot of hives nailed up, and
then discover that the frames will not go in
them properly, but have a frame right at
hand, and, before you drive a nail, put the
frame in place and see if itis right. More
than this, be sure that your frame is just
right. Many bad blunders have resulted

from picking up.a frame supposed to be

right, but which was found to be a little too
large, or too small, in some of its dimen-
sions, after a lot of hives were made to
match it. Have a good steel square, and

| keep it carefully, that it may not get out of
true, or get rusty or injured in any way.
| To test its exactness, lay it on a broad
heat of the sun should strike right on the |

straight-edged board, and ‘draw a fine line
along the blade of the square, with a keen-
pointed knife; then reverse it, andsee if the
knife - point runs in the same track. The
drawing below will show you how.

HOW TO TEST A SQUARE.
Let A,A,represent the board with the

straight edge. Do not say, “‘ This edge is
straight enough,” until you have made itas
exact as youcan. Lay the square on as at

“Som

HIV E-MAKING. 130 HIVE-MAKING.

B, and draw the line, D E, with your knife
point ; now turn it over as at C, and draw a
line in the same place, or so near it, that you

can readily see if the two are exactly paral- |

lel. You can take your board to the hard-
ware store, and pick out a square that is
right, or you can get the one that is nearest
right, and then make it right by filing.
Another point:
the marks on one side not exactly agreeing
with those on the opposite side. This isa
very bad fault indeed. Our blacksmith and
foreman once had quite a dispute on some
iron gauge-frames, and, when the matter
was investigated, it was found the square
given the blacksmith varied a 32d of an inch
in the way I have mentioned. Further in-
vestigation showed we had but one square

on the premises that exactly agreed on both |

sides. Now, when you go to buy a square,
look out.
een you get a square that you know you
can ‘put your trust in,” go ahead, but work
carefully. Say over and over to yourself,

when starting out, “Suppose I should find, |

after I get these done, that they are all
wrong;”’ and so measure and try your work,
at every step. It is just as easy to cut
boards in the right place, as it is to cut them
in the wrong one; and it is just as easy to

have all the different parts of your work |

nice and accurate, as it is to waste your
time by careless bungling, and then trying
to patch up the consequences of your own
awkwardness. I know, for I have made a
great many awkward mistakes in my life,
and I also know, by experience, that one so

awkward and careless that he, at times, |

almost feels as if there were no use in trying
to be a mechanic, or hardly any thing else,
for that matter, can learn to be careful, and
to do nice work.
pleasure that rewards one after he has suc-
cessfully fought these besetting sins, and
come out triumphant.
ful; work slowly, until you know your work
is all right; have your tools all nice and
sharp; keep every thing piled up in neat

order ; look pleasant, be pleasant, and thank |

God every day for being a great deal kinder
to you than you deserve, while you ask him
to help you overcome these besetting sins.

MAKING HIVES BY HAND.

You can make your hives of lumber that |
is not planed at all; but as this is necessari-
ly of all kinds of thicknesses, I can hardly
think you, or any one else, could afford such
hives, If we plane it, it should be planed to

you will find squares with |

I also know the thrill of |

Once more, be care- |

| an exact thickness ; and as this is almostan —
impossibility by hand, I think we would
better take it to a planing-mill. Even
should you conclude to plane your stuff by
‘hand, these same directions will apply all
the same. Our chaff hives were all planed
by hand, in every part, the first year we
made them. With a hand-saw and square,
you can cut up the lumber very well; but if
your time is valuable, and you have 25 col-
onies of bees and a prospect of more, you
will most assuredly save money by having
some kind of a foot-power circularsaw. On
this account, all the directions for making
the Simplicity hive were specially adapted
to the foot-power saw. To be sure that I
was in error nowhere, I stood over one of
the workmen ‘while he made a complete
hive, with the saw we use. If youreally de-
sire to make a hive with a hand-saw and
plane, ete., you are to cut your stuff up just
as I directed. Straighten one edge with a
_jack-plane, inthe good old way (beg pardon;
if this sounds sarcastic, I tried not to have
it); then with a gauge, mark out the width of
your boards, saw them out with a hand rip-
saw, and plane downto the line. When
this is done, with a plane and bevel-square
dress off one corner until you have the de-
sired bevel for the bottom edge of the
boards. The rim to go around under the
cover can be dressed out in the same way.
The shoulder that we made on the top edge,
_to exclude wind andrain, can be cut very
nicely after the hive is nailed up, with a
-plane-bit ground on a grindstone until it
will cut the desired shape. Saw the boards
off in a large miter-box. You can do it,
_and you can make nice work, but it will pay
you just about as well as it will to mow a 40-
acre field with a scythe, when you can get
your neigh bor’s mowing-machine for a trifle,
to do the whole quickly and nicely.**

SECTION HONEY-BOXES.

ALL ABOUT MAKING THEM, AND SOME OTH-
ER MATTERS.

The best material which we can obtain in
this locality for honey-boxes is nice, white,
clear-grained basswood. It should be sawed
into planks, about 2% in. thick, that it may
be full2in. when seasoned. Such lumber
is worth here, at present, $16.C0 per M. Aft-
_er the lumber is seasoned, it is ready to be
planed, and, for the sides of the sections,
should work full 1§ in. As the tops and
bottoms are } less in width than the sides,

they may easily be made from ordinary 2-in.
stuff, As the cigar-box planer just men-

HIV E-MAKING. 1

tioned is hardly heavy enough to plane these
planks, we will use what is called the 18-in.
Gem planer, shown in the following cut.

18-INCH GEM PLANER.

These small planers have astonished us by
the beauty and accuracy with which they do
their work, and the small amount of power
with which they may be run. Our machin-
ist said he did not think we could plane a 16-
inch board with a 43-horse-power engine;
but with only 40 lbs. of steam, we cuta full}
inch from the hardest and knottiest board
we could find, and the planer did not even
slack its motion. As the machine cost us,
all belted and ready for work, only $70.00,
we were very agreeably astonished. <A two-
horse - power engine would run the planer
very well, if a light cut at a time were made.

After your planks are all planed, you are
to cut them up into pieces convenient to
handle. We usually make them from 8 to
4ft.long. Withaheap of these near your
buzz-saw table, you are ready to saw them
into strips. These strips are sawed of such
a thickness that, when planed, they will be
just about 5-32 in. thick.

When we used to make our sections of
sawed strips without planing, some of our
friends complained because our sections
were grooved a little deeper than the
thickness of the stuff; this was done, be-
cause, in sawing, we can not get the stuff
all exactly of a thickness, and we were
therefore obliged to make the dovetailing
deep enough to take in the thickest pieces,
otherwise we should have the thick pieces
increasing the outside dimensions of the
box, and this might prevent a nice fit inside
of the large frames. The only remedy was
to have the stuff planed to an exact thick-
ness; and although we often thought of
this, we as often decided that they could

2
3)

1 HIVE-MAKING.

not be made, nicely planed all over, for one
cent each, or less. Finally our sawyer
startled me by asking why we could not
have a little planer, to take long strips right
from the buzz-saw, and plane them auto-
matically. Sure enough! Why not?

I soon found that there was a little planer
made, called a cigar - box planer, and, ere
long, we had one planted just back of the
saw. I give you an engraving of it below.

~ey,
CIGAR-BOX PLANER.

This Jittle machine does its work most

| beautifully, and requires so little power for

the planing of these pine strips, that, in the
absence of other power, one man with a
erank would probably run it without troub-
le. After we got it well started, our saw-
yer, who is an intelligent mechanic, ex-
claimed ,—

‘““Why, Mr. Root, I would almost work for
nothing, if I could have machinery that
would all run as nicely as that little planer
does.”

The strips, as they come out, are most
beautifully smooth, for these small planers,
as they come from the factory, are all sharp
and in working order, without so much as
even furnishing a belt. The best part of it
is, the strips are exactly of a thickness. For
the usual section boxes, they are sawed
about 2 inches in width, or a little more,
and in length, to suit your pleasure.

We will suppose you have ripped off and
planed about 100 of these thin strips; 101 is
just the number, to be exact. Shake out the
shavings, place the planed surfaces all one
way (we do not want the sections planed on
their inner sides, because the bees could not
so readily attach their combs) and then screw
them up in screw-clamps like the cut below.

CLAMP FOR MAKING SECTION BOXES.

These clamps are made to compass just
16 inches. Below we give you a drawing of
the bundle of strips, with a clamp screwed
on them, at about every 44 inches.

HIV E-MAKING.

BUNDLE OF STRIPS FOR SECTIONS.

Well, this plank, as it were, composed of
the 101 strips, is to be placed on the saw-ta-
ble, and sawed into bolts or bundles, 44 in.
long, one of the clamps coming near the
center of each. These are now to be run
over the gang of grooving - saws, and they
are finished.

BUNDLE OF PIECES FOR SECTION BOXES, AS
THEY LEAVE THE SAWS.

These bundles each contain 101 pieces. |

I would insist on this exact number, to save the same tools, and much in the same way.

Instead of 101 in a bolt, we have just 50, so

mistakes that will creep in, if you have any
odd number ; for the figuring with fraction-
al parts of a hundred necessary to put up
an order, may amount to more than the
goods are worth, and even then, expensive
mistakes will happen. One season, a bee-
keeper away in Iowa informed us, just
about swarming - time, that his box of 1000
sections was lacking either sides or tops, and
it cost us several dollars to make the matter

straight, express and all. Now if we always |

have 101 in a bundle—the odd one is to be
sure to make good count—and then make

our packing - boxes so that 20 bundles will |

just fill them, our shipping elerk cannot well
make a wrong count.
to ship, in boxes of 500 each. But, he may
give us too many tops, and not enough bot-
toms. That is true, and it reminds me that
the pieces for the tops are to have a thin saw-
cut exactly in the center, the whole length,
before they are screwed up in the bundles.
Well, now, to fix it so he can not make a mis-
take, we will put in each of the bundles of
narrow pieces, 51 grooved, and 50 without
the grooves. Then, in packing, he is to get
10 bundles of the wide side-pieces, and 10

bundles of the narrow ones, and the pack- |

ing boxes are to be made so as to hold just
these and no more. <As to the thickness of
the strips, I would set the planer so that 101

pieces just fill the 16-inch frame when |

screwed up close enough to hold. You can

tell this best by trying; and after you get |

your planer just right, make a mark, so that
you can set it in just the same place again.
I said the width of the strips should be a lit-
tle less than 2 inches ; we want them so that
7 of them close up side by side, with the 7

They are put up ready |

HIV E-MAKING.

tin separators between them, will just make
14 inches. The Simplicity hive is 144 inches
inside, and we shall therefore have the + inch
to wedge up the frames of sections. When
they are to be removed, take out the two wedg-
es and the first frame can be lifted out
easily. (See p. 129). The tops and bottoms
of the sections are + inch less than the sides.

ONE-POUND SECTION BOX COMPLETE.

The cases for holding the sections, as
well as the wide frames, are made with

they are twice as thick as the section stuff.
The bottom-bar is made exactly like the bot-
tom-bar of the sections, grooving and all.
The top and sides are the thickness of a
sheet of tin wider than the sides of the
sections. This makes them come tight
against each other, when wedged up in the
hive. Below we show youa bundle of fin-
ished top-bars, and also one of the side-bars.

BUNDLE OF END-BARS.

BUNDLE_OF TOP-BARS.

The grooves in the sides of; the top-bars,
and the one in the ends of the side-bars, are
cut with a cutter-head, to be described fur-
ther on. The broad grooves in the side
bars are for the purpose of, bringing the tin
separators into just the right place, and for

_ letting them in flush with the wood, that the

frames may come up tight. Where the tin
comes between the frames, and separates
them but a trifle, the bees will fill in the
crack with propolis. We wish to stop all
this so far as we can. The cut of the frame
below will give you an idea of the way in
which the separators are put on.

WIDE FRAME TO HOLD 8 SECTIONS, AND
TIN SEPARATORS,

HIVE-MAKING.

The tin is so cut, that, when a} fold is
made on each end, it can be just snapped in-
to the notches at Aand B. They can be
used without tacking; but those we ship are
tacked fast with four slender brads. The
tin should be stretched on the frame, to pre-
vent its bulging and making depressions
and elevations in the comb honey.

The shallow notches are very quickly
made in the bolt of end-bars, with a common
rabbet-plane. To guide it in the exact spot,
and to have it cut the notches of the proper
width, aframe of strips of board is placed
over the bolt which guides the plane.

FRAME FILLED WITH SEC TIONS OF HONEY.

A great many, at first view, ask why we
do not use solid plank, and rip off the strips
after having done the grooving, etc. The
great reason is, that we should be obliged to
rip off these little pieces one at a time, and
then handle them singly to plane, and tie
up. With the plan I have given, we rip and
plane 10 or 12 pieces in a strip; when bun-
dled up, we cut off 100 at once. This means,
100 cuts one way, and 10 the other, 110 in all,
make 1000 pieces; by the other plan, the
workman would have to make 1000 move-
ments. This system of working in wood
can be used in making boxes and frames of
almost every description, and for a great va-
riety of woodwork, where great numbers
of pieces are wanted exactly alike and ata
very low figure.

Now, about grooving the ends of the pieces,
or the dovetailing, as it is frequently called.
A while ago I told you how to saw one or
two grooves at atime, by means of a steel
track parallel with the saw, on which the
first groove runs as soon as it is sawed, as a
guide for the rest. This plan does very well,
but itis slower, and not as accurate, as when
we have a gang of 8 saws to cut the whole
number at once. The saws we use are 44
inches in diameter, and about 3-32 in thick-
ness. They are run by steel washers be-
tween them, that gauge the tightness with
which the sections fit together. If they are
too loose, a washer of thin paper put between
them will make them tighter.
are sharpened like arip-saw, but they have
no set. They get dull very quickly, for cut-
ting constantly in the end of the wood is
very severe on saws. <A 34 or4 inch belt

133

The saws |

HIVE- MAKIN G.

will be required to run these saws, and ine
pulley should be not less than 34 inehess in
diameter. The shaft should be about 1 inch
in diameter, and should run in broad strong
boxes; it may be#in., where the saws go
on. As these saws must cut always the
same width, exactly, itis best to run them
without set; and to make them ‘“‘clear” in
this shape, we have them ground thinnest
in the center. Such saws 44 inches in diam-
eter are worth about $2.00 each; a steel
washer 50c more; anda stitable mandrel
and boxes, $10.00. Therefore the whole out+
fit, with 8 saws, will cost about $30.00. T
confess, I am not very well pleased with any
of the. grooving arrangements I have ever
used. They answer very nicely at first, it
is true, but they need so much filing or
grinding, that itis quitea task. They all
work nicely running with the grain, or
across the grain, but cutting into the end of
a block seems to be a different matter.
If we wish grooves and tenons more than
4, say 8-16, the Barnes cutter - head is an
improvement. These require sharpening
frequently, it is true, for they are like a saw
with but two teeth ; but they clear so nicely,

itis really a pleasure to work with them
Perhaps I should say, when they are in prop-
er cutting order; for neither a saw, cutter;
nor any thing else is pleasant to work with,

unless it is sharpened just as it should be.

It is no use to say you cannot sharpen a saw,

for you must do it, or you are not fit to bea
bee-keeper. Perhaps I can help you a little.

PUTTING CIRCULAR SAWS IN ORDER.

We will take the cutter - head for an il-

lustration, for it embodies aearlyoo all the
principles involved.

e\ | a i

On

5 any
CUTTER- HEAD FOR GROOVING
BOXES.

The point, or spur, D, is, of course, to cuta
little ahead of the chisel-shaped cutter, C,
and is to gauge the exact width of the
groove, while C follows after, and takes
out a shaving of wood. Now, suppose the
tool be so carelessly ground that the heel, B,
is higher, or, rather, further from the hole in
the center than the cutting edge, C; itis
very plain that the heel would only rub on
the wood, get hot, and make things smoke,
without doing any cutting at all, At about
this stage, the operator of the foot-power
saw isin danger of losing his temper; es-
pecially if he has tired hingele out, and

SECTION

HIVE-MAKING. 1

worked himself into a perspiration, without
stopping to examine into the matter. To

illustrate, I will give a letter that Barnes |
Bros. wrote us, after one of our customers |

liad complained of his cutter-head.

We mail you this day the cutter-head that Mr.
—— returns by our request, for our examina-
tion. He has ground it, or sharpened it, from the
outside, and spoiled it of course. It should be ground
or sharpened from the inner edge. Please put it on
the saw and you will see that the edge is ground
down so that the part back will not let it cut; hence
the jumping he sperks of. You will also see that it
has never been sharpened on the inner edge, the
temper color has not been removed. We would as
soon tella man not to hitch to the tongue of a wagon,
after selling him one, as tell him not to grind
these cutters on the outer edge. You will find, on
grinding back and allowing the edge to be the high-
est, as it was originally, that this same cutter will
beat the best saw (especially when gauged), cutter,
or groover you can get. We like fair play, especially
when things are so plain as to need no explanation.

If you have time, we would like you to write him,

and, after g:inding the cutter properly, return it to "any improvement or suggestion I may have

him to convince him. W.F. & JOHN BARNES.
Rockford, Ill., Sept. 11, 1877.

That the above is somewhat harsh, I am
aware; but I have given it you to show that
I think there is blame on both sides. Our
friend was thoughtless, it is true; but had

/ made, if a good one.

4 HIV E-MAKING.

stopped it and looked, and behold -he had
not even taken the blue from the steel on
the inside.

Friend Barnes, I fear there are a great

_many thick-headed people in this world, and
'I sometimes have reason to think J am

‘‘chiefest”? among them. Then what shall
we do ? I guess we shall have to make
every thing very plain, and I guess our tools
would all better be sharpened just right, be-
fore they are sent out, and then purchasers
will certainly know how they should be.

Messrs. Barnes Brothers have just sent us
a pair of their improved cutter-heads.
They are of much nicer finish than their old
ones, and there has been some grinding done
on the points of the knives; but neither of
them are ground as they should be to make
the best speed in cutting. I think the gen-
tlemen will excuse these criticisms, for I
have always found them very ready to adopt

We owe them a vote
of thanks already, for having made such
great reductions on the prices of almost all
kinds of foot-power machinery. The spurs

on the cutters sent were too long, and they

were of such shape that the block of wood
was shaken while being grooved ; when they

the cutter been sent him, ground just as it
should be, at first, he would have succeeded

and been pleased; and if it afterward got

out of ‘‘ rig,’ he would have kuown the |

fault was not in the construction of the im-
with the steel ground back so as not to bump

plement. I have purchased much machin-
ery, and, I am sorry to say, but little of it

has been in really nice working trim when |
The planers I have men-.

tioned were a pleasant surprise in that res- Will be beautifully smooth and clean.

first received.
pect, for they were almost as sharp and keen
as a razor, and every part was as carefully
in order as if the maker had fitted it up for
his own use, If all kinds of machinery were
sent out in just this shape, it would save
ever and ever so much trouble and bother,
and hard words and feelings all round. I

know it costs money to do this, and I know |

it is hard to find a man who will take pride
in having every thing just right, no matter
what the cost may be; but it should be done.
There will be no difficulty in getting a price
to cover all expense, after the work has once
earned a reputation.

The cutter-head was received, as it was
stated. The blue on the steel showed that
no file or stone had ever touched it on the

inner edge at A, but our friend had ground |

the outside, inthe manner stated. I took
the tool to one of our hands who runs saws,
explained the matter, and desired him to fix
and try it, As itdid not eut very well, I

are made so as to be thin sharp blades, cut-
ting about the thickness of a sheet of paper
into the wood, in advance of the chisels,

or rub against the sides of the finished
groove, your block will stand as steady as if
no cutting were being done, and your groove
Best
of all, so little power will be required to do

the work, that you will hardly know the tool

is cutting. I know, for I have just stopped

my writing an hour, to be sure Icouldmake ~

them go. As I have said before, we use
saws instead of these cutters, because, with
the constant work we have for them, they
would require sharpening so often. A saw
has 50 teeth or more, where these tools have
but two, to do the work.

When I have occasion to use the foot-
power saw, I almost invariably find it needs
oiling. Iean not afford to waste my strength,
in trying to run asaw that does not run free.
I found to-day, that some rubbish had been
allowed to get under the treadle, so that it
did not come clear down. When this was
fixed, I found the hickory spring did not
bring the treadle clear up. After I had
turned the spring over, the treadle came
clear up promptly, and I could get up a
speed that would make a cutter, saw, or any

Re oD ea” Oe AO Fee

HIVE-MAKING.

thing else “hum.” It really makes me ner-

yous, to see one who knows what the saw

can do, try to work by giving the treadlea
series of short stamps, as if it were an unru-
ly sewing-machine. If you are going tospin
atop, youmust draw off the cord with a

‘“‘full-arm movement;”’ and if you are going |

to do work with the Barnes saw, you must

draw off the strap from the fly-wheel (in the |
same way ; let the treadle come up as far as

it will, and then send it clear down to the
floor. If you practice doing this, you will

very soon not only have the whole machine |
under your thumb, but you will have it un- |

der your foot, which is still better. You are
now all right, if your saw is sharp and well
set.

Remember, the extreme points of the teeth
are to do the work, and no power can be
spared in making the saw rub or squeeze
through the lumber. No part of the saw
should ever touch the lumber, except these

extreme points, and they are to be of such |

shape, and so disposed, that they pare off WS made ; that is, it has been untouched by
7 ? |

just enough to let the saw through, and
nothing more. Ifyou stand achisel straight

up on a plank, and draw it across it, it may |

scratch the wood some, but it will not cut it

smoothly. If you try pushing it forward at |

different angles, you will find there is a cer-
tain position in which it will make a smooth
cut. This is about the angle we wish to

give the teeth of arip-saw. There isa rule |
for getting this pitch, which you will under- |

stand from the diagram below.

HA
SAW IMPROPERLY FILED. PROPERLY FILED.

Let H represent the center of the saw, and
F the circumference.; G is a line drawn just
midway between the center and circumfer-
ence. Now, ifastraight-edge is held against

pitch. On the other side you will see
some teeth witha wrong angle. Some of

them would carry a line toward the center |

of the saw, and one of them would go past
the center on the other side. You need not
say no one ever did as bad work as that, for
itis not many years since I complained to

135

| cutting on the wood.

HIV E-MAKING.

Mr. Washburn that my saw would not cut
well, and he, with a straight-edge showed
me just how badly I had been doing. I had
commenced ina hurry, and had filed the
saw just to make it do a little for the time
being ; I had filed both top and front of the
teeth to get them to a point ‘real quick.”
| Filing a saw on the top of the teeth isa
fearful waste of time, files, and especially
saws. Perhaps I can give you some faint
‘idea of the matter from the cut below.

WOW sAWS ARE WASTED, BY IMPROPER
FILING.

Let A be the point of the tooth when the
saw is new; and C, the point where it would
be after having been used for a certain
amount of work, the filing having all been
done on the under side of the tooth so as to
leave the line A C just as it was when it

the file, and has only worn away, in actual
The saw has been re-
duced in this way by this amount of work,
exactly from DtoE. Bear this in mind.
Now suppose we have done the sharpening
by filing the top of the tooth; in getting the
same amount of cutting edge, we should file
down from A to B. This would reduce the
size of the saw from D to F, instead of from

DtoE. For filing these small saws from 6

_to 10 inches in diameter, we need a file made
_at just the proper angle like this cut.

a

Mss Madi tidal

The broad side of the file is to be laid on
| the top of the tooth: itis never to be used

the under side of the tooth, it should lie on |
the line G. Hold your try-square on the |
under side of the tooth of your rip-saw, and |
you can soon see if the teeth are of the right |

for cutting downward,‘ but only to preserve
the shape and angles of the top of the tooth,
while the cutting is to be done from the un-
der side of each tooth, the top of the tooth
being made while sharpening the one just
after it.

So much for the shape of the tooth; our
saw must be set, or it will not clear itself
through the lumber ; and for this purpose,
we have found the saw-set shown, as good
as any thing for circular saws.
| The diagram below will give you an idea
of the purpose of setting saws.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF SETTING A SAW.
You will observe that we depend on the

HIVE-MAKING.

STAR SAW-SET FOR HAND, BACK, BAND, WEB, WOOD,
AND SMALL CIRCULAR SAWS, NOT THICKER
THUAN 18 GAUGE.

little points, A and B, to make a path along
the dotted lines, for the blade. If these
points get worn off, the saw will pinch, and
a great part of the power will be consumed
in making it squeeze through the wood. If
your saw does not-cut easily, this is very
likely the trouble. If your lumber is un-
seasoned or tough, you will need much more
set than if you have dry clear tender lum-
ber. Of course, we wish to get along with |
as little set as we can consistently, for the |
more wood we cut out, the greater is the
power required. Now, another considera-
tion comes in. If we do not set the teeth all
alike, and it is almost impossible to do this
with any saw-set, on account of the tenden-
cy of some teeth to spring more than others,
we shall have occasionally a tooth sticking
out more than the rest; this causes much
friction, and makes our lumber look bad
with grooves plowed in it atintervals.
For large saws, a side-file is used; but for
our work, I think we can level off the points
very well with an oil-stone. Lay the stone
on your saw table, against the side of the
saw, and turn the saw backward by hand.

136

_look almost as if it were planed.

| right angle for the face of the tooth. The

'the saw will leave a point in the

_ hard work.

vest in all the machinery I have described, —

Now be sure you do not trim the points too

oe

HIVE-M AKIN G.

much, and that you do not hold your stone
so as to make the points wedge-shaped.
When done rightly, your saw should cut
smoothly and easily, and the stuff should —

In the drawing, I have given about the —

point should be almost square, like the end —
of a chisel; but as the outside corner has by —
far the greatest amount of work to do,it —
should be kept a trifle higher. If you give
the point of the tooth a very sharp bevel, ;

wood like this, at A; and if the saw
is crowded, the teeth will spring
outward somewhat, as shown in the dark
lines, making a great amount of friction,
and rough and unsightly work. Have plen-
ty of good files at hand, and touch up the ~
teeth of your saws often, if you wish to ac- —
complish the most, with the least amount of 3

The above directions are all for rip-saws.
A crosscut saw is filed with a 3-cornered —
file, and needs but few directions different —
from those already given. As it is always
used across the grain, it will work best to |
have it sharpened so as to leave the point A, —
as shown in the cut, for this will break off
itself. The outer points of the teeth are to —
be kept very sharp, and are to be leveled up —
with the oil-stone, so they all cut in the —
same path. The saw must also be set —
enough to clear itself, in all kinds of lum- —
ber. If you wish to cut up boards that are —
not perfectly seasoned, you will need to set —
your saw accordingly. You can, with the —
Barnes saw, cut off a foot board at one a
clip, if every. thing is all right. Ours is sel- —
dom in order to do this, I know; butif I _
were going to use it, 1 would keep it in just
such order. The grooving-saws for section —
boxes are to be sharpened like the rip-saws.

SPEED OF CIRCULAR SAWS.

In regard to the speed of circular saws, —
much depends on the power to be applied,
and the material to be cut. As a rule, we
may say that the teeth should move at the —
rate of about 8000 feet per minute. By get- —
ting the diameter you can easily figure out —
the number of revolutions per minuje. a
Now, I know from past experience that a —
great many of you will say you can not in- —

but that you would still like to make your —
own hives, section boxes, etc., having plenty
of time in the winter. Well, I think I can '
do something, for even this class. Wait | !
and see.

HIVE-MAKING.

ll Aa i

HOME-MADE SECTION BOXES.

~ Some of our friends, among whom is Prof.
Cook, have succeeded very well with sec-
tion boxes made of the thin veneer used for
strawberry-boxes. The stuff is simply fold-
ed around a square stick of wood, of just
the size you wish your section frames. The
ends are fastened by tacks, which are quick-
ly clinched, by driving the points against a
piece of iron or steel, set in the wooden
stick at the proper place. These boxes are
of a necessity of the same width all round,
and therefore I can hardly see how the bees
can get in, unless the frames holding them
are hung alittle distance apart. If we do
this, how shall we use the separators? I
am sure I do not know, unless we have our
honey bulging outside of the wood; in this
case we could not pack them in a shipping-
box, nor set the sections up close together;
they are also rough and unsightly. The
bottom-bars might be trimmed narrower
with a chisel, or something of that sort, but
this would not give a neat accurate job, nor
could it be done as cheaply as in the sections
I have described.

137

HIVE-MAKING.

fore?” That was what I thought when Mr.
Gray showed me his new joint for sections and
other boxes, illustrated on this page. You

will at once notice that the principal ex-
pense in making this joint is the labor in-
volved in pushing the piece over the saw to
make each one of these cross-cuts.

MACHINE FOR MAKING IHE NEW ALL-IN-
ONE-PIECE SECTION BOXES.

GRAY’S SECTION BOX, MADE ALL OF ONE PIECE OF WOOD.

It is now Feb., 1880, and we have just suc-
ceeded in perfecting the machinery for mak-
ing a modification of the box mentioned
above, which is not only stronger and neater
than anything else yet devised, but, with the
proper appliances, as it seems, is destined
to be the easier box to make. The engray-
ings will make it plain, almost without
explanation.

GRAY’S SECTION BOX, AND THE
CHINE FOR MAKING IT.

How often do we exclaim, on seeing some
new device or implement, ‘‘ Why, is it pos-
Sible that no one ever thought of that be-

MA-

I said at once, that we must have a long
mandrel, with three saws on it, that the
whole number of cuts may be made at ane
operation. Again, the piece must be push-
ed toward the saw exactly at right angles
with it, or the box will be askew, as it were.
To pushit accurately, a slide with a cross-
bar at right angles must be used. Now,
every time this bar is pushed forward, it
must be pulled back ready to take another
piece, although the section need not be pull-
ed back at all. Years ago, I thought of an
endless belt with strips across it, for feeding
stuff up squarely to circular saws, but just

HIV E-MAKING.

now it occurred to me that a large drum,
with pins set in it, might answer the same
purpose, and need not be very expensive.
My idea was to have the strips lie directly
on the drum, as they passed under the saws;
but Mr. Gray and Mr. Washburn thought it

best to have the drum simply push the strips |

along, and let them slide on iron tracks,
with steel springs to hold them firmly down
in place.
I wanted it made so it would take a tall pile

of the strips, and pick out the bottom one,

letting the pile drop down each time, so as

to have an automatic machine that would |

‘* work for nothing, board itself, and not re-

quire any mental or moral discipline ;”’ in|

short, a machine that would not have to be |
looked after nights, to see that it was not)

188

After they got so far, I told them |

HIVE-MAKING.

they are just 1 15-16in. We choose this thiek-
ness, because 7 frames of them, with the
separators on, just fill a Simplicity hive, and
leave tin. for wedging up. After the plank
is dressed, it is cut up into bolts just 16gin.
long. With a cutter-head to cut 33 in., wide
cuts are now made in these bolts of plank,
at the proper places to make the top and
bottom pieces narrower, so as to let the bees
pass through. ‘hese cuts are about? in.
deep. If you want closed-top sections, only —
one cut is made instead of two. The end of
_each bolt is now dovetailed with the gang of
saws, precisely as in the old way, except that
one end of the plank is made so as to match
with the other end, that the section, when —
rolled up, may exactly come together. This
being done, the bolts are ready to be ripped

visiting groceries, and learning to swear, into strips. The thickness is to be such that,
smoke, chew, etc., after working hours. when planed on one side, they are a plump
Come to think of it, I did not add these lat- | eighth of aninch. They are now ready for
ter items when I ordered the machine made, the machine as described above*.

but I will put them in now, so the machine
will understand what is expected of it. Itis |
now buzzing uway while I write; and by)
timing the “zip, zip, zip,’ by the watch, I.

IlOW TO FOLD THE SECTION UP.
This is a very simple matter when you
once know how; but without having it ex-
plained, you might bother with it. a long

find it makes just 30 sections a minute,— | while, and then not get a decent section. In
Abs ay bea tie ag the first place, the machine makes it so that
| the top and bottom are to come between the

You observe the long mandrel with its | two sides. Lay the piece flat on the table,
three saws, and the funnel-shaped hood just | with the rough side up; take hold of either
over them. This hood is attached, byapipe one of the sides, or the pieces that are to be
which you see at its top, to our blower, or ‘sides when they are folded up, press the end
exhaust - fan, which takes all the sawdust ‘hard against the table, and at the same time
right out of the way, that the machine may ‘raise it so as to make the thin wood bend
not get clogged, and that the troublesome | gjose up to the end of the stick. Do the
dust from the basswood may not render the | came with the other side, and you will have
air in the room unwholesome and disagreea- | the two dovetailed ends just ready to be
ble to the workmen. All of our saw-tables | gyjyen together with a light mallet. Should
and planers are now arranged so as to have "you, by carelessness or inexperience, break
the dust and shavings all carried, automat- | a joint, it can be nailed with the smallest

ically, right down into a brick room just be-
fore the boiler. The large drum that pushes
the sticks through the machine explains
itself, in the drawing. Right back of the
dust-hood is the box that holds the pile of
sticks, or slats, and the iron arms shown
right in front catch the pieces as they come
out from under the saws.
we use for cutting the groove are made with
two cross-cut teeth and then one rip tooth,
and so on clear around. Such saws, made
of the right thickness, will cost one-half
more than ordinary saws.

To get out stuff for these sections, you
want the best white clear basswood. Have
the logs sawed into plank 2tin. thick. After
the plank have been stuck up and seasoned,
they are to be dressed on both sides until

The saws which |

| Wire nails, and will look almost as well as if.
| it had not been nailed; but, after you learn
how, not one in a hundred need be broken.
This corner is a remarkably strong and beau-
tiful one, and it is adapted not only to honey-
sections, but also to a vast variety of other
| purposes. :
lt folded together in glue, it is like the
_solid wood; and, if you will give me your
_attention for a little while, I will tell you
how to make all kinds of boxes of wood, on
_a few modifications of this plan.
Suppose, when we are setting the saw to
rip off the strips from the bolts of plank, we
_should put another saw on the same arbor,
tight up against the usual one; but suppose ~
this second saw to be so much smaller that
it just reaches ¢ in. above the table-top when

uae

ee

HIVE-MAKING.

the large saw goes through the plank. This
small saw would cut, in the plank, a narrow
rabbet, and, when the strip is ripped off, the
rabbet is in the strip. Well, when the box
is finished and folded up, the rabbet is there
still, clear around the inside, and it is exact-
ly what you want for a shoulder for a thin
bottom to rest on, if cut just right to drop
into it. Drop it in with some glue on the
edges, and you have a strong, solid bottom,
halved in.

It has taken no extra motions or labor to

make this rabbet, for that small saw did it |
of itself. How shall we manage to get a)

rabbet to drop the cover in, in the same
way, and still have no extra motions to get

it? Putasimilar saw on the opposite side |

of the large saw, and turn the bolt end for
end, each time you saw a piece off. This
comes pietty near it, but it would leave the
rabbet for the cover around the outside of the
box. Now just hold your breath right where
you are, and I will tell you what todo. Set

the saw on the back side, a little away from |

the large saw, by a collar, and then you will
have a rabbet on the inside, around both top
and bottom. In putting the box together,
use glue for the bottom, but none for the

cover, only to glue a strip of cloth along one |

side, to answer as a hinge. Instead of a
cover of wood you can use one of glass, and
then you can tell what is in the box, without
being obliged to open it.

May, 1884.—We have now sold over ierce |
millicns of these one-piece sections, and at.

present writing, the demand is beyond the
supply. The machine for making them has
been improved, and now. appears as below.

GRAY’S IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MAKING
SECTIONS.

139

HIVE-MAKING.

The upper part of the machine, as seen in
the cut, is a sort of magazine, as it were, for
holding the blanks for making the sections.
Instead of the drum shown in the old ma-
chine, a sliding table pushes the blanks
under the saws, cne at atime. The opera-
tor has only to keep the magazine full of
blanks, and take the finished sections as
they come out of the machine, and pack
them in boxes holding 500 each. The rod
shown in the foreground enables the opera-
tor, by means of the foot, to raise the weight
that presses the blanks down when replen-
ishing the magazine. The handle at the
| left of the machine enables him to stop or
start the sliding cariliage. In practice, it is
found that this carriage must be attached to
the pitman by means of a spring, to avoid
the effects of a shock occasioned by one sec-
tion getting above another, or crosswise.
The spring allows the machine to go on
| without any thing being broken or injured.
|The carriage is kept oscillating by a small
crank on the upper end of the vertical shaft,
kept in motion by an endless screw on the
_horizontal shaft, working into a toothed
_ wheel, on the vertical shaft.

OBSERV ATORY-HIVES.

Before closing the subject of hive-making
it may be well to speak of what is called the
observatory-hive, used more as a curiosity, or
| study, than for any practical purpose.

GLASS OBSERVATORY-HIVE.

The picture will almost make it plain of it-
self. If I am correct, the idea of an cbhserv-
ing-hive was first invented by Mr. Langstroth,
_and mine was made after the dimensions giv-
en in his book, which I here copy as follows,
giving all dimensions in inches :

Base-board, 245; x 414 x #4. An entrance-hole,'%s,is
bored 3% inches deep into the end, and two holesfare
bored in its center, 73 in diameter and,1', from cen-
ter to center, the wood being cut out between them.
Bottom of hive,§274 x 185g x %. Make a rabbet at
| both upper corners, *g on x 7-16 deep. Start a °s

hole, 1 in. from the eau and bore slanting,{to meet
| entrance-hole, and make .a hole in the center to
match entraneec-hole, tor a ventilator, and ,cover
with wire gauze on the inside. Front and rear of

HIVE-MAKING.

hive, 144x214x18%. Rabbet the inner corners, up
and down, 44x 34; make a ventilator in each piece,
like the bottom; °s from the upper ends, cut in 7% ;
and % from the lower end, eut in 14. Side-strips, %
x1x205g. On one corner of each, ee on 144, and
in % for the glass. Movable cover, 215. x444 x ¥.

‘holes may be made in this cover, over which glass
receptacles for honey may ke placed. Glass, two
‘panes, 9%x18%. Alighting-board, 4x4%4x%. The
clamps on base-board, 4144x2x 1%. Clamps on cover,
and ledges on hive, 4 pieces, 414 x % x 's.

-Yousee, it issimply a one-comb hive, made
so as to hold a single L. frame. The two
sheets of glass are just 14 in. apart, and, with
a nice frame of comb built out on wired fdn.,
it makes a pretty sight to set in the window.
With a moderate number of bees in the hive,
the queen is always to be seen, either on one
side of the comb or the other. To put the
hives in place, raise the window enough to
let the bottom-board catch over the window-
sill; then let it down, placing a strip of wood
on each side, so as to close the openings. The
way to get bees into it is to take a frame of
hatching bees from any hive, with all the ad-
hering bees and queen. If you choose, you
can let them rear their own queen; but it
works a little nicer, and they stay better, to
take the queen with them. The hole in the
cover is to place a feeder over.
get their comb so full of honey and brood
that it will hold no more, you will have to ex-
change it for an empty comb, or for a frame
of wired fdn., or they will swarm out. Mr.
Langstroth speaks of having two in one win-
dow—one having a laying queen, and the oth-
er_a queen-cell in process of construction. I
liardly need say, these one-comb glass hives
succeed only during warm weather. One
reason why these hives have not been much
used of late, is that our simple hives with
metal corners make it so easy to open any
hive, and take out a frame, without disturb-
ing the queen in her duties, that each hive is
itself almost an observatory-hive.

It is now May, 1884, and many

my greatest anticipations. Especially is
this the case with hive-making. Simplicity
hives are now made and shipped by the car-
load from many points in the United States,
and they are also beginning to be used ex-
tensively in many foreign countries. We
have sent large shipments to the Sandwich
Islands, New Zealand, and other remote
points of the world. Thechaff hive has also
obtained great favor in cold climates, or
where difficulty is experienced in wintering
bees. Well, in view of all this I have been
led to feel that the directions I have given

When they | :
| the reason that all foot-power machines are

things in|
the bee business have developed far beyond

140

HIV E-MAKING.

in regard to making hives with saws run by

foot-power are quite inadequate to the wants

of the present time.

TABLES FOR CIRCULAR SAWS, DRIVEN BY
POWER, FOR HIVE-MAKING.

While a foot-power saw does very well
for making, say one hundred or even more
hives a year for one’s own use in his own
apiary, when it comes to making hives for
his neighbors, or, perhaps, to ship off to
distant customers, almost every one soon
finds it too laborious to be pleasant. It is
true, he can hire help; but I believe it is
generally a pretty hard matter to find help
with the necessary enthusiasm to be willing
to tread a buzz-saw many houis in the day.
The owner of the bees will do it, [ know, and

| thrive on it, for that matter, especially when

fighting his way to making a start in the
world: but most people during this present
age will very soon want to bring in the aid
of steam, or something else, to do the work
of bone and muscle.

Now, it is almost always suggested by a
new band, that steam or other power be ap-
plied to the foot or hand power machine.
This can be done, it is true; but asa rule it
does not in the end prove satisfactory, for

of necessity made just as light and easy run-
ning as they can be consistently, and are
therefore not calculated for much more strain
than the power of a man. If you putona
horse-power or two they will quickly wear
out, or break down. What you want to
stand a horse or steam-engine, is something
like the cut below.

rT Kd
MN Ny \

i aD

BUZZ -SAW TABLE FOR HIVE- MAKING BY

VOWER.

The table is made of 4x4 hard-wood scant-
ling, Say maple or ash. The sticks are sized,
and the ‘‘ wind” taken out of them, and
then the whole is put together with mortise
and tenon, and drawn up tight with lag
screws § in. in diameter, by 6 in. long. The
table is 48 in. wide, and 42 in. long. It is

aati

HONEY-COMB.

made of hard-wood boards securely screwed
fast to four bars of hard wood about 2x2.
bar is placed at each end, and the other two
at equal distances under the middle. The
table-top is hung on hinges at the further
end as it stands in the cut; and at the end
nearest us, in the picture, it rests on hinged
strips, resting in mortises, as shown. Set-
screws fasten the table at any desired height.
Strips of iron should be let into the wood
where the points of the set-screws strike, or
the wood will soon be injured and mashed
up. In the drawing, two gauges are shown.
We term these the “figure four’’ and the
‘*parallel”? bur. The former is for cutting
off stuif, and the latter for ripping.

‘* PARALLEL BAR” GAUGE.

This is to be made of the best piece of
seasoned maple or cherry you can get. It
needs about a 3x4 scantling, one foot longer
than the table-top. Rabbet out a piece as
shown, to make a bearing for the bars of
iron that it swings on. These bars are iron,
1x4, pivoted at each end with heavy screws.
They allow the bar to swing clear up against
the saw and back away from it, far enough
to cut off the cover of a Simplicity hive,
which is in length 20+ inches. ‘To fasten
this parallel bar securely at any point, a
third iron bar, C, is placed between these
two. Instead of being screwed fast to the
parallel bar A, it is simply slipped over a
steel pin driven into A. There are, in fact,
two of these pins, at a distance of perhaps a
foot apart. This is to keep the adjusting
bar always at pretty nearly a right angle to
the parallel bar. Now, this strip of iron has
a long slot in it, and athumb-screw D goes
into the slot. By this arrangement it will
be noticed that the parallel bar can not
Swing or move, unless the thumb-screw lets
the slotted bar slideunderit. By tightening
the screw, the parallel bar is a fixture at any
point, and it is always parallel to the saw,
when once adjusted as described on p. 115.

141

HONEY-COMB.

This hardly needs explanation. That it

A | may slide easily, and without shake, it runs

on an iron track. This iron track is simply
a straight bar, + inch square, screwed fast
to each of the strips on the under side of the
table-top. It is made of hard-wood stuff
about § thick. The longest piece, which is
grooved to run over the iron bar, is exactly
the length of the table. The right-angled
piece is two feetlong. Allareabout4inches
in width. This right-angled piece must be
so adjusted as to cut boards off exactly
square; and when right, it should be screwed
down and braced with iron, as shown, so it
can never get racked out of true. On the
accuracy and fineness of this adjustment
depends all your work. If one could afford
it, it would be a fine thing to have the whole
table-top, and all of these gauges, of planed
iron.

The mandrel used for these saw-tables is
our $7.00 one, generally; but for a great
deal of work I would advise the heavier one,
costing about $10.00. A still better one,
with united boxes, and self-oiling attach-
ment, is worth about $14.00.

HOW TO MAKE A CUT-OFF SAW-TABLE.

Where the bee-keeper has but little to do
in the way of hive-making he may cut boards
on the same table that he uses for ripping.
But in order to work this way, he must
have somebody to hold the end of the long
boards while he cuts them up, or have some
sort of a support on which they will slide
Over easily.

When I used to make all my own hives
with a single saw-table, and my saws were
run by a windmill, as some of you may re-
member, I used to have the further end of the
board slide on a smooth rest made of a piece
of hard wood. With this I could take a 16-
foot board, and, without any assistance, cut
it up into pieces long enough for hives or
covers, and have them so exact that, when
piled up, no diiference in the length could be
told by passing the fingers over the ends.
Now, while I could do this day after day,
and really enjoy the work, I could not find
any one who would doit for me. If I seta
couple of boys at it, the one with the other
end of the board would move it too fast or
too slow, or by jerks, in such a way as to
have the pieces, when cut off, of unequal
lengths. Then we tried cutting the board
up first into pieces long enough for two or
three lengths for hives; and then as these
pieces were short enough to handle, it was
an easy matter to cut them up into exact

HIV E-MAKING.

lengths. This, of course, took a great deal
more time; and even then the boards would
not be cul squarely across. The reason was,
that although the edge of the board might
be held closely up against the figure four,
unless at least one side of the board was per-
fectly straight, like a straight-edge, before
being cut up, we found trouble after we got
through.

There is a way, however, in which a board
can be cut up into accurate lengths, even if
its sides are not straight. Fix a straight-
edge of steel (nice hard wood may do) back
of the saw just far enough away to get the
length of board wanted.
against your figure 4and cut off a board once,
squarely across.

straight-edge.
on the top of the table up against the saw,

watching carefully to see that the end isa |

perfect fit against this steel straight-edge.
In this way you can cut up a whole board and
have the pieces exactly of the same lengtb.
But woe betide you if you are so careless as
to leave a crack on either edge, even if it be
not more thana hair in thickness.

surface, neither eye nor finger can detect
any difference in the length. In making
frames for the hives, this is a most important
matter; indeed, I have had nothing in the
whole department of hive-making that has

caused me so much trouble as this matter of |

getting hands who would cut stuff perfectly
accurate. Many times I could have cried

about it (if you will excuse a little exagger- |

ation), had I thought it would do any good.

We are now ready to consider what may
be done by the use of machinery, for en-
abling even unskillful hands, or, perhaps,
hands who have never been shown the im-
portance of accuracy in mechanical work, so
that they may do work and be exact. When
at the Exposition at Cincinnati, last fall, I
saw some beautiful iron tables having a pair
of saws. ‘These saws could be adjusted at
any required distance from each other; and
to cut off the board it was pushed against
the saws while moving on a carriage of iron.
This, you will see, made it next to impossi-
ble to have boards cut either too short or too
long; but the two cuts every time, made a
small waste of lumber.

Below we give you some engravings of
the cut-off tables we use in our own factory.
I don’t know whether exactly the same de-
vice has ever been used before or not.

142

Hold it hard up |

When you have done this, |
hold the square cut hard up against the steel |
Now push the board along |

You see, |
we want the boards so accurate that where |
there are two stood up together on a smooth |

HONEY COMB.

A SAW-TABLE FOR CUTTING OFF STUFF. _

No. 1 shows the table ready for work, and
No. 2 the same with top elevated, which can
readily be done to take off saws,ete. It oc-
curs to me just now that our artist has made
a mistake, and drawn a rip-saw where he
should have shown a cut-off or cross-cut
Saw, as it is sometimes called. The table is
made of 4x4 seasoned maple. On the top
are placed three cast-iron V-shaped tracks

:

ih

THE SAME WITH TOP RAISED.

_ The sliding top runs on these tracks on 6 cast-
iron wheels having a V-shaped groove in
each. This, you will observe, makes the
sliding top of the table so that it moves to
and fro with great ease, yet without a bit of
end shake. At a first glance one would al-

—_—-

HIVE-MAKING, 1438

most think this sufficient; but if you were
to lay a 16-foot plank on this sliding table-
top, and take hold of the end, you would find
it would have a considerable twist, or ‘‘ wig-
gle,” on its center. This twist would, of
course, prevent cutting off the boards ac-
curately. Now to make the table rigid
where it stands, and still bear sliding to and
fro, we have what is termed a rocking-shaft.
This is a cast-iron shaft about 2! inches in
diameter. Don’t make it any smaller,
thinking it willdo. Better have it larger, if
any thing. On this shaft is a pair of rigid
cast-iron arms, as you see in thecut. At
the top of each of these arms, shortiron bars
are bolted; and these bars are attached to
the movable table-top. Now, providing
these bolts all work closely, we have secured
our table so that no twist is possible, unless
the shaft should twist. But a 23 iron shaft
can not be expected to do this very much.
A handle is attached to the sliding top, as
you will see in the cut, for drawing it back
easily. We have two of these tables in use
—one about 10 feet long, and the other
about 8, and they are in use almost constant-
ly. Of course, an iron gauge which can be
adjusted at any required distance from the
saw is a great help for cutting different
lengths of lumber. And as before, your
stuff must be held tight wp to this gauge.
Such a table, well made, ought to cost per-
haps $45.00 for the short ones, or $50.00 for
the long ones, as described above. If made
as we have directed, it should, with a man-
drel of proper size, be capable of carrying a
12 or 14 inch saw, and should cut up heavy
planks used for chaff-hive corners, or such
as will be required for slicing up wood into
separators, or any similar work. Where inch
boards are to be cut, or any thing thinner,
we pile them up until we get as many as the
saw will reach through. By this means we
cut three or four, or even more, where the
lumber is thin, at one cut, and one person
handles it all easily.

Before closing the subject of buzz-saws, I
wish to mention that a great many hand and
foot power buzz-saws have been improvised,
and some of them haye done very fair serv-
ice. Below we give a sketch of one suggest-
ed by one of our juvenile bee-keepers, and
the letter that accompanied it.

A HOME-MADE HAND-POWER BUZZ-SAW.
Iseein father’s GLEANINGS a sketch of a home-
made circular saw. I thought I would give you a
drawing of one [have made. JI use a 12 and 18 inch
saw, l-inch mandrel. The cog-wheel I got from an
old fanning-machine, and the speed-wheel I got
from an old hand corn-sheller. The machine saws

HIV E-MAKING.

all our firewood, besides hive-making. I find ita
useful machine. A. W. BEARDMORE.

Annapolis, Maryland, Noy. 18, 1882.

The above machine will answer an excel-
lent purpose, I know, for we used one of |
Barnes’ hand-rippers in our establishment
for several years. Even though two men,
with a couple of good sharp carpenter saws,
might do nearly as much work in cutting and
ripping, they could not possibly do as accu-
rate work. With the above machine, rigged
with the gauges described, a couple of boys
would do the amount of work that men
would, and it would be more accurate than
an expensive carpenter with try-square and
smooth-plane could possibly make it. I have
no doubt but that the boys would cut up
double the firewood they could with the or-
dinary hand-saw, as our young friend de-
scribes.

I almost forgot to add, that all kinds of
buzz-saws are dangerous. Since we have
been in the business, several different boys
and men have lost a large part of one hand, by
letting it slip against a saw while in mo-
tion. If you work with buzz-saws, be careful!

HONWEY-COMB. Everybody knows
that the cells of the honey-comb are 6-sided,
andI presume most people know why they
are 6-sided. If they were square, the young
bee would have a much more uncomfortable
cradle in which to grow up, and it would
take a much greater space to accommodate
a given number of bees. This last would,
of itself, be a fatal objection; for to have
the greatest benefit of the accumulated ani-

HONEY-COMB.

mal heat of the brood, they must be closely
packed together. This is not only the case
with the unhatched bees, but with the bees
of a whole colony in winter ; when each bee
is snugly ensconced in a cell, they occupy
less room than they could by any other ar-
rangement.*®

If the cells were round, they could be
grouped together much in the same way as
they are now; viz., one in the center, and 6
all around it, equally distant from the cen-
tral one, and from each other, like the cut,
in the figure, A; but even then, the circles
will leave much waste room in the corners,
that the bees would have to fill with wax.

B A
WHY THE CELLS OF THE HONEY-COMB ARE
MADE 6-SIDED.

At B, we see the cells are nearly as com-
fortable for the young bee as around one
would be—of course, I mean from our point
of view, for it is quite likely that the bees
know just what they need a great deal bet-
ter than we do—and, at the same time,
they come together in such a way that no
space is left to be filled up at all. The bees,
therefore, can make the walls of their cells
so thin that they are little more than a silky
covering, as it were, that separates each one
from its neighbor. It must also be remem-
bered that a bee, when in his cell, is squeezed
up, if we may so term it, so as to occupy
much less space than he otherwise would ;
and this is why the combined animal heat of
the cluster is so much better economized in
winter, when the bees have a small circle of
empty cells to cluster in, with sealed stores
all around them.

But, my friends, this is not half of the in-
genuity displayed about the cell of the bee.
These hexagonal cells must have some kind
of a wall or partition between the inmates
of one series of cells, and those in the cells
on the opposite side. If we had a plain
partition running across the cells at right
angles with the sides, the cells would have
flat bottoms which would not fit the rounded
body of the bee, besides leaving useless
corners, just as there would have been, if
the cells had been made réund or square.
Well, this problem was solved in much the
same way, by making the bottom of the cell

144

HONEY-COMB.

of three little lozenge -shaped plates. In
the figure below we give one of these little
plates, and also show the manner in which
three of them are put together to form the
bottom of the cell.

>

HOW THE BOTTOM OF TILE CELL IS MADE.

Now, if the little lozenge plates were
square, we should have much the same ar-
rangement, but the bottom would be too
sharp-pointed, as it were, to use wax with
the best economy, or to best accommodate
the body of the infantile bee. Should we, on
the contrary, make the lozenge a little long-
er, we should have the bottom of the cell
too nearly flat, to use wax with most econo-
my, or for the comfort of the young bee.
Either extreme is bad, and there is an exact
point, or rather a precise proportion that the
width of this lozenge should bear to the
length. This proportion has been long ago
decided to be such that, if the width of the
lozenge is equal to the side of a square,
the length should be exactly equal to the di-
agonal of this same square. This has been
proven by quite an intricate geometrical
problem; but a short time ago, while get-
ting out our machine for making the fdn.,
I discovered a much shorter way of working
this beautiful problem.

A

C

In the figure above, let A,B,C,D, represent
the lozenge at the bottom of the cell, and
A,C, the width, while B,D, is the length of
said lozenge. Now, the point I wish to
prove is, that A,C, bears the same proportion
to B, D, that the side of a square does to the
diagonal of the same square.

THE MATHEMATICS OF THE HONEY-COMB.

Suppose we have acubical block, E,B,C,G,
F, and that we pile small blocks on its sides
as shown, so as to raise pyramids of such an
inclination that a line from any apex to the
next, as from A to D, will just touch the
edge of the cube, B,C. Now A,C,D,B,is the
geometric lozenge we are seeking. Its width,
B,C, is equal to one side of the square, E,B,

HONEY-COMB.

eK
a
S|

IVZWZ
TAWA
[AN TESTIND

ZANANTLOTALYS
Z :

5
8
SIs
SIS

AV Serr AVZA
LINTON

A

F, H, for it is one side of the cube. Now to
prove that A, D,is equal to the diagonal,
E, F, we will use the diagram below.

Ae

Let E,B,F,H, represent the cube, and the
dotted lines, the pyramids. If the pyramids
are so made that the line, A,D, isastraight,
continuous one, it is evident, by a little re-
flection, that the angles, A and D, will be
right angles. If this is so, A, D, is exactly
equal to E, F, the point we were to prove.
Now, referring to the former figure, if we
should go on building these pyramids on all
sides of the cube, we will have the beautiful
geometrical figure called the rhombic do-
decahedron; it is so called, because it isa
solid figure having 12 equal sides, and each
side is a rhomb, or lozenge, such as we have
described.
three of these rhombs meet, as at C, we shall
have the exact figure of the bottom of a
honey-comb cell. <A picture of the geomet-
rical solid we have mentioned is given
below.

RHOMBIC DODECAHEDRON.

145

Where the obtuse angles of |

HONEY-COMB.

How does it come that the bees have
solved so exactly this intricate problem, and
know just in what form and shape their
precious wax can be used, so as to hold the
most honey, with the very least expenditure
of labor and material? Some are content
with saying that they do it by instinct, and
let it drop there ; but I believe God has giv-
en us something farther to do, than to in-
vent names for things, and then let them
drop. By carefully studying the different
hives in a large apiary, we see that not all
of them build comb precisely alike, and not
all colonies are equally skilled in working
wax down to this wonderful thinness. Some
bees will waste their precious moments—
and wax—in making great, awkward lumps
of wax ; coarse, irregular cells ; crooked, un-
even comb, etc., with very bad economy
either for the production of brood, or for the
storing of honey; while others will have
all their work so even and true, and so little
wax will be wasted, that it is wonderful to
contemplate the regularity and system, with
which the little fellows have labored. Now,
it does not require any great amount of wis-
dom, to predict that the latter would, in a
state of nature, stand a far better chance of
wintering than the ones that were wasteful
and irregular in their ways of doing things.
If this be the case, those queens whose pro-
geny were best laborers, most skillful wax
workers, as well as most energetic honey
gatherers, would be most sure to perpetuate
themselves, while the others would, sooner
or later, become extinct. JI have found more
of a tendency in bees to sport, or to show
queer peculiarities, than in any other de-
partment of the animal or vegetable king-
dom. They vary in color, in shape, in size,
in disposition, in energy; and almost every
colony, if studied closely, will be found to
have some little fashion or way of doing
things, different from all the rest in the
apiary. Now, when we take into account
the fact that many generations can be rear-
ed in a single summer, we see how rapidly,
by fostering and encouraging any desirable
trait or disposition, the bees may be molded
to our will. The egg that is laid by a queen
to-day may, by proper care, be made to pro-
duce a queen laying eggs of the same kind
herself, in the short time of only 25 days, as
I have explained heretofore. Well, if we
should pick out a queen whose progeny
made the thinnest comb, and rear others
from her, doing the same thing for several
generations, we would probably get bees
whose combs would break down by the

HON EY-COMB.

weight of the honey. Inastate of nature,
this extreme would correct itself, as well as
the other ; but the point I wish you to see is
right here : Geometrical accuracy in the shape
of the cells can never be overdone, and can
be reached only by absolute perfection ; and this
absolute perfection, the bees have been constant-
ly aiming at through endless ages. Is it any
thing strange, my friends, that the bees
have got the honey-comb pretty neary] right
by this time? I will give you a little story,
and one which has been very interesting to
me, from page 150, Vol. II., American Bee
Journal.*

If a single cell be isolated, it will be seen that the
sides rise from the outer edges of the three lozeng-
cs above mentioned, so that there are, of course,
six sides, the transverse section of which gives a
perfect hexagon. Many years ago, Maraldi, being
struck with the fact that the lozenge-shaped plates
always had the same angles, took the trouble to
measure them, and found that in each lozenge the
large angles measured 108°28', and the smaller 70°32’,
the two together making 180°, the equivalent of two
right angles. He also noted the fact that the apex
of the three-sided cup was formed by the union of
three of the greater angles. The three united lozeng-
es are seen in the figure above.

Some time afterward, Reaumur, thinking that
this remarkable uniformity of angle might have
some connection with the wonderful economy of
space which is observed in the bee-comb, hit upon a
very ingenious plan. Without mentioning his rea-
sons for the question, he asked Kcenig, the mathema-
tician, to make the following calculation: Given a
hexagonal vessel terminated by three lozenge-shap-
ed plates, what are the angles which would give the
greatest amount of space with the least amount of
material?

Keenig made his calculations, and found that the
angles were 129°26' and 70°34’, almost precisely agree-
ing with the measurements of Maraldi. The reader
is requested to remember these angles.

Reaumur, on receiving the answer, concluded
that the bee had very nearly solved the difficult
mathematical problem, the difference between the
measurement and the calculation being so small as
to be practically negative in the actual construction
of so small an object as the bee-cell.

A 70°32’

109°28' 109°28'

70°52" 70°32'

Mathematicians were naturally delighted with the
result of the investigation, for it showed how beau-
tifully practical science could be aided by theoreti-
al knowledge; and the construction of the bee-cell
became a famous problem in the economy of na-
ture. In comparison with the honey which the cell
is intended to contain, the wax isa rare and costly

146

HON EY-COMB.

substance, secreted in very small- quantities, and
requiring much time and a large expenditure of
honey for its production. It is, therefore, essential
that the quantity of wax employed in making the
comb should be as little, and that of the honey
which could be stored in it as great, as possible.

For along time these statements remained un-
controverted. Any one with the proper instruments
could measure the angles for himself, and the cal-
culations of a mathematician like Koenig would
hardly be questioned. However, Maclaurin, the
well-known Scotch mathematician, was not satis-
fied. The two results very nearly tallied with each
other, but not quite, and he felt that, in a mathe-
matical question, precision was a necessity. So he
tried the whole question himself, and found Mural-
di’s measurement correct—namely, 109°28', and 70°32’.

He then set to work at the problem which was
worked out by Keenig, and found that the true the-
oretical angles were 109°28' and 70°32', precisely cor-
responding with the actual measurement of the
bee-cell.

Another question now arose. How did this dis-
erepancy occur? On investigation, it was found
that no blame attached to Keenig, but that the error
lay in the book of Logarithms which he used. ‘Thus
a mistake in a mathematical work was accidentally
discovered by measuring the angles of a bee-cell—
a mistake sufficiently great to have caused the loss of a
ship whose captain happened to use a copy of the same
Logarithmic tables for calculating his longitudes.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF CELLS IN THE HON-
EY-COMB.

The bees build two distinct, regular sizes—
drone and worker cells. The worker-comb
measures very nearly five cells to the inch,
onan average. Some specimens average a
little larger, and some a little smaller; but
when the comb is at all irregular, it is quite
apt to be a little larger. The best specimens
of true worker-comb, generally contain 5
cells within the space of an inch, and there-
fore this measure has been adopted for the
comb foundation.®** If there are five cells to
the inch, a square inch would give, on an
average, about 25 cells, and 25 on the oppo-
site side would make 50 young bees that
would be hatched from every square inch of
solid brood. As the artificial comb, or fdn.,

is so much more regular than the natural
comb, we get a great many more bees in a
given surface of comb, and here, at least,
we can fairly claim to have improved on na-

DRONE-COMB. WORKER-COMB.

The drone- comb measures just about 4
cells to the inch, but the bees seem less par-

y
.

“
:

_mouth, by a thick rim.

HONEY-COMB.

ticular about the size of it than with the
worker. They very often seem to make the
cells of such size as to best fill out a given
space; and we, accordingly, find them of
all sizes, from worker size all the way up to
considerably larger than ¢ of an inch in
width. Drones are raised in these extra-
large cells without trouble, and honey is al-
so stored in them; but where they are very
large, the bees are compelled to turn them
up, or the honey would flow out. As the
honey is kept in place by capillary attrac-
tion, if the cells exceed a certain size, the
adhesion of the liquid to the wax walls is in-
sufficient, of itself, to hold the honey in
place. Where drones are to be reared in
these very large cells, the bees contract the
AS an experiment,
Thad some plates made for producing small
sheets of fdn., having only 3% cells to the
inch. The bees worked on afew of these,
with these same thick rims, but they evi-
dently did not like the idea very well, for
they tried to make worker-cells of some of
it, and it proved so much of a complication
for their little heads that they finally aban-
doned the whole piece of comb, apparently
in disgust. Bees sometimes rear worker
brood in drone-comb, where compelled to
from want of room, and they always do it in
the way I have mentioned, by contracting
the mouth of the cells, and leaving the
young bee a rather large berth in which to
grow and develop. Drones are sometimes
reared in worker-cells also, but they are so
much cramped in growth that they seldom
look like a fully developed insect.

Several times it has been suggested that
we enlarge the race of honey-bees, by giving
them larger cells; and some circumstances
seem to indicate that something may be
done in this direction, although I have little

‘hope of any permanent enlargement in size,

unless we combine with it the idea of se-
lecting the largest bees to propagate from,
as given a few pages back. By making the
cells smaller than ordinarily, we can get
small bees with very little trouble; and I
have seen a whole nucleus of bees so small
as to be really laughable, just because the
comb they were hatched from, was set at an
angle, so that one side was concave, and the
other convex. The small bees came from
the coneave side. Their light, active move-
ments, as they sported in front of the hive,
made them a pretty and amusing sight for
those fond of curiosities. | Worker-bees
reared in drone-cells are, if I am correct,
sometimes extra large in size; but as to

Hi7

HONEY-DEW.

Whether we can make them permanently

larger by such a course, I am inclined to
doubt. The difficulty, at present, seems to
be the tendency to rearing a great quantity
of useless drones. By having a hive fur-
nished entirely with worker-comb, we can
so nearly prevent the production of drones
that itis safe enough to call it a complete
remedy.
HOW THE BEES BUILD THE COMB.

In this day and age of bees and honey, it
would seem that one should be able to tell
how the bees build comb, with almost as
much ease as they would tell how cows and
horses eat grass ; but for all that, we lack
records of careful and close experiments,
such as Darwin made many years ago. In
our house-apiary, there are dozens of hives

| where the bees are building right up close to

the glass, at this very minute; and all one
has to do, in order to see how it is done, is
to take a chair and sit down before them.
But the little fellows have such a queer,
sleight-of-hand way of doing the work, that
I hardly know how they do accomplish it.

In a little work published by Prof. Agas-
siz, about the year 1867, the renowned nat-
uralist speaks as follows about the way in
which bees build honey-comb :

““The bees stand as close as they can together in
their hive for economy of space, and‘each one de-
posits his wax around him, his own form and size
being the mold for the cells, the regularity of
which, when completed, excites so much wonder
and admiration. The mathematical secret of the
bee is to be found in his structure, not in his in-
stinet.”’

Notwithstanding the promptness with

which the folly of such a statement was at
once shown up in the bee-journals, it seems
it never came to the eyes of the Prof., or, at
least, he never deemed it worthy of notice ;
for, in 1873, he gave, substantially, the same
thing in a lecture at Cambridge, Mass.,
and it was praised and published in the 777-
bune and other papers, and sent broadcast
all over our land. I believe all the bee-jour-
nals at once protested against giving the
people such ‘‘ twaddle”’ (if I may be excused
for using the term), as science; but for all
that, I think the learned professor never
recalled his blunder, or even so much as ad-
mitted that he had never seen the inside of
a bee-hive at all, but only guessed at it, or
repeated what he had been told by some
one.

About two years afterward, the great sci-
entist, Tyndall, by some means got an
inkling of the way in which Agassiz had
‘“‘nut his foot in it,” and, in the Popular Sci-
ence Monthly, wisely admitted that the bees

‘:HONEY-COMB.

did not stand in the cells to build their
comb, but fixed them in this wise: Says he,
“The bees place themselves at equal dis-
tances apart upon the wax, and sweep and
excavate—”’ ete. Now,if Tyndall is teach-
ing us other things in the same way, i. e.,
delivering lectures on some subject on which
he knows nothing, how much can we depend
on any thing he says? Oh why could not he
and Agassiz, before attempting to explain
the matter to the people, take the time to
get a hive of real live bees, as did Darwin,
and not be obliged to take any thing at sec-
ond hand? If they two were afraid of stings,
any expert honey - raiser could afford them
the facilities for a safe observation, and thus
prevent their going into such folly, or false-
hood, to call things by their rightnames, for
they pretend to have knowledge where they
have none. Take the money and buy a hive of
bees, all ye that thirst for knowledge, and
take it direct from God’s own works, instead
of receiving it second hand.

For particulars in regard to the North
Pole, or as to whether the planet Jupiter is
habitable, we may be obliged to listen to
those who should know better than we do;
but in our own industry no such necessity
exists, for a swarm of bees is within the
reach of all.

When distinguished persons have visited
my apiary, I have almost invariably heard
them mention the great discovery of Agas-
siz, in regard to the way in which bees
build their comb; and when I explain that
it was a great mistake, they usually think
that so great a man as Agassiz, and one
who always went to the ants and bees with
his own eyes, must have been right, and
that I had made a mistake somewhere.

I have occupied all this space, my friends,
just to give you an illustration of how little
real work some of the great scientists and
lecturers are in the habit of doing, and of the
importance of proving things for yourself,
with your own eyes and hands.

If we examine the bees closely during the
season of comb-building and honey-gather-
ing, we shall find many of them with the
wax scales protruding between the rings
that form the body, and these scales are
either picked from their bodies, or from the
bottom of the hive or honey-boxes in which
they are building. If a bee is obliged to
carry one of these wax scales but a short
distance, he takes it in his mandibles, and
looks as business like with it thus as a car-
penter with a board on his shoulder. If he
has to carry itfrom the bottom of the honey-

148

HONEY-COMB.

box, he takes it in a way that I can not ex-
plain any better than to say he slips it un-
der his chin. When thus equipped, you
would never know he was encumbered with
any thing, unless it chanced to slip out,
when he will very dextrously tuck it back
with one of his fore feet. The little plate of —
wax is so warm from being kept under his
chin, as to be quite soft when he gets back ;
and as he takes it out, and gives it a pinch
against the comb where the building is going
on, one would think he might stop a while, |
and put it into place ; but, not he; for off he
scampers and twists around so many differ-
ent ways, you might think he was not one of
the working kind at all. Another follows
after him sooner or later, and gives the wax _
a pinch, or a little scraping and burnishing
with his polished mandibles, then another,
and so on, and the sum total of all these ma-
neeuvres is, that the comb seems almost to
grow out of nothing ; yet no bee ever makes
a cell himself, and no comb-building is ever
done by any bee while standing in a cell;
neither do the bees ever stand in rows and
‘‘excavate,’’ or any thing of the kind.

The finished comb is the result of the unit-
ed efforts of the moving, restless mass; and
the great mystery is, that any thing so won-
derful can ever result at all from such a
mixed-up, skipping-about way of working,
as they seem to have. When the cells are
built out only part way, they are filled with
honey or eggs, and the length is increased
when they feel disposed, or ‘‘get around
to it,’ perhaps. It may be that they find it
easier working with the shallow walls about
the cells, for they can take care of the brood
much easier, and put in the honey easier.
too, in all probability; and, as a thick rim is
left around the upper edge of the cell, they
have the material at hand to lengthen it at
any time. This thick rim is also very nec-
essary to give the bees a secure foothold, for
the sides of the cells are so thin they would
be very apt to break down with even the
light weight of a bee. When honey is com-
ing in rapidly, and the bees are crowded for
room to store it, their eagerness is so plainly
apparent, as they push the work along, that
they fairly seem to quiver with excitement ;
but for all that, they skip about from one
cell to another in the same way, no one bee
working in the same spot to exceed a min-
ute or two, at the very outside. Very fre-
quently, after one has bent a piece of wax a
certain way, the next tips it in the opposite
direction, and so on until completion; but
after all have given it a twist and a pull, it

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paper.

HONEY-DEW.

is found in pretty nearly the right spot. As
nearly as I can discover, they moisten the
thin ribbons of wax with some sort of fluid
or saliva. As the bee always preserves the
thick rib or rim of the comb he is working,
the looker-on would suppose he was making
the walls of a considerable thickness; but if
we drive him away, and break this rim, we
will find that his mandibles have come so
nearly together that the wax between them,
beyond the rim, is almost as thin as tissue
In building natural comb, of course
the bottoms of the cells are thinned in the
same way, as the work goes along, before
any side walls are made at all; but the man-
ner of thinning the bottoms of the cells in the
foundation, or artificial comb, is quite an-
other thing.

HONEY-DEW. This, as iis name im-
plies, is a dew that falls during the night,
and is sweet like honey; or, at least, a great
many claim that it falls like dew in the night,
and many have been the learned theories
embodied in lengthy papers, to endeavor to
account for such a very queer way of doing
things, on the part of old dame Nature. It
may be that sweet dew does fall from the at-
mosphere without the agency of aphides, or
of any other kind of winged insect; but I,
for one, am very much averse to accepting
any such theory. Some writers explain it
by saying that the leaves of some trees, and
possibly the blades of grass, at certain times
and seasons when the conditions are all
right, distill the sweet matter from their foli-
age and blades. I like this explanation
much better than the former; but, inasmuch
as all cases that have come under my obser-
vation could be explained by the agency of
the aphides (see APHIDES), I am much in-
clined to give them the credit of the whole
of this kind of honey. When the dew is
found on the grass, in situations where no
trees or bushes are near, which, it is said, is
sometimes the case, I would suggest that it
is exuded by some sort of an insect that, aft-
er feeding on green foliage, etc., takes a
flight in swarms like mosquitos, and ejects
the sweet fluid in a sort of spray. It may be
hard to prove this; but, nevertheless, I think
the idea much more tenable than that the
honey or saccharine matter evaporates from
the flowers, and then falls like dew. Some
of the advocates of the latter theory urge
that, in boiling the maple sap, a part of the
sugar, at least, is evaporated, for it is plain-
ly discernible by the smell in the air.

My friends, you smell the volatile essen-
tial oj] that gives the maple sugar its agree-

149

HONEY-DEW.

able odor, and not the sugar itself floating
in the air. You can smell burnt sugar also,
it is true; but the volatile part in either case
is not sugar; for no skill of the chemist will
enable him to condense it from the invisible
vapor into sugar once more. When it is
possible to volatilize sugar by heat, and then
condense it again, I shall believe in a honey-
dew distilled from the atmosphere, like the
dews of the night. If this were possible we
should see our sugar slowly passing away,
while exposed to the air, precisely as does
the moisture itcontains. Experiment shows
that sugar may be wet and dried innumera-
ble times, but that, while the water passes
off very soon, the full weight of the sugar is
invariably left behind.

In support of the exudation theory, I will
say that I have many times found a liquid
hanging on the leaves of the basswood and
some other trees, in the form of a lather, like
soapsuds; but although this had a mucilag-
inous property, I could discover nothing
sweet about it. Should nature change the
starch it contained into sugar, a very simple
and oft-occurring change, we should have
honey-dew distilling right from the leaves
of the trees; and I have been informed that
such has been known to be the case—the
leaves of the basswood-trees of the forests
have been found dripping with honey. This
was during the great honey yield in Minne-
sota, a few years ago.

In support of the theory that it falls from
the air or clouds, it is said that, in the old
world, there is a substance called manna (I
presume in commemoration of the manna of
the Bible), which falls from the air during
certain seasons of the year, and that it is
gathered and used as food. It has been sug-
gested that this manna is the pollen of a cer-
tain kind of tree, which, being light, is car-
ried quite a distance by the wind. Pollen
consists, principally, of starch; and a little
dampness, such as the dews of night fur-
nish, will frequently convert this starch into
sugar in a very few hours. It is possible,
that some kinds of honey-dew are the results
of the decomposition of pollen, which may
become scattered over the grass and herb-
age.

Another source of honey-dew has been re-
cently reported. The following letter very
graphically describes the species of bark-
louse that produces it:

I send you some honey-dew insects. Last Sunday:
I noticed my bees moving over a small poplar (tulip
tree), and upon examining it, I found the leaves
dripping with honey-dew. Did it exude from the
leaves? Isaw no living insects, andes the dew

_HONEY-DEW.

fell in a continuous shower. A closer examination
showed me the small limbs covered with scale - like
bunches, piled on each other like oyster-shells. One
end of the apparent shell or scale is larger and
broader than the other, with a slight crease up the
middle; about midway up this crease is a small
white dot; this dot is a small valve covering a hole
through which the honey-dew is thrown by the in-
sect. As I stood and watched, 1 could see the valve
open, a few jets of fluid thrown out, and the valve
closed again. This would be repeated every mo-
ment or two; and as there are untold numbers of
these strange things on the tree, you can have some
idea of the amount of dew thrown out. For a whole
week now, these insects have been making honey
dew; how much longer they will continue to do so,
I can’t tell, but intend to watch them. I send you
some of the insects to-day by mail; if it is any thing
new, let us all have the benefit of it. Ican not yet
believe the ‘‘ Exudation Theory”’ of honey-dew, but
will wait till I find out more about it.

M. J. WILLARD.
Jonesboro, Ills., May 26, 1878.

The sealy little fellows (looking, for all
the world, like miniature mud-turtles) that
cover the twig sent, I should scarcely have
thought of calling insects, had it not been
mentioned. They are truly wonderful, and,
at least, demonstrate that honey-dew is not
the product of any one species of insects.

Prot. Cook gives a very complete history
of the insect, with drawings, in the Ameri-
can Bee Journal for Sept., 1878. I was at
first inclined to think it might be worth
while to propagate these insects in localities
where pasturage is very scarce in the fall of
the year, but friend Cook assures us that
they are very destructive to our beautiful
tulip or whitewood trees. He has given it
the name of Lecanium Tulipifera.

In conelusion, I would ask those who come
across this wonderful substance, or find the
bees working on it, to make careful experi-
ments and examinations. Donot jump hast-
ily at conclusions, but go clear to the top
and bottom of things. Many have declared
there were no aphides on the trees at all;
and one man who had so decided, afterward
concluded to climb the tree, and, in its very
topmost branches, he found the leaves all
alive with a sort of green insect, which was
spraying the air with the dew in a manner
that made it look like a veritable shower, as
the sunlight illumined the scene. Look
carefully, and then write me your discoy-
eries.

April, 1880.—We have now fair evidence
that the leaves of plants do at times exude
honey. See the following, taken from page
587 of Dec. GLEANINGS for 1880:

HONEY FROM THE LEAVES OF THE CATALPA.

I came very near forgetting to tell you about the
catalpa-tree., It belongs to the family of Bignonias.

150

HONEY-HOUSES.

There are about 6 trees just around me. ‘They are
planted for ornament. It was rich in honey this
year, both inthe blossoms and on the under side of
the leaf. At the axles of the main ribs, the leaves
are large. The drops would be large enough for two
loads, I should judge. And did the bees work on
them? I should have been very much pleased could
you have stood underneath those trees and heard
their merry hum; but you would have had to be up
nearly as early as you were on the morning that you
found out about the Spider-plant. It would have
dispelled some people’s notions about plants and
flowers secreting honey only from the blossoms. It
is the last tree to leaf out in the spring.
W. G. SALTFORD.

Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Sept. 28, 1880.

On receipt of the above I wrote friend S.,
for a leaf, and here is the reply that came
with it:

Please find inclused a part of the leaf I told youse-
creted the honey. They are a little touched by frost
now. Their right color is a deep green.

W. G. SALTFORD.

Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Oct. 18, 1880. ;

We have the catalpa-tree in our town, but
it has, so far as I know, never produced any
honey. The above facts, and a host of oth-
ers, seem to indicate, pretty conclusively,
that almost every plant in the vegetable
kingdom may, at times, be in a condition to
secrete honey ; and, more wonderful still, it
may come from the foliage instead of from
the blossoms. I have many times seen bees
prying around on the under side of leaves of
different kinds, as if they were in search of
something, or had at some time found some-
thing there that they remembered. The
leaves sent show a black spot at the place
where the large veins branch out. Tobe
sure that there is no microscopic insects
that have contributed to the production of
the honey, a careful microscopic examina-
tion would be well, and I have given the
dried leaf to the boys, but they can not de-
tect the remains of any such agency.

HONEY -HOUSES. As much of the
value of honey depends upon its care after
being taken from the hive, and as very much
of our success as honey-producers depends
largely upon the facilities we have for ac-
complishing a large amount of work easily
and quickly, it is highly important that we
have a honey-house that is well adapted to
the storing of honey and combs, and that is
convenient as a work-shop. Some most val-
uable suggestions were made regarding the
construction of honey-houses, in GLEANINGS,
early in 1888. Among them was an article
from G. M. Doolittle, that embodies many
of the most practical points to be observed ;
and his remarks are the more valuable, as
they apply to the construction of a honey-

HONEY-HOUSES. 1

_ house on any plan, or even the fixing-over of
_ some building we may already have in use.
Inasmuch as friend Doolittle has been not
only one of the largest producers, but also
one who has produced some of the finest
comb honey, we are very glad to have the
following valuable hints from his pen:

I am requested to tell in GLEANINGS how I would
build a honey-house; and I see on p. 615, of GLEAN-
INGS for December, that E. T. Flanagan desires a
plan for building a house for both comb and ex-
tracted honey. In the first place I would say, that I
should not want extracted and comb honey, and the
necessary work for each, done allinone room. My
experience says, have a room for comb honey, one
for extracted, and a third room large enough to do
all the general work for both. Now, any building
ean be cheaply lined so as to exclude bees, with
half-inch stuff, for this general work-room, and the
storage-rooms be built on the south side so as to
make them convenient, airy, strong, and sufficient-
ly warm to ripen honey thoroughly. If I were
building a shop I should build it so that I could par-
tition off these two storage-rooms, one on the south-
west and the other on the southeast corner of the
same, having the body of the shop for doing work of
all kinds pertaining to the apiary. I should build it
two stories, and use the upper story for storing
every thing not in use, or liable to be used for some
little time. If I did not wish to build a shop I should
use any old building I had, lining it and fixing as in
the case first given for a room for this general
work, for such a room is certainly necessary. It
would be preferable to have this general room both
mouse and rat proof; but if an old building is used
it could hardly be expected, without quite an out-
lay. The two rooms used for storing honey I would
have mouse-proof, let it cost what it would, for the
filth of vermin about honey is not to be tolerated at
all. If mice get into the general room, keep them
caught out with traps; and as for the rats, they will
not be liable to bother unless you have grain of
some kind in your room for them to feed upon, and
this, of course, you will not tolerate, for this gener-
al room is for bee-fixtures and not for grain.

Having given a little outline of what I would have
for a general work-room, I will next speak of a room
for storing comb honey. This need not be larger
than 8 x 10 for storing all the comb honey from 100
stocks in the spring, even should they produce 200
lbs. per swarm on an average. Whether built in
with a shop, or at the side of another building, I
should have a wall of mason-work for the sills to
rest upon, if drainage could be obtained so the wa-
ter would not stand under the wall, as in such a case
the freezing of the water about the wall would soon
destroy it. If I could not dispose of the water I
would use abutments. The wall, or abutments,
need not be more thana foot high; and if a wall,
two or four six-inch square holes should be left at
the sides so the air ean freely circulate under the
floor. If a wall is used, 6x8 inch would be plenty
large for the sills, and 8x10 in any case; for you
will see that the abutments, if such are used, are
close together, not more than three feet apart. For
sleepers I should use 2x 8 inch, and place them but
8inches apart from center to center, having them
run the shortest way of theroom. Now, don’t think
this too strong, and place these sleepers further
apart; for if you do you will repent when you get

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from five to ten tons of honey in yourroom. I would
have the room 9 feet high, so the studding (2 x 6 in.)
should be that length less your plates (4x6 in.), if
you build this room separate from your shop. If so
built I would have a tin roof, and paint it a dark
color; but if in a shop, of course no roof will be
needed, as the upper floor will make the roof.

So far I would use good hemlock for the wood em-
ployed, for this holds a nail well, is strong, and does
not easily decay. For the floor I would use 1144
matched spruce 4 inches wide, and inch pine com-
mon ceiling for the sides. If all is put together as
it should be, you will not be bothered with mice,
providing you keep the door to this room shut when
notin use. This door is to be on the side next your
general room, of course. I would havea window on
one side and one end, which are to be opened in
warm dry weather, so as to thoroughly ventilate the
room and pile of honey. Over these windows, on
the outside, is to be placed wire cloth so the windows
can be left open at pleasure without any fears of
robber bees. To let the bees out, which may chance
to come in on the honey as it istaken from the hive,
let this wire cloth run 8 or 10 inches above the top
of the window, nailing on strips of lath, or other
Strips, %g thick, so as to keep the wire cloth out that
far from the sides of the building, thus giving space
for the bees to crawl up on the cloth tothe top when
they are on the outside. No robber bee will ever
think of trying to get in at this entrance, so your
room is kept clean of bees and flies all the while.
This completes the building, I believe, except that
we want it painted some dark color so that the rays
of the sun may keep it as warm as possible. Our
door should be in the center of one side, so that on
each side of our room a platform can be built, upon
which to place our honey. Perhaps all will not agree
with me, but I think all box honey should be stored
in such a room at least a month before. erating, to
ripen and sweat out. I know it isa saving of time
and labor to crate it at once; but I think it pays for
all this extra time and labor, in the better quality
and appearance of our product. For the platform, I
take pieces of 2x12 plank, and cut them 38 ft. 9 in.
long, and spike two pieces together, thus making a
stick 4x12x3 ft. 9, using three of these on a side, set
the 12-way up, which leaves an alley 2'4ft. through the
center of the room. Upon these lay four 3x4 sticks,
8 ft. long (4 on each side). Now lay sticks 2x2x3 ft. 9
across these so your sections will stand on them the
same as they did in the hive, and have the ends of
the sections meet in the center of these 2x2 sticks.
Also by means of strips keep the honey out two
inches from the side of the building, so that the air
can circulate all around the pile, otherwise that next
the sides of the building will sweat so as to become
transparent. Also, piled in this way the fumes of
burning sulphur can penetrate the whole pile by
placing your burning sulphur under the pile.

The room for the extracted honey, [ would build
of the same width, except that I would have it 14 to
18 feet long instead of 10,so as to give plenty of
room. The reason we have our comb-honey room
small, is, that we can sulphur our honey in as small
aroom as*possible. I would build both rooms as
one, so as to save material, and separate them by a
partition so made that the sulphur smoke could not
get through. You can store your extracted honey
in tin-lined vats. made to suit you, in barrels, kegs,
or in the 300-lb. tin cans sold by A. I. Root, as pre-
ferred, In fact, fix up the inside of this to suit you,

HORSEMINT.

as probably nearly all will have their own way. I
prefer the A. I. Root cans for storing honey, and the
Novice extractor. By placing a cloth over the top
of these cans, the honey ripens nicely in this warm
room, even if the combs are not fully sealed when
extracted.

With a description of how I store my combs, which
are used for extracting purposes, I will close this al-
ready too long article. As you are building your
honey-room, have the studding on one side set just
as far apart asthe top-bar of your frame is long;
not from center to center of studding, but leave
that space between each. Now nail strips of %
stuff, 244 feet long by 5 inches wide to these stud-
ding, letting them stand out into the room in a hori-
zontal position. Let the distance between each strip
from top to top be linch greater than the depth of
your frame, so as to give sufficient room to manipu-
late the frames handily. Three inches from the
ends of these strips run a partition clear across the
room, which is to have close-fitting, narrow doors
placed in it, spaced so as to be most convenient.
Now hangin your combs; see that all combs not in
use are in their place, and not lying about some-
where else. As often as any signs of worms are
found, put ina pot of burning sulphur; close the
doors and the work is done. In allthis work with
burning sulphur, make certain that nothing can by
any means take fire from it before you place the
fire to the sulphur, fora room full of sulphur fumes
is a bad place to go to, to put out a fire.

Borodino, N. Y., Dec., 1882. G. M. DOOLITTLE.

HORSEMINT ( Monarda punctata).
This plant was first brought to notice several
years ago, and at that time the seeds were
sold quite extensively as a honey- bearing
plant. It was dropped and almost forgotten,
until reports of large crops of honey, said to
be from this source alone, began to come in.
It first attracted attention on the alluvial
lowlands bordering on the Mississippi River ;
afterward, wonderful reports came from it,
from different parts of. Texas — one man re-
porting as high as 700 lbs. gathered by a sin-
gle colony in a single season. The bees that
did this wonderful feat were Cyprians, or, at

HORSEMINT OF TEXAS,

least, crossed with Cyprian blood. The hive
in which they stored it was the common Sim-
plicity hive, tiered up four stories high. This
great yield of honey was reported during the
season of 1882. As the crop seems almost a
total failure this present year, 1883, it would

seem that the yield is a little uncertain, as | and these seem to be hybrids just the same ;

152

HYBRIDS.

with a great many other honey - bearing
plants. Considerable talk has been made
about raising the plants for honey. One
drawback is, that the flavor, and especially
when first gathered, is peculiar, and a little
unpleasant to most people. After standing
several months, however, in an open vessel,
protected from the flies (with cheese-cloth,
for instance), it parts with its rank flavor,
and becomes beautiful-tasting honey, and so-
clear and limpid that print can readily be
seen through a glass jar of it, while the hon-
ey is so thick that the jar may be turned over
without the honey running. As it grows
spontaneously in many parts of the South in
vast beds, acres in extent, it would seem bet-
ter at the present time for the bee-keeper to
move to these localities rather than attempt
to raise it further north for honey alone.

HYBRIDS. Everybody who has had
Italians very long, probably knows what —
hybrids are, especially if they have kept
bees when the honey-crop was suddenly cut
short during a drought in the fall of the year.
The term hybrid has been applied to bees
that are a cross between the Italians and the
common bee. If one buys an Italian queen
that is pure, he can at once set about rear-
ing queeus if he chooses, and it matters not
how many common bees there are around him;
if he rears all his queens as I have directed
under ARTIFICIAL SWARMING and QUEEN-
REARING, he may have the full benefit of the —
Italians so far as honey-gathering is con-—
cerned, just as well as if there were no other —
bees within miles of him. This seems a
paradox to most beginners, for we have let- —
ters almost daily, asking if it will be of any
use to purchase Italians, when other- bees
are kept all around them. If you are keep-
ing bees for the honey they produce, and for
nothing else, I do not know but that you are
better off with other bees in the neighbor-
hood. The queens that you rear will be full-
bloods like their mother; but after meeting —
the common drones, their worker progeny
will of course be half common and half Ital-
ian, generally speaking. These are what we
call hybrid bees. In looks they are much —
like the Italians, only alittledarker. Some-
times a queen will produce bees all about
alike ; that is, they will have one or two of —
the yellow bands, the first and broadest be-—
ing about as plain and distinct as in the full-
bloods. Other queens will produce bees
variously striped, from a pure black bee, to
the finest three-banded Italians. I have had —
black queens fertilized by Italian drones,

HYBRIDS.

Z as the others; I have not been able to distin-
_ guish any particular difference.

As honey-gatherers, these bees that have

the blood of the tworaces are, I believe, tak-

ing all things into consideration, fully equal
to the full-blood Italians. There are times,
it is true, when the full-bloods seem to be
ahead; but I think there are other times and
circumstances when the taint of black blood
gives an advantage in respect to the amount
of honey gathered, that will fully make up
the difference; and I would therefore say, if

honey is your object and nothing else, you

are just as well off to let your queens meet
just such drones as they happen to find.

Why, then, do hybrid queens find slow sale,

-jans?

at about one-fourth of the price of pure Ital-
Just because of their excitability and
vindictive temper.*°

Italians, as they generally run, are dis-
posed to be quiet and still when their hive is
opened, and to remain quietly on their combs
while they are being handled, showing neith-
er vindictiveness nor alarm. Black or com-
mon bees, on the contrary, are disposed to
be frightened, and either make a general
stampede, or buzz about one’s head and eyes
in a way quite unlike the Italians. The Ital-
jans do not stand still because they are afraid

to make an attack, for, let a robber approach,

and they will sting him to death in a way so
cool as to astonish one who has seen only
common bees under similar circumstances.
A race of bees so prompt to repel intruders
of their own kind, it would seem, would also
be prompt to repel interference from man;
but such is not the case. They do not seem
to be at all suspicious when their hive is
opened, and a frame lifted out. Well, these

half-bloods inherit the boldness of the Ital-

jians, and, at the same time, the vindic-
tiveness of the blacks. And to raise the cov-
er to a hive of hybrids, without smoke, dur-
ing a scarcity of honey, would be a bold op-
eration for even a veteran. Without any
buzz or note of alarm, one of these sons of
war will. quietly dart forth and inflict his
sting before you hardly know where it comes
from; then another, and another, until, al-
most crazed with pain, you drop the cover,
and find that they are bound to stick to you,
not only out into the street, but into the
house, or wherever you may go, in a way
very unlike either pure race of bees. Some-
times, when a hive is opened, they will fix on

153

HYBRIDs8.

the leg of one’s trowsers so quietly that you
hardly dream they are there, until you see
them stinging with a vehemence that indi-
cates a willingness to throw away a score of
lives if they had somany. This bad temper
and stinging is not all; if you should desire
to introduce a queen or queen-cell to these
bees, they would be very likely to destroy
all you could bring; while a stock of either
pure race would accept them without trouble.
During extracting time, or taking off sur-
plus honey, you will find little trouble, pro-
viding you work while honey is still coming;
but woe betide you, if you leave it on the
hives until the yield is passed.?°

In preparing hybrid stocks for wintering,
I have seen them so cross that it was almost
impossible to get in sight of the hive, after
they had once got roused up; and when I
charged on them suddenly with smoker in
excellent trim, they charged on me as sud- ©
| denly, took possession of the smoker, buzzed
down into the tube in their frantic madness,
and made me glad to beat a retreat, leaving
them in full possession not only of the “‘field,”’
but the ‘‘artillery” as well. This was a very
powerful colony, and they had been unusu-
ally roused up. Although it was quite cool
weather, they hung on the outside of the
hive, watching for me, I suppose, until next
morning. I then came up behind them with
a great volley of smoke, and got them under
and kept them so, until I could give them
chaff cushions, and put them in proper win-
tering trim. The queen was extremely pro-
lific, and I do not know that I ever had one
single queen that was the mother of a larger
family of bees. Many of these hybrid queens
are extraordinarily prolific.

I believe the hybrids are more disposed to
rob than the Italians, but not as much so as
the common bees. I decide thus, because,
when at work among them, the bees that
buzz about the hives, trying to grab a load
of plunder if a chance offers, are almost in-
variably full-blood blacks.*! They may have
a dash of hybrid blood, but I judge not, be-
cause the hybrids and Italians will often be
at work, when the blacks are lounging about
trying to rob, or doing nothing. I have
known a strong hybrid stock to be slowly
accumulating stores in the fall, when full-
bloods, in the same apiary, were losing day
by day. See ITALIAN BEES.

\ ” Mi

STILLMAN-CO,CIN.Q
W. Z. HUTCHINSON S BANNER APIARY, ROGERSVILLE, GENESEE CO., MICHIGAN,

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Jol: MARTIN SUA PIARY, NAR TRORDs Neale

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I.

INTRODUCING QUEENS. I do
not know, my friends, how I can give any
specific directions that will do for all cases,
while bees do so differently at times, and
different colonies have such different dispo-
sitions. I think it is possible to introduce
any fertile queen to almost any colony, but
it will require a close and careful study of
the habits of each, and sometimes much
time and patience. Lest beginners should
be discouraged at the outset, I would re-
mark that in perhaps the majority of cases

the queen can be let loose at once, without |
The point is, to de- |

any caging whatever.
termine when this can be done, and when
it can not be done.

The very first thing to be determined is
that your old colony is certainly queenless.
Many will think, if they have found the old
queen and removed her, that there can be
no doubt about it; but this is far from being
true, for a hive quite often contains two
queens, and very frequently two laying
queens. When the old queen begins to fail,
cells are started ; and when the young queen
begins to lay, before her mother has entire-
ly failed, they are often found laying side
by side. If you should remove either one,

_and let your new queen loose, she would be

killed most assuredly. What shall we do in
such cases ? Well, if the hive has an un-
usual amount of brood, I would look for an-
other queen, and if not satisfied would wait
24 or 48 hours and see if they had started
queen-cells; if you see the queen-cells start-
ed, you may be very sure there is no queen
in the hive, although cases are once in a
great while found in which they will keep
on with the cells when a virgin queen is
present. $

HOW TO FIND AND REMOVE THE OLD

QUEEN.

If it is at a season of the year, or during
weather when robbers are about or may be
expected to be, you had better do your work
just about sunset, or so late that all the bees
are in their hives. Have smoke in readi-
hess, but do not-use it if it can be avoided;
remove the cover from the hive very gently,

and do not have any snapping or jarring
about your work.

Draw off the sheet of duck carefully, and
then push the frames on each side, away
from one of the central brood-combs. If

| you can lift this out without making any

disturbance, you will stand a good chance
of seeing the queen at once; if you do not
find her there, set the frame in your comb-
basket and examine the next.*? If the colony
is very populous, you may not find her at
all, after going over all the combs; in that
case look them over carefully as you restore
them to their places; and if you do not find -
her then, close the hive for a short time,
and then try again. With Italians, you can
often hunt for the queen a couple of hours
or more, if you like; but with black Lees, if
you do not find her the first time, they will
usually gather in clusters so much as to
make further search impossible, and there-
fore you will have to let them get quieted
down before you try again. Your eyes will
very soon train themselves, as it were, to
recognize a queen aS soon as you get the
slightest glimpse of any part of her body,
and during the season of queen-rearing, the
effort required to spy them out quickly is
such that I often dream of seeing queens,
and picking them out, all night long, after
a busy day in the apiary.*

I rather prefer to pick a queen up by the
wings; but if you can get her securely by
the shoulders it will do very well; do not
get hold of the soft part of her body, or you
will be pretty sure to do her injury; if she -
is a smart active queen, she will be very apt
to bite vigorously, and a beginner might be
tempted to let her go, doubting the state-
ment so often made that queens never sting
when caught. Do not be alarmed, but put
her into a cage, and keep her until you are
sure your new queen is safe: and laying.
Never kill a laying queen until you have
one safely laying in her stead.

*If you can not find her by the above plan, shake
all the bees on a sheet, or a large white paper, fas-
tened in front of the hive, and then pick her out as
they crawl back in. I have never failed by this plan.
Two pairs of eyes to watch will be an advantage.

INTRODUCING QUEENS. 1

The hive is now presumed to be queen-
less; but if our new queen is a very valuable
one, we will put her in the cage on top of
the frames directly over the cluster, until
queen-cells have been started. This will
usually be in 24 hours. Open the hive very
gently as before, lift out one or more brood-
combs, until you find cells enlarged, some-
thing like the cup of an acorn, and contain-
ing a much larger quantity of the milky
food than is ever given a common worker.
Wecan many times recognize where a queen-
cell is to be started, by this extra amount of
food, before we can perceive any change in
its shape. The hive is certainly queenless,
and we are so far safe; if the bees seem
good to the queen, we are ready to let her
out. When you first turn back the duck, if
the bees are clinging in hard knots to the
wire cloth, making a kind of hissing noise
as if they would like to tear her in pieces,
you certainly must not let her out, and it is

rather unsafe to do so, so long as there area |

great quantity of bees piled up over the
cage. If it is safe to release the queen, the
bees should be walking about as usual, dis-
playing no unusual excitement, and the
bees on and about the cage should be offer-
ing her food in their usual way, and with
the deference and respect they usually pay
aqueen. If they do not do this, keep her

caged until they do get quiet and respectful. |

Very often they will receive her thus at
once, and it may, in extreme cases, require
a week. See CAGES FOR QUEENS.

HOW TO RELEASE THE QUEEN.

Open the cage close to the cluster, so that
the queen, as she crawls out, will have to
pass before your eye, so that you can easily
rescue her if need be. Have your smoker
ready, but do not use it unless compelled
to; as she comes out, they will probably
come up to see her and get acquainted, and
you need not be alarmed if some of them
climb up on her back, and walk over her in
quite a rude way for receiving visitors, if
they only do not begin to try to use their
stings. If they do, use a little smoke, and
cage her again. If they permit her, aft-
er alittle looking over, to pass on slowly
toward the combs, you can let her go down
safely; but if convenient, I would give her
another ‘‘look”? after about 20 or 380 min-
utes. You will find her without trouble,
by the eager throng that surrounds her, to
make her acquaintance. It may be well to
see if she is all right and laying next morn-
ing, for I have known them to treat a queen
very well at first, and then find her in a ball

6 INTRODUCING QUEENS.

of bees half a day afterward. Sometimes
this ‘‘balling’’ kills the queen in a short
time, and again she may live while thus fet-
tered for 48 hours, or until they get over
their frenzy and let her go. I have known
queens to have all their wings and some of
their legs pulled off in such encounters, and
yet do good service for a year or two after-
ward. We usually use smoke tomake these
bees let go of a queen; for if you try to pull
them off they are almost sure to sting her.
Dropping them into a cup of water will get
them off safely, and is often the readiest
means at hand.

Many plans have been given to induce the
bees to desist when they seem bent on this
kind of mischief, such as taking away all
their brood, removing all their combs and
allowing them only the empty hive, smok-
ing them severely with tobacco, ete.; and
although all these remedies answer well at
times, I think it just as well to keep the
queen caged, providing she has plenty of
food in the cage, andthe bees arexnot al-
lowed to hatch a new queen in the hive; for
if they once get a young queen of their own,
it is out of the question to get them to ac-
cept any other until she is removed.

The only objection I have heard to this
plan of introducing is, that the queen may
fly away; and this can be prevented by
watching carefully her movements. To
sum up, I would say let the bees have the
queen just as soon as they will receive her;
it may be at once, in 24 or 48 hours, or it
may be a week. I have within a few days
taken a laying queen from one hive and had
her laying in another within two hours aft-
erward. If you have a queen that you do
not value, it will be an excellent plan for
you to practice, by seeing how many stocks
you can introduce her to without caging.**

WHAT TO DO WITH THE ESCORT BEES.

It has been our custom to let these loose
with the queen; but if robbers are about,
this is a very dangerous operation. I once
released an imported queen, and had her
well received, when, noticing the bees re-
maining in the cage, I shook them in front
of the hive. Robbers were about; and when
the little fellows attempted to go in peace-
ably, they were stung to death without mer-
cy. Then, having got into the stinging bus-
iness, they began to search about for intrud-
ers, and, coming across the queen, stung her
to death before I couldinterfere. If robbers
are hovering about, put the bees that come
with the queen into some other hive. G. P.

INTRODUCING QUEENS.

Replogle, of Unionville, Ia., first cautioned
us in this matter.

Many queens are starved to death, for
even if the cages are placed in the midst of
sealed honey they almost always take it all
away in a very short time. See that the
cage always has plenty of Good candy in it.
It has been recommended to daub the queen
with honey when releasing her, but this I
would strongly object to; because if she is
not received, and such is often the case, she
will have to be caged again; and as the bees
ean not lick her off, the honey will, ina
short time, kill her. Many highly recom-
mend spraying her and the bees with pep-
permint, or other like substances, that all
may be of one scent; but this is never safe
unless she is looked to after awhile, and I
am not sure that it does any good at all;
many succeed with the plan, but how do
they know the result would not have been
just the same without the spraying?

WHAT TO DO, IF THE QUEEN FLIES AWAY.

If a queen takes wing and flies away when
let out of the cage, leave the hive open and
she will be almost sure to come back, in a
short time, to just the place where she was
let out. <A few cases have been reported
where they never came back, and on this
account it may be well to clip her wings as
I have advised. Virgin queens have only
been introduced successfully when first
hatched. Caging, as we do with laying
queens, is almost sure to result in their loss.
I do not know that I have ever succeeded
with one in that way. See LAMP NURSERY.

There is one perfectly sure way of intro-
ducing a very valuable queen, such as an
imported one, if we only observe the condi-
tions carefully. Remove frames of hatch-
ing brood from several hives, and shake off
every bee; put these in an empty hive, clos-
ing it down to a small space; and if the
weather is not very warm, place the whole
in a warm room; let the queen and her at-
tendants loose in this hive, and the young
bees, as they hatch out, will soon make a
swarm. As several who have tried this
plan have been so careless as to leave the
entrance open and let the queen get out, I
would warn you, especially, to have your
hive so close that no bee can by any possi-
bility get out.* If the frames you have
selected contain no unsealed brood,
you will have but little loss; but other-
wise, the larve, having no bees to feed them,

*They can be set out and allowed to fly in two or
three days.

157

ITALIAN BEES.

will mostly starve. As soon as a few hun-
dred bees are hatched, the queen will be
found with them, and they will soon make
a cluster; if the combs have been taken
from strong colonies, where the queen is
laying hundreds of eggs in a day, in a week
or two, the swarm will be a very fair one.
Three frames will do very well at first, and
one or two more may be added in the course
of a week or more. Remember, no live bee is
to be given to the queen. A queen is sel-
dom lost by the first plan given, if you are
careful, and watch them until they are
safely received. See page 48.

HOW SOON SHOULD AN INTRODUCED QUEEN
BEGIN TO LAY?

As a general thing, we may expect her to
begin laying next day; but sometimes, es-
pecially if the queen has been along time
prevented from laying, as in the case of an
imported queen, she may not lay for three
or four days, or even a week. If introduced
in the fall of the year, she may not com-
mence laying at all until spring, unless the
colony is fed regularly every day for a week
or more. This will always start a queen that
is good for anything.

Caution in introducing queeus :— It is
quite a common thing to lose queens while
introducing them, especially when it is
done either early in the spring, or late in
the fell. If the weather is cool, it may not
be safe to put the cage on top of the frames:
unless the colony is very strong, and sure to
cluster over the cage, it would be better
placed between two combs about in the cen-
ter of the brood-nest, after which be sure to
cover all up with plenty of cushions or soft
woolens.

INTRODUCING-CAGE FOR COLD WEATHER.

It is simply a piece of wire cloth, 3x4 inch-
es, rolled lengthwise, so as to make a tube
# in. in diameter. An inch of one end of the
tube is filled with soft candy, and a 2-dram
vial, with the usual notch in the cork, is put
in the other end. The queen is put into the
cage, and it is then pressed between two
combs, in such a way that the bottle is at
the upper end. Of course, the cage is put
right in the midst of the cluster, where the
bees can not help getting acquainted with
her. So far, we have had no failures with it.

ITALIAN BEES. At present, the
Italians are by far the most profitable bees
we have; and even the hybrids have shown
themselves so far ahead of the common bee

ITALIAN BEES. 158 ITALIAN BEES.
that I think we may safely consider all dis- | bees. Neither will this class of hybrids re-
cussions in the matter at an end. Many | pel the moth, as do the half-bloods and the

times we find colonies of hybrids that go
ahead of the pure stock; butasa genera} thing
(taking one season with another), the pure
Italians, where they have not been enfeebled
by choosing the light-colored bees to breed
from, are ahead of any admixture. There

has been a great tendency with bees, as well |

as other stock, to pay more attention to
looks than to real intrinsic worth,such as
honey-gathering, prolifieness of the queens,
hardiness, ete.; and I think this may have had
much to do with the severe losses we have
sustained in winters past. Since the recent

large importations of queens direct from |

Italy, and a disposition to be satisfied with
bees that are not all golden yellow, we have

certainly met with much better success in |

wintering, as well as honey-gathering.

Even if it were true, that hybrids produce
as much honey as pure Italians, each bee-
keeper would want at least one queen of ab-
solute and known purity; for although a
first cross might do very well, unless he had
this one pure queen to furnish queen-cells,
he would soon have bees of all possible

grades, from the faintest trace of Italian |

blood, all the way up. The objection to this
course is, that these blacks, with about one
band to show trace of Italian blood, are the
wickedest bees to sting that can well be im-
agined, being very much more vindictive
than either race in its purity; they also have
avery disagreeable way of tumbling offthe
combs in a perfectly demoralized state, when-
ever the hive is opened, except in the
height of the honey-season, and of making a
general uproar when they are compelled, by
smoke, to be ‘‘ decent.’’ In attempting to in-
troduce some queens to hives of this class, a
few days ago, they uncapped nearly all the
honey in the hive, and gorged themselves
every time I looked them over. The conse-

quence was, that after they had been looked |

over several times for their queen, queen-
cells, etc., a large part of their winter stores
was uselessly consumed; for the honey they
had gorged themselves with started them

to building comb at a season when it was |

not wanted, and so stirred them up that
they were boiling out at the entrance ata
time when ‘‘ honest bees”’ should have been
snugly tucked away in their winter doze.

Our pure Italian stocks could have been
opened, and their queens removed, scarcely
disturbing the cluster, and asa general thing,
without the use of any smoke at all, by one
who is fully conversant with the habits of

pure Italians. For these reasons and several
others, I would rear all queens from one of
known purity. If we do this, we may have
almost if not quite the full benefit of the Ital-
ians as honey-gatherers, even though ‘there
are black bees all about us.

Suppose you get an imported queen, and
rear queens from her eggs for all your other
hives, and all increase you may have during
the first season. None of your worker-bees,
the next season, will be less than half bloods,
and all your drones will be full-bloods.

See |

DRONE and QUEEN. The queens that are |

reared now, will, many of them, prove pure;
and by persistence in this course, year after
year, Italians will soon be the rule instead
of the exception. This is no theory, but has
been the result, practically, in hundreds of
apiaries.

Now this is all very clear, plain sailing; but
we must take into consideration that our
drones are all the time meeting the queens
from our neighbors’ hives, and from the for-
ests. This will have no other effect the first
season than to produce hybrid workers,
without changing the drone progeny; but
when these hybrid stocks begin to send out
swarms, these swarms will furnish hybrid
drones, and soon will come all sorts of mix-
tures.

Well, we shall have to let them mix, I sup-
pose, and I do not know that it does any
particular harm, for any admixture of Ital-
ian blood improves the common stock.

But if we are going to buy or sell bees, we
want to know what to charge for them, and
also what to sell them for; we also wish to
know which queens to remove, when we are
Italianizing our apiary throughout; hence
it becomes very important to know which
are Italians and which are not. To be can-
did, Ido not believe itis possible always,
to tell; but Ithink we can come near enough
for all ‘‘ practical purposes,’’ as they say in
making astronomical computations.

The queens, and drones from queens ob-

tained direct from Italy, vary greatly in their
markings, but the worker bee has one pecul-
iarity that I have never found wanting;
that is the three yellow bands we have all
heard so much about. Unfortunately, there

has been a great amount of controversy

about these yellow bands; and to help restore
harmony, I have been to some expense for
engravings.

As is often the case, I failed to |

get our city friends to understand just what —

I wanted the engraving for, so we have made

a

ee,

ITALIAN BEES.

a Sketch of the body of the bee ourselves,
as shown on this page.

Every worker - bee, whether common or
Italian, has a body composed of six scales,
or segments, one sliding into the other, tele-
scope fashion. When the bee is full of hon-
ey these segments slide out, and the body
is elongated considerably beyond the tips of
the wings, which are ordinarily about the
length of the body. Sometimes we see bees
swollen with dysentery, so much that the
rings are spread to their fullest extent,

159

ITALIAN BEES.

dense masses of bees has something to do
with it; for we often see such shiny black
bees in great numbers, in stocks that have
been nearly suffocated by being confined to
their hives, in shipping, or at other times.

These bands of down differ in shades of
color, many times, and this is the case with
the common bee, as well as with the Italian.

Under the microscope, the bands are sim-
ply fine soft hair, or fur, and it is this prin-
_cipally which gives the light - colored Ital-
_ians their handsome appearance. Youhavye,

IIOW TO TELL IlYBRIDS FROM PURE ITALIANS.

and in that condition they sometimes would ; perhaps, all noticed the progeny of some par-

be called queens, by an inexperienced person. |

ticular queen when they first came out to

On the contrary, in the fall of the year play, and pronounced them the handsomest
when the bee is preparing for his winter nap, bees you ever saw; but afew months after,

his body
scarcely seems like the same insect. The en-
graving on the right shows the body of. the
bee detached from the shoulders, that we may
getafull view of the bands or markings
that distinguish the Italians from the com-
mon bees. Now I wish you to observe par-
ticularly, that all honey - bees, common as

is so much drawn up that he!

they would be no better looking than the
rest of your bees. This is simply because
they had worn off their handsome plumage,
in the ‘“‘ stern realities ” of hard work in the
fields. Occasionally you will find a queen
whose bees have bands nearly white in-
stead of yellow, and this is what has led to
the so-called albino bees. When the plum-

wellas Italian, have four bands of bright- | age is gone, they are just like other Ital-

colored down, J, K,L,M, one on each of the
four middle rings of the body, but none on
the first, and none on thelast. These bands
of down are very bright on young bees, but
may be so worn off as to be almost or entire-
ly wanting on an old bee, especially on
those that have been in the habit of robbing
very much. This isthe explanation of the
glossy blackness of robbers often seen dodg-
ing about the hives. Perhaps squeezing

ians. Now, these bands of down have noth-
ing to do with the yellow bands that are
characteristic of the Italians; for, after this
has worn off, the yellow bands are much
plainer than before. A,B,C, are the yellow
bands of which we have heard so much,
and they are neither down, plumage, nor
any thing of that sort, as you will see by tak-
ing a careful look at an Italian on the win-
dow. The scale or horny substance of which

through small crevices has thus worn off
the down, or it may be that pushing through

the body is composed, is yellow, and almost
transparent, not black and opaque, as are

ITALIAN BEES.

the rings of the common bee, or the lower
rings of the same insect.

The first yellow band, A, is right down next
the waist; now look carefully. It is very
plain, when you once know what to look for,
and no child need ever be mistaken aboutit.

At the lower edge is the first black band;
this, is often only athin sharp streak of black.
The second, B, is the plainest of all the
yellow bands, and can usually be seen in
very the very poorest hybrids. The first
band of down is seen where the black and

yellow join, but it is so faint you will hardly |
| my recent studies in the matter, I am pretty

notice it in some specimens.
We have at the lower edge of the scale, as
before, a narrow line of black; when the

160

down wears off, this shows nearly as broad |

as the yellow band.

Now we come on to disputed ground; for
the third band, C,is the one about which
there is so much controversy. Some con-
tend that a pure Italian should show it
whether he is filled with
others, among whom was our friend Quinby,
admit that a part of the bees would show-it

honey or not;

ITALIAN BEES.

no trace of the yellow in the horny scale, as
we find it in A, B, and C.”

When we come to hybrids, we shall find a
greater diversity; for while the bees from
one queen are all pretty uniformly marked
with two bands, another’s will be of all sorts;
some beautifully marked Italians, some pure
black, others one or two banded. Some
will sting with great venom, while others
with only one or two bands will be as peace-
able as your best Italians. Without a
doubt, many queens have been sent out as
pure, that produced only hybrids; but since

well satisfied that I have sold several queens
as hybrids, that were really full-bloods. A
very slight admixture of black blood will
cause the band, C, to disappear on some of
the bees, but we should be very careful in
such matters to be sure that the bees in
question were really hatched in the hive;
for bees of adjoining hives often mix toa
considerable extent. If you examine a col-

ony of blacks and one of hybrids that stand

only when filled with honey. Now there are, |

without doubt, hives of bees that show this
third band at all times, but it is pretty cer-
tain that the greater part of the bees of
Italy do not. The conclusion, then, is that

| the Italians.

the bees of Italy are not pure. Now, I think

we should be careful about going to extremes

in these matters, for it is honey, and not yel- —

low bands, that is the vital point. The bees

from Italy are better honey-gatherers, etc., |
than ours are; and if we import from Italy, |

I think we should be satisfied to get such as
they have, especially so far as the markings
are concerned.#* My advice is just this: If

you are undecided in regard to a queen, get |

some of the bees that you are sure were
hatched in her hive, and feed them all the
honey they can take; now put them ona
window; andif the band, C,is not plainly
visible, call them hybrids.
put them on the window, because you may

very plain and yellow, for the permanent
yellow band, C. Now, the bees from Italy
are not all alike, and the yellow bands have
different shadings, as well as the bands of
down; but they are always found there, so
far as my experience goes, if examined with
sufficient care.

We have heard about bees having a fourth
yellow band: this would have to come on LL
G; but although we have made a great many
examinations, we have never been able to
find more than very bright yellow down, and

ITadvise you to)

call them very nice Italians still.
mistake the band of down, which is often |

side by side, you will find many Italians
among the blacks, and many blacks among
Take young bees that you are
sure have hatched in the hive, and you will
be pretty safe, but you can not readily distin-
guish the third band until they are several
days old.

HOLY-LAND AND CYPRIAN BEES.
June, 1832.— During the past two years
there has been quite a little excitement over
two new races of bees brought over from the
Old World by our most enterprising and
philanthropic friend D. A. Jones, of Beeton,
Ontario, Canada. They are called Cyprian
and Iloly-Land bees, from the locality where
he found them. The former, from the Isle
of Cyprus, seem to have been for many

/years isolated, and are a very distinct and
/uniform race.

I at first glance called them
very nice Italians; and after seeing them
the third season, I am strongly tempted to
They have
a few distinctive marks that enable an ex-
pert to distinguish them, however, and their
traits of temper are also different. I believe
they have been mostly objected to on ac-
count of the vindictive temper displayed by
the progeny of some of the queens. Wehad
handled them in our apiary several months
before I discovered any difference; but on
opening the hive one day toward dusk, and
being a little careless in handling the frames,
I found I had a job on my hands (or, rather,
in my face and hair)—a lot of enraged bees
that even smoke did not bring into subjec-

od
e
Ve
i
+

ITALIAN BEES.

tion. The Holy-Lands seem quiet enough,
and the queens are enormously prolific; but
for some reason or other, at the present writ-
ing quite a number of the friends are getting
rid of them, and going back to the Italians
again. A strong colony of them in our api-
ary gathered enough natural stores to winter
safely, when none of the Italians did. They,
too, closely resemble the Italians, but are, if
any thing, perhaps a trifle smaller.

Jan. 1, 1888.—Since the above was written
we have had a multitude of reports in regard
to these new races of bees, and, 1 am glad to
say, of amuch more favorable nature. While
the Cyprians are still voted vicious, the prog-
eny of a cross with Italians are found to be
very quiet, while they are so industrious that
they have given the greatest yields of honey
from the progeny of a single queen ever re-
ported from any race. One colony, owned
in Dresden, ‘Texas, has given over 800 lbs. of
honey, chiefly from the horsemint, or Monar-
da punctata. The cross between the Holy-
Lands and Italians also bids fair to be a
wonderful help to us, especially in the mat-
ter of queen-rearing. ‘The queens are ex-
ceedingly prolific, generally filling one frame
complete with eggs before beginning on an-
other, giving, when sealed, a solid mass of
brood. If in any case a Holy-Land colony
becomes queenless they will build a number
of cells, exceeding by far that of any other
known race. The queens that hatch from
these are as strong and robust; in fact, they
often fly immediately on emerging from the
cells. One of their peculiar characteristics
is, that the cells all hatch at or about the
same time. During the past summer we
have had 25 queens hatch within 30 minutes
from one frame. Other cases of like nature
have been reported. Now, the fact that the
Holy-Lands will raise such an abundance of
cells is of great value to queen-breeders.
For instance, if we desire a great quantity
from some choice stock, we can exchange
their unsealed larve for that of a queenless
Holy-Land colony. The stock, if left to it-
self, would probably not raise over six or
eight cells; whereas the Holy-Lands would
very likely raise five or possibly ten times
that number. Thus we greatly reduce the
number of cell-raising colonies required, at
the same giving the others an opportunity to
perform. In fact, we can use them much as
poultry - breeders use a few select sitting
hens for raising the young chicks from non-
sitters.

While these new races of bees so closely
resemble Italians that very few would, in

161

ITALIAN BEES.

looking at them simply, note a difference,
they differ widely in habits; and by becom-
ing accustomed to and familiar with these
different habits, most of us have found we
can handle them just about as well as we do
the Italians. One of the first things to be
noticed is a sort of fidgetty nervousness when
the hive is first opened. If you hold up a
frame of Italians, and even give it a gentle
shake or jar, not a bee moves ; but they oft-
en cling so closely it is hard to get them off.
Not so the new bees, for they are off in a
twinkling, and this feature makes it much
easier in extracting, or shaking bees from
the frames and cages, to be sold by the
pound. The common bees and Italians are
readily subdued by smoke; but these, when
fully aroused, seem to be made more furious
by smoke, unless it is given in such a very
large quantity as to almost suffocate them.
Italians and blacks seldom show laying
workers until the hive has been at least sev-
eral days queenless, and without brood ; but
these bees will often have a score of workers
laying almost as soon as their queen is taken
away. The wonderful energy of the new
races makes it next to impossible for them
to be robbed; and the Cyprians especially
seem to be so impatient if a robber bee so
much as buzzes in front of their hives, that
they will often dart out and take him on the
wing, when a foot or more from the hive.
This unexpected reception so disconcerts the

would-be pilferers that they very soon go off
somewhere else. This same trait makes it
also difficult to unite colonies in the fall, with
a Cyprian stock, and we found it next to im-
possible to give bees, by any method we
could devise, to the bees from our imported
Cyprian. After they are crossed with the
Italians this trait mostly disappears, how-
ever. When the new races get started to
robbing, they are robbers in earnest; but,
unlike the Italians or blacks, they very soon
get over it and go to work, when there is no
further opportunity to make any thing at it.
They are not inclined to buzz before one’s
eyes for hours together in that tantalizing
and provoking way our old-fashioned hy-
brids often do. If they have any stinging to
do they do it, and then go about something
else.

The Holy-Land bees, when young or first
hatched, have a downy appearance that en-
titles them to the name of ‘‘ albinos”? much
more, in my opinion, than any of our light-
colored Italians. This, however, is shown
much more in the progeny of some queens
than others. In size they are, when not

ITALIANIZING.

filled with honey, rather smaller than the
Italians, but their bodies seem to elongate,
when filled with honey, rather more than
the Italians do. When crossed with the
Italians the bees seem rather larger than
either race pure. Iloly-Land queens have
usually a ringed appearance that distin-
guishes them, or even an admixture, from
the Italians. The queens, also, have a way |
of ‘‘striding ”’ over the combs, peculiar to |
themselves. A friend expresses it well by |
saying they walk about among the bees like
a turkey among a lot of hens.

As for wintering, there is not much differ-
ence between the two races and the ordinary
Italians ; and whatever is true of the one
race is true in a greater or less degree of the
other.

ITALIANIZING. Few questions are
asked oftener than, ‘‘How shall I Italianize?
and when shall I do it?”’ There is always a
loss in removing a queen and substituting

another, even where we have laying queens

on hand; and where we are to use the same |

colony for rearing a queen, there is a still
greater loss. Under the head of ARTIFICIAL
SWARMING and QUEEN - REARING, these
points are fully discussed. Where one has
an apiary of black bees, his cheapest way,
especially if he has plenty of time to devote
to the subject, is to purchase a choice tested
queen, and rear his own queens from her.
If he has as many as a dozen colonies, and
proposes to continue to increase the number,
it may be his best and surest way, to pur-
chase an imported queen. If the choice
queen is purchased in the spring or summer
months, I would not remove the old queens,
until the summer crop of honey isover; but,
instead of allowing natural swarming, take |
two or three frames from each old stock
about swarming time, and make nuclei.
giving them queen - cells from the Italian
brood. When these queens are hatched and
laying, build the nuclei up, with frames of
brood given one ata time, until they are full
stocks. By such a course, you have the full
benefit of your old queens during the honey-
season, until the new ones are ready to take
their place. After the honey-yield has be-
gun to cease, you can remove the old queens,
and give the now small colonies queen cells,

16

as you did the nuclei at first. This does the
swarming for the season, and the Italian-—
izing, atone and the same time. |

9

ad

ITALIANIZING.

If you have more money than time to
spare, and wish to have the work done up
quickly, purchase as many queens as you
have colonies, and introduce them at any
season of the year, as directed in INTRO-
DUCING QUEENS. You can purchase all
tested queens if you wish, but I would ad-
vise taking the dollar queens, while there is
any great difference in price.

After your stocks have all been provided
with Italian queens, by either of the plans
given above, if you wish your bees to be
pure Italians, you are to commence replac-
ing all queens that prove to be hybrids, as
soon as the young bees are hatched in suffi-
cient numbers to enable you to decide. See
ITALIAN BEES. Now, if honey only is your
object, I would not replace these hybrids,
until they are one or two years old; for they
will average nearly as well as honey-gather-
ers, and will raise just as pure drones, as full
blood Italians. If you should find the bees
of any particular queen too cross to be en-
durable, replace her with another, at any
time. be careful, however, that these hy-
brid colonies are not allowed to swarm
naturally, or, uf they raise a queen, she will
produce hybrid drones; and this is some-
thing we wish scrupulously to guard against.
It will be better to raise all the queens your-
self, and practice artificial swarming exclu-
sively, while you are seeking to Italianize,
especially if you are surrounded with com-
mon bees. If you practice in the manner
given above, you can reap the full benefit of
the Italian ‘blood, even though there are
hundreds of stocks of the common bees
within the range of your apiary. But, if you
are going to raise queens for the market,
you should buy up or Italianize all the com-
mon bees within two or three miles of you,
in every direction. The more faithfully you
do this, the better satisfaction will you give
your customers. Your neighbors will very
soon be converted to the Italians, if you
keep right along and let crops of honey,
rather than talk, decide the matter, and
then they will be quite willing to pay you
for introducing Italian queens into their
colonies. Be sure you do not quarrel, and
foster any bad spirit in the matter, but let
them have their own way, even if it, at
times, is aggravating; and,in a very few
years, you will succeed in having your whole
neighborhood Italianized.

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KING-BIRDS. Quite a number of |
the feathered tribes have a fashion of eating |

bees. Even our common fowls sometimes
get into the habit of gobbling them, with as
little fear of consequences as if they were
the most harmless insect in the world. It is
quite likely that birds have a way of crush-
ing their prey with their bills so as to pre-
vent the possibility of the bee's using its
sting. It has been suggested that the birds
and fowls eat only the drones; but several
examinations of their crops showed that it

is, without question, the workers, and it is

quite probable that the honey contained in
the honey - sac is the principal inducement.

Mr. T. L. Waite, of Berea, O., furnishes
some very positive evidence, and also men-
uions a habit of the king-bird, I think is not
generally known to naturalists. During the

month of June, ’72, a flock of seven of these
birds were making such regular and con-
stant visits to his apiary that his suspicions
were aroused, and, concealing himself, with
watch in hand, he observed a single bird
After having

snap up 5 to 8 per minute,

pursued this “innocent” amusement for a
sufficient interval, his birdship was in the
habit of taking a rest on a neighboring tree,
where, after a short meditation, he com-
menced a series of muscular contortions of
the head and neck, that finally resulted in his
opening his mouth wide, and ‘‘heaving up”’
a wad of some strange black-looking sub-
stanee. By chance their perch was close
over a bed of rhubarb or pie-plant, and our
friend secured a number of these wads as
they fell, and thus settled the point of their
being nothing more nor less than crushed
bees. After they had ‘‘squeezed” out all
the honey, probably having no further use
for the ‘‘pomace,” it was unceremoniously
cast aside, while his worship, with a keen ap-
petite and zest for the sport, went ‘‘ bee-
hunting’”’ again. They came regularly for a
‘“‘meal’”’ two or three timesaday. I guess
we had better use our rifles and shot-gunstin
such a way as to induce them to learn that
apiaries are ‘‘ unhealthy ” localities for such
boarders.

1]

py <> Mr
ig a SN Mags (2 VA
-~STILLMAN-02, 2

by ~

A RAILROAD APIARY, BELONGING TO M. A. WILLIAMS & CO., BERKSHIKE, N. Y-

Te

LAWP NURSERY. Many have ob-
served that, in hot weather, if queen - cells
are taken out just before they are ready to
hatch, the queens will sometimes gnaw out
just as well as if they were with the bees.
It is also known, that queens just emerging
from the cell may generally be allowed to
crawl among the bees of any hive, and will,
as a rule, be well received. Taking advan-
tage of these two facts, our neighbor, Mr.
F. R. Shaw, of Chatham, Medina Co., O., in
the fall of 1873, constructed the first lamp
nursery. This first machine worked well
enough to demonstrate the feasibility of the
plan, but, as he depended entirely on hot air
to keep up the requisite temperature, it was
quite liable to destroy the cells by the un-
evenness of the temperature. The day after
I visited him, I noticed that the copper res-
ervoir on our Stewart stove was sufficiently
warm to hatch queens, although no fire had
been in the stove for more than 15 hours,
and the last night had been cool. This gave
me the idea of using a considerable body of
water ; and before night, I had a hive made
with double walls of tin, as shown in the cut
below.

LAMP NURSERY.

The space between the two walls is, per-
haps, one inch, and extends under the bot-
tom, as well as around the sides, that the
body of water may entirely surround the

|

contents of the nursery, except on the top.
The top is to be covered with a quilt, or a
warm blanket. The whole should be used
in a room well protected from the changes
of the weather. It may be kept in a large
box, but it is not nearly as convenient as a
room. As accidents sometimes happen to
lamps, I would set the lamp in a tall stove,
one of the kind that will admit of the top’s
being taken off, and set the nursery over it.
The top of ‘the lamp chimney should be
about a foot below the nursery. A second-
hand stove, such as was mentioned for mak-
ing CANDY FOR BEES, will answer every
purpose. Such a body of water between two
sheets of tin will cause them to bulge badly
unless we put a brace across from one to the
other in the center on each side; the posi-
tion of these braces is shown by the tin cap
that covers them in the cut. Light your
lamp, turn on a strong blaze, and watch un-
til the thermometer, which should be kept
inside the nursery, shows between 90 and
100°, then turn down the wick, until the
temperature remains about there. If it gets
much above 100, the cells may be injured ;
and it should not be allowed to fall much
below £0. We are now ready for our queen
cells.

HOW TO GET CELLS FOR THE NURSERY.

You can cut out queen - cells from any
place in the apiary, and lay them in the nur-
sery; but as we wish to avoid cutting such
unsightly looking holes in our combs, it is
better to take the whole frame, cells and all.
Shake and brush off every bee, and hang the
frame in the nursery just as you would in
the hive. Get frames from different hives,
until you have the nursery full, if you like.
The reason we have the nursery so large, is
that it may contain a great number of
frames having queen-cells. Now you find a
trouble right here; the worker - bees will
hatch and bite out in this warm temperature
just as well as the queens; and very soon
we shall have asmart hive of bees, and be
no better off than in an outdoor hive, You

LAMP NURSERY.

can take out these young bees as fast as
they hatch and give them to some colony
that needs them, or start nuclei with them;
but this is so much trouble, I would advise a
better way.

HOW TO AVOID HAVING ANY WORKER-BEES
IN THE NURSERY.

You will recollect, that a worker-bee can
not hatch out in less than 20 or 21 days from
the egg, while the queen hatches in about
16. Well, if we get all of our cells, by giving
a frame of very young larve to the colony
building them, the queens will be all out of
the comb several days before a worker can
hatch. This is the way we do it: Get a
clean new worker comb, or, better still, a
sheet of fdn., and place it in the center of
the hive where your best queen is. Let it
remain until the first eggs laid in it have
hatched into minute larve, as explained in
ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. Tang this frame
in any queenless colony having no other
unsealed brood, and they will at once build
queen-cells upon it. If you will cut two ob-
long slots in the comb, many think you will
thus secure a greater number of cells; but,
as this disfigures and mutilates the combs,
I have not followed the plan much, since
using the nursery. The frame can be taken
out of the hive, and placed in the nursery,
as soon as the queen-cells are capped over ;
but, as much of the unsealed worker-larve
would not be capped over by this time, I
would prefer to wait until 8 or 9 days after
the frame was first given them. All worker-
brood will then be capped over, so that none
of it will starve and die, and the queen-cells

168

LAMP NURSERY.

mence from 10 to 24 hours before the queen
is ready to come forth. Taking advantage
of these facts, we will remove, in the eve-
ning, all queens that seem likely to hatch be-
fore morning. Where the cells are built on
new sheets of fdn., the queen, cell and all,
can be picked off the sheet, without even so
much as making a hole through the comb;
and I have found this an excellent way of
introducing, to take the queen in the cell, as
soon as she begins to move about, and place
it in the. hive or nucleus where wanted.
Queens that are found hatched and crawling
around in the nursery, in the morning,
should be taken at once to the queenless
hives or nuclei waiting for them. Be sure
that the hive is queenless, and then just set
them down in front of the entrance, and let
them crawl in. I have found this plan as
good as to open the hive. It seems almost
ridiculous, to think we can carry these vir-
gin queens around and let them run into the
hives, and find them laying a week after-
ward, without any further trouble, but it is
something we have done a great many times.
To introduce them in this way to a hive that
has just had a laying queen taken from it, is
a little more uncertain, yet we have done it,
and there is one very decided advantage in
so doing; because the colony will then, at
no time, be out of unsealed brood. The sav-
ing in time by giving a colony a bright live
queen, instead of a queen-cell which may

not hatch inside of 3 or 4 days (perhaps not

will be so far advanced that but little dan- |

ger need be feared from shaking the bees
off, or from handling them.
their cells away, you can give them a second
lot of small larve to start cells from, or you
can give them a young queen from the nur-
sery, as is most convenient. If you can so
manage as to give them a queen after rear-
ing a lot of queen-cells, and thus alternating,
you will probably have less trouble in intro-
ducing. If you keep adding fresh combs or
cells to your nursery every day, you will
soon have queens hatching almost hourly,
and sometimes three or four will come out
of their cells almost simultaneously.“ By
holding the comb of cells up to your ear, you
can easily hear the queen biting her way
through the capping with her strong mandi-
bles. If the cells are built on new combs, or
fdn., you can see the motions of the queen,
by holding the comb up to the sun ora
strong lamp-light, and these motions com-

After taking |

at all), is quite an item. The first queen
that hatches, one would suppose, would tear
down al] the rest of the cells, as she does in
the hive; but such is not the case, where
there are no worker-bees present, as in the
lamp nursery. It is true, we occasionally
find a queen tearing open the other cells
when left too long, but not often. They do
sometimes, also, sting each other; but, if
they are looked after the first thing in the
morning and the last thing at night, very
few will be lost from this cause. Some un-
sealed honey should be found in the cells,
for these queens are very fond of a good
‘* square meal,” about as soon as they have
had time to stretch themselves. I have no-
ticed that they seem to have a preference for
newly gathered, thin honey; and as the hon-
ey in the open cells gets quite thick after be-
ing exposed to this high temperature, it has
lately occurred to me that some diluted
honey, as soon as they are hatched, might be
better for them.’

INTRODUCING VIRGIN QUEENS.
Although these young queens, like newly

LAMP NURSERY.

hatched chickens, or young puppies and kit-
tens, are disposed to take up with the first
animated object they set their eyes on, yet
there has been considerable trouble in intro-
ducing them. With weak stocks or nuclei,
that have been a day or two queenless, there
is little trouble; and, in fact, the bees of a
large colony will allow these young queens
to crawl in without a word of objection at
the time, in the majority of cases; but when
they get a day or two older, then comes the
difficulty. I have not been able to discover
how the trouble comes about; but so many
of them are found in front of the hive, either
dead or just able to crawl, that I have rath-
er given up introducing them to full stocks,
unless they have been some time queenless.
To our old friend Langstroth, the credit
principally belongs, I believe, of discovering
that virgin queens could be introduced gen-
erally, when first hatched. The following
valuable account of it, I extract from the
American Bee Journal for July, 1871:

ON THE INTRODUCTION OF YOUNG QUEENS TO COLO-
NIES THAT ARE QUEENLESS. :

Some ten years ago I was led to suspect that the
ordinary statements of Huber and other eminent
apiarians, with regard to the antipathy of bees, under
all circumstances, to a change of queens, was incor-
rect. Eminent writers have supposed that it would
not be safe to introduce even a queen-cell to a colc-
ny until twenty-four hours had elapsed after the
old queen had been removed.

In experimenting with Italian bees, shortly after
their introduction to this country, I soon ascer-
tained that this was an entire mistake, and that
queen-cells could be safely introduced, under ordi-
nary circumstances, immediately after the removal
of the queen.* Thisled me to experiment further
in the same direction. Supposing that, perhaps, the
hatehing of a young queen in the colony might re-
econcile them at once to her presence, I introduced,
to queenless colonies, celis, the lids of which were
being gnawed open by the young queen. In some
instances these queens hatched in less than five
minutes after the cells were inserted, and I found
them to be unmolested, although the hive had been
unqueened but afew moments before their intro-
duction.

I now began to Spence that there might be some-
thing in the young queens themselves, either in
their actions, or in their odor, or their voice, or
want of voice, which made the bees indisposed to
disturb them. _Therefore, after unqueening the
hive, I introduced et once queens just hatched, and
found them almost invariably well received. The
bees would occasionally seem to manifest some sur-
prise at their presence, and, probably, if they could
have spoken their feelings in words, would have
said inquiringly, ‘*‘ Does your mother know you’re
out?”’

* Instead of the circumlocution of saying—remov-
ing a queen from a hive, or giving a queen to a hive
—I propose to use as more definite terms, the words
unaueening a hive, or queening a hive.

169

LAMP NURSERY.

If the queens were too young, they were some-
times dragged out of the hive, just as imperfect bees
are removed by workers. I next discovered, that,
in many instances, these young queens could be put
upon the very comb where the old mother was, and
yet be undisturbed by the bees. In order to test this
matter more thoroughly, after introducing a just-
hatched queen and finding her well received, I would
place upon the same comb an unfertile queen sev-
eral days old. The bees would at once attack her
furiously, confine, and speedily destroy her. It
would seem, therefore, that under ordinary cireum-
stances, young queens which have not yet attained
their proper color, and perhaps the power of piping,
may be introduced at once to queenless colonies. I
have availed myself of this discovery largely, in
breeding Italian queens; it being a common prac-
tice with me as soon as the queen of a nucleus has
laid a suitable number of eggs to test her purity, to
cage her, and at once introduce a queen not more
than five or six hours old. It may be that it would
be safe to introduce queens even a day old; but my
practice has been to select for this purpose such as
had very recently hatched. When the young queen
thus introduced becomes fertile, and has laid a
proper number of eggs, I cage her in turn and intro-
duce still another. And thus I am able, with one
nucleus, to accomplish in queen-raising, as much as
is ordinarily done with two or three.

Occasionally I have known the workers to destroy
these young queens, if not immediately, still within
a few hours after their introduction. I do not,
therefore, recommend the practice above described
to those who have very few queens, nor would I risk
a young queen which I valued very highly. But, as
under ordinary circumstances, the breeder has oft-
en more queens than he knows what to do with, he
ean easily dispose of them in the way above de-
seribed.

In order, at times, to secure a suitable number of
queens for this purpose, I have.been accustomed to.
condense into.one colony a very large number of:
queen-cells of about the same age, inspecting the.
colony about every hourinthe day, and removing
queens as fast as they hatched, and before they had
an opportunity to destroy each other or the other
queen cells. These same combs may be returned at
night to their proper nuclei.

The expert will know how to avail himself of the
plans which I have suggested, and how to modify.
them to suit his circumstances.

L. L. LANGSTROTH.
Oxford, Ohio, June, 1871.

It may be ‘well to remark, that these vir-.
gin queens are introduced to full-blood Ital-

jians, with much less trouble than to either

blacks or hybrids ; they are also accepted by.
a small colony or nucleus, better than by a
full hive; and by any hive that has been a
day or two queenless, better than by one
from which a laying queen has just been
taken. With the lamp nursery it is an easy
matter to raise queens by the thousand, at a
cost generally not exceeding 25 c¢. each; but
the most expensive part of the work comes
afterward — getting them fertilized. At
present I know of no better way than the
one given in QUEEN-REARING and ARTIFI-

LAMP NURSERY.

CIAL SWARMING (giving each queen a small |
colony); but we shall doubtless make rapid |
progress in the matter, if the demand for |
queens continues to increase as it has of |
late.

The introducing part of the lamp nursery
plan of rearing queens is the one great ob-
stacle, and it is evident that there is some-
thing about it not fully mastered; for, at.
times, we succeed so nicely with every)
queen that it seems as if there were no need |
of failures at all; but, again, almost every
queen is lost. It was suggested, a few years
ago, when these queens hatched by artificial
‘heat were first put into the market, that
they would prove less hardy ; but I believe
that such has not proven to be the case, for
some of our best stocks have been built up
from these, and they have proved just as
long-lived as any.

After your combs have been in the nur-
sery a few days, you will have to keep a look-
out for moth-worms, or they will get into
your queen -cells, and make trouble. See
BEE-MOTH.

170

LOCUST.

LOCUST. This tree is so well known as
scarcely to need a description. It grows
very rapidly, and bears blossoms at a very
early age; and could we be assured of hav-
ing regularly the crop of honey that the lo-
cust bears perhaps one year in five, I should
at once plant a locust-grove exclusively for
honey. It blossoms profusely almost every
season; but the bees often pay no attention
at all to the flowers.

The honey comes at a time when it is very
much needed, as it is a little later than the
fruit-bloom, and a little earlier than white
clover. If any thing could be done by a se-
lection of different varieties, or by cultiva-
tion, to make it bear honey every season,
a locust-grove would be a very valuable ad-
dition to the honey-farm. .

The leaf of the locust much resembles the
leaf of the clover, only it has a great number
of leaves on a stem instead of only three;
the blossom is much like that of the common
pea, both in appearance and size. It is an
interesting fact, that the locust, pea, and
clover, all belong to the same order, Legumi-

nose.

~ f= =F
*““ SUNNY. SIDE’? APIAKY, BELONGING TO
C. UW. LAKE, BALTIMORE, MD,

THE ‘‘ OTHER’ SIDE (OF THE HOUSE) ALSO
BELONGING TO FRIEND LAKE.

M.

MIGNONNETTE (Ieseda odorata).
We have had little practical experience with
this plant, beyond a small patch of the tall
variety in the garden. Although this kind
did not have the perfume of the ordinary
small kind, it was humming with bees for

months; and,as they work on it all day, it |

will prove valuable for keeping them busy
during the fall months. The following we
extract from Lane’s catalogue:

“Tf cultivated to that extent that it might or ought |

to be, it would certainly furnish a rich pasturage for
bees. A small patch of it will perfume the air for
quite a distance; and were it cultivated by acres for
bee-pasturage alone, we should be favored with a
fragrant atmosphere that would vie with the spicy
breezes of Ceylon, and a honey that would outdo the
famed honey of Hymettus for aromatic flavor.

“It blossoms in the latter part of June, and contin-
ues in bloom until cold weather (heavy frosts do not
injure it); indeed, we are informed by our Southern
friends that with them it continues in full bloom
during the entire winter. There are many varieties,
but we think all are inferior, for field culture, to
Parson’s New Giant. The seeds, which are very
small, should be sownin the spring, sowing thinly
and covering lightly, in drills at least three feet
apart. Would not advise sowing broadcast.”

December, 187).—We have had a half-acre
on our honey - farm, of different varieties,
during the past season.

by the bees for several months, at all hours |
in the day, it has not compared at all with |

the Simpson honey-plant. A smal] patch in
the garden, on very rich soil, did very much
better.

MILKWEED ( Asclepias Cornuti). This |
plant is celebrated, not for the honey it pro- |

duces, although it doubtless furnishes a

good supply, but for its queer, winged mass- |

es of pollen, which attach themselves to the
bee’s feet, and cause him to become a crip-
ple, if not to lose his life. Every fall, we
have many inquiries from new subscribers,
in regard to this queer phenomenon. Some
think it a parasite, others a protuberance
growing on the bee’s foot, and others a
winged insect-enemy of the bee. We give
above an engraving of the curiosity, magni-
fiedata; and also of amass of them attached
to the foot of a bee.

It is the same that Prof. Riley alluded to,
when he recommended that the milkweed

Although visited |

| be planted to kill off the bees when they be-
come troublesome to the fruit-grower. The

| POLLEN OF THE MILKWEED, ATTACIIED TO
A BEE’S FOOT.

folly of such advice—think of the labor and
| expense of starting a plantation of useless
weeds just to entrap honey-bees—becomes
| more apparent when we learn that it is per-
_haps only the old and enfeebled bees that
_are unable to free themselves from these ap-
-pendages, and hence the milkweed can
scarcely be called an enemy. The append-
| age, it will be observed, looks like a pair of
wings, and they attach themselves to the bee
| by a glutinous matter which quickly hard-

_ens, so that it is quite difficult to remove, if
| not done when it is first attached.

| MOTHERWORT (Leonurus Cardi-
aca.) Quite a number of the bee-folks in-
| sist that motherwort is superior, as a honey-
plant, to either catnip, hoarhound, balm,

| wild bergamot, or any of the large family
of Labiate, and I presume such may be the
case under some circumstances, or in favor-

MOTHERW ORT.

able localities. In comparing plants, it
should be remembered, that those which

MOVING BEES.
usually bear much honey may, at times,
furnish none at all; and also those which
usually furnish none may, under very favor-
able circumstances, yield largely.!

This plant often flourishes about fence-
corners, and around the ruins of old dwell-
ings, sheds, or even hog-pens. The large
leaf, taken by itself, much resembles the
currant ; the stalk is much like catnip; and
the little flowers are in tufts, close to the
stalk. It remains in blossom a long time,
and may be as worthy of cultivation as any
of the plants of its class.

WOVING BEES. Perhaps about as
many mishaps, especially with beginners,
have come about from moving bees unwise-
ly, as from any other one cause. A little
thought in regard to the habits and ways of
bees would save much of this. Bees fly from
their hives in quest of stores, perhaps a mile;
sometimes a mile and a half or two miles;
but they will seldom go beyond these limits,
unless at a time of great scarcity of pastur-
age.” Well, after a bee has once fixed his lo-
cality, he starts out in the morning on arun,
and never stops to take the points, as he
does the first time he sallies out from a new
locality. The consequence is, if you have
moved his hive, either in the night or day
time, and have not moved it more than a
mile, he will, when he goes back, strike di-

rectly for his old locality. On reaching there | ° i
like a natural swarm, will answer to make

and finding his hive gone, he is lost and

helpless; and even though the hive may be | ™ , .
| times, moving the hive away for an hour or

‘two, until they get really frightened at the
loss of their home, will have the same effect,

but a few rods away, he will never find it in
the world. New hands frequently move
their hives close together at the approach of

winter, that they may better protect them |

with chaff or straw. I do not know how

many times mishaps resulting from this kind |

of proceeding have been related to me. All
goes very well, perhaps, until we have a
warm day; then the bees start out for a fly,
and very naturally return to their home just
as they have been doing all summer; if no
one is near to restore their hive to its former
location, they fly helplessly around for a
while, and then alight on the trees and fenc-
es, scattered about, and finally perish. If
other hives are near, they will get into the
wrong hives and get stung; or, if their num-
bers are great enough, they will sting the
queen, because she is a stranger to them.
Sometimes the bees of the whole apiary will
become so mixed up, that they have a gen-
eral melee and fight, resulting in great dam-
age, if not in the destruction, of many of the
swarms. Moving hives short distances dur-
ing the working season is almost always

172

MOVING BEES.
done with loss of more or less bees, and con-
sequently honey.

It is true, bees may sometimes be moved
without loss, for there is quite a difference

in the disposition of colonies; and where one ~

may be moved allabout the yard without —
any apparent loss, the next may suffer, if —
moved only a few feet. I once purchased a
very strong colony of blacks of a neighbor,
and, to be on the safe side, moved them on
a cold day in Dec. I should think it wasa
week afterward when it became warm, and
the bees went back to their old home in such
numbers that the first cold night froze out
the remaining ones, and I lost my stock en-
tirely. At another time, a neighbor wished
me to take a swarm from a very strong stock
of blacks. As I had but little time, I set an-
other hive in its place, containing a frame
of brood and a queen - cell, and moved the
old one several rods away. He told me next ©
day that the bees had all found their old
home, and deserted the brood-comb entirely.
I directed him to move it again, and place
it the other side of the orchard; but it seems
these wily blacks had learned the trick, for

they all found it even there. Italians, asa

general thing, are more ready to take up
with anew location than the blacks, and stick
more tenaciously to their home and brood.
Sometimes, shaking the bees all in front
of the hive, and letting them run in

them stick to their new locality; at other

after it is once brought back to them. In
this case, they seem so glad to get their dear
old home again, that they will adhere to it
wherever it is placed. Neither of these plans
can be relied on implicitly, and I really do
not know of any that can.* Sometimes we
succeed by leaving a comb for the returning
bees to cluster on, and then take them to the
new stand just at nightfall. When allowed
to run in, they exhibit their joy by loud
notes of approval, but, just as likely as not,
they will be back at the old spot the next
day, just the same. With patience, we can
by this means save most of them. As a
natural swarm will stay wherever they are
put, any thing that reduces a colony to the
condition of a natural swarm will accom-
plish our object. Bees depend very much
on the surrounding objects, in taking their
points; and I have known a whole apiary ¥o

*Placing a board, or other object, over the en-
trance so as to hinder the bees a little as they come
out, is sometimes practiced to make them return,

MOVING BEES. i73

be successfully moved a short distance, by
moving all the hives, and preserving their
respective positions with reference to each
other. Carrying bees into the cellar for sev-
eral days or a week will usually wean them
from their location, so that they may then
be located anywhere; but this plan is ob-
jectionable, insomuch as the colony is pre-
vented, for that length of time, from doing
any work in the field, and this is quite an
item in the height of the season. Where
we wish to divide a swarm, the matter is
very easy, for we can carry our stock where
we wish, and start a nucleus of the return-
ing bees. The usual way, and by far the
easiest where itcan be done, is to wait until
winter, and move them after they have
been confined to the hive for several weeks
by cold weather. Bees moved in the spring
seldom go back to their old quarters, for
they generally take their location when they
take their first flight, whether they have
been moved or not. Bees can also be moved
short distances, in warm weather, by taking
them a mile or more, leaving them a couple
of weeks, and then bringing them back to
the spot where you wish them to remain.
This plan, with me, would be too much
trouble and expense to be practicable gen-
erally.

Where the new location is a mile or more
distant they can be moved any time, and I
have known them to be moved only half a
mile, without any noticeable number going
back to their old locality. If bees are to be
moved during hot weather, great care should
be used that they be not smothered and their
combs melted down by the intense heat that
is generated where they have an insufficient
quantity of air. After many mishaps in
shipping bees in the summer time, we have
now decided on covering both the top and
bottom of the Simplicity hive with wire
cloth. When thus prepared we have never
had any trouble, even when shipping them
during our hottest July and Aug. weather.
When we depended on wire cloth over the
top only, or over the portico of the old-style
L. hives, we have invariably heard that the
combs were melted down, and that the
honey was running out at the sides of the
hive. Allow a draft of air right through the
hive, and the bees will take care of them-
selves, and the combs filled withhoney. As
the chaff hive will not admit of this arrange-
ment, I would recommend that the bees be
taken out, in very hot weather, and shipped
in the Simplicity hive; that is, just the body,
without any top or bottom. If you are pur-

MOVING BEES.

chasing bees in a common box hive, you cah
turn the hive over, and tack wire cloth over
the bottom; but if the colony is a powerful
one, and the weather hot, I would much
rather have a wire-cloth covered opening in
the top, as well as bottom. The hives,
when thus prepared, may be carried ina
spring wagon or buggy, or even in a lumber
wagon, if you drive slowly. Where it can
be done, I would spread straw under the
hives and pack it around the sides; this will
prevent jolting.

Of course, every comb is to be made per-
fectly secure, where the bees are to be
shipped by rail, or entrusted to any who may
not give them careful handling. We fasten

“ the metal - cornered
_ frames by what we
call spacing-boards,
~ Shown in adjoining
- cut. Three of these
boards are put in at
each end of the hive,
and they are of such
thickness, and so grooved, that nine combs
are thus held securely, so that the whole
are now ready to tack on the wire cloth.
We use a cheap, painted wire cloth. If the
cover, bottom-board, quilt, enameled sheet,
ete., are to go with the bees, I would attach
them to the bottom with strips of lath, leav-
ing a space of an ineh for the air to circulate
between the lower wire cloth and the attach-
ments. If the upper story is to be sent with
the hive, I would make a separate package
for it. ‘

It is quite important that none but old and
tough combs be used, when shipping bees
by rail. The beautiful new combs built on
the foundation would be very nice to send
out to customers, but they would be almost
sure to break down, unless wired as on page
56. Bees can be sent by freight, and I have
sent them safely in that way as far as Mas-
sachusetts ; but, as a general thing, I think
I would risk them only by express.

Where bees are to be moved in a wagon or
buggy, and the colony is an old one with the
combs all bridged over from one to another,
I would not go to the trouble of putting the -
sticks in, for I have always found them to
move safely without, even if they are in met-
al-cornered frames. Have them well venti-
lated and handled carefully, of course.

If bees are to be sent long distances, be
sure they have a good supply of stores, for
the excitement attendant on the confine-
ment and jolting about will sometimes cause
them to consume honey enormously. On

SPACING-BOARD.

MOVING BEES.

this account I would be very careful about
moving bees needlessly. Carrying bees into
cellars and out again many times during the
winter, I should object to, just on this ac-
count; especially if we can winter them just
as well without so doing. Fix a permanent
stand for your bees, give them a good chaff
hive, and they, as well as yourself, will be
spared much annoyance, if they can be al-
lowed to remain there year after year.

If you wish to move bees during the day-
time, while many are in the fields, you can
get them nearly all in by smoking them at
intervals for about half an hour. This will
give those that are out time to come in, and
the smoking will prevent any more going
out. If the colony isa very strong one, leave
a hive with a comb of brood on the old stand,
and the owner can start a nucleus very con-
veniently with the returning bees.

It is quite desirable that the express agents
should handle bees carefully, and the sight
of them buzzing about just under the wire
cloth is, usually, a guarantee of safe hand-
ling; but, as many do not know how to han-
dle and take care of bees, we have of late
had a large printed card tacked to all the
hives and nuclei sent out. Since doing this,
we have never had any complaints of dam-
age in transit. The card reads as follows:

KILLED!

HS

This Hive contains Live Bees, and they will
be “ Killed” if roughly handled, or left in the
Sun, or not kept This Side Up. Will you
please be careful of the little fellows?

A. I. ROOT, Medina, O.

As soon as you receive bees, place them at
once where they are to stand permanently,
and let them out as quickly as possible.
They will buzz about, and make quite a
stir for a while, but all will get back to their
hive safely;
to mark their new locality, as we described
in BEE-HUNTING. Set the hive level, and I
would have it square and true with the
points of the compass.
board, loosen the wire cloth where the en-
trance is to be, and then let them remain
until they get acquainted with the surround-
ings alittle. Next day, if you choose, you
can take off the wire cloth, and remove the
sticks, using smoke, of course, to keep them
out of the way. When this is done, put on
the enameled sheet and cover, and adjust
the hive on the bottom-board so that the
bees can get out and in comfortably, but do
not make the entrance larger, unless the
weather is extremely warm. Your next
work is to learn to handle the frames, and

for their buzzing about is just |

174

| plants, but is more trouble.

| mill used.

MUSTARD.

to get acquainted withthe bees. If you
should take the frames out and look at the
queen, and see how they get along with
brood - rearing, etc., every day, I should be
much more sanguine of their prosperity,
than if you looked at them only once a week.
After they are accustomed to your daily and
careful handling, you will find that you can
get along without smoke, veil, or any thing
of the kind.

MUSTARD (Sinapis arvensis.) This
belongs to the same family as the turnip,
cabbage, rape, ete., all of which, I believe,
almost invariably furnish honey while they
are in bloom. We have a good opportunity
of testing these plants, because acres of
them are raised for other purposes besides
the honey. It will be a hard matter to de-
termine which is best for your locality, with-
out trying a plant of each. Find out what
kind of a market you have for your seed, and
then proceed to raise it, as if you were going
to depend on the seed alone to pay expenses.
Should you secure a good crop of honey from
it, you will then be so much ahead, and
there is little chance of any great loss.

The honey from these plants is said to be
very light, equal to any in flavor, and to
command the highest price in the market.
The seed should be sown very early in the

| Spring, either in shallow drills so far apart
| that the cultivator can be used between

them, or broadcast. The former plan is, of
course, the better one for nearly all honey-
From 6 to 10
lbs. per acre will be needed, if sown in drills,
and from 15 to 20, if sown broadeast. If
you wish to save the seed, it should be sown
not later than July Ist. When the greater
part of the pods are ripe, the stalks are to be
cut and carefully dried. A cloth should be~
spread in the bottom of the wagon, when
gathering, for the seed will shell out consid-
erably, if it is in proper condition to thrash.

_I presume we have machines especially
Set it on the bottom- |

adapted for cleaning and thrashing the seed,
but I have always seen a flail and fanning
Of course, it should be thrashed
on a tight floor, or on a floor made tight by
a large piece of canvas. The seed of the
common kinds of mustard brings four or five
dollars per bushel. I do not know how
many bushels are raised per acre. The Chi-
nese variety has been highly extolled for
bees, but we have found the common black
mustard that grows almost of itself to thrive
better, and be more visited by the bees.
Who will give us the results of some © practi-
cal experiments ?

HEXAGONAL CALIFORNIA APIARY, BELONGING TO R. WILKIN, SAN BUENAVENTURA.

+ ate che beeen arene ged
3 aoe,

N.

NUCLEUS. This word, applied to bee
culture, signifies a small swarm of bees, per-
haps from one-fourth to one-tenth of a full
colony. The plural of the word is nuclei; it
were well to bear this in mind, for there is
much confusion in the use of the terms, even
in printed circulars. If you remove a dozen
bees from the hive, take them so far away
that they are homeless, and then let them
fly, they will after a time come pretty nearly
back to the place from which you released
them; but unless they have a queen with
them, they will soon wander away and be
lost. If you give them a queen, they will
come back to where they left her, and will
probably remain if she does not stray away.
She, like the rest, must fulfill her destiny, or
she will wander away; we shall therefore
have to provide her a comb wherein to lay
eggs. The bees would build the comb them-
selves, if there were enough of them, and
they had plenty of food. A, dozen would
never build any comb; neither would they
make any attempt to rear and hatch her
eggs, if the comb were given them. Per-
haps a hundred bees put in a suitably small
box, with a fertile queen, might start a col-
ony, and this is what we call a nucleus.*! It
is the center, about which a colony of bees
may in time be formed. If they should be
built up to a full colony, the building - up
would be done by the queen’s filling her
combs with eggs, which, when cared for by the
nursing bees (see BEES), would be converted
into larve, and in 21 days would be hatched
into perfect bees. These bees would then
help the original hundred, and the queen
would fill a still larger area with eggs, which
would be hatched in the same way, and so
on. The difficulty in the way of building up
from such small beginnings seems to be that
the queen will lay all the eggs a hundred
bees can care for, perhaps in an hour or two,
and then she has to sit or loaf around for the
whole 21 days, until she can have another
‘‘job.”? Before the 21 days are up, she will

be very likely to get disgusted with such |

small proceedings, and swarm out, or at
least induce the bees with her to do so.
See ABSCONDING SwARms. If we should
increase the number of bees to 500 or
1000, we would get along very much
better, and there would be little danger of
Swarming out, unless the hive given them
were too small. A very spry and ambitious
queen might fill all the cells the bees had
prepared for her, then set about filling them
the second time, as they sometimes do, and
then swarm out; but, with a quart of bees—
about 3200, if I have figured rightly—things
will generally go along pretty well.

If we are to have this quart of bees work
to the best advantage, something depends
upon the sort of hive they are domiciled in.
A single comb, long and narrow, so as to
string the bees out in one thin cluster, is
very bad economy. Two combs would do
very much better, but three would be a great
deal better still. It is like scattering the
firebrands widely apart; one alone will soon
go out; two placed side by side will burn
very well; and three will make quite a fire.
It is on this account, that I would have a
nucleus of three, instead of one or two
frames. The bees seem to seek naturally a
space between two combs; and the queen
seldom goes to the outside comb of a hive,
unless she is obliged to for want of room.
Is not the Langstroth frame, then, a poor
shape for building up nuclei? and would not
the small Gallup be better? The L. frame is
a bad shape for two or three frame nuclei,
and, for that matter, I think the Gallup is
also.** The one is too long, and the other too
deep; in one case, we have the ends extend-
ing beyond the cluster, unless we contract
the hive so as to crowd the bees out to the
ends, and, in the other case, the bottom of
the frame extends below the cluster.*? This
matter of deep and shallow frames seems
not to be very well understood, if I may be
excused for saying so much. If you will ex-
amine bees at the approach of frosty weath-
er, you will see, from the way in which they

NUCLEUS.

178

NUCLEUS.

draw up and condense, how their combs | is too deep; were it cut down to the depth of

need to be proportioned. To have them
stand the rigors of severe winter weather,
they should fill their hive as nearly as possi-
ble, and there should be no cold unfilled
spaces either at the ends, or underneath the
cluster. If their hive is so full that bees are
standing in the doorway, even during severe
cold weather, we need have little fear of
their suffering. Now, with a shallow hive,
they will come clear down to the bottom-
board, and keep that warm as well as the
ceiling overhead. With a frame as deep as
the Gallup, I have not succeeded so well in
making them doit. Nor can I succeed so
well with any frame, whose depth is as great
as the width. The warm combs are at the
sides of the bees, and the open ends between
the combs are at the ends of the cluster.
The diagram below will help to make it
plain.

4
5
y
4
i
%
Y
M4
a
f
b.

GALLUP. LANGSTROTILI.

It is very plainly evident, that the sides of
the clusters, A,B, and C. D, are much better
protected than the ends,G,H, and E,F; and
also that the long frames protect the center
of the brood-nest much better than the short
ones.”* Taking this fact into consideration,
in connection with what has been said of
the importance of a shallow frame, and we
shall have just about the dimensions of hive
and frame given us by Mr. Langstroth; and,
if Iam correct, all these things were taken
into consideration when he settled down on
his frame and hive, after years of careful ex-
periment in regard to different sizes.

Well, if the L. frame is the best economy
for the average progeny of a queen, we must
have a smaller frame in just about the same
proportions, if we wish to work with nuclei
to the best advantage. As we can not well
have a frame for a pint of bees, and another
for a quart, and so on, on account of the
complication it would make in an apiary, it
behooves us to discuss well what sizes we
shall use, if any, less than our regular frame.
A frame as deep as the usual one, and as
wide as the width of our hive, makes a very
pretty frame for queen-rearing. :

The Gallup frame would do nicely, and,
in fact, is much used for this purpose, but it

the L. frame, I should like it much better.
A frame has been suggested, and I believe
somewhat used, fora nucleus hive, of the
depth of the L., and just wide enough to go
crosswise, in the Simplicity hive. An ordi-
nary hive, with arabbet along the sides, as
well as across the ends, will hold these
frames or the usual L. frames, as may be de-
sired. If it should be desired to use this
small frame entirely in an apiary, the size is
exactly right to hold 6 of the 1-lb. sections.*
When used for queen-rearing, three_ of these
small frames will make a very comfortable
nucleus. One of the prettiest queen-rearing
apiaries I have ever seen was composed of
about 50 three-frame_ hives of this, _descrip-
tion.

Although I have described - ‘this’ small
frame, and spoken of its advantages, please
do not understand that I would advise you
to adopt it. IfI were going to have two-
sizes of frames in my apiary, I would adopt
just these, without question—the large one
for honey, and the small one for queen-rear-
ing. But, can we afford to have these two
sizes, even if they do both hang in the same
hive? Before answering, I would state that
I have worked for years with two or more
kinds of frames in the same apiary, and
have multiplied, divided, and united again,
until I think I have had experience in near-
ly all the changes that come about, and each
year I grow more, deterinined that I will
have but one size of frame in the apiary, and
no odd ones any more under any circumstanc-
es. This one size shall be the L. frame I
have given you; and if I should sell all my
bees to-day and start anew, I would use this
without hesitation. If this is our determi-
nation, it behooves us to see what can be
done toward ameliorating the objections to
the long and large L. frame. Strong nuclei
will do it without question; and. if one wish-
es to make his queen business a sure thing,
without the vexations of swarming out, rob-
bing, ete., there is nothing like strong nu-.
clei, to take care. of themselves. _ For queen-
rearing, I would have the ordinary Simplic-
ity hive, one story, with a division-board,

*A\ chad hive mide to hol. thes2 small frames be-
low, and the usual Langstroth frame above, solves
the problem of a chaff hive having the upper and
lower frames running the same way, the only ob-
jection being that we have frames of two sizes in the
same hive. By lifting out two or three of the up-
per frames, we can at any time get at the brood
frames below, without taking all the combs from
the upper story, as we have to do in the regular
chaff hive. I only offer this as a suggestion,

NUCLEUS.

and then the increase can readily be accom-
modated, and all that increase to a full
swarm are all right, without any changing
and shifting of hives. If desired, two nuclei
can be put in one hive, by using a tight di-
vision-board, and making the entrances at
either end. This plan does very well, but
there is more danger of the swarms mixing,
than where separate stands are used for
each hive. The rustic chaff hive, given
below, seems nicely adapted to this
purpose; and from the fact that it gives pro-
tection in cold weather, it is much better
than a single-walled hive like the Simplicity.

ZA,

CLARK’S RUSTIC CHAFF HIVE.
The nucleus hive shown above, I first saw
in use at the residence of Mr. Geo. Clark,
Medina, O. -The following description is

from the Sept. GLEANINGS for 1878:
When I first came into the yard, I was inclined to

laugh at his home-made chaff hives. Our artist
went over and made a drawing of one, which is
shown above.

When our friend tumbled the cover off from one,
and took out the clean chaff cushion and laid it on
the cover, revealing two fine 4-frame nuclei, for
rearing queens, I changed my mind about them.
The inside is just like the inside of any L. hive, only
that he had a partition-board that extended a little
higher than the sides. Some pieces of carpet, of
just the right size, covered the frames of each side.
The entrance to one colony is shown in the cut; the
other is exactly like it, on the opposite end. I re-
marked that such hives would be exactly the thing
for rearing queens in cool weather, and that they
would winter there without any doubt. He replied
that two stocks had wintered in each one of them,
without any trouble so far.

The beauty of this chaff hive is, that it costs almost
nothing. Any old boards will do to make it; even
if the cracks between the boards are so open that
the rain beats in, it would soon dry out; the over-
hanging roof, which is made of rough, unplaned
boards, like the rest, would probably shield it from
the greater part of the storms. Any old, black,
rough boards will make the outside, but the inside
should be made of %-inch stuff, planed at least on
the inside. The dimensions inside should be very
accurate, to hold the L. frame.

The bees will winter in a hive like this, al-
most as well as if the two were in one clus-
ter; for if the division - board is of thin

179

NUCLEUS.

wood, they will cluster up against it on both
sides, on account of the mutual warmth felt
through the board by each. In using hives
with a division-board between two colonies,
great care should be used in making the di-
visioh board tight. I donot know how many
failures have resulted from having the board
shrink or warp, and thus let the bees through.
Although wire cloth has been made to do in
a few cases, it will not do to depend on it.
Sooner or later the bees will kill one of the
queens, and behave themselves as one colo-
ny. I have raised queens, one in each side
of a hive, both nuclei using a common en-
trance, with no division - board at all, but
such cases are exceptional.

The above arrangement does very well so
far as queen-rearing is concerned but where
nucleus colonies are to be sold and shipped,
we must have a little 3-frame hive on pur-
pose. These are to be as light as possible,
consistent with strength, to save express
charges, and, for the same reason, should be
as simple as possible.

A sheet of enameled cloth, hemmed at the
sides and ends, is made to lie over the
frames, as in the large hives, but the cover
is made to shut over the hive. These hives
answer perfectly for rearing queens during
the warm months of July and Aug., and one
of them will be found on a shelf attached to
the trellis, in the engraving given under
QUEEN-REARING. Nobottomis used to the
hive, the shelf that it rests on being bottom
enough; the front board is made ¢ inch
shorter than the sides and back end, to form
the entrance. When the bees are to be ship-
ped, the cover is placed under the hive, clos-
ing the entrance, and a piece of wire cloth
is tacked over the top, after having fastened
the frames by pushing sticks of proper size
between them, or by the use of spacing-
boards. See Movine BrEEs. In these small
hives, this gives ventilation enough. For 3
frames, the hive should be 42 in. wide inside.

There is still another reason for using a
nucleus hive with full-sized frames, and it is
that those who purchase valuable queens in
a nucleus, to save the risk of introducing,
usually wish to build them up at once to full
colonies; with an odd- sized frame, this
would be very inconvenient.

SOME«OF OUR: LEADING BEEeKhERPERS.

a

“
0 il

ag
Yai

W. Z. HUTCHINSON.

= SSSR SSSs
REV. L. L. LANGSTROTH.

CHAS. F. MUTH.

O. M. BLANTON.

H. R. BOARDMAN.

P.

POISONOUS HONEY. Honey may
be poisonous in two ways. It may be poi-
sonous for human beings, and not for the
bees, or it may be poisonous to both bees
and humanity; in the latter case, it could
not well happen that we should suffer very
much, for the bees would die before they
could make any accumulation. It has been
reported that the honey from certain blos-
soms, such as the ailanthus, poisons the
bees, even before they can get away from
the tree; but, so far as I can learn, this is a
mistake,

The wild honey of the Southern States, in
many localities, is quite liable to produce
sickness, and, in some instances, this sick-
ness has been so sudden and violent as to
give good grounds for thinking that the
honey was obtained from poisonous flowers.
The following is from Feb. GLEANINGS,
for 1875:

Wherever the mountain laurel grows, the bees
are very fond of it, and laurel honey is not confined
to the wild bees, for the tame ones will also resort
to the flowers, and it is dangerous, for any one un-
able to detect the taste, to eat the honey. It hasa
highly poisonous effect, being an extremely dis-

tressing narcotic, varying in its effects in propor- |

tion to the quantity eaten. During the war, asa
surgeon in the Confederate army, and campaigning
a good deal in the Valley (as we call it), 1 had many
opportunities of witnessing its effects, and, on one

occasion, personal experience gave me the right to |

say that I know something about it, as well as your
correspondent. He says he only tasted it, but. not
being forewarned, or, rather, not being acquainted
with the taste of the ‘‘laurel honey,’’ I ate a small

quantity of it, and was prevented by the disagreea- |

ble taste from eating more. My comrades, equally

ignorant, and not quite so fastidious. indulged |

more freely, and consequerily suffered in propor-
tion. Ido not remember very distinctly the symp-
toms; but as nearly as I can recall them, my sensa-
tions were these: Some time after eating, a
queerish sensation of tingling all over, indistinct
vision, caused by dilation of the pupils, with an
empty, dizzy feeling about the head, and a horrible
nausea that would not relieve itself by vomiting.
Inmy case this lasted perhaps an hour; but my com-
panions were worse off, and complained of the
symptoms two or three hours. They, however, had
not eaten enough to suffer as much as I have seen
others. The first cases that 1 saw were entirely
overpowered by it, and their appearance was exact-
ly asif they were dead drunk, and I should certainly

have pronounced them so, had not their messmates
assured me to the contrary, and had I not discovered
that they were rational and sensible of their condi-
tion, as shown by their imperfect efforts to articu-
late. To speak technically, the innervation of all
the voluntary muscles was completely destroyed.
The use of the usual remedies, or antidotes for
narcotics, partially restored them in afew hours,
but the effects did not entirely wear off for two or
three days, and I was assured that fatal conse-
quences have been known to follow atoo free in-
dulgence in the sweet but treacherous product of
the *‘ models of industry.”

Where there is no mountain laurel to poison their
honey, the wild bees of Virginia can make as good
honey as any others. Of course, the quality of the
honey varies with the character of the flowers from
which it is made, and I have seen as good honey
from a bee-tree on the edge of a field of clover as
perhaps the bees of Hymettus ever made.

Halifax C. H., Va. J. GRAMMER, M. D.

POLLEN. Doubtless, you have all
heard bees humming about hollyhock blos-
soms, but perhaps most of you have passed
on, thinking that it was nothing strange,
for bees are always humming about flow-
ers. Suppose we stop just a minute, and
look into the matter a little. The bee, al-
though on the wing, is almost motionless as
he hovers about the dust in the center of
the flowers, and, by careful watching, we
may see that his tongue is extended to a con-
siderable length. This tongue looks much
like a delicate pencil-brush as he sweeps it
about among the grains of pollen; and as the
pollen adheres to it and is from time to time
put away somehow, we are led to infer that
there must be something adhesive on it. I
believe the bee, when he starts out to gather
pollen, does carry some honey if he finds some
in the blossom. Well, we will suppose he
has moistened his long, flexible. brush-like
tongue with honey, has spread it out and
brushed it among the pollen-grains and then
—I rather think I shall have to give you
some pictures before I can well explain to
you what happens next. See next page.

Fig. 1 is acollection of pollen-grains high-
ly magnified, and A is exactly the kind the
bee finds in the hollyhock. Fig. 2 is the
tongue of the bee, and Fig. 3is one of his
fore feet, just to show you what a funny ma-
chine he is provided with, for getting the pol-

i

POLLEN.

len off his tongue. There is a little blade, as |

it were, at B, that opens and shuts, and the
bee, when his tongue is well loaded, just
claps it into the grooved or fluted cavity, C,
then shuts down B, and gives his tongue a
‘*wipe,’’ so quickly that he leaves sleight-of-
hand performers all far in the shade. I be-
lieve he generally wipes his tongue with
both fore feet at once; and when he does
this, his appearance, viewed through a glass,
is comical in the extreme. Suppose you
were to take a feather duster, dip it in honey,
and then roll itin currants. It would bea
big job to pick these currants off, one ata
time; but if you should put the handle of the
duster in your mouth, you might, with the
thumb and forefinger of each hand, strip

them all off clean at one ‘‘lick,’? and then |

183

POLLEN.

You will see that, should he not, moisten.
the pollen into a kind of paste or dough, he
would never be able to make it stick in such
a place. Well, it does sometimes tumble
off, especially if he takes very heavy loads,
or has an inconvenient entrance into his
hive. I have seen quite a large heap of pol-
len, just in front of a hive, when the en-
trance was so badly arranged as to cause the
bee to scrape it off when going in. AH

| kinds of traps and rigging, to prevent the

your duster would be ready for another |

6b dip.”

but he has rather the advantage, for his
thumb and finger are fluted, or grooved, in .
the way I have explained, that he may be
able to sweep off his tongue “slick and
clean,” without hindrance. Now it is anoth-
er ‘‘ knack’? he has, of getting it into his
polien-baskets, after he gets it cff histongue. ,

HOW THE BEE GETS THE POLLEN FROM THE FLOWERS.

You are to bear in mind that a bee has 6

mechanical contrivance just de-
scribed; the last two, the pol-
len - baskets. They are called
baskets, but I never could see
much resemblance to a basket,
as they consist merely of a flat
place, or slight cavity, A, on the
side of the leg, and a few short,
stiff hairs to hold the pollen
A from tumbling off. The engrav-
ie ing will give you a good idea
POLLEN- Of it. Observe the pollen is car-
BASKET. ried in the upper joint of the leg.

legs; the first two legs have the |

This is just the way the bee does it; |

drones and queens from going out and in
with the workers, have been objectionable
on this very account.

Well, between the pollen-gathering legs
and the pollen-basket legs are another pxir.
These play a very important part in getting
the pollen into the pollen-baskets. With the
tongue, foreleg, and middle leg, the bee
pads up the pollen and honey until there is
quite a wad of it, and then, with a very pret-
ty sleight-of-hand, he carries this little cake,
searcely so large as the head of a small pin,

between the middle and fore leg, back to

the pollen basket. When in place, it is firm-
ly pressed into the basket, and then neatly
patted down, with the middle leg, much is

Wiese

i
a dextrous butter-woman gives her neit roils
the finishing taps. This motion seems to be
a sort of automatic movement; for the bee
is the while intently engaged, with tongue
and forefeet, in gathering more pollen from
the flowers. The operation may be wit-
nessed easily, by taking on your finger a bee
that is gathering propolis from some old -
quilt or hive. As he picks and pulls off bits
of wax with his mandibles, he will convey
them back to the pollen-basket much more
leisurely while he stands still, and you can
easily follow the whole proceeding. Even
on a cool day, when his motionsare sluggish,
you will be astonished at the wonderful

POLLEN.

celerity and swiftness with which these fun-
ny little legs move. When he has a load
that he deems sufficient, he spreads his wings
and soars aloft; but, if the field is a new
one, he will circle about and take his points,
returning again and again, that he may not
mistake where to come back, his plump lit-
tle load being plainly visible while he is on
the wing.

When he gets into the hive, if a young
bee, he has to go through with a series of re-
joicings—see BEES; but if a regular laborer,
he proceeds at once, or at least as soon as he
has had a breathing-spell (for carrying large
loads of pollen is like carrying a hod of brick
to the top of a three-story brick building), to
deposit the pollen in the cells. This is done
very quickly, by crossing his pollen - legs
while they are thrust to the bottom of the
cell, and then kicking the loads off, very like
the way in which our blue-eyed baby kicks
off her shoes, when she takes a notion to go
barefooted. After the load is off, he starts
out again, without paying any further at-
tention to the matter.
coming up to me, Does the bee that brings
the pollen never stop to pack it in the cells
or eliminate it for the young larve? I am
convinced that he usually does not; but
where the hive is deprived of young bees, I
think almost any bee can do this work. If
there are plenty of young bees in the hive,
he probably concludes he has nothing fur-
ther to do with it.

After the pollen is dropped in the cells, it
will fall out if the comb is turned over; and
when the maples are first out in the spring,
I have heard and seen the pollen rattle out
like shot, in turning the combs horizontally
to look at the queens. Very soon after the
pollen is thus deposited, the nursing - bees
come and mash it down into a hard cake; I
have not been able to discover how they do
this, unless it is done with the head. The
British Bee Journal for May, 1876, graphical-
ly describes the whole operation as follows:

The pollen-laden bee, upon entering the hive,
makes directly for the brood-nest, and where its
load is required, it quickly disencumbers itself.
Sometimes the nurse-bees are in want of the all-
necessary pollen, and nibble it from the legs of the
worker without ceremony; but more often the bee
goes to a cell devoted to pollen-storing, and hangs
by its first pair of legs to another cell immediately
above, and by the aid of its middle pair of legs it un-
loads its hindmost, and (as it were) kicks the balls
of pollen into the proper receptacle. Here they are
mixed with a little honey, and kneaded into a stiff
paste, which is then rammed hard against the bot-

om of the cell,’ for future use, the bee using its
head as a battering -ram; these operations are re-

184

The question “keeps.\«

POLLEN.

peated until the cell is almost filled with the knead
ed dough, when a little clear honey is placed on the
top, and it is sealed over and preserved as bee-
bread. If acell full of pollen be cut in two, longi-
tudinally, its contents will, as a rule, be found of
many colors, stratified, the strata of varied thick-
ness standing on edge, as if the bees, instead of stor-
ing bread, had stored pancakes.

The principal supply of pollen in our loeali-
ty is from maple in the spring, and from corn
in the latter part of summer and fall. Al-
most all flowers that yield honey yield pol-
len also, to a greater or less extent, and
when the bee comes in laden with the one,
he almost always has some of the other.®® The
red clover yields a peculiar dark-green pol-
len that pretty surely indicates when the
bees are gathering honey from it. They oft-
en get a considerable load of honey, with
but a very small one of pollen; but if you
did not notice very carefully, you would quite
likely declare that they had gathered no hon-
ey at all.

The pollen from corn is generally gather-
ed early in the morning; when it is first
coming into bloom, I have seen them start
“out in the fore part of the day, much as they
do for a buckwheat-field.

For further information in regard to the
offices of pollen in the hive, see BEES.

OF POLLEN FOR BROOD-

REARING.

We are interested about pollen, because
bees can not rear brood without either it,
or some substitute for it. Bees kept in
confinement, and fed on pure sugar and.
pure water, will thrive and void little
or no excrement; but as soon as pollen,
or food containing the farinaceous ele-
ment, is given them, their bodies will
become distended; and instead of a trans-

NECESSITY

parent fluid, they will void a fluid of a. ~

darkish tint, which will soil their hives, and
emit quite an unpleasant smell. I once kept
about 300 bees in a cage with a queen, and
gave them only pure sugar and water. They
built comb, and seemed quite contented, the
cage emitting no smell whatever. In order to
start brood-rearing, I gave them some sugar
candy containing flour, and they got uneasy
very soon, and tried in vain to get out. At

pleasant smell, and so they were allowed to -
fly; had the pollen element not been given
them, I presume they would have stood the.
confinement for a month or more. I once
wintered a fair colony of bees, on stores of
pure sugar syrup, and when they flew in the
spring there was no perceptible spot on the

white snow about their hives. They had no

this time the cage gave off quite an un-

eee + ae ee

ed

.
d

M

POLLEN.

pollen, and, of course, no brood - rearing
could go on without it. A few years ago,
I made some experiments with bees confined
in a large room under glass. As it was late
in the fall, after brood-rearing had ceased, I
did not know whether I should succeed in
starting them again. After feeding them
for about a week, eggs were found in the
cells, but none of them hatched into larve.
A heap of rye meal was placed in the center
of the room near the feed, and anxiously I
waited to see them take notice of it. After
several days, a bee was seen hovering curi-
ously about it. In breathless suspense I
watched him, until he finally began to dip
his tongue into the heap, and then to pad it
on his legs. He carried home a small load.
Thad the hive open, and the frame out, as
soon as he was among his comrades, and
watched the behavior of- the rest while he
shook himself among them, until he depos-
ited his treasure in a cell, and hurried away
for another load. Very shortly, some of the
rest followed him, and buzzed about the
room, until they found where he was loading
up, and soon they were at work on the meal,
as merrily as in the spring. Of course, the
eggs were very soon, now, transformed into
unsealed larve, then into capped brood, and,
in due time, I had young bees hatched out
in the month of December.

By warming the room with a stove for sev-
eral days in succession, I found I could start
brood-rearing and pollen-gathering even in
the month of January. It may be well to
state here, that although I succeeded in
rearing bees in midwinter, as strong and
healthy, apparently, as those raised in sum-
mer time, the experiment was hardly a suc-
cess after all; for about as many bees died
from what I suppose was the effect of con-
finement, as were hatched out. It was a de-
cided success, in determining many un-
known points in regard to bees, aside from

_ the office of pollen, and I presume, if it ever

_ up with an equal quantity of oats.

should be necessary, we could overcome the
difficulties of flying bees under glass.
ARTIFICIAL SUBSTITUTES FOR POLLEN.
It has been known for many years, that in
the spring time, bees will make use of the
flour or meal of many kinds of grain, and
many bee-keepers feed bushels of it every
season. The favorite grain seems to be rye;
and, as the bees are apt to fall into it and
sometimes get so covered as to perish, I have
been in the habit of having the rye ground
A great
many plans have been devised for feeding it
without waste; but, after all our experi-

185

POLLEN.

ments, a heap of meal on the ground seems
about as satisfactory as any way. Of course,
it should be protected from rain; and as
there is usually much high wind in the
spring, which is, to say the least, very an-
noying to the bees, it is well to have itina
spot sheltered as much as possible, always
aiming to give them as much sunshine as
may be. By way of experiment, I have con-
centrated the rays of the sun on the meal
heap, by mirrors, that the bees might work
on days otherwise too cold; I have also
made glass-covered structures for the pur-
pose ; and have even kept their meal hot by
means of a lamp nursery; all these plans
have succeeded, but I am inclined to doubt
whether stocks pushed along, in brood rear-
ing, by such means, were really in advance
of some that were left to take their chances.
It is amusing to see the little fellows start
from their hives on days so cold that they
would not otherwise stir out, hie to the
warm meal and load up, and then go home
so quickly that they do not have time to get
chilled.

Is there any danger of feeding them too
much meal? In our own apiary, I have ney-
er known them to take so much that it was
not used at once for brood - rearing; but I
purchased of a neighbor some hives which
contained flour in the cells, dried down so
hard as to make it necessary for the bees to
cut it out, comb and all, as the only means
of getting rid of it. I presume this came
about by the sudden appearance of natural
pollen, when they had laid in a pretty good
supply of the flour; it is well known, that
as soon as the natural pollen can be obtained,
they at once abandon all artificial substitutes.
I think there is but little danger of giving
them too much rye and oat meal, but I
would not risk giving them great quantities
of fine wheat flour.

Not a few of our readers have been per-
plexed and astonished, doubtless, by seeing
the bees,in early spring, greedily appro-
priating sawdust, just as they dorye meal. I
have seen them at the sawmills, so thick on
a large heap of fresh sawdust as to attract a
large crowd of people; and when I caught
them, and tasted of the pollen from their
legs, I was somewhat amazed to find it sweet
and very much like the pollen from the flow-
ers. I presume they had plenty of honey
but no pollen, and that these fine partieles
of wood contained enough of the nitrogen-
ous element to answer very well, mixed with
honey, as they have it, when packed in their
pollen-baskets. The pollen from green tim-

POLLEN.

ber contains an essential oil, besides some
gummy matter, that gives an odor doubtless
reminding the bees of the aroma of the open-
ing buds. Not only do they thus collect the
(to us) tasteless sawdust, but they have been
found at different times on a great variety
of substances. A friend in Michigan, at one
time found them loading up with the fine
-black earth of the swamps, and they have
been known to use even coal-dust; but the
strangest thing of all was told me by the
owner of a cheese-factory, near by. He said
the bees were one day observed hovering
over the shelves in the cheese-room, and, as
their numbers increased, they were found to
be packing on their legs the fine dust that
had accumulated from handling so much
cheese. Microscopic investigation showed
this dust to be embryo cheese-mites, so that
the bees had really been using animal food
as pollen, and living animals atthat. Ifone
might be allowed to theorize in the matter,
it would seem this should be a rare sub-

stance to crowd brood-rearing to its utter- |

most limit. As cheese can now be bought
here for 6 or §c. by the quantity, it might
not be so very expensive for bee-food after
all.

Bees can be taught to use a great variety
of articles of food in this way, when they are
in need of pollen, and therefore the story of
giving a hive of bees a roasted chicken, to
promote their comfort and welfare, may be
not entirely amyth. Ground malt, such as
is used in making beer, has been very highly
recommended in place of rye meal; but as I
have never succeeded in getting any of it, I
can not speak from practical experience.

THE AGENCY OF THE BEES IN FERTILIZING
PLANTS, BY MINGLING THE POLLEN.

This is too wide a subject to be discussed
at full length here, but I will give you afew
examples, to start you on the track. A per-
fect blossom contains both stamens and pis-
tils, the male and female organs of repro-
duction ; but sometimes we find flowers hav-
ing stamens only, and others having pistils
only; and these two blossoms may be borne
by the same plant or by different plants.

If lam correct, the plant is fertilized by
the pollen from the stamens falling on the
stigma at the summit of the pistil. Unless
this is done, the plant ripens no seed. Na-
ture has adopted a multitude of devices for
carrying this pollen from one blossom to the
other; but perhaps the most general, and the
one with which we have to do principally, is
the agency of the bees. Common corn is an
illustration of a class of plants that bear

186

POLLEN.

both kinds of blossoms on the same stalk.
The blossom that bears the seed is low down,
and is what we commonly term the silk of —
the ear. The one that bears the pollen is at
the very summit of the stalk, and the pollen,
when ripe, is shaken off and falls on the silk ~
below; or, what is still better, itis wafted
by the wind to the silk of the neighboring
stalks, thus preventing in-and-in breeding,
in a manner strikingly analagous to the way —
in which the drones fly out in the air, that —
the chances may be greatly in favor of their
meeting queens other than those from their —
own hives. You may object, that the silk
from the ear of corn is not properly a flower,
so I will give youa more striking instance.
The common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisce- —
folia, also sometimes called bitterweed, or
hogweed, bears two distinct and entirely
unlike flowers.

RAGWEED AND CORN, SHOWING THE TWO ©
KINDS OF BLOSSOMS ON ONE STALK.

On the ends of the tall racemes, as at B, ©

the pollen-bearing blossoms are seen very ~

conspicuously; and many of you who are fa- —
miliar with the weed, perhaps never imag-
ined that it had any other blossom at all: if
so, will you please go outdoors and take a —
look at them again? Right close to the main
stem, where the branches all start out, you —
will find a very pretty little flower, only that —
it possesses no color except green, and it is ©
here where ailthe seeds are borne, as you ~
will see on some of the branches where they —
are matured. Now, if you will get up early —
in the morning, you will find that these —
plants, when shaken, give off alittle cloud —
of fine green dust, and this is the pollen of
the plant. BeforeI knew whatit was, I used
to findit annoying on account of the way —
in which it soiled light clothing. As this
plant is in no way dependent on the bees for
the fertilization of its blossoms, they con-

es

POLLEN.

tain no honey, or at least I have never been
able to detect any ; although I have, during
two seasons, seen the bees quite busily en-
gaged gathering the pollen. It is said that
corn sometimes bears honey as well as pol-
len, although I have never been able to get
proof of it. These two plants, as I have be-
fore remarked, seem to insure crossing the
seed with other plants of the same variety,
by bearing the pollen-bearing flowers aloft,
on slender spines; also by furnishing a
great preponderance in numbers of these
blossoms, for precisely the same reason that
a thousand or more drones are reared to one
queen. A stalk that succeeds in pushing
itself above the others, and in bearing a pro-
fusion of pollen-flowers, will probably be the
father, so to speak, of a multitude of the ris-
ing generation, and this process, repeated
for generations, would develop just the ten-
deney of corn and ragweed, to shoot up tall
spires, clothed with an exuberance of the
pollen-bearing blossoms. As the plants that
give the greatest distance on the stalk be-
tween the lower, or seed-blossoms, and the
upper ones, are most likely to shed the pol-
len on neighboring plants, this, too, fosters
the tendency mentioned.

But, what shall the great multitude of
plants do, that have no tall spines with
which to shake their pollen to the breezes?
Here is where the bees come in, and fulfil
their allotted task, in the work of animal
and vegetable life. They would, it is true,
visit many plants for the pollen alone, but
with by far the greater part of them, the
pollen is only a secondary consideration, or
not sought for at all. In vieing with each
other, or, in the strife to perpetuate their
species, what shall the plant do to offer the
greatest attraction to the bees to visit them,
and carry the precious pollen to the neigh-
boring blossoms, for the purpose we have
mentioned? Suppose we wish to gather a
group of school-children about us, what will
be the surest and most effectual method of do-
ing it? Coax them with candy, maple sugar,
and the like, of course; and that is just what
the plant does; or it does still more, for it
ransacks its storehouse, and, I dare say,
sends its roots abroad through the soil, with
untiring efforts, to steal a more delicious
and enticing nectar, more wonderfully ex-
quisite than even the purest and most trans-
parent maple-sugar syrup ever distilled, or

‘*boiled bown,” by the skill of man, for the
sole purpose of coaxing the bees to come and |
/honey is secreted in the spur to the flow-

dust themselves in their precious pollen, or
to bring from some other blossom the pol-

187

POLLEN.

len they have previously been dusted with.
Now, this honey is precious, and it must tax
the plant to its utmost to produce it. Nature,
therefore, who is a most careful economist,
not only deals it out in small doses, but she
places it in the most cunning nooks and cor-
ners, that the bee may be obliged to twist
himself into all possible shapes, around and
among the stamens, until the pollen is most
surely dusted all over him. Observe, that
the flower secretes no honey until the pol-
len is ripe, and ready todo its work; that
the honey slowly exudes into the nectaries,
that the bees may be kept coming and lick-
ing it out every hour in the day; and that
the flow of honey ceases just as soon as the
pollen is ripened and gone. <A lady has sug-
gested a beautiful experiment, to determine
the amount of honey yielded by the spider
flower, Cleome. She tied lace over the stalk,
to keep away the bees that were constantly
visiting it. The honey collected in quite a
large drop. I presume we could measure
the amount with many other plants ina
similar way. The little cups on the flower
of the Fiaworrt, I have seen full to the brim
with honey, when found standing alone out
in the woods. Truly:
“Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”

Did you ever remark the spot of fur or
down on the back of the bee, just between
the wings? Well, bee -hunters sometimes
put a small drop of white paint on this spot,
that they may know a bee when he comes
back. Several years ago bees were going
into many of the hives, with a spot of white
on this fur that looked, at first sight, al-
most like white paint. For several seasons
in succession I hunted in vain to see where
they got this white spot. At one time it
seemed to come from working on thistles;
but I was obliged to give this up, for I found
it most on the bees one season when they
did not notice thistles at all. One swarm of
beautiful Italians had filled their hive nice-
ly in Sept., and almost every bee had a
white back. I lined them from the hive,
and followed them. They went toward a
large piece of wild woodland, and I scanned

ithe tops of the trees in vain; finally, over

between the hills, beside a brook, I found
acres of the wild touch-me-not (Impatiens),
the same plant that we have often played
with in childhood, because the queer little
seed-pods will snap all to pieces when ripe,
if they are touched ever so carefully. The

er, shown next page at B,

POLLEN.

FLOWER OF

THE WILD
SHOWING THE WAY THE BEE GETS
THE POLLEN ON HIS BACK.

TOUCH-ME-NOT,

The bee can reach this only by diving
down into it almost out of sight; and when
the coveted treasure is obtained he backs
out with a ludicrous kicking and sprawling
of his legs, and in so doing the down on his
back is ruffled up the wrong way. Now,
this would be pretty certain to get the pol-
-len dusted all over him; but nature, to make
sure, has planted a little tuft that bears the
pollen just on the upper side of the entrance
to the flower, at A, and, in his struggles to
get out, the white pollen is brushed all over
his back most effectually, to be carried to
the next flower, and so on.

A year or two after this, I took a friend of
mine to the spot to show him my wonderful
discovery; but, lo and behold! the sharp-
witted Italians had taken a short cut to the
honey by biting through the spur, and in-
serting their tongues, without the laborious
operation of crowding down into the flower.
I really can not say how many years it will
take the plant to discover that it is secret-
ing the honey in that little spur in vain, or
whether it will, for self - preservation, make
the spur so thick and hard that the bees can
not bite through it, or put the honey some-
where else, or do some other way. It seems
very certain, that it must soon become ex-
tinct, unless something is done; for not a
seed can mature so long asthe bees bite
through, instead of pushing past the pollen
as they have formerly done.

But will there really be no seed, unless the
bees visit the blossoms? I will give you
some well - known facts, and leave you to
judge.

Common red clover was, a few years: ago,
introduced to Australia, and it made a most
excellent growth in that warm rich soil,
but not a bit of seed could they raise. Aft-
er trying in vain, it was suggested that
bumble-bees were required to fertilize the
blossoms. Some nests were accordingly
shipped from the New-England States, and
the result was perfectly satisfactory; for
seed was raised then, without trouble. I

188

POLLEN.

presume a few colonies of Italian bees would
have answered equally well; but as bad luck
has attended their efforts at importing, I do
not know that the experiment of substi-
tuting Italians for the bumble-bees has yet
been tried. Darwin noticed, long ago, that
bumble-bees were necessary for a good crop
of clover seed, and suggested the following
reason why better clover seed could be
raised in the vicinity of towns than else-
where. The greatest enemy of the bumble-
bee is the field-mouse, that preys upon their
nests; therefore, if the mice are kept at
bay, the bumble-bees will flourish. In the
vicinity of towns more cats are kept than
in the country, for every family, generally,
keeps a cat, and some fearless individual
has gone so far as to suggest that a town
which contains an unusual number of maid-
en ladies, who are said to favor cats especial-
ly, will prove the most profitable neighbor-
hood for raising clover seed. ;

A few years ago, the people in some part
of Mass. got an idea that the bees, which
were kept there in large numbers, were in
some way prejudicial to the fruit; after
some controversy, the bees were banished
from the town. In a year or two they found
the fruit not only no better, but decidedly
the reverse; for the trees blossomed pro-
fusely but bore no crops. By a unanimous
request, our friend was persuaded to return
with his bees, and since then the trees have
not only blossomed, but have borne fruit in
profusion. Itis well known to those who
raise the earliest cherries, that unless the sun
comes out, when they are in bloom, long
enough to allow the bees to visit the blos-
soms, no fruit will be produced. As the
very earliest varieties blossom before the
weather has really got settled and warm,
this is one great drawback to their culture.

The Catawba is a very desirable variety of
grape, as is also the Delaware; but the for-
mer is very late, and the latter very small.
Dr. Grant originated the Iona by fertilizing
the blossoms of the one with the pollen of
the? other; but in his first attempts he fail-
ed repeatedly, because the bees were sure to
upset all his experiments by their intermed-
dling.*° When he thought of the idea of
covering the flowers from which he wished |
to produce the hybrid seed with lace, or
something of a similar nature, to keep the
bees away, he succeeded at once, and we
now have the Iona, as the result, a grape
that is just about half way between the Del-
aware and Catawba, having very distinctly
the flavor of each,

POLLEN.

Throughout the animal and vegetable
kingdoms there seems to be a constant strug-
gle for the perpetuation of their species,
which is secured only by ripening perfect
seeds. Notice how the weeds in our garden
will struggle and fight, as it were, to geta
foot-hold until they can get a crop of seeds
ripened, and then remark the numerous
ways they adopt to scatter this seed as
widely as possible. If the plants were
animated beings, we might almost call it
tricks and sharp practice; some of the seeds
have wings, and fly like grasshoppers; oth-
ers have hooks, and catch on our clothing,
and on the fur of different animals, in the
hope of being carried to some spot where
they may have a more favorable place to
germinate. Fruits and berries, instead of

clothing themselves in the sober green of |

the foliage surrounding them, when the
seeds are fully ripened affect scarlet red and
other bright colors, and, sometimes, fancy
stripes, just to induce the birds to take them
in preference to the fruit of other trees.
Why do they want their fruits to be eaten
by the birds, if it is their purpose to se-
cure a place for their seed? Well, if you
examine, you will find that the seed is en-
cased in a horny shell that is proof against
the digestive organs of the bird, and these
seeds and stones are, therefore, voided fre-
quently, if not invariably, while on the wing,
in just the condition to take root in the
soil wherever they may be cast. Bear this
in mind while we go back a little to the bees
and flowers.

I have suggested that the honey is placed
in the flowers to attract the bees; aftera
bee has found honey in one flower, he will
be very likely to examine others of a similar
_kind or appearance. If the flowers were all
green, like the leaves of the plant, the insects
would find much more trouble in hunting
them up than they now do, because the
contrasting color, such as the white or red
of the clovers, makes them conspicuous.
If you look back to what I said about corn
and ragweed, you will see that the flowers
of both are a plain green, for they have no
need of bees to insure their fertilization.

It is easily proven, that bees have a sort of
telescopic vision that enables them to per-
- ceive objects at long distances ; when a bee
starts out in the morning, he circles up
aloft, then takes a view, and starts out for
business. If one field of clover should be
more conspicuous than the rest, he would
probably give it the preference—at least, so
far as to make an examination. If he has

189

POLLEN.

been at work ona profitable feld the day
before, he will, doubtless, strike for it again
without any preamble. That bees look for
honey, and hunt it out, I have proven to my
full satisfaction; and Iam well convinced
that what is often called instinct, and al-
lowed to drop there, is only profiting by ex-
perience, and an excellent memory. of past
events, much in the same way human beings
do. We say that bees instinctively go to the
flowers for honey; I have watched them in
the spring when the blossoms first open,
and many of them, very likely the young
bees, that have never before seen a blossom,
will examine the leaves, branches, and even
rough wood, of the trunk of the tree, intent-
ly smelling and sniffing at every part, until
he finds just where the coveted treasure is
located. After he has dived deep into one
blossom, and tasted the nectar, he knows
pretty well where to look next.

One afternoon the door of the honey-house
was left open, and the bees were doing a
‘‘ Jand-office”’ business, before the mischief
was stopped. After closing the door until
they had clustered on the windows in the.
room, it was opened, and the process re-
peated until all were out; but, all the rest of
the afternoon they were hovering about the
door. Toward night they gradually disap-
peared; and when I went down, about sun-
down, to try a new feeder, not a bee was near
the door. I put the feeder in front of a hive
where the bees were clustered out; and as
soon as a few bees had got a taste, and filled
themselves, they of course went into the
hive to unload. I expected a lot to come
out, as soon as these entered with their pre-
cious loads, but was much astonished to see
a regular stampede come tumbling out, as if
they were going to swarm, and still more
when they rushed right past the feeder and
took wing for— where do you suppose ? the
honey-house door, of course. How should
they reason otherwise, than that it had again
been left open, and that was where these in-
comers had found their rich loads? On find-
ing it closed, back to the hive they came, to
repeat the manceuvre over and over again.**

START BEES AT WORK ON RYE

MEAL.

A beginner hears the feeding of oatmeal
highly recommended as a substitute for pol-
len. He places some near the entrances of
the hives, but not a bee touches it. He is
told again to wait until early spring, before
the bees have access to natural pollen, and
then they will take it. He does so, but, as
before, not a bee notices it. He is next told

HOW TO

POLLEN.

to put a heap of it in the sun, a few rods dis-
tant from the hives. This time he may suc-
ceed; but it would not be strange if he
should once more report that his bees would
have nothing to do with it. Finally he is
directed to take a piece of honey, and get
some bees to feeding on it, then to set it on
the heap of meal. The bees soon gather
over it in great numbers; those who go
home loaded start out many more searching
all about the vicinity, to see where the trea-
sure comes from. The hum of the busy ones
on the honey soon attracts them, and, in
snuffing about the pile of meal, some bee dis-
covers that it can be used as a substitute for
pollen; the others soon follow suit, and, in
a little time, both the bees and their owner
are happy, and the pile of meal quickly dis-
appears. After this he never has any more
trouble in getting the bees to work on meal,
for he knows how. The bees and their own-
er have both learned a valuable lesson about
pollen. Is there any very great difference
in the way they have been taught? Did
they not both learn by practical experiment?

The touch-me-not has learned, by ages of
experiment, to produce a bright orange flow-
er, to secrete honey in the spur, to place the
pollen-bearing stamens at the point where
the bee must rub against them in getting
the honey, to construct those wonderful seed-
pods, which explode and seatter the seed far
and wide, just that it may reproduce and
multiply its species. I should judge it had
succeeded pretty well in a waste piece of
woodland near my home, for there are now
acres of it as high as one’s head, and it is
quite a valuable acquisition to our apiary.®’
As near asIcan make out, the plant has
much increased since the advent of the Ital-
ians, as might be expected; and instead of
having a dearth of pasturage for several
months in the fall of the year, we not only
have honey enough so that the bees trouble
the houses and groceries very little, but they
amass sufficient stores to carry them through
the winter, with little if any feeding. This
is true of dandelions as well; and the large,
brilliant, showy blossoms that now line our
roadsides and waste-places, instead of un-
sightly weeds, should remind one of how
much an apiary of bees contributes to fulfill
the words of sacred prophecy:

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad
for them ; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom
as the rose.—Isaiah 35: 1.

Now, I can not positively affirm that the
flowers were given their gaudy colors by the
bees’ selecting the brightest and most con-

190

POLLEN.

spicuous, thereby inducing such{blossoms to
bear seed in preference to those less gaudily
attired, neither do I know that cherries be-
came red because the birds selected those
that showed a disposition to that color,
year after year, for many centuries; nor
can I prove that the bright plumage of male
birds came about in the course of time, sim-
ply because the female encouraged the at-
tentions of and showed a preference for
those most handsome. I can only suggest
that the actions of birds, bees, flowers, and
fruits, seem to point that way. You all
know how quickly we can get fancy-colored
flowers, yellow queen-bees, or birds of al-
most any shade or color, by careful selection
for several generations. Have not the bees
so colored the flowers, and birds the berries,
ete., although they did it all unconsciously ?

My friend, before you again complain be-
cause you have found a cell or two of bee-
bread in your comb honey, would you not
better ponder on the wonderful agency which
those simple grains of pollen exert on the
plant life thatis yet to come, years, per-
haps, after we have faded away and gone?
POLLEN IN SECTION BOXES AND COMB

HONEY.

I do not mean to convey the idea that we
should be satisfied with pollen in our honey,
for avery good and useful thing is some-
times a very bad one, if out of place. When -
pollen or meal is brought into the hive, it is
taken, at once, very near to the brood; in
fact, it is placed inthe comb opposite, if
possible. When opening hives in the spring,
we find pollen scattered all through the
brood-combs to some extent; but the two
combs next to the two outside brood-combs
are often a solid mass of pollen. Should a
few stormy days intervene, however, this
will disappear so quickly that one who has
not witnessed the rapidity with which it is
used in brood-rearing would not know how
to account for it. When it is gone, of
course the brood rearing must cease,
although the queen may continue to lay.
The amount of brood that may be reared by
keeping a stock supplied with pollen artifi-
cially, during such unfavorable weather, is a
very important item, where rapid increase
of stock is desired.

Using the candy slabs with 1-4 or 1-5
wheat flour is, perhaps, the surest way of
doing this. See CANDY FOR BEEs.

Afriend has a house-apiary, where the
combs are pretty deep, and no upper story
is used. His comb honey was all secured in
frames containing sections at the side of the

PORTICO FOR HIVES.

brood. When asked if the bees did not de-
posit pollen in the sections when used in
that way he replied, ‘‘ Not if acomb is in-
terposed between the brood and the hon-
ey.” This is because they always want the
pollen next the brood. Now, we can get
moxe comb honey by having it near the
brood than in any other way ; what shall we
do to keep out the pollen, and to keep the
queen from laying eggs in our surplus-honey
sections? The remedy I have adopted, and
advised through this work, is the use of the
tin separators, with the small 1-lb. section
boxes; for it is well known that the queen
is averse to using small pieces of comb, or
comb near much wood. In our own apiary,
I have never known the queen to deposit
eggs in these sections, when thus prepared,
even if they are placed next the brood-
combs; but others have written that they
are, at times, filled with both brood and pol-
len, even when thus prepared. If I could
see the hives, I think I could find the trou-
ble, yet there may be exceptional cases. The
frames or sections used in the lower story
are more likely to be filled with pollen than
those in the upper story; for if the wide
frames and sections are so made that but
about 4-inch space is left for the bees to go
up into them, the queen is very unlikely to
attempt to go up. An occasional cell of
pollen will sometimes be found, which I re-
gret the more, because such combs are much
more likely to contain worms, if taken out
in warm weather. If it were not for this
small, accidental quantity of pollen, I am
not sure we would ever find worms in the
comb honey. See BEE-MOTH.

PORTICO FOR HIVES. Although
no one has ever given a satisfactory reason
for encumbering a hive with a _ portico,
that we know of, still there are many
who can not be satisfied without them.
One of our neighbors says they make a com-
fortable shade for the bees when hanging on
the outside of the hive; very likely he is
right, and we do not know that we care to
argue the matter with him, but we should
prefer making the bees comfortable on the
inside of their hive, where they might be en-
gaged in some such pastime as building
comb, ete. If the portico is to be added for
ornament, we would make one that would
be ornamental, and would put it only on the
hives in the front yard, or those in a central
or conspicuous part of the apiary, but would
by no means think of encumbering the whole
of them, upper stories and all, with such an
unwieldy appendage. The Simplicity hive

191

PROPOLIS.

is for real work, and occupies just the small-
est amount of space possible, consistent
with this end; and if we are going to
make it ornamental, it should be by adding
something that can be taken off whenever
occasion demands. To this end I have de-
vised the portico shown below.

PORTICO, DETACHABLE.
The top and sides are made of a strip of ¢
pine sawed nearly through and bent where
the angles come, thus giving us neat joints

at asmall expense. The scroll-work under-
neath, to which the above is nailed, can be
sawed from a ¢ board by almost any of the
seroll-sawing machines that are now in such
common use. The whole is attached to the
front of the hive by a couple of screws.
When it is kept free from spiders’ webs, and
nicely painted, I confess that the bees walk-
ing about their doorway underneath, present
a very pretty appearance. When dust or
webs accumulate, the screws may be turned
partly to allow of its being taken off, and
thoroughly brushed, or even washed if need
be. Nothing can be considered ornamental
about an apiary, that is not neat and tidy.
These porticos can be well made and neatly
painted, for about 25 cents. See page 108.

PROPOLIS. This is the gum or var-
nish that bees collect for varnishing over

‘the inside of their hives, filling cracks and

crevices, cementing loose pieces of the hive
together, and for making things fast and
close generally. It collects, in time, on old
hives and combs, so as to add very material-
ly to their weight. It is not generally gath-
ered in any great quantity until at the close
of the season, and it seems to be collected
in response to a kind of instinct that bids
them prepare for cold weather. I wish I
were able to tell you more definitely where
they get it; it has been suggested that it is
collected from the resinous buds of the balm-
of-gilead, and trees of a like nature; but to
tell the truth, I do not know that I ever saw
bees collecting fresh propolis at all.©° I see
them almost every day, collecting propolis
from old hives, old quilts, and pieces of
refuse wax, when we are so wasteful and
untidy as to leave any suchscattered about.
That the principal part of it comes from

PROPOLIS. 19

some particular plant or class of plants, or
tree, Iam pretty well satisfied, for almost
the same aromatic resinous flavor is notice-
able, no matter what the locality, or season
of the year. Bees gather propolis with their
mandibles, and pack and carry it precisely
as they do pollen. It is never packed in the
cells, however, but is applied at once to the
place wanted. Itis often mixed with wax,
to strengthen their combs, and is applied to
the cells as a varnish, for the same purpose.
In the absence of a natural supply, the bees
frequently resort to various substances, such

as paints, varnishes, resins, pitch, and the)

like; and the superstition, popular in some
sections, that bees follow their owner to the
grave, after his death, probably obtained
credence from seeing the bees at work on
the varnish of the coffin.
the trouble of waxing up the crevices in
their hives, it has been suggested that a
mixture of melted wax and resin be poured
into the hive and made to flow along the
cracks and corners. This may do very well,
although I fancy the bees can do this better
and cheaper than we can. Our principal
trouble has been to get rid of the surplus
propolis, and I would much rather hear of
some invention to keep it out of the way,
than to add more.

It has been recently suggested, that we
paint our hives both inside and out, and
also the frames, except where we wish to
have the comb attached. From what ex-
perience I have had with painted bottom-
boards, I am inclined to favor the idea, for,
even if propolis is attached to the paint, it
cleaves off much more readily than from
the plain wood. By keeping the surface on
any wood-work on the inside of the hives

well oiled, or even rubbed with tallow, we |

may almost entirely prevent the accumula-
tion of propolis. Many inventors of hives,
and arrangements to be used inside of hives,
seem utterly oblivious of the fact that eve-

ry thing, in the course of time, is not only |

waxed over with this gum, but all holes,
cracks, and interstices, where the bee can
not crawl, are filled and covered up with
it. Many new arrangements work nicely
the first season, but after a year or two
more are so clogged and fastened up as to
be utterly impracticable.
is the great hindrance to all closed - top or
closed-end frames for brood-combs, to the
old - fashioned honey - boards, to all sorts of
slides and hinges, or to any thing else about
a hive that is to move like machinery. On
account of the troubles with propolis, I have

To save the bees |

It is propolis that |

2 PROPOLIS.

advised a plain, simple box for both the
chaff and Simplicity hives; and for the same
reasons, principally, I prefer to use the met-
al-cornered frames. It is all very well, to
talk about keeping the propolis out of the
joints and connections; but in our locality,
in the fall of the year, we often have it in
such quantities that it runs, during a hot
day, like molasses, all through every part
of the hive, at times, making one’s fingers
stick to the utensils so it is almost impossi-
ble to lay them down when we would. With
the ordinary wood top-bars to the frames,
when the supporting-arms are removed from
the rabbets, the propolis will run down so
that, when the frame is put back, it is bed-
ded almost as nicely as if it were laidin glue.
Should the weather be cool when next your
hive is opened, the frame must be pried
up with a snap, that is not at all according
to the liking of our bees, the most of them,
even if they are pure Italians. To obviate
this, I believe the metal rabbet, or, at least,
a strip of hoop iron, is now in general use;
but the bees will, in time, wax a wood sup-
porting-arm pretty firmly, even to this; be-
sides, there isan almost constant liability of
cutting bees in two when the frames are
put in place. I know of no way of working
safely and rapidly, except with the knife-
edge supports which the metal corners give ;
yet I know a great many do not like them.
In using the wood top-bars, I should always
carry a small screw-driver in my pocket,

| with which to pry things loose about the

hive.

HOW TO KEEP PROPOLIS
HONEY.

Of course, the readiest means is to remove
all sections just as soon as a single one is
capped over; and, as but little propolis is
gathered during a strong yield of honey,
but little will be found on the honey, unless
itis left until the yield has ceased. The
bees not only cover all the wood-work of the
sections if left on too long, but they also
varnish over the whole surface of the white

FROM SURPLUS

capping, almost spoiling the looks and sale
| of the honey. Wecan keep it from the wood

by having every part of the sections cov-
ered, when in the hive, except the inner
sides where the combs are attached. Our
frames for section boxes, as described, do
this effectually.

HOW TO REMOVE PROPOLIS FROM THE FIN-
GERS.

A variety of substances have been sug-
gested. Alcohol is perhaps the neatest, but
is rather expensive; benzine answers near-

———— <<< = UC Uh eer rr hh

PROPOLIS.

ly as well, but has an objectionable odor;
soap will answer, if a little lard be rubbed
on the hands first, but will have little effect
on it otherwise. A friend down South says

he has a pair of light cotton gloves, which |

he slips on when handling the waxy frames,
and his hands are left clean whenever he is
obliged to stop work. For removing it

from glass, ete., aleohol is perhaps best. |

When we have much glass soiled, it can
often be cleaned most expeditiously by boil-
ing it in a kettle of water with a quantity of
wood ashes.

DO THE BEES NEED PROPOLIS?

Much discussion has arisen in regard to
the habit of the bees, of making all openings
tight with propolis. Theory says, if allowed
to follow his bent, or instinct, he will
smother himself to death. Practice says,
he does, at least at times, so prevent the es-
cape of moisture, that his home gets damp
and wet, filled with icicles, etc., so that he
suffers; or, at least, such is the case in the
hives we have provided for him. Who is
right—the bee or the enlightened bee-keep-
er? Well, [think the greater part of the
fault lies in the hive we have given him.
The enameled cloth which I have lately been
using for covering bees is as impervious to
air and moisture as the propolis he collects
with so much pains and trouble. If the
outside of this is allowed to get frosty, it
will, most assuredly, condense the breath of
the bees on the inside; and if the outside is
but thinly protected from the weather, ici-
cles will certainly form on the inside, and
freeze the bees allfast inalump. NowlI
would have no fear at all in having the bees
wax up every thing as tight as they wished,

DRONE.

19

3 PROPOLIS.

if I could have their winter apartment made
so small that they completely filled it—filled
it so full, indeed, as to be crowded out at
the entrance, unless in very cold weather—
and have the entire outside protected with
some non-conductor that would enable the
bees to keep the inner walls warm at all
times, and I think we should have no damp-
ness. With chaff packing and chaff cush-
ions, I have succeeded so well that I am
perfectly willing the little fellows shall tix
up just as snug for winter as their instinct
prompts them to do.

VALUE OF PROPOLIS.

Although this gum has been used to some
extent in medicine, I believe it possesses no
particular value over burgundy pitch and
other cheap gum resins.

REMOVING WAX AND PROPOLIS BY STEAM.

A friend sends us the following, which
will prove very serviceable when one has a
steam-boiler convenient.

I have tried all the formulas for cleaning wax
from utensils, and, in my experience, have found
that concentrated lye cleans it off faster and more
thoroughly than any thing else. All the methods are
troublesome, and it takes time to clean, especially
the perforations. My plan of cleaning wax from the
perforated basket of the wax-extractor is, 10 have
two pieces of gas-pipe, cach one foot long, just large
enough to screw into the sprinkler of the fountain
pump. Attach the sprinkler to one end of the pipe,
procure a globe valve, and screw this on the other
end, screw one end of the other piece of pipe on the
globe valve, and the other end into the steam-boiler,
about one or two inches below the water line. Open
the valve, and spray the articles covered with wax,
with steam and hot water. You will be astonished
to find how quickly it makes things look like new.

St. Gabrielle, La., Aug. 8,’79. J. A. PRITCHARD.

WORKER.

Pe a ae ~~. COT =. a — os we a ee ~, =e ee ee ee ee ee, es eee ee ee ee Oe ge oe ree

‘AAUMUNL ‘OUMANALNON ‘ANOLLLAO NI AUVIdV NV

Q.

QUEENS. The most important person-
age in the hive is the queen, or mother-bee.
She is called the mother-bee because she is,
in reality, the mother of all the bees in the
hive. So much has already been said of
queens, in ARTIFICIALSWARMING, DRONES,
and QUEEN-REARING, that I presume our
A BCeclass are already pretty well acquaint-
ed with her majesty, as she is frequently
designated.

If you deprive a colony of their queen, the
bees will set to work and raise another, so
long as they have any worker-larve in the
hive with which to doit. This is the rule,
but there are some exceptions: the excep-
tions are so few, however, that it is safe to
assume that a queen of some kind is present
in the hive, whenever they refuse to start
queen-cells from larve of a proper age. :

What do I mean by a queen of some kind?
Well, I shall have to tell you that bees, es-
pecially when deprived of their queens un-
naturally, and broken up into small colonies
or nuclei, as beginners are very apt to have
them, in order to raise a queen, often ‘select
a worker-tarva so old that the queen raised
fron it is about half worker and half queen.

IMPERFECTLY DEVELOPED QUEENS.

Such queens are small, usually dark in col-
or, and will sometimes become fertilized, and
lay eggs for a little while (all the way from
a week to several months), but they are nev-
er profitable. Sometimes they will not lay
at all, but will remain in a colony all through
the season, neither doing any good nor per-
mitting any other queen to be either intro-
duced or reared. A wingless queen, or one
with bad wings, will produce the same re-
sult. The remedy is to hunt them out and
remove them. Where they are so near like
a worker-bee as to make it hard to distin-
guish them, they may often be detected by
the peculiar behavior of the bees toward
them. See INTRODUCING QUEENS.

So far as Ihave been able to make out,
these half-worker queens are the result of
trying to raise a queen when there are too

few bees, or when the larvee with which they
are obliged to rear a queen are too old ; that
is, too nearly ready to sealup. Where they
can do no better, they will undertake to rear
a queen froma larva only one day before
sealing up; it will be, at this age, almost full
size, being 8 days from the time the egg was
laid. They enlarge the cell, dose it with the
royal jelly, and from that time onward it
has the care given a queen from the egg. I
have watched such queens when they first
came from the cell, and some of them were
little, if any, different from a common work-
er; others would have the body a little more
elongated, and a peculiar taper, or slimness,
that, toa practiced eye, invariably distin-
guishes the queen from the worker.

HOW A WORKER-EGG IS MADE TO PRODUCE

A QUEEN.

This is a question often asked, and it is
one that puzzles me about as much to an-
swer, as any question a visitor can ask. I
cannot promise to tell you all about it, but I
will tell you allI know about it. We will
first get a frame of eggs, as we did in study-
ing Brsgs, but we will vary the experiment
by putting it in a colony having no queen.
The minute eggs will hatch into larve as be-
fore, but about as soon as they begin to
hatch, if you look carefully you will see
some of the cells supplied with a greater
profusion of the milky food than others.
Later, these cells will begin to be enlarged,
and soon atthe expense of the adjoining
ones. These are queen-cells, and they are
something like the cup of an acorn in shape,
and usually occupy about the space of three
ordinary cells. In the drawing given, you
will see cells in different stages of growth.

At A, is a cell just being converted into a
queen-cell; at B, one where the thin walls
are extended so as to form a queen-cell prop-
er, almost ready to seal up; at C,a cell just
sealed. This occurs at just about 9 days
from the time the egg was laid. In 7 days
more, 16 days in all from the time the egg
was laid, the queen will hatch out, a perfect

QUEENS.

insect. Now bear in mind exactly what I
say, or you will get confused. If, instead of
eggs, larvie 3 days old are given the bees, they
will rear a queen, and, in this case, she will
hatch in only 10 days after the larve were
given them. These 10-day queens may be
just as good as any; but to be on the safe
side, I would prefer giving them larve one
or two days younger, that they might have
the benefit of this excess of food and larger
cell, during the whole of their larval period.
The 6-day larve are quite large fellows, as
you will see by the cut under the head of
BEES.

?

I

HN i

There are some queer things about queen-
cells, as you will notice. After the cell is
sealed, they go and put a great excess of
wax on it, give it a long tapering point, and
corrugate the sides something like a thim-
ble, as shown at C. This corrugation, or
roughness, when closely examined, will be
seen to be honey-comb on a very small scale.
Now right here is a point that you will not
fail to observe: Bees, like other folks, some-
times make mistakes ; for they do not seem
to know any better than to use a drone-lar-
va for rearing a queen, if, such happens to
be present. Therefore, when selecting eggs
for this purpose, be sure you do not give
them any contained in drone comb. They
will goright on, and dose the poor drone
with the royal jelly, but the poor fellow usu-
ally dies before it is time to hatch out, and
then the bees and their owner wait in vain
for the cell to hatch. It has been reported
of late, that the inmate of such a cell some-
times hatches, but he is only a drone, even
then, and nota queen. Well, Iam glad to
be able to tell you that you never need waste
time on this kind of cells, for the bees have
a way of marking them, unconsciously, it
would seem, too. Queen - cells containing

* Once in a great while there is an exception to
even this rule: it is when the bees build an unusual-
ly large queen-cell with corrugatious sv large and
fanciful that it is really miniature honey-comb over
the surface of the queen-cell. The only reason I
can suggest for this is, that it is because they are
out of work, and want something to do.

196

QUEENS.

drone - larvee are always smooth, having no
corrugation, so you can always detect and
remove them before valuable time is wasted.
We have pictured one at D.

Now, it is very handy to be able to tell
about when any queen-cells you may happen
to find unexpectedly will be likely to hatch ;
and the bees are very accommodating in this
respect also; for, about the day before the
queen hatches, or it may be two days, they
go and tear down this long peak of wax on
the tip of the cell, and leave only a very thin
covering, as shown at E. I do not know
what this is for, unless it is because they are
anxious to get a peep at their new mother.
It has been said, they do it that she may be
better able to pierce the capping; but some-
times they omit the proceeding entirely,
and I have not been able to see that she has
any difliculty in cutting the cap off. If the
cell is built on new comb, or on a sheet of
fdn., and it be held up before a strong light,
at about the 15th day, or a little later, you
will see the queen moving about in the cell.
A little later, by listening carefully, you can
hear her gnawing her way out. Pretty soon
the points of her sharp and powerful mandi-
bles will be seen protruding, as she bites out
a narrow line. Since she turns her body in

a circle while doing this, she cuts out a cir-
| ele so true that it often looks as if cut out

by a pair of compasses. Now observe, that

| the substance of which the cell is made is

tough and leathery, and, therefore, before
she gets clear around her cirele, the piece
springs out in response to her pushing, and
opens just about as the lid of a coffee-pot
would, if a kitten should happen to be inside
crowding against the lid. I have often seen

_ them push the door open and look out, with

as much apparent curiosity as a child exhib-
its when it first creeps to the door on a sum-
mer morning: often, after taking this look,
they will back down into their cradle, and
stay some time. This is especially the case
when other queens are hatching, and there
is a strife as to who will be the reigning soy-
ereign.

We shall have to go back a little, and con-
sider this strange substance called

ROYAL JELLY.

The milky food before described, which is
given to the young larve, and which is sup-
posed to be a mixture of pollen and honey
partially digested, is very similar, if not
identical, in composition with the royal jel-
ly. The bees are not the only examples in
the animal kingdom, where the food is taken
into the stomach by the parent, and, after a
partial digestion, is thrown up for the use of —

QUEENS.

the offspring. Pigeons feed their young
precisely in this way, until they are able to
digest the food for themselves. It has been
stated that bees use a coarser food for the
worker-larve, after they are a few days old,
and also for the drone - larve, during the
whole of their larval state. What I mean
by a coarser food is,.a food not so perfectly
digested ; in fact, drones are said to be fed
on a mixture of pollen and honey, in a state
nearly natural. This may be so, but I have
no means of proving it to my satisfaction.
It has also been said, that the queens receive
the very finest, most perfectly digested, and
concentrated food that they can prepare.
This I can readily believe, for the royal jelly
has a very rich taste—something between
cream, quince jelly, and honey—with a
slightly tart and a rank, strong, milky taste
that is quite sickening, if much of it be tak-
en. [am much inclined to think that the
same food that is given the young larve at
first will form royal jelly, if left exposed to
the air, as it is in the broad, open queen-
cells. After a queen has hatched it is some-
times found dried down hard, and looks
much like stiff fruit-jelly. Whether this is
the product of the milky food when allowed
to stand, as I have suggested, is a question
to be decided. The bees, when rearing
queens, furnish this food in profusion, and I
have seen, during the swarming time, single
combs that contained a good spoonful, de-
posited, of course, in queen - cells. Here is
quite an unexplored region that I wish the
A B C class would work up, and report
upon.

19

WHAT DOES THE TEES DO WHILE SEALED
UP!

Candidly, I do not know very much about
it, although I have opened cells at every
stage after they were sealed, until they were
ready to hatch. One day after being sealed,
they are simply ordinary larve, although
rather larger than worker larve of the same
age; after two or three days, a head begins
gradually to be ‘‘ mapped out,”’ if that is the
proper expression, and later, some legs are
seen folded up; last of all, a pair of delicate
wings come from somewhere, I hardly know
how. Two days before hatching I have tak-
en them out of the cell, and had them ma-
ture into perfect queens, by simply keeping
them in a warm place. I have also taken
them out of the cell before they were ma-
ture, held the white, still, corpse - like form
in my hand while I admired it as long as I
chose, then put it back, waxed up the cell
by warming a bit of wax in my fingers, and

bed

‘

QUEENS.

had it hatch out three days after, as nice a
queen as ahy. Mr. Langstroth mentions
having seen the whole operation by placing
a thin glass tube, open at both ends, into the
cell, so as to have it inclose the queen, the
bees being allowed to capitasusual. If I
am correct, this experiment was first made
by Huber. With several such glass queen-
cells, and a lamp nursery, I presume the
whole operation could be watched from be-
ginning to end. Who will be first to do this,
and give us a history of the changes?
DAVIS’ TRANSPOSITION PROCESS.

In the month of August, 1874, after I had
discovered how to send larvee for queen-rear-
ing safely by mail for short distances, our
friend J. L. Davis, of Delhi, Ingham Co.,
Mich., wrote that he should get a large num-
ber of queens from the piece I sent him, for
he was going to remove the larve from the
cells and place them in queen - celis already
started in his hives; of course, removing the
original larvee first. I caught at the idea at
once, and went to some hives of hybrids that
had persisted in tearing down all the cells
given them, and building others from their
own brood, and removed the larvee from all
the cells, substituting larvee from the im-
ported queen in its stead. I used a quill
toothpick for making the transposition.
Almost every cell was built out and capped,
just as wellasif they had kept their own
black stock. In due time I had as nice a
lot of fine yellow queens as I ever reared.
We have practiced this method almost ev-
ery year since.

Mr. Davis described his invention in the
Sept. No. of GLEANINGS for 1874, and it
has been commented on, and suggestions
added, in almost every volume since. From
letters received from other parties, it seems
that he may not have been the first person
to make the discovery that larve could be
thus safely transposed; but as he was the
first one who made the discovery known to
the public, and put it into practical and prof-
itable use, he certainly deserves all credit
and honor for his discovery, and a vote of
thanks for generously giving it to the world
at once, without any thought of reserving it
for his own private benefit, as he might have
done.

During the past season we have used a
tiny silver spoon, made on purpose for re-
moving the larve, and as much of the milky
food along with it as is possible. I need
hardly caution you that these small larvee
are very tender and delicate, and will hardly
bear so much as a touch, wale injury.

QUEENS.

WHAT BECOMES OF THE QUEEN AFTER SHE
GETS OUT OF THE CELL?

Iam glad to say, that I can tell you, by
personal observation, pretty nearly what a
queen does after she pushes open that
hinged door that I told you of, and which
you will find illustrated under the head of
QUEEN-REARING. She generally begins to

put her head into the cells until she finds |

one containing unsealed honey, from which
she takes a sup that, at least, indicates that
she likes that kind of provision. May I di-
gress enough here to ask, if it does not al-
most seem proper to siy that she renencbers
where honey is to be had ? She never exist-
ed before, it is true; but are you sure she
does not remember at all what her mother

and grandmother did ages and ages before |
It may be as well to say she does it by

her?
instinct, but I confess that term hardly sat-
isfies me.

After she has had her supper she begins
to crawl about, partly to enjoy using the long
strong legs God has given her, and perhaps

because she ‘‘remembers” that itis her allot- |

ted task to tear down the remaining queen-
cells, if such there are., If other queens have
hatched before her, it is one of her first and
foremost duties to look them up, and either
reign supreme or die in the attempt. If all
the other cells have been removed, as they
usually are where queens are wanted for

other purposes, she has nothing to do but to |
promenade over the premises, monarch of |

all she surveys. If she ever sits down to
take a rest, or takes a rest in any other po-
sition, during the first week of her life, I
have never been able to discover it. She is
always traveling about, and this is one rea-
son why I am averse to caging young
queens, in order that we may allow several
to hatch in the same hive. It seems to be
natural for them to run about, and I believe
it is necessary for their well-being. Several
rears ago I thought I had made a brilliant

discovery when I succeeded in hatching all.

the queen-cells in the hive, under cups made
of wire cloth. The first hatched was al-
lowed to run until she became fertile, and
began laying; she was then removed, and
the next released, and so on. I think I suc-
ceeded in getting. four laying queens from
the single lot of cells, all in the one hive, but
the bees made such desperate efforts to get
the obnoxious cages out of the way, and the
inmates of the cages to get out, that I gave
up the plan, after seeing several fine queens

die of nothing else, so faras I could see, than:

confinement.

198

QUEENS.

But suppose she does find another cell;
what then? Well, she sometimes runs
around it awhile; sometimes the bees tear
it down, and sometimes she tears it down
herself, with the same strong mandibles that
she used to cut her way out of the cell at
first. She usually makes the opening in the
side of the cell, as shown in the accompany-
ing cut.

QUEEY - SELL TORN OPEN.

Now, it is said that the queen immediately
stings her helpless immature sister, to make
a sure thing of her destruction; but of this
Tam not certain, for I never saw her in the
act of so doing. I have seen spots in the
side of the queen that looked much as if she
had been stung, but I have also rescued cells
and put them in the lamp nursery after they
had been torn open, and had them mature
into nice queens. Asthese immature queens
are very soft, the workers will soon pick
them out of the cell, piece by piece, and I
have sometimes placed them in the lamp
nursery and had them mature, minusa wing
or leg, or whatever portion the mischievous
worker had pulled away. I judge from
many such observations that the queen gen-
erally tears a hole in the cell, or bites into it
in such a way that the workers take hold of
it, and tear it all down, much in the way
they do any mutilated or broken piece of
comb.*! When queen-cells have been cut out,
all the larvee that are inany way injured are at
once thrown out, and none but the perfect
cells preserved. Bees never fuss with crip-
ples, or in trying to nurse up a bee that is
wounded or maimed. They have just the
same feeling for their fellows that a locomo- —
tive might be expected to have for a man
whom it had run over. They battle against
any thing that threatens the extinction of
the colony, it is true; but I have never been -
able to discover any signs of thefr caring for
one of their number, or even having com-
passion on their helpless brood, when it is
wounded and suffering. If a hole is made
ina queen-cell, by the queen or anybody
else, they are very likely to tear it down and
throw it away. When a queen hatches, the —
remaining cells are very soon torn down, as

=

-had removed one.

Spell, and their tones are so different that it

QUEENS.

a general thing, but there are many excep-
tions. When two queens hatch out at about
the same time, they also generally proceed
to kill each other; but I have never heard of
both being killed. This probably results
from the fact that they can only sting their
rivals in one certain way, and the one that,
by strength or accident, gets the lucky posi-
tion in the combat, is sure to come off vic-
tor. This explains how a very inferior vir-
gin queen, that has got into the hive by ac-
cident, may sometimes supplant an old lay-
ing queen. Two queens, when thus thrown
together, generally fight very soon, but this |
is not always the case. Several cases are on
record where they have lived in peace and
harmony for months, even when hatched at
about the same time, and it is quite common
to finda young queen helping her mother
in the egg-laying duties of the hive, espe-
cially when the mother is two or three years
old. If the season is-good, and the hive pop- |
ulous, very often, instead of a fight, they di-
vide up their forces in some way, and we
have AFTER-SWARMING, which see.
Sometimes the queen will pay no attention

to the remaining cells, but will let them
hatch out, and then their “‘little differences”
are adjusted afterward, either by Swarming
or bythe usual “hand-to-hand” eunflict “un-.
til death.”’ I once looked for a- queen, and,
not finding her, concluded she was lost. |
Another cell was inserted, and in due time
hatched out. I was much surprised to find
my new queen laying when only one day
old; but a little further looking revealed the
two, both on the same comb. Many losses
in introducing queens have resulted from
two queens being in the hive, the owner be-
ing sure his hive was queenless, because he

QUEENS’ VOICES. i

When a colony swarms naturally, the
young queens of the after-swarms have a
queer way of calling to each other, when
about to hatch out, I suppose, or when they
have their cell-doors open, and are afraid to
emerge.®? The note they utter is more like
‘““zeep,.zeep, zeep,”’ than any thing else I can

is really amusing to hear them call: It is
common to hear them where there are two
queens in the same hive, in a fighting mood,
or stirred by jealousy ; and I often hear this
call when simply passing by. the hives in
Swarming season. The queen sometimes
utters this call at other times, though not
often. When a young queen is being intro-
duced she will frequently utter a similar

199

QUEENS.

note of alarm, and some of our friends have
called it ‘“‘ squealing.”” The bees are almost
always stirred by these notes of the queen,
and they will often turn and run after her
and cling around her like a ball, when they
would have paid no attention to her had she
not uttered this well-known note. After
you have once heard it, you will recognize it
ever afterward. Queens, when placed near
together in cages, will often call and ans-
wer each other, in tones that we have sup-
posed might be challenges to mortal combat.

Some queens received this summer from
W. BP. Henderson, of Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
called so loudly, when placed on our table,
that they could be heard elear across a long
room. One voice would be on a high, shrill
key, and another a deep bass, while others
were intermediate. On watching closely, a
tremulous movement of the wings was no-
ticed while the queen was uttering the
note, from which I infer that the sound is
produced by the wings, in a manner similar
to that in which katydids and locusts pro-
duce their peculiar notes. The fact that a
queen may be prevented from ‘‘ squealing” -
while being introduced, by daubing her
wings with honey, is also conclusive that
the sound is produced by the wings. That
these sounds from the queen have the power
of controlling certain movements of the
bees Lam well aware, but I do not know
just how or to what extent this influence
works. :

: VIRGIN QUEENS.

The newly hatched queen is termed a vir-
gm queen to distinguish her from queens
that have been fertilized by the drone, and
are laying. Virgin queens, when first
hatched, are sometimes nearly as large as a
fertile queen, but they gradually decrease in
size; and when three or four days old they
often look so small and insignificant that a
novice is disgusted with their appearance,
and, if he is hasty, pronounces them good
for nothing. For the first week of their
lives they crawl about much as an ordinary
young worker does, and it is often very difii-
cult, if not almost impossible, to find them,
unless an amount of time is taken that is
more than a busy apiarist can well afford to
spare. In QUEEN-REARING I have advised
not to look for them, but to insert a small
piece of comb containing larve, and, if no
cells are started, to decide that the queen is
present, without looking. This piece of lar-
vee answers a.threefold purpose. It tells at
a glance whether the queen is in the hive
all right or not; for the very moment she is

EEE ES ee ee eS —_ eae ae ee ae ae) ee ee:
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“Aa HHO M

Bay en 5

QUEENS.

lost, they will start more queen-cells on it;
it enables the bees tostart another queen,
in case the queen is lost by any accident in
her wedding-flight, which is frequently the
case; and, lastly, it serves as a sort of nucleus
to hold the bees together, and to keep them
from going out with the queen on her wed-

ding-trip, which they are much disposed to |

to do, if ina small nucleus containing no
brood. Unsealed brood in a hive is a great
safeguard against accidents of all sorts, and
Ihave often started a young queen to lay-
ing by simply giving the bees some eggs
and unsealed brood. Whether it caused her
to rouse up and take her wedding - flight, or
whether she had taken it, but was for some
reason idle, I can not say; but this I know,
that young queens that donot lay at two
weeks of age will often commence, when
eggs and larve are given to their colonies.
It may be that the sight of eggs and larvie
suggests to them the next step in affairs, or
it may induce the workers to feed them, as
they do a laying queen, an unusual quantity
of food.®

AGE AT WHICH VIRGIN QUEENS TAKE THEIR
WEDDING-FLIGHT.

Our books seem to disagree considerably
on this point, and I am afraid that many of
the book-makers find it easier to copy from
the sayings of others than to make practi-
cal experiments. It has been variously stat-
ed, at from two to ten days: some goas far
as to say that the queen goes out to meet the
’ drones the day after leaving the cell.** Itis
quite likely that some difference arises from
the fact that queens often stay in the cella
day or two after they are strong enough to
walk about. Sometimes a queen will be
found walking about the combs when she is
so young as to be almost white; I have oft-
en seen beginners rejoice at their beautiful
yellow queens, saying that they were yellow
all over, without a bit of black on them; but
when looked at again, they would be found
to be as dark as the generality of queens.
At other times when they come out of the
cell they will look, both in color and size,
as if they might be three or four days old.
The queens in our apiary generally begin to
crawl about the entrance of the hive, possi-
bly looking out now and then, when 5 or 6
days old. The next day, supposing of course
we have fine weather, they will generally go
out and try their wingsalittle. These flights
are usually taken in the warmest part of the
afternoon. I know of no prettier or more
interesting sight to the apiarist than the
first flight of a queen. Perhaps a few hours

201

QUEENS.

before he had looked ather, and been dis-
appointed at her small and insignificant ap-
pearance; but now, as she ventures out cau-
tiously on the alighting - board, with her
wings slightly raised, her tapering body
elongated and amazingly increased in size,
he looks in wonder, scarcely believing she
can be the same insect. She runs this way
and that, something as does a young bee,
only apparently much more excited at the
prospect of soaring aloft in the soft summer
air. Finally she tremblingly spreads those
long silky wings, and with a graceful move-
ment that I can not remember to have seen
equaled anywhere in the whole scope of an-
'imated nature, she swings from her feet,
while her long body sways pendulously as
she hovers about the entrance of the hive.
| When I first beheld one on the wing there
/was a queer feeling of having seen some-
thing similar, years ago, and I might have
reasoned that I was remembering something
my father or grandfather had seen, did I not
know that none of them were ever bee-keep-
ers. Below I have tried to give you a pic-
ture of

———
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wenn

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A VIRGIN QUEEN UPON THE WING.

A worker-bee hovers about the entrance
and carefully takes his points when he tries
his wings for the first time; but she, seem-
ing to feel instinctively that she is of more
value to the colony than many, many work-
ers, with the most scrupulous exactness
notes every minute point and feature of the
exterior of her abode, often alighting and
taking wing again and again, to make sure
she knows all about it. I remember that,
when I saw one forthe first time go through
with all these manceuvres, I became impa-
tient of so much cireumlocution, and if I did
not say, I felt like saying,—

‘“ There! there! old lady ; you certainly
know where you live now; do you suppose a

QUEENS.

fellow can stay here all the afternoon, neg-
lecting his business, just to see you start off
on your first journey in life?”

By and by she ventures to circle a little
way from home, always bringing back soon,
but being gone longer and longer each time.
She sometimes goes back into the hive sat-
isfied, without going out of sight at all; but,
in this case, she will be sure to take a longer
flight next day, or a half-hour later in the
same day. During these seasons she seems
to be so intent on the idea she has in her lit-
tle head, that she forgets all about surround-
ing things, and, instead of being frightened
as usual at your opening the hive, she will
pay no attention to you; but if you lift
up the comb she is on she will take her flight
from that as well as from anywhere else. I
have caught them in my hand at such times,
without their being frightened at all; but as
soon as they were allowed to go, they were
off as if nothing had happened. After she
is satisfied that she will know the place, she
ventures out boldly; and from the fact of her
circling right up in the air, we have, until
lately, supposed that fertilization took place
above the ken of human eyesight. This has
recently been shown to be a mistake, I think.
Aftera successful flight, she returns with the
organs of the drone remaining attached to
her body. See Drones. This is a white
substance, and is frequently so large as to

should think a queen is usually gone half an
hour, but I have seen them return fertilized
after an absence of not more than 10 or 15
minutes. This accomplished, she goes qui-
etly into the hive. The bees are much in-
clined to chase after her, and they some-
times pull at the protruding substance as if
they would drag it away, but I am inclined
to think it is eventually absorbed into the
body of the queen. In looking at her the
day after, all the trace of- it you will observe
will be possibly a shriveled thread. In one
day more you will, as a general rule, find
her depositing eggs. I presume the average
age at which our queens are laying is about
9 days; we generally wait 10 days from the
date of hatching, and are then pretty sure
of finding them ready to send off. Between
the fertilization and the time the first egg is
laid a remarkable change takes place. Aft-
er the queen has been out and fertilized,
her appearance is much the same as before.
She runs and hides when the hive is opened,
and looks so small and_ insignificant,
one would not think of calling her a fer-
tile queen. A few hours before the first egg

202

QUEENS.

is laid, however, her body increases remark-
ably in size, and, if an Italian, becomes
lighter in color, and, instead of running
about as before, she walks slowly and se-
dately, and seems to have given up all her
youthful freaks, and come down to the so-
ber business of life, in supplying the cells
with eggs.

HOW OLD A QUEEN MAY BE AND STILL BE-

COME FERTILIZED.

As I have said before, our queens usually
begin to lay when 8 or 10 days old, on the
average; but, during a dearth of pasturage,
or when drones are scarce, they may fail to
lay until three weeks old. The longest
period I have ever known to elapse between
the birth of a queen and laying, when she
produced worker-eggs, was 25 days. I think
I would destroy all queens that do not lay at
the age of 20 days, if the season, flow of hon-
ey, flight of drones, ete.,is all right. There
is one important exception to this. Many
times, queens will not lay in the fall at all,
unless a flow of honey is produced either by
natural or artificial means. Queens intro-
duced in Sept. and Oct. will often not lay
at all until the ensuing spring, unless the
colony is fed regularly every day for a week
or 10 days. Also young queens that are fer-
tilized late in the season will often show no
indications of being fertilized until the col-
ony is fed as I have indicated. A lot of:

be plainly seen while she is on the wing. IL) young queens that I thought might be fer-

tilized but did not lay, I once wintered over,
just to try the experiment; and although
they went into winter quarters looking very
small, like virgin, queens, they nearly all
proved fine layers in the spring.

DRONE-LAYING QUEENS.
If a queen is not fertilized in two weeks
from the time she is hatched, she will often
commence laying without being fertilized at
all. She is then what we call a drone-laying
queen. Usually her eggs are not deposited
in the regular order of a fertile queen,
neither are there as many of them; but, by
these marks, we are able only to guess that
she. may not be all right, and so keep her
until some of the brood is capped, when the
extra height of the cappings, as I have ex-
plained under DRoNEs, will tell the story.
At times, however, the eggs are deposited
so regularly that we are deceived, and the
queen may be sold for a fertile queen, when
she is only a worthless drone-layer; but we
always discover it after the brood is capped, ©
and send our customer another queen. Such
a case occurs, perhaps once in a hundred. —
Whether these drone layers are just as good

QUEENS. 2

to furnish supplies of drones for the apiary
as the drones reared from a fertile queen, is
a point, I believe, not fully decided; but if
you care for my opinion, I should say, if the
queen lays the eggs in drone-comb, and the
drones are large, fine, and healthy, I believe
them to be just as good. I would not want
to use drones reared from fertile workers, or
drones reared in worker-cells, as those from
drone-laying queens sometimes are.

THE MEETING BETWEEN THE QUEEN AND
DRONE.

Within the past year of 1878, many new
facts have been furnished in regard to the
matter. It seems that the drones soon spy
out the queen as she is circling about among
them, and pursue her, much in the way you
have seen bumble-bees chase each other
about in the air. As the queen starts out,
she curves her body backward in rather an
unusual way, as you see by the cut of the
queen upon the wing. I have long supposed

that there was some especial purpose in’

this, and recent events seem to corroborate
the idea. The meeting of the two insects
takes place while they are on the wing; and
as they are always seen whirling rapidly
about each other, it seems rather difficult to
determine just how fertilization is accom-
plished, unless the bodies of both are curved
considerably out of the usual position. The
drone probably takes much the attitude
of a worker - bee in the act of using his
sting, the peculiar curve of the lower part
of the queen’s body favoring this. .The act
accomplished, both insects use their wings
in such a way that they revolve in opposite
directions, and the separation is thus effect-
ed in much the same way as a worker - bee
withdraws his sting, when allowed to do so
at his leisure, by twisting around continu-
ously, as if he were unscrewing it from a
board. The organ of the drone .is so firmly
implanted in the body of the queen that it
is torn from his body, with all attachments,
very like the way in which a bee loses his
sting. It has been stated that the drone ex-
pires with a sudden contracting of his body,
as if he were struck by lightning. JI am in-
clined to think this a mistake, and that-he
sometimes crawls about a minute or more,
and doubles up as he dies, as a queen or
worker does. I would be glad of reports
from those who have witnessed these phe-
nomena, that I may make corrections in
what I have stated,if Ihave got any thing
wrong. Nature, to make sure the drone or-
gan is not withdrawn, has furnished a won-
derful piece of mechanism, that comes into

03

QUEENS.

play at just the right moment. I will try

to explain it to you. Under the. article
DRONES, I mentioned to you that if the body
of a drone is pressed in a certain way, just
as he is leaving the hive, the body will
sometimes burst open, ina manner some-
thing like the popping of corn, throwing out
the male organ. Suppose you take the fin-
ger to a glove, and push in the tip, as if you
were going to turn it inside out; well, now
if you should blow forcibly in the glove, or
even compress the finger when full of air,
this tip would be violently thrown outward.
It is supposed that the body of a drone is
formed something in this way, and the ex-
trusion of the organ is occasioned by a pow-
erful muscular contraction of the rings
composing his body, while under the influ-
ence of such strone excitement. Well, now
suppose we liken the body of the queen to
another glove - finger, having a transverse
cut across the end of it. This slit is deep
enough to allow the body of the queen to
open in two parts; and the opening is capa-
ble of being extended to nearly the whole
size of the body of the queen. When the
drone, while on the wing, succeeds in strik-
ing the point of his body partially into this

-Opening, the sudden muscular contraction

takes place, and his body is, in a measure,
turned inside outward, projecting the male
organ with all its attachments into the body
of the queen, and, perhaps, liberating the
seminal fluid at the same time. Now, na-
ture has provided two queer-shaped horns
that project from the organ of the male, fit-
ting the interior organ of the queen; these
are seen very distinctly when the drone is
pressed, as before mentioned. These horns
alone would seem to be enough to prevent
withdrawal; but nature, to make sure, has >
furnished them on their outer surfaces with
a sort of horny scales, or minute hairs, that
stand something like the beard on a head of
wheat; they can go forward but never back-
ward, and therefore there is no way but for
the poor drone to lose his life by having it
torn out of him, in an instant. Nature has
also made provision for the easy separation
of these organs by placing them loosely in
his body, and so that after they are thrown
out by ano very great pressure, the attach-
ments, which are onlya membrane, give way
readily, by the twisting process I have de-
scribed.

Why is nature thus, as it would seem to
us, needlessly cruel? Well, I presume there
is some very good reason, even if we can
not now see it. The single fertilization of

QUEENS.

the queen must, for very good reasons, last
for years, if not for the whole of her life.
This being the case, it would not be strange
if such a draft on the constitution of the
male were greater than he could stand, and
be serviceable afterward for the purpose for
which he was created. Nature, to make all
things sure, seems to have found it fitting
that he should expire in the act: as he has
no other purpose of existence, so far'as we
know, is it not just as well?

It has been suggested that this act can
take place only while both sexes are on the
wing; that unless the body of the drone
were inflated with air, as when flying, this
wonderful bursting asunder of his organ-
ism, like the mature seed-pods of the touch-
me-not, could not well take place. I believe
instances have been observed when the
meeting took place where the insects were
confined, yet had liberty enough so they
could buzz about or whirl about each other ;
but as a general thing, unless the parties

have the liberty of the open air, and have | bees will soon lick off; this did very well

perfect wings, fertilization is impossible.

204

QUEENS.

possessed scarcely the vestige of a wing.
Bees often mutilate the wings of queens
which are being introduced, and sometimes,
during a scarcity of honey, attack their own
queens, and mar their appearance in this
way. I think, before deciding it will be
well to await further facts and investiga-
tion. See ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZATION.

SHALL WE CLIP THE QUEEN’S WINGS?

At one time I was strongly in favor of
clipping the wings of all queens, just as soon
as they were found laying. As they often
got out in the grass during swarming-time,
and got lost, when they would probably
have been saved if they had had their wings,
I afterward concluded that I did not want
the wings of my queens clipped. In selling
queens, since then, very many of them have
flown away while being introduced, and I
have begun to decide that clipping them is
perhaps the lesser of the two evils. To pre-

_ vent them from flying, it has been suggested

that they be daubed with honey, which the

| until some one reported a queen that had to
be re-caged. The honey dried on her body,
and killed her. Just now (Nov. 11th, 1878)
the question is also being discussed as to
_ whether a laying queen ever leaves the hive |
for a second fertilization. The facts indi-
cate very strongly that imported queens,

Where you have reason to think the wings
of a queen are not absolutely perfect, you
can test the matter by throwing her up in
the air in front of her hive. I have done
this many times with queens that did not
lay when about two weeks old, and they are

almost invariably found to be unable to
rise easily in the air. It has been said, that

producing worker - brood. I have never
found such a case, but the testimony from
careful and reliable parties seems to indi-
cate that it does sometimes happen. One

who is inexperienced in these matters would | : :
i /a queen just before starting her off on a

hardly think of the many chances there are
to be mistaken : it is now found to be a rath-
er common occurrence for two queens to be
in the same hive, and the worker-brood
credited to the queen with imperfect wings
from birth may easily belong to another.
Again, the bees often attack a queen when
returning from her bridal-trip, and, if they
do not kill her, maim her by biting offa
wing, a leg, or perhaps both. If you should
find a young queen with half a wing, or per-
haps only a stump, producing workers, how
many of you would not decide at once that
she must have been fertilized in the hive?
Tonce had an Italian queen nearly black,
that produced beautiful yellow workers.
She was missed, and finally turned up ina
neighboring hive, which, to my astonish-
ment, was found to be Italians, instead of
hybrids. She was found busily at work, but

and others that have been a long time con--

: : fined so that they can not lay, sometimes do
queens with bad wings are sometimes found |

this. Clipping will certainly prevent this,

/although it may result in the loss of the
| queen.

I think I prefer the chance of loss,
rather than that of a tested queen turn-
ing hybrid but I dislike the idea of clipping

journey. To make it sure that there can
be no flying, I would clip the greater part of
both large wings; the small wings being
perfect, although smaller, will give her a
symmetrical appearance, while cutting off
both wings on one side always makes her
look ever afterward very much like a crip-
ple. Ifaqueen is ever so fine, few people
can see her beauty when she has two long
wings on one side and none on the other.

CLIPPING QUEENS’ WINGS.

For this purpose you want a pair of slen-
der - pointed embroidery scissors. They
must be just as keen and sharp at the points
as they can be made; for it will never do to
have the wing of avaluable queen double
up, or catch so as to frighten her out of her
little senses. With good scissors you can
lift a wing and clip it off without her hardly

a we .

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————s-

QUEENS.

knowing it; but where two are to be clipped,
it may be well to adopt the plan given by
one of our feminine contributors (especially
if you are nervous, and inclined to be fidgetty
in doing such work), as follows:

CLIPPING QUEENS’ WINGS.

While it may be easy for you to open the Simplic-
ity hive, lift the right tin-cornered frame, and clip
the queen before she knows you are around, I be-
lieve most of your readers, especially those who
have other hives, other frames, and less steady
hands, would, 99 times in 100, by some slip or jar,
apprise her majesty of danger. Then, by following
your advice, to close the hive and be more careful
next time, I believe they would still fai] 98 times in
100. At this rate of progress, how many times
would 1C€0 hives need to be opened to clip 1€0 queens?

After the queen has taken alarm, she can be clip-
ped by following her with the open scissors all about
the comb, all over your lap, all up your sleeve, etc.,
till, in some favorable instant, you dare to close the
scissors upon the ‘coveted lace wing. But this oper-
ation is the most trying to the nerves of any that
I ever did, and [ could not advise beginners to prac-
tice it. Because my queens must be clipped, I had
to find a better way; and because I pinched and
maimed my first queen while clipping her, so that
she was useless and had to be replaced, I have never
touched another. How many queens have been in-
jured by handling no one knows. I like to know
that mine are not thus injured because absolutely
untouched. I set asmall wire cage over the queen
on the comb; when she runs up into it (she will

sooner run upinto a small cage than a large one) I

lift it, pick off two or three bees by the wing and
put in for company, carry them into the house, and
let them loose on a clean window. She can be clip-
ped here, in motion, better than on the comb; but
after allowing them to run awhile, guide them near
each other, and the bees will feed the queen, when
the work can be easily done. I have since found
out a more expeditious way. While the queen is
passing from the cage to the window, let her back or
wing gently brush a drop of honey on the end of the
finger, and she will soon stop to clean it off. I have
had queens: fly after being clipped; but when I cut
off the large wing on only one side, just deep enough
to take the tip of the small one in the same clip, she
never flies again. It wounds her but little, as I give
a slanting cut, taking more of the lace than of the
fleshy part. Set the cage over her as before, carry
her to the hive at once, and let her run down among
the combs, notin at the entrance. If all the mum
old bee-keepers have known all about this, all these
years, you are not the only man that ought to have
a troubled conscience. Mrs. A. L. GOULD.
Ridgeville, Iroquois Co., Ill., April 13, 1878.

How to manage during swarming-time
with clipped queens, will be considered un-
der SWARMING.

HOW QUEENS LAY TWO KINDS OF EGGS.

That they do lay two kinds of eggs, I
think few are inclined to dispute, since the
experiments with the microscope have de-
cided the matter so clearly, as given under
DRONES, Suppose a young queen goes out

205

QUEENS.

to meet the drones so late in the fall, or so
early in the spring, that there are none;
what is the consequence? Well, sometimes
she will never lay at all; but frequently
she commences to lay when 8 or 4 weeks
old, and her eggs produce only drones. In
fact, she can produce no other eggs, having
never been fertilized. How shall we dis-
tinguish such queens from fertile ones?
You can not decide positively concerning
them, by any means that I know of, until
their brood is ready to seal up; then you
will know by the round, raised caps of the
brood, like bullets laid on a board, as I ex-
plained under DRONES. You can give a
pretty good guess, by noticing the way in
which she lays the eggs; if they are few and
scattering, and sometimes, or often, in
drone-cells, coupled with the fact that she
did not commence laying until two weeks or
more old, you would better not send her off
as a dollar queen, until some of her brood is
sealed over. A young queen, if properly
fertilized, never, or very rarely, lays an egg
in a drone-cell; and when she commences to
lay, she fills cell after cell in regular order,
as men hoe a field of corn; her work also
has a neat and finished appearance that says
at once to the practiced eye, ‘‘You are all
right.”

Now, my friends, do not think me contra-
dictory when I tell you that a young queen
sometimes commences with all, or nearly
all, drone-eggs, and, after awhile, lays en-
tirely worker-eggs as regularly as one might
wish. JI do not know why this is: perhaps
she has not yet got used to the ‘“‘machinery,”’
or does not ‘‘remember”’ distinctly just how
her grandmother did it. Once more, my
friends: you must bear with me when I tell
you that any queen, the best one you ever
saw, is liable, at any day of her life, to com-
mence, on a sudden, laying drone-eggs alto-
gether, or only in part. I wish you to re-
member this, that you may be more charita-
ble toward each other in your dealings. A
nice laying young queen, taken from a hive,
and shipped to a distance, may prove to be a
drone -layer shortly after, or immediately
after, she is received. Such things are not
very common, but they do occur. In an
apiary of 50 or 100 hives I should expect to
find one drone-layer, on an average, each
spring. During the summer, perhays one
more will be found. It may be that the
queen was not fertilized sufficiently, if I
may use the term, and that the supply of
spermatozoa gave out while she was in full
vigor, thus reducing her to the condition of

QUEENS.

a virgin queen. Microscopic examination
has shown an entire absence of spermatozoa
in at least one or two instances, where
queens of this kind were killed and dissect-
ed. Similar experiments, given by Lang-
stroth, show that the spermatozoa may be
chilled beyond recovery, by chilling the
queen, and yet the queen herself may be re-
suscitated. I think it likely that hardship
and being shipped long distances may pro-
duce the same results. Do not think Iam
going to excuse those who sell queens, and
let the blame for unprofitable queens slip off
their shoulders; on the contrary, I think
they had better make up their minds to ren-
der a full equivalent for all the money they
receive. Ifa queen proves a drone-layer be-
fore the purchaser can receive any benefit
from her, I think another should be sent.
Of course, I can not give a rule for settling
all such matters, but I would most earnestly
advise that you all try to do as you would be
done by, and be each one veady to bear a lit-
tle more than your share of such losses as
may come up. Try to feel for each other,
and beware of that great besetting sin of all
mankind, selfishness. It is certainly one of
my great besetting sins, if I do not look out.

Well, queens not only turn suddenly to

drone-layers, but they sometimes produce |

about an equal number of each kind of eggs.

In all these cases, where the queen lays |

drone-eggs when she evidently intended to
lay worker-eggs, they are in worker-cells;
also the number of eggs laid, usually rapid-
ly decreases.
evidently begin to think that something is
wrong; queen-cells are soon started, and aft-
er the young queen is hatched she becomes
fertile, and begins to help her mother.

The bees, as well as queen, |

206

All |

hands evidently think that any kind of a.

queen is better than no queen, hence a queen |

is seldom dragged out of the hive, as a work-
er-bee is, because she is ailing.

Very early in the spring, or late in the fall,
or at any time when forage is not abundant,

a queen will pass right by drone - cells, tak- |

x. . n .
ing no notice of them. I have often tried to

get eggs in drone-cells by feeding, and can |

but conclude that the queen knows when an
egg will produce a drone, and knows just
what ‘‘wires to pull” to have every egg laid
in a drone-cell produce a drone. I think it
very likely the workers have something to
do with this matter, but I have never been
able to make out by what means they signi-
fy to the queen that some eggs in drone-cells,
or even queen - cells, would be desirable.
There seems to be a constant understanding

QUEENS.

in the hive as to what is going to be done
next, and consequently there is no clashing.
I wish, my friends, the human family could
understand each other as well. In our api-
ary, there seems to be in strong stocks, a
kind of understanding that eggs shall be laid
in drone-cells about the last of March, and
we have drones, therefore, some time in
April, ready for the first queens that may,
by any accident, make their appearance.
Those who insist that there are only one
kind of eggs can satisfy themselves. easily,
by cutting out a piece of comb, eggs and all,
from either a drone or worker cell, and _ set-
ting it in the bottom of a cell of the other
kind. They will get a drone in a worker-
cell, or a worker in a drone-cell. Again: If
you give a young laying queen a hive: sup-
plied only with drone -combs, she will rear
worker - brood in these drone - cells. The
mouth of the cells will be contracted with
Wax, as mentioned in HONEY-COMB.

When they get ready to swarm they build
shallow queen-cells, and the queen then lays
a worker-egg in these queen-cells. Although
I never saw her lay an egg in a queen-cell,
I am satisfied that she does it, from the way
in which itis putin. Like the rest of the
eggs, it is fastened to the center of the bot-
tom of the cell by one of its ends, and I sup-
pose, when first deposited, it is covered with
a sort of glutinous matter that makes it stick
firmly, where it first touches. I know that
bees have the skill to remove both eggs and
larvee, for I have several times known of
their taking eggs and brood to an old dry
comb, when no queen was present in the
hive. Occasionally a queen is found that
will never lay at all; again, queens that laid
eggs which never hatched into larve, have
been several times reported. One such was
sent me this past summer. She was a re-
markably fine and large queen, but, while be-
ing introduced, she flew away and has not
come back yet.

Aug. 16,1879.—We have to-day killed a
large, fine - looking queen, because not an
egg that she has laid in the two weeks she has
been laying, has hatched into larval state.
This is the first case of the kind we have
had, in rearing several thousand queens.

After having told you thus much of the
faults and imperfections of queens, I would
add, for their credit, that when once proper-
ly installed ina strong colony, they are about
as safe property as any thing I know of, for
in the great majority of cases, they live and
thrive for years. I have never heard of any
disease among queens, and, while a worker

oe

QUEENS.

lives only a few months, they often live 3 or
4 years. One that was imported from Italy
by Dadant furnished us brood and eggs for
queen-rearing, for four summers. I then
sold her for $2.00, and she died in being sent
less than 50 miles. She was very large and
heavy, and, probably, being so old could not
cling to the sides of the cage like a younger
one. J have never heard of queens being
troubled with any thing but an Italian para-
site, and these quickly disappeared when
they were introduced into our own apiaries.
See ENEMIES OF BEES.

LOSS OF QUEEN.

It is a very important matter, to be able to
know at once, when a queen is lost. During
the months of May and June, the loss of a
queen from the hive a single day will make
quite a marked difference in the honey-crop.
If we assume the number of eggs a queen
may lay in a day to be 3000, by taking her
away asingle day we should, in the course
of events, be just that number-of bees short,
right during a yield of honey. To put it
very moderately, a quart of bees might be
taken out of the hive, by simply caging the
queen for a single day. Beginners should
remember this, for their untimely, or, rather,
inconsiderate tinkering, just before the flow
of honey comes, often cuts short their in-
come to a very considerable degree. What-
ever you do, be very careful you do not drop
the queens off the combs when handling
them at this time of the year,and do not
needlessly interrupt the queen in her work,
by changing the combs about so as to ex-
pose the brood, or upset their little house-
hold matters in the hive. With a little prac-
tice you will be able to detect a queenless
hive, simply by the way the bees behave
themselves on the outside. Where they
stand around on the alighting-board in a
listless sort of way, with no bees going in
with pollen, when other colonies are thus en-
gaged, it is well to open the hive and take a
look at them. If you find eggs and worker-
brood, you may be sure a queen is there; but
if you do not, proceed at once to see if there
is not a queen of some kind in the hive, that
does not lay. If you do not find one, pro-
ceed at once to give them a frame contain-
ing brood and eggs, and see if they start
queen-cells. You ought to be able to find
incipient queen-cells in about 12 hours, if
the bees have been some little time queen-
less. As soon as you see these, give them a
queen if possible.
they may be allowed to raise one, if the col-

If no queen is to be had,

207

QUEENS.

ony has bees enough. If it has not, they had
better be united with some other stock.

A strong hive, discovered to be queenless
in the months of Oct. or Nov., may be win-
tered without trouble, and I am not sure but
that a colony kept without a queen until nat-
ural pollen can be gathered in the spring is
just as well off as one that commences rear-
ing brood by the first of Jan., as they usual-
ly do. If you have no queen to give them in
the spring, give them a comb of eggs from
some other stock, at intervals of a week or
10 days, until they can rear a queen that will
be fertilized. Ifthe first queen reared should
prove a drone-layer, she must be destroyed,
that they may have an opportunity of rear-
ing another that will not be over a couple of
weeks old when drones begin to fly. This,
of course, takes time and care, so we gener-
ally prefer to have a laying queen in each
hive at the approach of winter.

More hives become queenless from queens
being lost on their wedding-flight, than from
all other causes together; but the reasons
for this have been so fully stated under oth-
er heads, such as HOUSE-APIARIES, APIA-
RIES, NUCLEUS HIvEs, and the like, that it
will hardly be necessary to go over the
ground here. Ifthe hives are 7 feet apart
from center to center, as in the hexagonal
apiary, there will be little loss of queens from
this cause. Where a queen is lost in such a
way as to leave brood in the hive from which
to rear another, the colony seldom perishes;
but when a virgin queen takes her flight, if
she is lost, no brood remains in the hive, un-
less it is supplied by the bee-keeper; hence
the very great importance of having a few
eggs in every nucleus hive all the time dur-
ing QUEEN-REARING, which see.

ODOR OF A LAYING QUEEN.

After bees have been some time queenless,
they usually become, if no fertile workers
make their appearance (see FERTILE WORK-
ERS), very eager for the presence of a queen;
and I can in no way describe this eager be-
havior, if I may so term it, so well as to de-
scribe another way of testing a colony you
have reason to suspectis queenless. Takea
cage or box containing a laying queen, and
hold either the cage, or simply the cover of
it, over the bees, or hold it in such a way as
to let one corner touch the frames. If queen-
less, the first that catch the scent of the piece
of wood on which the queen has clustered
will begin to move their wings in token of
rejoicing, and soon you will have nearly the
whole swarm hanging to the cage, or cover.
When they behave in this manner I have

QUEENS. 208

never had any trouble in letting the queen
right out at once. Such cases are generally
where a colony is found without brood in
the spring.

There is something very peculiar about
the scent of alaying queen. After having
had a queen in my fingers, I have had _ bees
follow me and gather about my hand, even
when I had gone some distance from the
apiary. By this strange instinct they will
often hover about the spot where the queen
has alighted even for an instant, for hours,
and, sometimes, for a day or two afterward.
Where clipped queens get down into the
grass or weeds, or crawl sometimes a consid-
erable distance from the hive, I have often
found them, by watching the bees that were
crawling about, along the path she had tak-
en. When cages containing queens are be-
ing carried away, bees will often come and
alight on the cage, making that peculiar shak-
ing of the wings, which indicates their joy
at finding the queen.

QUEENS’ STINGS.

There is something very strange in the
fact that a queen very rarely uses her sting,
even under the greatest provocation possi-
ble, unless it is toward a rival queen. In
fact, they may be pinched, or pulled limb
from limb, without even showing any symp-
toms of protruding the sting at all; but as
soon as you put them in a cage, or under a
tumbler with another queen, the fatal sting
-is almost sure to be used at once. There
seems to be a most wise provision in this;
for if the queen used her sting at every pro-
vocation as does the worker, the prosperity
of the colony would be almost constantly en-
dangered. It is true, that instances are on
record where queens have stung the fingers
of those handling them; but these cases are
so very rare itis quite safe to say queens
never sting. I am inclined to think the cas-
es mentioned (although, of course, it must
be only asurmise) were with queens that
were not fully developed; for I have often
seen the dark half-queen and half-worker,
mentioned some time back, show its
sting when handled as we usually handle
queens. Itis said, that a queen has been
known to lay eggs after having lost her
sting; but as they never lose their stings, so
far as I know, at least, when they sting rival
queens, we must consider this as a very un-
usual occurrence. When you wish to pick
queens from a comb, you can do it with just
as much assurance of safety as if you were
picking up adrone. It is true, the queen
often bites with her powerful mandibles,

QUEEN-REARING.

and she does this so viciously that a novice

might be almost excusable for letting her

get away. in affright.

CAUTION IN REGARD TO DECIDING A STOCK
TO BE QUEENLESS.

As arule, we may say that absence of
brood or eggs is a pretty sure indication of
queenlessness; but it should be borne in
mind that all hives, as a rule, are without
eggs and brood in the fall and early winter
months, or, in fact, at any time when there
is aconsiderable dearth of pasturage. At
such seasons, beginners are more apt to
think their hives are queenless, because the
queens are much smaller than when they are
laying profusely. Weak colonies often cease
laying during the whole of the winter
months.

CAUTION ABOUT CLIPPING QUEENS’ WINGS.

Although it would seem, after what has
been said, that nobody would ever think of
clipping a queen before she has begun to
lay, I am sorry to say that several of the A
B C class have been so thoughtless as to clip
virgin queens. . Of course, such a queen
would be about as worthless as if it had been
her head instead of her wing that was
clipped off; for she could never meet the
drones at all. It has usually been done
where a queen of {an after-swarm has been
caught, and it should be remembered that
such are always virgin queens.

QUEEN - REARING. It has been
said that wax and honey are the merchant-
able products of the apiary, but ever since
the advent of the Italians there has been a
constant call for queens, far ahead of the
supply; and if we were asked what product
of the apiary would bring cash quickest and
surest, we would unhesitatingly say, ‘‘ Dol-
lar queens.”’ It may be well to explain here
that a dollar queen is one that has been
reared from a pure mother, and has just com-
menced to lay. She may prove to be purely
fertilized, and she may not; but the apiarist,

for this low price, guarantees nothing more |

than that she has been raised from a pure
mother. The transaction of the sale is
supposed to be something as if you were
standing by his side, and he should open a
hive and say:

‘‘ There is a queen that was reared from
brood from a pure mother; she has com-
menced laying, as you see, but I know noth-
ing of the kind of bees she may produce.
You can take her just as she is for $1.00, but
at that price I can be in no way responsible
further.”

a

QUEEN-REARING. 209

As the demand is usually far in advance
of the supply, the conscientious apiarist can
fill orders only in their turn, and this has
been another cause for dissatisfaction, on
account of the delays that seem unavoidable,
especially in the spring, when everybody is
wanting them right away. I do not mean to
blame those who want them at once, for itis
my disposition exactly, to want a thing as
soon as I have paid for it.

If you can raise good dollar queens, you
can certainly raise good tested ones, for a
tested queen is nothing more than one that
has proved herself prolific and purely fertil-
ized. The test of purity generally recog-
nized is, that the workers show plainly the
three yellow bands that are characteristic of
the Italians.

There are ever SO many ways of forming
nuclei for queen-rearing, but, after having
tried pretty thoroughly almost or quite all of
them, I shall advise separate hives for each
nucleus. If you are simply increasing your
stock, use a new hive for each colony; but if
you wish to add to your income by rearing
queens for sale, I would advise a two-comb
hive for the purpose. These are made much
like the Simplicities, only that; they are 32
inches wide inside instead of 144. For light-
ness, we will make the sides of $ stuff. For
reasons to be explained we will have the
cover shut over the hive like the cover of a
tool-chest, and loose enough to slip over the
bottom also, without sticking, for we can
have no pulling and jerking about bee-hives,
even though they are ‘‘ little ones.”

Those who have tried queen-rearing have
perhaps found it tiresome business to stoop
so much as is required in looking over so
many little hives. To remedy this we will
have them fastened to the grapevine trellises
as Shown in the cut in back of book, except
that the entrance should be on the opposite
end from that of the hive below.

This brings them at a convenient height
to work easily: we certainly would not
wish to encourage any one in:being lazy, but
apiarists do sometimes get tired, and find it
quite a relief to sit down for a moment or
two, and the hive right below the nucleus,
we find very convenient.

In inserting queen-cells, putting in brood,
etc., we also find the top of the hive quite a
convenience. These nuclei are shaded by
the broad leaves of the grapevines, and are
held from being blown down by the wind by
a screw put through the upper strip into the
side of the hive: when a nucleus is to be
sold, the screw is turned out enough to re-

i

QUEEN-REARING.

lease it, the cover put under the hive, clos-
ing the entrance, a wire-cloth cover tacked
over the top, and it is all ready for the ex-
press office. It may be well to remark here,
that nothing will insure careful handling like
leaving the top of the hive so that every one
that takes hold of the hive can see the bees
plainly through the wire cloth. You may
label a box “‘glass,” ‘‘ handle with care,”
‘‘right side up,”? and as much more as you
like, and it will not be half so plain to the
railroad and express men, as the sight and
sound of the bees buzzing right under their
noses.

When you have your nuclei all fixed, each
one neatly painted white (see ‘‘ Paint for
Hives’’) and supplied with a queen-register
card, you are to set about peopling the little
boxes. If you commence this work during
a good yield of honey, you will very likely
get along finely; but if at a time when the
bees are disposed to robbing, you may have
all sorts of trouble. You can have your
queen-cells raised: in these little hives if they
are well peopled with bees; but as a general
thing we would prefer having it done by a
strong colony.

HOW TO GET GOOD QUEEN-CELLS.

To rear good, healthy, long-lived queens,
we want the larve to have an abundance of
the milky food prepared by the nurse-bees,
and we wish them to have it from the time
they are first hatched from the egg, until
they are sealed up as a queen-cell. If you
will examine the minute larve of different
hives, you will discover a vast difference in
the amount of food given to the infant bees.
With a new swarm, we will find the first lar-
vee that hatch are fed so profusely that they
look almost like the inmates of queen-cells,
because the nurse-bees are far in excess of
the work that is to be done by them; but aft-
er the combs are filled with eggs, such is
not the case. We can bring about this re-
sult at any time by taking all the brood away
from any colony, and giving them only one
comb containing these small larve, and this
is Just what we want for queen-rearing.
The secret of being able to send larve for
queen - rearing safely by mail, consists in
sending such as have this excess of food in
the cells; for if the weather is not too cool
they will grow and thrive for two or three
days, just as well, for aught I know, as if
they were in the parent hive: when the food
is all consumed they must starve, and this
illustrates the necessity of getting them into
a hive of bees just as soon as they are re-
ceived. It has been said, that queens reared

QUEEN-REARING.

during the time of natural swarming are su-
perior; but I think, by securing this abund-
ance of food in the way indicated, we can
have them equally as good at any season
when bees are flying freely. True, it is some
trouble to remove all the brood-combs from
a strong colony, and we therefore move the
colony, hive and all, putting a new hive con-
taining our choice larve in its stead. This
plan has never failed to give us fine queen-
cells, and queens that were prolific and long-
lived; and it is so quickly done that a lot of
cells may be started every few days during
the season. Unless the new hive looks much
like the old one, the bees may but few of
them go into it, especially if the old one is
set so near at hand that they succeed in find-
ing it.
ing your hives all just alike. We usually
place the removed hive at an opposite side
of the apiary.

By cutting comb containing eggs or young
larvee into long strips, and then destroying
all the eggs or larvie except those where we
want cells built, we may get our queen-cells
in shape so that they are easily cut apart .
and by arranging some extra bars across the
middle of the frame, we can, without much
trouble, get queen-cells built with the regu-
larity of those shown in the cut below.

Ew) Mey
wad ngnn
,

MM a rea
Uy WU

HOW TO RAISE GOOD QUEEN-CELLS. °

To get a frame full of cells like the above,
we succeed best with a colony having a dash
of Holy-Land blood. See page 161.

WHEN TO CUT OUT THE QUEEN-CELLS.

A queen is hatched in just 16 days from
the time the egg is laid, as a general rule;
therefore we must take measures to have the
cells cut out before this time. The eggs
hatch into the minute larve, in just about
three days, and, if you have used these, you
are to cut out your cells on the 12th day after
you moved the colony. If you use a comb
containing larve of all ages, the bees will be
pretty sure to use some that are 6 days old,
in which case you may have queens hatching
by the 10th after the larvee were given them,
and they may get out a young queen as soon
as the 9th. It is these queens that are

210

This is an additional reason for hay- |

QUEEN-REARING.

hatched on the 9th or 10th day, that we have
reason to fear may be short-lived; hence our
warning to give them nothing for starting
queen-cells but larvee so small as to be just
visible to the naked eye. You will get these
by putting an empty comb between two
brood - combs, as we have before directed,
until the eggs laid by the queen have just
commenced to hatch. A frame of founda-
tion answers nicely.

HOW TO CUT OUT THE QUEEN-CELLS.

Provide yourself with a very thin, narrow-
bladed pen-knife, and be sure that it is just
as Sharp as you can make it. If you have a
dull knife, and it is necessary to cut between
two cells that are very close, you will very
likely break one or both open, and then the
bees will be very apt to tear them down.
Cut them all out but one, and do it nicely. ~
If they are not too close together, give con-
siderable room around the base or part that
is attached to the comb.

We will suppose you have secured a fine
lot of cells, have succeeded in cutting them
out nicely, and have them all shut up in a
little box where robber-bees may not be try-
ing to steal the honey that may have been
started running in the operation of cutting
'them out. Do not let the robbers discover
that honey may be pilfered by following you
around, or you may receive some stinging
lessons as a punishment for not being neat
/and cleanly in your work.
| The little hives, we will suppose, are se-
curely fastened on their shelves, and are all
ready for their occupants. Go to any strong
colony and gently lift out one of the central
combs. This you can do by sliding the
| frame on each side a little away from it, or,
if the combs are crammed with honey, you
may find it necessary to push a second or a
third one back a little. You can make room
_to take out the first one quietly, in almost
any hive, if you manage properly. Now, we
rather wish to find the queen, if we can by
not taking too much time, and so we carefully
look over every comb as we lift it out.
If you do not find her on the first comb, put
it in one of the little hives and take another.
Proceed in this way until you have removed
all the brood-combs. As soon as you have
found the queen, you are to put her with the —
comb she is on, in an empty hive. Now you
can insert a cell in each comb as fast as you
take them from the hive, and then place the
comb, cell and all, in your nucleus hive. If
the comb contains hatching brood, the one
will be sufficient; but if the brood is partly
unsealed you had better put another beside

QUEEN-REARING.

it, or the brood may be chilled during cool
nights.

You will probably make 5 good nuclei out
ofa fair colony, the bees that are in the fields
- will make another good one, and the old
queen with her one comb still another.®© If
you do not find the old queen, divide the
hive all the same, but do not insert any
queen-cells until you find her. If you areso
unlucky as to not find her at all, wait until
the next morning, and then insert queen-
cells in all that have started some of their
own, for it is a sure indication of queenless-
ness to find a nucleus building queen-cells.
Mark this, for I shall refer to it again.

\

YEAS,
HOW TO INSERT A QUEEN-CELL.
The drawing given will probably make it

all plain, without much explanation. Your
cells must be fitted in nicely, and pretty se-
curely, or the bees will tumble them down
to the bottom of the hives, for they are quite
inquisitive in regard to the way things are
done in their homes. I once thought I had
‘made quite a discovery when I found that
cells could be hatched safely by laying them
just under the quilt on the top of the frames,
oreven at the entrance during very warm
weather, but I soon found that a much larg-
er part were torn down than if they were
nicely inserted in the midst of the brood.*
Where it can be done, I always insert a cell
in place of one they have built, and I have
never found such ones destroyed.” <A cell
that has been broken open in cutting it out
will usually be destroyed, but not always.

If your cells were cut out at just about the
proper time, you will very likely find some

* During the past summer of 1882 our boys have
been quite successful by simply placing the cell be-
tween two frames of brood. It is placed down near
the center of the brood, in its natural position, and
then held securely by moving the comb up so as to
press it pretty.well. This is quickly done, and it
avoids cutting unsightly holes in our nice frames
of foundation. —

211

QUEEN-REARING.

of the queens hatched by the next day, and
in ten days more, on an average, they will be
laying. I took a dollar queen from one of
these, nuclei just ten ‘days ago, inserting
a queen-cell at the time, and to-day the new
queen is laying. Now, 100 of these little
hives would, at this rate, give us 10 laying
queens per day, and I think that an apiarist
should consider it fair wages, even if half
the whole number were lost, in different
Ways; and one person can very easily take
care of 100, if he will follow the directions I
shall give.

When I first commenced queen-rearing I
thought it necessary to hunt up the young
queens every time a cell was found open, or
every time I looked into their hives, which,
by the way, was about every day, and some-
times oftener. If you are keeping bees just
for the fun of it, it may do to spend a quar-
ter of an hour looking for a queen just to
see if she is a nice one; but if you are trying
to show your friends who worry about the
time you ‘‘fuss with your bees” that there
are dollars in the business, you need never
see your queens at all until you wish to send
them off. After inserting the cells you
have nothing more to do with them for about
three days, and then you should provide
yourself with a fresh lot of cells, and also
with some pieces of comb containing larvee
just right for queen-rearing. Take the hives
in regular order, and do not skip about. If
you find a cell open at the end, your queen
is probably all right,* and if there are no lar-
ve in the hive, insert a piece; as soon as
any thing happens to a queen they will start
queen-cells on this brood, and therefore we
always look at this piece of brood instead of
looking for the queen. Should they by any
possibility rear a queen of their own, it will
always be from your choice brood. When
in your examinations you find eggs in the
cells—your eyes will soon become sharpened
for these indications of greenbacks—you
will turn the queen-register to laying, and
use her the first time you send off queens.
As we wish to keep up the population of
these little hives, it may be well to allow her
to fill up her two combs pretty well before
taking her out. When she is removed, in-
sert a cell, and if all goes well you may have
another queen in the hive the next morning.
Always keep your queen register set, that it
may show the state of affairs within, and be

*If you find the cap hanging as in the cut, you
may be sure a queen has gnawed her way out; some-
times this cap springs back and the novice waits day
after day, while the queen is running about the
combs.

QUEEN REARING.

sure the bees always have brood in their
combs, by giving them a fresh piece every
three or four days. If you are faithful in
this, you will never know anything about
fertile workers, those pests of queen rearing.

CAUTION.

In selecting brood for queen rearing, be
sure you have no drone larve, for the bees,
by some strange perversion of instinct, will
very often build queen cells over them, re-
sulting usually in nothing but a dead drone.
The poor drone seems unable to stand the
powerful dose of concentrated food that is
required to perfect a queen from a worker
larva, and so dies when he is about half
grown.
ed over a drone larva, you can always tell

‘it from a good one by its smooth exterior,

Should a queen cell have been start- |

21

while a genuine cell has a roughened sur- |
_ normal condition as possible, not necessarily very

face like the drawing we have given.

If you suspect a cell is not going to hatch,
do not tear it down, but insert another one
beside it. If you have two or more cells so

close together that they cannot be separated, |
insert the whole, and look often to them: |

you can very often find the first one while
she is biting out, or so soon after she has
come out as to save the others. We have

were built close together.

For convenience in inserting brood so
many times, we use a square “‘ cake-cutter,”’
as it were; this is made of tin, with the
edges very sharp. Press it in the comb far
enough to mark it, and then you can cut out
pieces all of a size. As one piece always
goes in where another comes out, you can
keep all unsightly holes in your combs closed
up, and have no odd bits of comb lying about
the apiary.

In concluding the subject of queens and
queen-rearing, my friends, I will give you
an article from GLEANINGS, by one whom I
regard as one of the most successful queen-
rearers in America. Friend H. seems to
have ahappy tact for making every thing
pertaining to the business a success.

HOW TO RAISE QUEENS FOR MARKET.

For nuclei I use a hive similar to the Simplicity;
that is, a plain box, made the same size as the Lang-
stroth hive, with movable cover and bottom-board,
and one division-board made the same size as the
frame, so as to be entirely movable. On each hive I
have the registering card described in your circular,
by means of which I can tell at a glance the proba-
ble condition of the hive, without the necessity of
opening it. I use the full-sized hive, because it costs
but little more than the two-frame hive, and can be
used for full stocks or nuclei, as may be most con-
venient; and, when not in use in the yard, it is very
convenient in the honey-house, for storing surplus

2 QUEEN REARING. .

combs. By sliding the division-board back, I have
immediate control of the combs, and can get at the
queen very quickly; while in the two-frame hive it
requires some time and care to get the combs out
without injury; and if the hive should happen to
contain cross hybrids, so as to necessitate the use of
smoke, she is sure to run down on the bottom. where ~
it is very difficult to get at her in the narrow hive.

To stock the nuclei, I take from a full colony a —
comb containing hatching bees and plenty of stores,
which I place in one side of the hive, with the divi-
sion-board close to the frame. I also give them
enough young bees from other combs to make them
sufficiently strong. When they requrire more room
I give them an empty comb; and in a short time,
during the honey season, I can build them up into
good stocks, if it is desirable to do so.

I have most of the queen-cells built in full colonies,
as I generally get the largest number of perfect
queens in this manner, although some of the finest
queens sent out by me this year were from cells
built in strong nuclei. What seems to be required
is to have the cell-building colony in as nearly a

populous. Some bees naturally build more cells
than others. By forming strong nucleus hives from
these, and keeping up the normal condition by ocea-
sionally giving them hatching bees from the same
old stock, we could probably get more cells, with less
expense, than in any other way.

To have a colony build queen-cells, I first remove
the old queen; in 8 days I pick out all the cells that
have been built, and place in the center of the hive

| a comb containing larvee not over one day old, from
often, by this means, saved all of three that |

the queen I breed from. These I obtain by placing
an empty comb in the center of her brood-nest,
about four days before it is ueeded. For this pur-
pose I use light-colored combs. Bees seem to prefer
to build their queen-cells on the edges of the combs;
on this account I cut a few slits about one-half inch
wide in the comb, before placing it in the cell-build-
jug colony. In about eight days this comb is ready
to take out and put in the nursery, and be replaced
by another similar one. I can generally get four or
five good lots of cells from a hive before the young-
est bees are too old to raise perfect queens.

My nursery is made aceording to the description
in your circular, and is a very great convenience;
in fact, I could not raise queens, at present prices,
without it. When a queen is hatched in the nursery
T can tell at a glance whether she is perfect; while
if the cell were in a nucleus I would have to spend
some time in looking for her, and might have to
open the hive several times before I would find her
hatched. It is usually 8 or 10 days after a queen is
hatched before she begins to lay; therefore it is
quite important to know immediately that she is
perfect, so as to save this time if she is not. The
nursery also saves to the bees the time required to
hatch the cells after they are sealed — say five or six
days for each cell.

The time required in introducing is but little if any
more than is necessary to cut out the cells and place
them in the different hives; and this season the loss
has been no greater.

I examine the combs in the nursery every two or
three hours, to find the young queens; and before
leaving it for the night I hunt up what queens are —
likely to hatch before morning, and cut out the cells
containing them, and put them in cages. Here is
where the light-colored combs show their advantage;

QUEEN-REARING. ~

by holding them up to the light, the queens that are
nearly developed can be seen to move slightly, and
are pretty sure to come out in either 6 or 8 hours.
If they should have the run of the combs an hour or

' two, they would be pretty certain to murder some

of their sisters.

I introduce the young queens to their nucleus
hives as soon as possible after they are hatched,
when the honey harvest is good; this nsually re-

_ quires but a moment. I let them run in at the top

ot the hive, giving them and the bees a good smok-
ing, and feel quite safe about them. But if the bees
are not getting much honey, and are inclined to be
eross, it requires more care. I move the division-
board back, so as to give a good view of the comb,
then let the queen run in among the bees, giving
them all a good smoking, and watching them a few
moments until they become quiet. If they treat
her respectfnlly, she is pretty sure to be safe; but
if any attack her, I smoke them again. They seldom
require this the third time. With care, and by tak-
ing sufficient time (and a good queen is worth it), I
lose very few, although there are times when the
utmost care results in failure. There seem to be
climatic influences, at times, that control the matter,
and which are beyond my knowledge. For instance,
during the clover season I lost nearly all of one fine
batch of queens, while a similar lot, introduced in
the same manner a few days previous, were well re-
ceived; and I have had but little trouble since. It
seems that feeble hives are more inclined to receive
queens peaceably, and, on that account, I keep my
nuclei as weak as possible and still have them self-
sustaining. I also have better success in introduc-
ing to hives that have been queenless several days,
and have cells well started.

I have, this year, abandoned the plan of having the
hives arranged in straight rows and at regular dis-
tances, and now have them grouped about various
small trees. This arrangement is not so pleasing to
the mechanical eye, but it seems to suit the young
queens much better than the former arrangement,
and I lose searcely any now during their marriage-
flight. :

For shipping purposes, I use the ‘“‘Five-cent candy
cage,’ having the candy fresh. I find that queens,
and most of the bees, will live in these small cages
from 12 to 15 days, if the candy is just right. In
provisioning the cages I put in more candy than the

bees would be likely to use, because a greater bulk | x
y 3 . | over the entrance at once, or she will crawl

together will retain the moisture longer.

ITuse granulated sugar for candy, and prepare it
as follows: Wet it with a very little hot water, just
sufficient to dissolve it; boil it until it will grain
when stirred in a cold dish (it requires but very lit-
tle boiling), then take it from the fire and stir it un-
til it becomes slightly cloudy, and pour it into cages
as fast as possible. If it gets cold before it is all
poured out, I haveto heat it up again with a little
more water.

What seems to be necessary, is to dissolve the
sugar in as little water as possible, and then stir it
enough so that when cold a slight crust will cover
the surface, while the interior will be soft and
creamy; in this condition the water evaporates very
slowly. It is probable that the loss of so many

213

QUEEN-REARING.

queens this season is more due to the character of
the candy, than the size of the cage,

To fill the cages for shipment, I take a lt of
them containing enough for the day’s orders, and
remove the slide that closes the openings. I pick
up allthe bees, including the queens, by the wing,
putting into the first cage the first queen and her
suite composed of 6 or 8 bees in the prime of life,
which are easily distinguished by their clean, bright
appearance. These work the candy better than
very young bees, and are more likely to stand the
confinement than old ones. After putting in each
bee, I close the opening with my thumb, until they
are allin, whenI use the slide for this purpose. I
then fill the second one in the same manner, and so
on through the whole lot. E. M. HAYHURST.

Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 10, 1879.

HOW TO CAGE THE BEES AND QUEEN.

Open your hive without smoke if you can;
if you cannot, use as little smoke as possible.
When the bees have become quiet, lift out
the frames until you find the one containing
the queen, and stand itin the hive in the
position shown in the diagram.

Set the frame so that the queen is on the
part projecting out of the hive. Open the
cage just as you see it in the cut on p. 47, and
hold it in your left hand, while your thumb
covers the entrance. Now pick the queen
up by both wings, or by her shoulders, while
you put her into the cage. Put your thumb

out in a twinkling. Now we want none but
young bees to put with her, so we will look
on the frame for those that are dipping their
noses into the unsealed honey. As their
bodies are bent, we have an excellent oppor-
tunity to pick them up by the wings, and
with a little practice you should be able to
put them in the cage about as fast as you
would grains of corn. Young bees will nev-
er sting your thumb, unless they happen to
be very bad hybrids; but old ones will some-
times venture to do so, if you happen to
handle them too roughly.

14

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THE QUEEN AND HER RETINUE.

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RAPS (Lrassicw). This plant is a near, important honey plant; but it would hardly

relative of the turnip, cabbage, mustard, etc.

All of them yield honey largely, where ‘ alone.

grown in sufficient quantities. As rape is
the only one of which the seed is utilized for
purposes other than for increase, it should
play a prominent part on the honey - farm.

It would seem, in fact, thatit is almost the |
only plant that should stand beside Buck- |

WHEAT, or rather, perhaps, above it, for the
honey from the rape is very much superior
to buckwheat honey. The great drawback
is the lack of hardiness of the young plants,
when they first come up. In our locality
the black flea is almost sure to eat the ten-
der green leaves when they first make their
appearance. Our neighbors have several
times tried considerable fields of it; but
though it would come up nicely, this flea
would take off almost every plant. In other
localities we have had reports of bountiful
crops of seed, and honey enough so that the
bees worked beautifully in the surplus re-
ceptacles Like buckwheat, it commences
to blossom when quite small, and continues
in bloom until the plant has gained its full
height. As it will bloom in 20 days after
sowing, it may be sowed almost any time in
the summer; and it is said to escape the rav-
ages of the flea best, when sown late.
We have had it yield honey finely when
sown the first of August. The ground
should be very finely pulverized, for the
seeds are very small. It is sown broadcast,
three pounds of seed to the acre. Thereisa
steady and good demand for the seed, for
feeding canary birds, as well as for the man-
ufacture of oil. Bee-keepers should contrive
to induce seedsmen to have all these seeds
raised near them, or on their own grounds.
Dealers in bird-seed should also be furnished
in the same way, for these things are often
raised in large quantities, where there are
few, if any, bees to gather the honey.
From what I have said on POLLEN, you
will understand that both parties would be
benefited by the arrangement.
RASPBERRY. Where this fruit is

be advisable to think o¢ raising it for honey
The bees work on it closely in our
locality, but we have not enough of it to
judge of the honey. If bee-keepers and
growers of small fruits could manage to lo-
cate near each other, it would probably be
an advantage to both. Langstroth says of
the raspberry honey: ‘ In flavor, it is supe-
rior to that from white clover, while its deli-
cate comb almost melts in the mouth.
When it is in blossom, bees hold even white
clover in light esteem. Its drooping blos-
soms protect the honey from moisture, and
they work upon it when the weather is so
wet they can obtain nothing from the up-
right blossoms of the white clover.”’

In our locality it comes in bloom just aft-
er fruit blossoms, and just before clover, so
that large fields of it would be a great acqui-
sition indeed. The red varieties (especially
the Cuthbert) are said to furnish most hon-
ey. We have now (December, 1879) about
one-fourth of an acre of the best raspberries
for honey on our honey-farm.

RATAN. This plant has been several
times spoken of by our Southern friends, and
it is probably quite an important honey-
plant. Some seed has been sent me, but no
plants have as yet been raised. I will give
farther reports, as soon as I can.

ROBBING. [aul says, “ The love of
money is the root of all evil.” I should be
inclined to state it in this way: The disposi-
tion to get money without rendering an
equivalent, is the root of all evil. Well, the
root of a great many evils in bee-keeping

is the disposition of the bees to gain honey

without rendering any equivalent. Some
one of our A BC class has said that he found
bees making visits to over 100 clover-heads,
before they obtained a load sufficient to car-
ry to their hives. I think it very likely, that
during a great part of the season a bee will
be absent a full hour, or, it may be, during
unfavorable spells, as much as two hours, in
obtaining a single load. Is it at all strange

raised largely for the market, itis quite an | that a bee, after having labored thus hard

ROBBING.

during the fore part of the day, should, in
the afternoon, take a notion to see if he
could not make a living in some easier way?
Would he be very much worse than many
types of humanity? Well, as he passes
around to other hives, he catches the per-
fume of the clover honey they have gathered
in a like manner, and, by some sort of an op-
eration in his little head, he figures out that,
if he could abstract some of this, unper-

ceived, and get it safely into his own hive, |

he would be so much the gainer. I presume
he has no sort of care, whether these other
folks die of starvation or not. That is no
concern of his.

With all of their wonderful instincts, I
have never been able to gather that the bees
of one hive ever have any spark of solicitude
as to the welfare of their neighbors. If, by
loss of a queen, the population of any hive
becomes weak, and the bees too old to de-
fend their stores, the very moment the fact
is discovered by other swarms, they rush in
and knock down the sentinels, with the most
perfect indifference, plunder the ruined home

of its last bit of provision, and then Tejoice |
_ discovers things to be too hot for him inside.

in their own home, it may be but a*yard

away, while their defrauded neighbors are |

so weak from starvation as to have fallen to

the bottom of the hives, being only just able |

to feebly attempt to crawl out at the en-
trance.

ent indeed; for the first bee of a starving col-
ony will carry food around to his comrades,

as soon as he has imbibed enough of the food |
_and wings.

furnished to have the strength to stagver to
them.

Well, suppose the bee mentioned above, in
prowling around in the afternoon or some
other time, should find a colony so weak, or
so careless, that he could slip in unobserved,
and get a load from some of the unsealed
cells,and getout again. After he has passed
the sentinels outside he will usually run but
little danger from those inside, for they seem
to take it for granted that every bee inside
is one of theirnumber. There is danger,
thouch; for should he betray too great haste
in repairing to the combs of honey, they will
often suspect something; so he assumes an
indifference he is far from feeling, and loi-
ters about very much as if he were at home,
and finally, with a very well-assumed air of
one who thinks he will take a lunch, he goes
to the cells, and commences to fillup. Very
often, when he gets pretty well ‘‘podded out”’
with his load, some bee approaches, appar-
ently to see if all is right. When the robber

Had it been some of their own |
flock, the case would have been very differ- |

216

ROBBING.

once gets his head into a cell, however, he
seems to have lost all sense or reason; and if
he is discovered at this stage to be a stranger
and a thief, he is often pounced upon and
stung with very little ceremony. How do
they know a stranger from one of their own
number, where there are so many? It is
said, they know by the sense of smell; this
may be the principal means, perhaps, but I
think they depend greatly on the actions and
behavior of a bee, much as we do when judg-
ing of the responsibility of a man who asks
tobe trusted. Wecan givea very good guess,
simply by his air or manner, or even by the
sort of letter he writes. If a robber is sus-
pected, and a bee approaches for the purpose
of satisfying himself, it is a very critical mo-
ment, and one becomes intensely interested
in watching the performance. The robber
will stand his ground, if he is an old hand,
and permit himself to be looked over with a
wonderful indifference; but one who has
watched such scenes closely will detect a
certain uneasiness, and a disposition to move
slowly toward the entrance, that he may be
the better able to get out quickly, when he

ee

«het; att ee,

If the bee who first suspects him concludes
he is an interloper, he begins to bite him,
and grab hold of his wings to hold on until 4
others can come to help. The thief has now
two chances to escape, and sometimes he
seems meditating which to adopt; one is to
brave it out until they shall perhaps let him
alone, and then ship out unobserved. The
other is to break away, and trust to his heels
The latter plan is the one gen-
erally adopted, unless he is a very old and
‘hardened sinner”? in the business. One
who has been many times in such scrapes
will usually get away, by the latter plan, by
an adroit series of twists, turns, and tum-
bles, even though three or four bees have
hold of him at once. Some of these fellows,
by a sudden and unexpected dash, will liber-
ate themselves in a manner that is also won-
derful, and then, as if to show their audaci-
ty, will wheel about and come back close to
the noses of their retainers of a minute be-
fore.

But in case the bee gets his load, and
makes his way out unobserved, he gets home
very quickly, you may be sure, and, under
the influence of this new passion for easily
replenishing his hive with the coveted
sweets, he rushes out with a vehemence nev-
er known under any other circumstances.
Back he goes and repeats the operation, with
several of his comrades at his heels. Does

9

=

ROBBING.

he tell them where to go? I wish to digress
enough here to say, that I do not believe in
a so-called language among bees, or animals
in general, further than certain simple
sounds which they utter, and which we may
learn to interpret almost if not quite as well
as they do. When a bee comes into the hive
in such unusual haste, podded out with his
load in a way also rather unusual where itis
obtained from ordinary stores, his comrades
at once notice it, and, either from memory or
instinct, they are suddenly seized with the
same kind of passion and excitement. Those
who have had experience at the gambling-
table, or in wild speculations of other kinds,
can understand the fierce and reckless spirit
that stirs these little fellows. Patent hives
illustrate the matter very well. A man who
afterward became editor of a bee - journal
once held up before my untutored eyes a
right to make a patent hive, saying :

‘““Mr. Root, I get $5.00 for these rights, and
they do not cost me more than the paper
they are printed on—less than half a cent
apiece.”’

The idea that $5.00 bills could be picked
up in that way, compared with the slow way
I was in the habit of earning them, so im-
pressed itself on my mind that I could hard-
ly sleep nights; but after I had taken that
amount from several of my friends and
neighbors for the “right,” I concluded that
money without a clear conscience is not just
the thing after all. Can we blame the poor
bees for being somuch human? Well, the
bees, when they see a comrade return in the
way mentioned, seem to know, without any
verbal explanation, that the plunder is sto-
len. Anxious to have ‘‘a finger in the pie,”
they tumble out of the hive, and look about,
and perhaps listen, too, to find where the
spoil is to be had. If they have, at any for-
mer time, been robbing any particular hive,
they will repair at once to that; but if it is
found well guarded, those used to the busi-
ness will proceed to examine every hive in
the apiary. As an illustration of the way in
which they communicate, or, rather, observe
the movements of each other, see account of
bees getting into the honey-house, given in
POLLEN.

Of course, they have particular notes, as
of joy, sorrow, anger, despair, etc., which are
produced by the wings, usually when on the
wing, but I am quite sure they are unable to
communicate to each other more than a sin-
gleidea. In other words, they have no fac-
ulty of telling their fellows that a lot of hon-
ey is to be had in a feeder at the entrance,

17 ROBBING.

and that it would better be brought in quick-
ly, or other bees may find it. A bee goes
out in the spring, and by smelling around,
the buds, discovers honey and pollen; when
he comes into the hive, the others see it and
start out, and hunt it up in a similar way.
For further information on this subject, see
SWARMING.

If you will turn back and read ANGER OF
BEES, you will get a very good idea of the
causes that start bees to robbing. Read, al-
SO, BEE-HUNTING, FEEDING, etc. Asagen-
eral thing, bees will never rob so long as °
plenty of honey is to be had in the fields.
During a bountiful flow I have tried in vain
to get bees to take any notice of honey left
around the apiary. At such times we can
use the extractor right in the open air, close
to the sides of the hives, if need be. Onone
occasion I remember leaving a comb of un-
sealed honey on the top of a hive, from morn-
ing until noon, and not a bee had touched
it. It seems they preferred to go to the clo-
ver-fields, in the regular way, rather than to
take several pounds from the top of aneigh-
boring hive. I can readily suppose that they
did not have to visit anything like a hundred
blossoms at this time, and perhaps they se-
cured a load in going to not more than a
half-dozen. Such a state of affairs is not
very usual in our locality. We have very
few days during the season, when it would
be safe to use the extractor for a whole day
in the open air; the bees will generally learn
to follow the freshly uncapped combs about,
and that it is easier than going to the fields.
The first indication of robbing which you
will have, will probably be the cool and
wicked way of stinging, that I have de-
scribed in ANGER OF BEES.

After the season begins to fail, you may
expect that every colony in your apiary will
be tried. As a rule, any fair colony will
have sentinels posted to guard the entrance,
as soon as there is a need of any such pre-
cautions. The bee that presumes to think
he may enter for plunder will be led off by
‘“‘ the ear,” if I may so express it, and this
will be repeated until he learns that there is
no chance for speculation at thathouse. At
the close of the honey harvest we should be
sure that there are no feeble hives that may
be overpowered, for one such may start the
fashion of robbing, and make it a much
harder matter to control this propensity.
An apiary, like a community, may get so de-
moralized that thieving becomes a univer-
salmania. ‘A stitch in time will save” a
great many more than nine,in this case, Be

ROBBING.

218

ROBBING.

sure that each colony has the entrance con- | tiously up to the entrance, and quickly dodge

tracted, and, in fact, the space occupied by
the bees also, in proportion to their num-
bers. Give them only so many combs as
they can cover, if you wish them to defend
them properly from either moths or robbers.
A colony without either queen or brood is
not apt to fight for their stores very vigor-
ously, so it will be well to see that they have
either one or both, should there be an attack
made on them. It is hardly necessary to re-
peat what has been said about Italians be-
ing better to defend their stores than the
common bees. <A dozen Italians will often
defend a hive better than a whole swarm of
black bees.

COLONIES THAT WILL MAKE NO DEFENSE.

Although this is contrary to the rule when
the queen and number of bees are all right,
yet such cases do sometimes come up. I
have found that colonies which have been
wintered indoors are most liable to get into
that peculiar state where they will allow
bees from other colonies to come in and help
themselves without molestation, yet it is not
always the case. When they can not be
stirred up so as to show a particle of spunk
or resentment, the temptation is sometimes
very strong to say, ‘‘It is good enough for
them; they ought to starve.’’ This might
be gratifying to one’s feelings for the time,
but, on the whole, it would not pay. I have
cured them of it in various ways; some-
times by giving them some good fighting
bees from another hive, and sometimes they
got over it themselves after being shut up a
while. I have tried scenting the robbers
with some strong odor, like camphor or pep-
permint. Do this just at night, and, by the
next morning, the bees from each colony
have an odor so distinct that the sentinels
have no trouble in telling their own bees
from the others. This has seemed to an-
swer; but as they might have been all right
anyway, I am not quite certain that chang-
ing the scent was the cause of the cure.
Contracting the entrance and closing all
cracks and crevices are always very import-
ant in stopping robbers.

HOW TO KNOW ROBBER-BEES.

It sometimes puzzles beginners exceed-
ingly, to know whether the bees that come
out are robbers, or the ordinary inmates
of the hive.

A robber-bee, when he approaches a hive,
has a sly, guilty look, and flies with his legs
spread in rather an unusual way, as if he
wanted to be ready to use his heels as well
as wings, if required. He will move cau-

back, as soon as he sees a bee coming toward
him. If he is promptly grabbed for, as soon
as he attempts to goin, you need have but
little fear. If a bee goes in and you can not
well tell whether he was a robber or not, you
must keep aclose watch on the bees that
come out. This is a very sure way of telling
when robbers have got a start,even at its
first commencement. A bee,in going to the
fields, comes out leisurely, and takes wing
with but little trouble, because he has no
load. His body is also slim, for he has no
honey with him. A bee that has stolen a
load is generally very plump and full, and, as
he comes out, he has a hurried and guilty
look; besides, he is almost always wiping his
mouth, like a man who has just come out of
a beer-shop. Most of all, he finds it a little
difficult to take wing, as bees ordinarily do,
because of the weight. In BEE-HUNTING I
told you how a bee, laden with thick undilut-
ed honey, would stagger several times under
his load before he could take wing for his
final trip home. Well, the bee, when he
comes out of the hive with the honey he has
very likely just uncapped, feels instinctively
that he will be quite apt to tumble unless he
can take wing from some elevated position,
and therefore he crawls up the side of the
hive before he launches out. When he first
takes wing he falls a little by the weight of
his load, before he has his wings fully under
control, and therefore, instead of starting out
as a bee ordinarily does, he takes a down-
ward curve, coming quite near the ground
before he rises safely and surely. With a
little practice you can tell a robber at a
glance, by his way of coming out of the hive,
particularly by that fashion of running up
the side of the hive before taking wing, in
the way I have mentioned.

HOW TO TELL WHERE THE ROBBERS BE-
LONG.

If you are a bee-hunter you will probably
line them to their hive without any trouble;
but if you are not, you can easily find from
which hive they come, by sprinkling them
with flour, as they come out of the hive being
robbed. Now watch the other hives, and see
where you find the floured bees going in. I
can generally tell in a very few moments, by
the excited actions of the robbers, already
mentioned.

HOW TO STOP ROBBERS.

It depends a great deal on what particular
stage of proceedings they have reached. If
they are fighting briskly, and stinging one
occasionally, they will usually take care of

ee ee ee

ROBBING. 2

themselves, if there are plenty of bees in-
side, and their entrance is contracted. I
have known the robbers to get up so early
~ ona cool morning that the regular inmates
were not stirring; and before they were
roused, and could put a stop to it, the rob-
bers had quite a lively “trade” started.
This is a bad fashion for an apiary to learn,
but it will usually cure itself, if the colonies
are all strong. If the bees are going in and
out very rapidly, and running over the sen-
tinels in a way indicating that they are over-
powered, you must shut up the hive at once.
Now be sure you shut it up so it will stay.®
Putting blocks before the entrance is of but
little use, for the united strength of the rob-
bers will move quite a heavy weight. Slid-
ing the hive back, as we do the Simplicity,
is about the safest way which I know, of
closing the entrance just as you want it,
and having it stay. Now be sure you re-
member the caution I am going to give you
in regard to this. Should the hive be stand-
ing in the sun, during a very hot day, and
be full of bees, they would be very likely to
smother, without a good deal of air.

If there are not many of them, there.

will be no danger of suffocation. It is
the bees gorged with honey that are most
apt to suffocate, for they are much like an
individual who has eaten too large a dinner,
and they can not stand close confinement.
When near suffocation they will disgorge
the honey, and the quantity is often sufficient
to wet the whole mass almost as thoroughly
as if they had been dipped in honey. The
heat given off by the damp crowd is often so
great as to melt down the combs intoasticky
mass, and, when touched by the hand, it oft-
en feels almost scalding hot. The bees soon
die in this condition, for their breathing-
pores are closed; and unless they can be
speedily licked off by other bees, or washed,
they will be ‘‘no good.” If they are found
in this condition, with life enough to move,
they may be saved by giving them to clean
bees to lick off; but they should be confined
so that they can not readily crawl out of the
hive in the dirt; they will always do this if
they can, for they seem to consider them-
selves of no use, and, like any ailing bee, try
to get off out of the way of those that are
healthy and well. I have often saved almost
every one by dipping a teacupful, or even a
pint, with a spoon, and placing them right
over the frames of a strong colony. If you
do not give each hive too many at once, they
will soon clean them off as bright as them-

19

ROBBING.

the mass will do, but it may result in more
trouble, unless you are master of your busi-
ness. One of our feminine friends reported,
ashort time ago, saving such a colony by
washing the bees in warm water, and then
drying them in the sun, in a box covered
with wire cloth.

There are several ways of preventing bees
from smothering, when the hive is closed,
and a very common one is to give them air,
by means of an opening closed with wire
cloth. Unless this is quite large they will
often pack so densely over it as. to exclude
every particle of air, and thus defeat its pur-
pose. If an upper story can be put on, and
this covered with wire cloth, it will do very
well; but even then the robbers inside make
such a fuss as to call the robbers outside to
them, and keep up a disturbance in the api-
ary allday. Buta still worse objection is,
that the robbers will sometimes make an ar-
rangement with those inside, by which they
will pass the honey out, and thus clean out
the hive, in time, as effectually as if they
were allowed admittance. Our neighbor
Shaw used a double wire cloth, with a half
inch space between the sheets, for his small
nucleus hives, just to prevent this kind of
sharp practicing. I have several times seen
bees pass honey through the wire cloth in
this way, but have always stopped the
fun, before the insiders had passed it all out.
A correspondent in the Jan. GLEANINGS for
1879, gives an instance where the whole of
the honey was handed out to the robbers,
leaving the insiders so destitute that they
actually starved to death, the whole of them.
These fellows, it seems, were a little too
sharp, and in their greed for ill gotten-gains
rather overstepped themselves.

Well, if we can not give them ventilation
through wire cloth, what shall we do? I
would let the robbers out, without letting
any of the outsiders in; I generally do this
by brushing away, with a little bunch of as-
paragus tops, all the bees which are around
the entrance, and then keeping them away
until all get out that wish to. Youcan then
close the hive with very little danger. If
the colony is a large one (it is very seldom a
large colony is caught being robbed), you
would better shade the hive, to be on the safe
side. It will also be a good idea to set on an
upper story, and let them go up into that.
If you have got the robbers all out, it will
often do to give them their liberty the next
morning; butif they will not defend them-
selves then, I would shut them up,and let

selves. Letting the outside robbers get at| them remain 3 days, By this time, all the

ROBBING.

220

ROBBING.

bees that remained in the hive, ora large part | iciled in the house apiary, repelled all invad-
of them, even if they are robbers, willadhere | ers with such energy and determination that
to the stand as if it had always been their the rest seemed to abandon the idea which

own.

I hardly know why this is for a bee they, doubtless, had previously formed; viz.,

remembers things that happened several that the house-apiary was a monster hive but
weeks before. Perhaps they get interested ill garrisoned, and I had but little trouble

in the ways of their new home, and conclude | afterward.
I know that bees | have mentioned, I had serious thoughts of

to cast their lots there.

Before I swapped them, as I

remember more than 3 days, because I once | destroying the queen, simply because they
carried a stock away to a swamp and kept | were such pests; but the year afterward,

them there about a month. WhenI brought |
them back I placed them on a new stand, |
and jostled them a little in opening the en-—
trance. At this they sallied out in quite a.
body; but when they tried to return to their
hive, they all went directly to their old stand. |
Bees have been known to do the same, after |
being in a bee-house over winter.

After a colony has been confined a day or |
two, because they would not repel robbers, I
would let them out just about sundown, and
watch them closely. To be on the safe side,
you would better get up next morning be-
fore they begin to fly, and see if they are all
right.

It has been often recommended, that
the combs be broken and the honey set
running in the robbers’ hive, that they may
be induced to stay at home; this will some-
times check them ; but as these colonies are
almost always extra spry and active, they
will have things fixed up in a trice, and be
out at their old trade again.

was first built, I had a great deal of trouble
with one certain colony. In fact, if any rob-
bing was going on anywhere, it was sure to
be these hybrids who were at the bottom of
the mischief. After I had tried every plan I
had heard recommended, and still these fel-
lows would persist in pushing into every
new colony I started, the idea occurred to
me that, on the principle that it takes a rogue
to catch a rogue, it would be well to try to
see how they would repel robbers. I simply
took the greater part of the combs from the
robbers, bees and all, and carried them into
the house apiary, and put them in place of
the colony which they had been robbing.
The effect was instantaneous. Every laden
robber-bee that came home with his load, on
finding the queen and brood gone, at once
showed the utmost consternation, and the
passion for robbing was instantly changed to
grief and moaning for the lost home. The
weak colony which they had been robbing,
and which had only a queen-cell, was placed
with them, and they soon took up with it,
and went to work. The robbers newly dom-

In trying to)
people our house-apiary in the fall, when it |

this colony gave me in the house apiary, over
100 lbs. of comb honey.

The practice of changing colonies is not
always a very safe one, on several accounts,
although an experienced ora careful hand
will often make it serve an excellent pur-
pose: Sometimes the queen of the weaker

_colony may be attacked and destroyed; and,

again, bees from other hives may strike in,
and both being demoralized by the unexpect-
ed transition, and unfitted to repel intruders,
robbing may be started on a much larger
scale than before. Instead of exchanging
hives and all, I think by far the better way
is to leave the hives on their old stand, and
simply exchange the greater part of the
combs, with the bees adhering. With the
fingers between each two combs, with both
hands we can raise four combs with all the
adhering bees, and carry them all together.
If done in this way, enough of the original
inmates will be left in the strong hive to pro-
tect it, and enough will also be carried to the
weaker hive to make it perfectly safe. The
queen of the stronger hive will be in no dan-
ger, but the queen of the weaker one may
have to be caged, although I have seldom
found this necessary.

| WHAT HAPPENS IF ROBBING IS NOT STOP-

PED.

Well, when the work is under real head-
way, the honey of a strong colony will disap-
pear in from 2 to 12 hours; the bees will then

starve in the hive, or go home with the pil- .

lagers, or scatter about and die.® This is not
all: when the passion is fully aroused, they
will not hesitate to attack the strongest
stocks, and you will find your bees stung to
death in heaps, before the entrances. This
may, after a spell, put a stop to it, but Lhave
seen them push ahead until every hive in the
apiary was in an uproar, and it seemed as if
every bee had gone crazy, sure. At such
times, the robbers will attack passers-by in
the streets, and even venture an attack on
cats, dogs, aye, and hens and turkeys too.
Like the American Indians when infuriated
at the sight of blood, every bee seems to
have a demoniacal delight in selling his lite,

f

Bl i i a

ee

ROBBING. 22

by inflicting all the torments he possibly can,
and feels sad because he cannot do any more
mischief.

The account below, taken from page 224 of
GLEANINGS for 1877, illustrates very vividly
what I have tried to describe.

I send you a paper, the Valley Herald, published at
our county seat, which has a little article on ‘‘Bees
on a Rampage.’ JI would be glad to hear your views
on the subject. What caused those bees to act so,
etc.? JOHN W. HOODENPYLE.

Looney’s Creek, Tenn., July 10, 1877.

BEES ON A RAMPAGE.

Mr. Elisha Tate, who lives some tifteen miles from
this place on the head of Battle Creek, met with
quite a Singular misfortune on the 19th inst. He
has, or did have at that time, about twenty hives of
bees, and on that day, while all were away from the
house except a daughter and the baby, the bees be-
came mad from some cause or other, left the hivesin
large Swarms and commenced to sting every living
thing on the place. They attacked the daughter,
who fled from the house, leaving the babe on the
bed. A fine jack was stung to death in the stable;
all the chickens were killed, and a sheep, that was
around the house, was stung so badly on the nose
that that organ swelled to huge dimensions, causing
death by suffocation. The cries of the daughter
brought Mr. Tate to the house, and he proceeded to
rescue his babe, which he found literally covered
with bees; and we understand that it was with great
difficulty that its life was saved. Mr. T. attempted
to destroy the bees at night by piling fodder on the
hives and setting fire to it, but it only served to
again arouse them, and they attacked the family
and compelled them to abandon their house and go
to a neighbor’s.

No one can account for the strange occurrence.
Some think that a snake must have visited the
hives, as it is known that bees have the greatest an-
tipathy toward snakes.

In all probability, the account is consider-
ably exaggerated, as such things usually are
before they get into the papers, butit affords
an excellent lesson, nevertheless, on the re-
sults of letting bees get into a habit of rob-
bing each other, or of finding honey scattered
about the premises. I tried,in ANGER OF
BEES, to illustrate it, but the above does it
still better. The worst season seems to be
after basswood is over, and the bees seem to
get especially crazy, if they even get a smell
of this aromatic honey left carelessly about
the hives. One who has never seen such a
state of affairs can have but little idea of
the furious way in which they sting every
thing and everybody. The remedy is to get
a kettle of coals and put in enough chips or
sawdust to make a ‘‘big smoke;”’ carry this
out among the hives and proceed to close
every hive that shows any symptoms of be-
ing robbed. Shut up every bit of honey
where not a bee can get at it and do your
work well; for at such times they will wedge

1 ROBBING.

into and get through cracks that would
make one think inch boards were hardly pro-
tection enough. Just before dark, let all the
robbers go home, and be up betimes next
morning to see that all entrances are close
and small, and that all the hives are bee-
tight. An experienced hand will restore
peace and quietness in a very short time, in
such a demoralized apiary. Black bees are
much worse than Italians, for the latter will
usually hold their stores against any number
of assailants; good, strong, well-made hives,
filled with Italians, with plenty of brood in
each, will be in little danger of any such
‘‘raids,’’ although we have seen the wounded
and slain piled up in heaps, before robbers
would desist and give up trying to force an
entrance.

The love of honey, my friends, is by far
more potent than ‘‘snakes” in demoralizing
an apiary. Ido not think bees have any par-
ticular enmity to them.”

There is one more point: If in uncapping
drone-brood, or in cutting out brood to rear
queens, you leave the cappings or bits of
comb scattered about, the bees will get a
taste of the milky fluid and juices of the
brood, and it seems to craze them worse than
honey even, if that is possible. Below is a
letter illustrating it.

CROSS BEES.

I had some of the crossest bees this summer that
were ever heard of. They would fight the top of a
stovepipe that runs up through a shed roof; there
would be 50 or 100 bees at once, just whacking
against that pipe, and very many fell into it, and
burned to death. They would dive into my smoke-
pan, and burn up in that, and sting folks along the
road. What the cause was I could not imagine, but
at last I happened to think. I had been destroying
drone-brood, and when it was in a milky state I
could not shake it out of the combs; the bees would
eat it and it just made them crazy and ugly. Well,
I always want to be sure about any thing, so I left it
off for awhile and they became peaceable again. On
again giving them access to the milky brood, the
same result followed. I suppose you willlaugh, but
Iam well satisfied that this and this, only, was the
cause of the fierceness of the bees. D. GARDNER.

Carson City, Mich., Nov. 9, 1877.

PREVENTION OF ROBBING.

Beginners are very apt to say that the bees
must rob some — that there is no such thing
as preventing it absolutely. They say honey
will get daubed about on the door-knobs, on
the posts, and on the ground, and that it can
not be helped; that the bees will rob after
the honey - yield has ceased, for they will
crowd into the hives when they are opened
to cut out queen-cells, ete. Is this so, my
friends? To be sure,it is not. You can
have your honey - house as clean as your

ROBBING. 222

kitchen, and you can have every particle of
honey cleaned up. You can have a wash-
basin and cloth, and, just the moment a drop
falls, you can, if you have a mind to, get
right down on your knees and clean it up.
You can not afford to take so much time? I
verily believe it will take less time to have
everything neat, and always in place, than it
will to have such scenes of disorder. Icould
sit down and cry, many times, if I thought
it would do any good, to see young people
defeat themselves, and make themselves un-
happy too, by their heedless, careless way of
doing things. Is it because they have not
been trained differently? Perhaps so, and
perhaps experience is the best teacher. Ex-
perience is a very slow teacher, and I would
like to stir you all up, and have you get along
faster in habits of neatness, for I know you
all admire a neat apiary nearly if not quite
as much as I do.
A GREAT DISCOVERY.

I have often, when beset by robbers dur-
ing some experiment I wanted to make in
the fall of the year, longed for some place
where I could carry a single hive, where it
would be entirely free from bees of other
hives. I first thought of some spot-in the
country, where there were no bees within a
couple of miles; but as such a spot would be
difficult to find here,I thought of a wire-
cloth house; but then, you know, the bees
of my one hive would fly against the wires,
and so that would not be free from difficul-
ties either. I have before mentioned my
troubles in trying to people the house-apiary,
in the fall. Queens were already hatched in
the lamp nursery, and, unless the colonies
were divided at once, so as to make use of
them, all would be lost. The surplus combs
for making these late swarms were in the
upper stories, and the robbers knew it; for
no sooner was a cap raised than they were on
hand; and before I could get the brood-combs
to go with them (I found that the bees would
not adhere even to their own combs, unless
some of them contained unsealed brood), a
smart traffic would be under way. It came
night, and my hives and queens were in all
sorts of bad shapes. I was glad to have it
come night, I assure you, for I longed for
the time when the robbers would be com-
pelled, by the gathering darkness, to go
home. I presume many of you have had
cause to repent trying to work with bees
when it began to grow dark, but I got the
idea into my head that, with some good
lamps with nice shades on them, I could do
my work in the evening. I went at onceand

ROBBING.

gota lamp, and walked around the apiary
viewing the inmates of the different hives
that were clustered out at the entrances,
humming merrily, I presume in remem-
brance of the rich loads they had butan hour
before snatched from me. Searcely a bee
took wing, and I then ventured to open a
hive. With the lamp on one of the posts of
the trellis, I found I could handle the bees
almost as well as in daylight, and. to my in-
tense relief, not a bee would leave his hive,
no matter how many combs were held tempt-
ingly under their very noses. I went to
work, divided my hives, caught the queens,
and even handled vicious hybrids, with less
stings than I could possibly have got along
with in the daytime. As I passed again and
again the hives of the robbers who were clus-
tered out viewing proceedings, I could hard-
ly resist the temptation to place my thumb
at the side of my nose, to let them know how
much J enjoyed having completely outwitted
them. The last hive in the house-apiary was
filled, unsealed brood and a queen-cell given
to all, and all were fixed so that they could
repel robbers by morning, without trouble.
Of course, I had a good smoker, and this did
much toward preventing them from taking
wing. If the lamps were placed very near
the bees, occasionally a bee would buzz
against the light; but when placed off ata
distance of 6 or 8 feet, they rarely approached
it. Ihave extracted honey late in the fall
by moonlight, when it would have been im-
possible to do it in the daytime, on account
of the robbers. You will probably find the
pure Italians much more easy to handle by
lamplight than blacks or hybrids.

There is a kind of pillaging called borrow-
ing, where the bees from one hive will go
quietly into another, and carry away its
stores as fast as gathered; but this usually
happens where the robbed stock is queenless,
or has an unfertile queen. As soon as they
have eggs and brood, they begin to realize
what the end of such work will be. This
state of affairs seldom goes on a great while.
It either results in downright robbing, or the
bees themselves put a stop to it.

Caution to Beginners: —The first year I
kept bees I was in constant fear that they
would get to robbing, as I had read so much
about it in the books. One afternoon in
May I saw a large number of bees passing
rapidly out and in, at a particular hive, and
the more I examined them the more I was
persuaded that they were being robbed. I
contracted the entrance, but it seemed to
make little difference, J finally closed it al-

EE a ee Te

ROBBING.

most entirely, compelling the bees to squeeze
out and in, ina way that must have been
quite uncomfortable, at least. After awhile
they calmed down, and we had only the or-
dinary number of bees going out and in.
‘** There,” thought I, ‘‘ if I had not read the
books and known how, I might have lost my
bees,” and I presume I felt very wise if I
did not look so. On turning my head, behold,
the robbers were at another colony, and they
_ had to be put through the same programme;
then another, and another; and I concluded
a host of robbers had come from somewhere,
and made a raid on my apiary, and that, had
I not been on hand, the whole of them would
have been ruined. I had got very nervous
and fidgetty, and, when I found the whole
performance repeated the next day, I began
to think bee culture a very trying pursuit.
Well, in due course of time I figured out
that there was no robbing at all, but that it
was just the young bees taking their after-
noon playspell. Since then I do not know
how many of the A BC class have gone
through the same, or a similar experience,
and it is but a few days since I saw our min-
ister and his wife out by ahive, closing it up,
to stop the robbers that were making a raid
on it. On my suggesting that they were
mistaken, they replied, ‘‘ Why, the air was
full of them, and we could see them circling
about away up in the air,”” proving conclu-
sively to me that it was the young bees play-
ing, as I have said before. The directions I
have given for distinguishing robbing - bees
from the ordinary inmates of the hive, will
enable you to tell whether it is playing or
robbing; but as the books had not described
the afternoon playspell that young bees al-
ways take in suitable weather, I was some-
what excusable.

HOW TO CIRCUMVENT ROBBERS, AND KEEP
RIGHT ON TRANSFERRING, RAISING
QUEENS, ETC.

During the summer of 1879 the basswood
season failed us suddenly about the 20th
of July, and left us with something like
250. queen-rearing colonies. The bees very
soon informed us which colonies would pro-
tect their entrance, and which would not;
and by giving combs of unsealed larvee to all
that had no laying queens, and combs of
hatching bees to all that were short of bees,
we soon had every one ‘“‘ holding the fort.”
Now, bees were coming in daily, and bees
were going out daily. Queens and pounds
of bees were ordered by every mail, and
must go by first express, especially if we
hoped to hold our customers, and so, even if
robbers did incline to dip into every hive,

995
ond

pat

3 ROBBING.

business could not be stopped. I instructed
the boys to make a wire-cloth house, to set
over a hive when they wanted to open it,and
here it is.

———

WIRE-CLOTH HOUSE, FOR TRANSFERRING,
ETC., DURING A SCARCITY OF. HONEY.
The house is 6 feet long, 3+ feet wide, and

3¢ feet high. The operator is expected to

sit on the seat illustrated elsewhere, and a

movable shelf is fixed across one end, on

which to do his work. A single sheet of
painted wire cloth goes right around the
building, and overhead.

To prevent bees from getting under the
edge, a strip of cloth is tacked on, having a
hem on the lower edge, in which is drawn a
cheap iron chain. This holds every portion
down tight to the ground, even though the
surface may be uneven. The whole is so
light that it can be easily moved from hive
to hive, or tipped up at any side when the
operator wishes to get out. About 8 yards
of wire cloth are needed, at an expense of
about $3.00. The woodwork well painted,
and the cloth and chain, will cost about a
dollar more. When you wish to fasten any
colony into their hive without smothering
them, just set your house over them, and
they are out of the way.

With this house you can open and exam-
ine any hive under any circumstances, no
matter how bad the robbers are; and I
should think it would pay for itself nearly
every season in an apiary of twenty hives or
more.

A FOLDING TENT FOR TRANSFERRING, ETC.

A cheaper, and much lighter to handle,
though not as substantial a tent, may be
made of mosquito-bar, instead of wire cloth,
and our boys are now using these altogether
during the present season of 1882.

It is made by taking four basswood sticks,
about 83 feet long, and fastening them to-
gether like letter X’s, with a good strong
screw where they cross. <A piece of good
strong tarred twine, or small rope, makes
the ridge-pole, as seen in the engraving, and
this same twine unites the sticks at their

ROCKY-MOUNTAIN BEE-PLANT.

tops. The mosquito bar is sewed into a sort
of bag, having the same strong twine all
round its lower edges, and down each of the
four corners. At these corners are also
sewed metal rings, and these rings, when
pulled down strongly, will loop over screw-
heads, near the lower ends of the four sticks.
When thus looped over, the sticks are bent,
or bowed, so as to give room in the top of
the tent. The whole structure weighs less
than five pounds, and yet it gives room inside
for a hive, and to do all necessary work.
The basswood sticks are 1 x ? at the lower
end, and tapered to 1 x # at their upper end,
with the corners taken off, to make them as
light as possible. Where the bend comes,
they are scraped a little thinner.

iM

Ai

Wa
<i ; PT \\

ied 4
f Wy
pelt |) 7a

THE FOLDING BEE-HIVE TENT.

THE SAME FOLDED UP.

In the small cut at the left is shown the
way the ring is looped over the screw-heads,
and just below is seen the end of a 23-inch
wire nail, bent so it can be (when turned
with the point downward) used as an anchor
to keep the tent from blowing over. If the
sticks are spread a little when the anchors
are pushed into the ground, the tent stands
very securely.

ROCKY - MOUNTAIN BEE - PLANT
(Cleome Integrifolia). Thisisa beautiful plant
for the flower - garden, to say nothing of
the honey it produces. It grows from two
to three feet in height, and bears large clus-
ters of bright pink flowers, as shown in the
cut.

It is a near relative of the SPIDER-PLANT,
which see. It grows naturally on the Rocky
Mountains, and in Colorado, where it is said
to furnish large quantities of honey, Al-

224 ROCKY-MOUNTAIN BEE-PLANT.

though it succeeds easily under cultivation,
in our locality I can not learn that it has ever
been a success pecuniarily. With this, as
well as with all other plants, it must be borne
in mind that, to yield honey enough to give
it a fair test, acres are needed, instead of lit-
tle patches in the garden. The seed has been
offered for sale for several years past, as a
plant to be cultivated for honey; even if it
does not pay for honey, it will pay to have a
bed of it on account of its beauty.

ROCKY-MOUNTAIN BEF-PLANT.

The engraving was copied from a larger-
sized picture, in Prof. Cook’s ‘‘ Manual of
the Apiary.” During the past season of
1879 we have had a number of the plants
growing in our honey-garden. It is, how-
ever, sO much inferior in looks, as well as in
the amount of honey produced, to the spider-
plant, that we have not taken pains to save
the seed. The two plants very much resem-
ble each other, but the latter is a much
stronger and finer-looking plant, and has a
rank luxuriance of growth that the Rocky-
Mountain bee-plant has not.

To have them do well in our gardens, that
is, give us a good yield of honey, the seeds
would better be planted in a box indoors,
say in February or March. Set them out
when all danger of frost is past, and give
them good rich soil, with about the same
cultivation you would give your cabbages.
They should stand about as far apart as hills
of corn. If you have many plants, it will be
a good plan to cultivate them as you do field

ROCK Y-MOUNTAIN BEE-PLANT. 225 ROCKY-MOUNTAIN BEE-PLANT.

crops. It should be remembered, the better | der-flower, or the Simpson honey-plant. The
the soil and cultivation, the better will be | first two blossom the first year; the last,
the yield of honey. These remarks will ap- | sparingly the first year, but abundantly the
ply to either Rocky-Mountain bee-plant, Spi- | second year.

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HEXAGONAL BEE-HIVE.

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——————

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s.

SAGE (Salvia). This plant also belongs
to the great family of Labiaiw, or the mint
family. Jabiate means lip-shaped; and if
you look closely you will see that plants be-
longing to this family have blossoms with a
sort of lip on one side, something like the
nose to a pitcher. Many of this family, such
as CATNIP, MOTHERWORT, FIGWORT, GILL-
OVER-THE-GROUND, have already been men-
tioned as honey - plants, and the number
might be extended almost indefinitely. The
sage we have particularly to do with is the
white mountain sage of California; and I
do not know that I should be far out of the
way in calling this one of the most impor-
tant honey - plants in the world. The crops
of honey secured from it within the past ten
years have been so immense that the sage
honey is now offered for sale in almost all
the principal cities in the world, and a nice
sample of well-ripened California honey,
whether comb or extracted, is enough to cal]
forth exclamations of surprise and delight
from any one who thinks enough of some-
thing good to eat, and pleasant to the taste,
to commit himself so far. I well remem-
ber the first taste I had of the mountain-
sagehoney. Mr. Langstroth was visiting me
at the time, and his exclarmations were much
like my own, only that he declared it was al-
most identical in flavor with the famed hon-
ey of Hymettus, of which he had received a
Sample some years ago. Well, this honey of
Hymettus, which has been celebrated both
in poetry and prose for ages past, was gath-
ered from the mountain thyme, and the bot-
any tells us that thyme and sage not only be-
long to the same family, but are closely re-

lated. Therefore it is nothing strange if

Mr. Langstroth was right, in declaring our
California honey to be almost if not quite
identical in flavor with the honey of Hymet-
tus. This species of sage grows along the
sides of the mountain, and blossoms success-
ively as the season advances; that is, the
bees first commence work on it in the val-
leys, and then gradually fly higher up, as the

blossoms climb the mountain - side, giving
them a much longer season than we have in
regions not mountainous.

There are several varieties cf mountain
sage, and there has been some discussion as
to which one furnishes the largest amount
and the finest honey. The one figured below
was sent us by a friend in California, who as-
sures us it is the veritable mountain sage,
and produces the celebrated honey that has
made California famous.

CALIFORNIA WHITE MOUNTAIN SAGE.

One striking peculiarity of this honey is,
that it does not candy, but remains limpid,
during the severest winter weather. I have
taken asample so thick that the tumbler
containing it might be turned bottom up-
ward without its running at all, and placed
it out in the snow, in the dead of winter, and
failed to crystallize it. This is avery valua- —
ble quality of it, if it is invariably the case;
for we all know that the candying tendency
is somewhat of a drawback to the sale of
extracted honey. I presume the honey

SMOKE AND SMOKERS. 228

should be fully ripened in the hive, to have
it possess this property, as it is well known
that perfectly ripened clover honey will often
possess this same property here, while un-
ripened honey, of any kind, is much disposed
to candy at the approach of cool weather. I
believe some effort has been made to culti-
vate this plant; perhaps a soil that raises
pennyroyal naturally, would suit it, as they
are nearly allied, and I have been told that
pennyroyal yields considerable quantities of
honey, on the waste lands of Kelley’s island,
in Lake Erie.

It has been said, that one soon tires of this
beautiful aromatic flavor of the mountain
sage, and that, for a steady diet, the white
clover honey of the Western Reserve far out-
rivals it. This may be so; for, as a general
thing, I believe people usually tire of these
strong and distinct flavors in honey, like
those of basswood and mountain sage. For
all that, dear reader, if you have never tast-
ed mountain sage honey, and are a lov-
er of honey, there is a rich treat in store
for you, when you do come across some.

Since I have been writing about the sage,
I have concluded to have a bed of it on my
honey farm, where it will be a curiosity to
visitors, even if it does not yield honey
here as it does in California. Now let us
see who will have the nicest flower garden
of honey plants. Nota patch all choked up
with weeds, and scattered about in wild
disorder, but a real pretty little garden. You
can roll up your sleeves and set to work at it
this very minute, if you wish.

SMOKE AND SMOKERS. Wecan
drive cattle and horses, and, to some extent,
drive even pigs, witha whip; but one who un-
dertakes to drive bees in any such way will
find to his sorrow, that all the rest of the ani-
mal kingdom are mild in comparison, espe-
cially as far as stubbornness and fearlessness
of consequences are concerned. You may
kill them by thousands; you may even burn
them up with fire, but the death agonies of
their comrades seem only to provoke them
to new fury, and they push on to the com-
bat with a relentlessness which I can com-
pare to nothing better than to a nest of yel-
low-jackets that have made up their minds
to die, and to make all the mischief they pos-
sibly can before dying.” It is here that the
power of smoke comes in; and to one who
is not conversant with its use, it seems
simply astonishing to see them turn about
and retreat in the most perfect dismay and
fright, from the effects of a puff or two of

SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

wood. What would we bee-keepers do with
bees at times, were no such potent power as
smoke known ?

A great many colonies of bees, common,
as well as Italian, can be handled almost the
season round without smoke, while there
are others that it would be almost madness
to attempt to handle in the same way.
With a little practice we can decide before
going far enough to get stung, whether it
will be safe to attempt handling them with-
out smoke.

When away from home, if I have occasion
to handle a colony I test their gentleness
by proceeding to open the hive as carefully
as possible. If they rush out in a great body
as soon as an opening is made, I wait a lit-
tle to see if they will go back soon: if they
do not, but show a disposition to fight, I
hunt up a couple of pieces of rotten wood,
and get a coal of fire to put between them.
With this, smoke can be blown on them
until they are driven out of the way, down
among the combs. Ifa coal of fire is not
handy, light the wood with a match, but it
takes more time to get it going. If com-
pelled to use a match, a roll of cotton rags
is very convenient, as it lights quickly. If
it is carefully extinguished as soon as doné
with, a roll of rags will do very well fora
small number of hives. With a large apia-
ry, rotten wood, chips, or sawdust, is much
cheaper than the rags, and, to use them con-
veniently,a pan or kettle is often used.
Several of our neighbors who keep bees
largely, use such a kettle with a long bail,
fixed so that it always stands upright, that
the operator may not be obliged to stoop
every time he wishes to pick it up. In the
kettle are put chips, sticks, sawdust, ete.,
and when it is once started it- will keep
burning fora whole day. If it burns too
strongly, some damp sawdust is thrown on,
and, when not in use, the fire smoulders in-
visibly. When smoke is wanted, the kettle
is given a Shake by the bail, and at oncea
dense smoke arises. If this smoking-kettle
is placed at the proper side of the hive, the
wind will throw the smoke where wanted,
leaving both hands at liberty. Where rob-
bers are bad, this is avery convenient ar-
rangement, for it not only keeps the bees in
the hive in subjection, but keeps the angry
bees flying about in the air at bay.

I presume there are some who will
use this kind of smoker in preference to any
other. The objections are, that one is pret-
ty apt to have smoke blown in his eyes very

smoke,* from a mere fragment of rotten | inopportunely, and I, for one, would almost

a sas Se eS eee

a

SMOKE AND SMOKERS. 2

as soon be stung as to be smoked. Another
is, that bees frequently fall into the kettle ;
and the sight of one heavily laden little fel-
low writhing in death agonies on the burn-
ing embers would be enough of a lesson for
me. At one time a queen fell into our ket-
tle, and was only by rare good luck rescued.
To prevent such mishaps I thought of a
wire-cloth cover for the kettle, and as I had
been using with good satisfaction a small
saucepan with a handle, in place of a kettle,
it did not take very long to decide thata
common corn-popper was just about what
was wanted.
CORN-POPPER SMOKER.

This, when tried, proved to be in many
respects very convenient, for it could easily
be started burning briskly by whirling the
whole about the head, like a torch, and the
ashes fell out of themselves. For awhile we
thought we should want nothing better.
The difficulty, however, with this was, that
it would often give too much smoke: it
smoked the eyes, and it burned so rapidly
that it was quite a task to provide fuel. It
is true, that it never annoyed us by going
out as did the bellows smokers, but, on the
other hand, it did not offer the same facil-
ities for throwing a jet of smoke down into
the hive, or into any particular corner.
With all the good points of the corn-popper,
it was finally laid aside for the Quinby smo-
ker again, even if it did try our patience
sorely by going out whenever it was allowed
to tumble over, and many times when it did
not tumble over at all. The Bingham smo-
ker came a little nearer to the kettle and
corn-popper, in having a much larger recep-
tacle for the fuel; and as one of the valves
that Quinby used is dispensed with, it is not
very likely to go out, unless it is overturned.

Although there are some who prefer a
simple tin tube with a wooden plug in each
end, to be held in the mouth, the majority
of our bee-keepers seem to be strongly in
favor of the bellows smoker, and after try-
ing to learn to like one, I find myself much
like the rest. I should, of course, much pre-
fer amouth smoker to none at all. There
is one point in its favor: it can be held
in the mouth so that both hands are at lib-
erty, but one that can be set on the ground
so the wind carries the smoke over the hive,
I think preferable.

TOWNLEY’S SMOKER.

All bellows smokers that Ihave used are objec-
tionable in this respect, that, when handling cross
swarms of hybrid bees, they require an extra hand,

or else the operator must use the bellows with one
hand while he works with the other. For seyeral

9 SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

years past [have used an ash pail, setting iton a
stand just high enough so that the wind would blow
the smoke over the top of the hive; but as the hives
were not all the same height, it was necessary to
have several stands to correspond with the height
of the hives. Inow use a pail made expressly for
the purpose, which will be readily understood by
the following cut:

TOWNLEY’S SMOKER.
Hight inches in diameter, by ten inches high is
large enough. It is made of sheet iron, with the
handle riveted on. The hook at the top is two
inches long, so that, when hooked onto a hive, there
will de the space of an inch between the smoker
and hive, while the curved piece of sheet iron, the
center of which is riveted to the side of the smoker,
near the bottom, will keep that part also away from
the hive. Enough dry peat, or ‘‘ marsh muck,” or
even coarse, damp sawdust, or fine, damp chips,
can be put into it, with some fire, to keep it smok-
ing half a day at a time, and it is always ready for
use. All that is necessary is to hang it on the wind-
ward side of the hive, stand on the opposite side,
and go right to work. J. H. TOWNLEY.

Tompkins, Jackson Co., Mich.

I have many times noticed the same ob-
jection to the bellows smokers that is men-
tioned by friend Townley, and this is one
reason why I have made the fire-pot of ours
large, so that it might be placed on one
corner of the hive, and keep asmall cloud
of smoke in the air, over the hive. One
great objection to an open fire - pot is that
bees often fall into the fire; and to obviate
this, I have taken the liberty to add a wire-
cloth cover to the Townley smoker, as seen
in the cut. To make the implement lighter,
I would have it made of tin, instead of
sheet iron; and if it is kept somewhere out
of the rain, as, of course, it always should
be in any case, it will keep nice, and last a
long while. The greatest objection to these
smokers is, as has been mentioned, that
one’s eyes are always liable to be smoked in
a way that is, to me, more annoying than an
occasional sting; for the wind is rarely so
accommodating as to blow the smoke just
where wanted, and nowhere else. For all
this. I presume there are some of you who
will prefer such a smoker to any other kind.

%
FUEL FOR SMOKERS.

Perhaps rags work as nicely as any thing;
but as it would require a great many for the

wants of a large apiary, we must hunt up
15

SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

something cheaper. If we go out in the
woods during a dry time, we can find rotten
wood, by taking some care and pains, that
will ignite readily with a match, and keep
burning. This is quite desirable for the
smokers with a small narrow tube, but not
so much so with those of a larger capacity
for fuel, as it burns out almost too rapidly.
For the latter, common stove-wood, cut into
short pieces and split up, does very well.
When some of the little folks are wanting
something to do, you can show them how,
and have a large basketful cut up and kept
in readiness, in some dry place. The sound
hard wood will last much longer than the
rotten wood. A couple of yearsago a friend
sent us a box of amossy substance, which I
supposed to be peat from the swamps; but as
it did not burn very readily then, it was laid
aside and forgotten. This summer, how-
ever, I found our boys using it in their smo-
kers, and, as it lights readily with a match,
and makes a great quantity of smoke, I am
inclined to think we shall find nothing bet-
ter. It is very light, can be cheaply shipped,
and makes but a very small amount of ashes.
I would advise those who have peat-swamps
near them, to make a trial of it. It takes
quite a time to dry thoroughly, which is the
reason we did not discover its valuable prop-
erties sooner; if cut into thin slices, it would
probably dry much sooner.

One of the greatest objections to using
burning rags, rotten wood, or any thing else,
in the hand, or in an open dish, is that sparks
may get on the quilt, in the sawdust, or
where they may do harm about the apiary.
A visitor once showed me how I could use
a piece of rotten wood in my hand, and in
less than 24 hours I got the sawdust on fire,
and burned up one of my best colonies. Dur-
ing dry hot summer weather, it behooves us
to be very careful.

BELLOWS SMOKERS.

Quite a varietv of these are now in com-
mon use; but the first one, I believe, put in
market for the use of bee-keepers, was by
our old friend M. Quinby. Shortly after-
ward it was considerably improved by what
is known as the Bingham smoker, made and
sold by T. F. Bingham, Abronia, Mich.

COLD-BLAST SMOKERS.

During the year 1879, Mr. J. G. Corey, San-
ta Paula, Cal., and Norman Clark, of Ster.
ling, Ills., each without the knowledge of the
other, made important improvements, on one
and the same principle; viz., blowing, on the
bees, cold air charged with smoke, instead of
hot air, These improvements are what has

28

0 SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

been called the cold-blast arrangement. I will

describe the form most used at this time.

HOW TO MAKE A CLARK’S COLD-BLAST SMO-
KER.

The first thing to make is the bellows.
Two pieces of board, as shown in the cut be-
low, are used for this.

BOARDS FOR MAKING SMOKER - BELLOWS.

These boards are about 64 long and 42 wide.
The thickness is about 2, or as thick as can be
planed nicely when two are got out of an
inch board. The lumber usually preferred is
basswood, because it is light, and not apt to
split. Where smokers are to be made by the
quantity I would cut the inch boards into
lengths of 6 or 8 feet, split them about 5 in.
wide, as the case may be, split them edge-
wise, and plane the pieces on both sides. We
put them in bundles precisely as we do the
stuff for four-piece section boxes, using the
same iron clamps. When clamped, bolts are to
be cut off (as in making sections) with a saw
large enough to go through. If no such saw
is at hand, they may be cut in from each side.
After the bolts are cut, a corner is to be tak-
en off, as shown in the cut above.

When the corners of the bolts are off, the
whole bolt is to be nicely sandpapered, and
the edges of the board planed, so that each
board is finished nicely when taken out of the
clamp. Just half of the boards are to have a
slanting 4-inch hole bored in them, to put in
the blast-tube, and the other half are to have
14-inch holes for the valves, to admit air. By
far the cheapest way to bore the latter is
while the boards are all clamped together.
Have a long bit that will bore clean and
smooth, and decide, by measuring, when it is
through just half the boards. In this way it
takes but little time to get the boards ready
for a thousand smokers, for they are never
handled singly at all.

For the leather, you want some smooth,
soft sheep-skin, and the piece needed for the
bellows is 24% inches long by 34 wide, in the
middle, and gradually tapers to only # inch
in width at each end. You will also want
some strips + inch wide, and as long as these
pieces, for a binding, when the leather is
tacked to the boards. The whole of the leath-
er for a smoker should not cost to exceed 10

cents, for we can get a whole piece large
enough to make eight or ten smokers for only

2

SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

75 cts. Besides the tacks, the leather should
be fastened to the wood with glue, to get an
air-tight joint. The valves are simply pieces
of soft leather tacked over the little square
boards that cover the hole. In making bel-
lows there will be fragments of leather left
that will do for nothing else than the valve.

SPRING FOR OPENING THE BELLOWS.

This is made of coppered iron wire No. 11.
The wire is made into straight rods by ma-
chinery, and each rod should be 263 long.
They are bent in a lathe as shown in cut.

THE SPRING AFTER IT IS PUT ON THE
BELLOWS.

Each arm of the spring is fastened to the
bellows by a little wire staple. In the tigure
the spring is shown held by partof a wrought-
iron butt. We find these staples to do just
as well. We have never known this kind of
spring to break, for the spring comes on
such a length of wire that it is not severe at
any point.

Bend your springs so that the boards will
come up promptly as far as the leather will
allow. To make a neat job, you should put
on the leather with wire nails, about five-
eighths in length. Put the boards closely to-
gether at the end where the hinge is, and tack
one end of your long piece of leather. The
boards should be separated at the other ends,
as far as the width of the leather will allow.
Draw the leather close up to the wood, and
tack at intervals. Now tack the 4-inch strip
on fora binding. If you wish a pretty job,
use red morocco for this last. When your
tacks are all in (I would drive them a little
more than half an inch apart) you are ready

to pare off the surplus leather with a very |.

sharp knife. Finish off every thing neatly
with sandpaper, and your bellows is done.
The leather has cost us 10 ets., the two boards
possibly 5 cts., and the spring 5 cts. more.
Allowing 5 cts. for your time in tacking on
the leather and sandpapering, you have a
good bellows for 25 cts. For this price it
should be as good as any thing in the market,

HOW TO MAKE THE TIN CASE FOR FUEL,

For these cases we want a nice quality of
IX tin, 20 in. square. Now draw acircle as
large as can be drawn on this sheet. We
make them 19} in diameter, In the center

ol

SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

of this circle, or disc, with a hollow punch
cut out a piece 3 inches in diameter. Now
cut the circle into four equal pieces, and you
have enough for four cases for fuel. This
piece or blank is shown in fig. 1 below:

THE TINWORK

USED

FOR
SMOKER.

Before folding those blanks up into cone-
shaped cups, you will have to snip off the cor-
ners, which our engravers failed to do. The
blanks should be put through the rollers so
as to fold them first on one side and then on
the other, that they may roll up smoothly and
evenly when formed and locked together
finally.

Fig. 2 shows the blank of which the curved
spout is made. It is formed up, lapped at
the joint, and soldered, and the tube then
bent in a curve while a tapering rod of lead
is inside of it.

This blast-tube is made of tin, tapering like
the spout of an oil-can. It is made just as
large, at the large end, as it can be, and be
driven into the board. The inside is then
burnished down hard and close to the wood,
making it firm and air-tight, and then secur-
ed by a couple of heavy annealed tacks, driy-
en through the tin and wood, and clinched.

Fig. 3 is the bottom, with door B attached
by arivet C. The door is made by cutting
in two a circular piece like the bottom, each
piece making two doors. The piece A is
formed of a strip 14x53, locked into the
semi-circular piece on one edge, and folded
on the other edge. The end that extends be-
yond is turned up soas to catch on the bottom
of the fire-case, to hold the door securely.

Fig. 5 is the piece of tin that comes out of
the door B. It is punched full of # holes.
The edges are then turned over to make it
strong, and it is snapped into the bead, seen
in the fuel-case just back of where the bent
air-tube enters, forming the grate to hold
the fuel.

The fuel-case is fastened to the top of the
bellows by means of four screws, No. 8, 14
inches in length. To hold the case up the
right height from the wood, four tin tubes
are put over the screws before they are turned
down into the wood. These tubes are

COLD - BLAST

SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

made of pieces of tin, 1 inch square. They
are rolled up with a little steel rod having a
crank on the end. <A groove in this steel rod
catches the end of the tin, which is inserted
through an opening in a cylinder in which
the rod revolves, thus making it possible to
roll the tubes quite rapidly.

Almost any tinsmith has the tools necessa-
ry for making the tinwork, and if you show
him this description he will readily under-
stand it. In our business we have a pair of
circular shears that cut the large circles by
a single turn of a crank, and they are cut in
quarters by a pair of tinner’s squaring shears.
The holes for the door are also cut by a foot-
power press, and the holes in the blank sheet
for the screws and blast-tube are also cut by
one operation by the foot-power press.

989

Vm

closes the blast-tube,

SMOKE AND SMOKERS.

ment known as a perfume - atomizer, or
spray-diffuser, the current of air drawing
either air or liquids after it.

The action of the cold-blast prinems will
be made plain by the
cut opposite, which was
made from Corey’s orig-
inal cold - blast smoker
as it was sentme. The
blast, in passing thro’
the larger tube that in-

7 |

Li
Him

draws the air with itz
from the fire - recepta
cle; this, of course, pro-
duces a partial vacuum, and causes the out-
er air to rush in through the holes in and
about the damper. The blast,as you will

CLARK’S COLD-LLAST SMOKER.

The manner in which the fuel-case is fas-
tened to the bellows is shown in the cut
above. With a sharp-pointed scratch-awl,
holes are first pricked where the screws are
to go, and these pricks serve to aid in start-
ing the gimlet- pointed screws into the
wood. The screws are turned with a screw-
driver having along slender blade, or, still
better, a blade made of a round rod of steel,
except at the point, whereit turns the screw.
This screw-driver is worked down through
the door to the smoker. The blast of air is
brought through the curved tube ending near
the point of the cone.

With the old Simplicity smokers, much
complaint has been made about burned fin-
gers, when getting the top off to replenish
the fuel. You will observe in this that we
have made a door, with a slide to close it,
and this door also forms the damper.

Where one has the proper machinery, such
as we have described, the work can be done
much more rapidly ; but I think there will
be no trouble in making the smoker from the
above directions, at any common tin-shop.

The principle of this cold-blast idea is pre-
cisely the same as that of the little imple-

observe, is all cold air, and the smoke is
brought up and mixed with it in the way I
have mentioned. The draft is sufficient to
burn any fuel that is properly dried, full as
rapidly as it is desirable to have it burn.
HOW TO USE THE COLD-BLAST SMOKER.
Get some dry rotten wood, something that
you can break up easily«with the hands, and
that is sufficiently dry to be lighted easily
with a match. Fill the smoker full of wood
broken up moderately fine, especially that
portion of it that is put in around the door.
Close the door nearly down to its place, so
as to have only a small draft-hole open.
Now light your match on the strip of sand-
paper pasted on the bellows near the mouth
of the fire-pot, and, when it gets well
burning, hold it before the fuel. The blaze
of the match will not go in and light the
wood, of course; but if you work the bel-
lows while keeping the match there, the
blaze will shoot in and ignite the rotten
wood in a twinkling. Keep blowing for a
minute, and I think you will be satisfied
with the amount of smoke. When you
want the smoker to go out, turn the door so
as to close the damper, It should never go

SOLDERING.

out otherwise, if it is in proper order, and
your fuel right.

If you wish to burn rags, make them into
a long roll something like a sausage — I beg
pardon for the comparison —a slim bag,
stuffed with refuse rags such as you can buy
at the stores at 1 centalb. Coil this roll of
rags around the smoker inside, in a sort of
corkscrew shape, so that no fold touches the
next, the lower end coming just before the
draft-hole. It will now burn slowly until all
is consumed, or until the draft is turned. If

you let one fold strike the next, it will give

more smoke, but, of course, will not burn so
long. The cone will, in time, get filled up
with soot; and to have the smoker burn

freely, this must be cleaned out when neces-

sary. It is easily removed with a stick of
the proper shape. If you want a great quan-
tity of smoke, when you set your smoker
down, set it so the wind will blow in at the
draft. Ordinarily I should turn it from the
wind, to save the fuel. The circular grate
can be easily pushed out when you wish to
clean out the soot. Give the smoker a good
shake, and blow out the ashes before you di-
rect it into the hive.

Judging from experience, I think it will be
a good idea to go out into the woods with a
wagon, and geta good lot of nice rotten wood.
To rotten elm we rather give the preference.
If you haven’t a place where you can keep it
dry, build a small house on purpose for it.
Lay it out in the hot sun until it is perfectly
dry,or dryitin an oven. After you have got
it dry, do not leave it out in the rain. If you
are awfully careless, get your wife to help you
to remember.

SOLDERING. About 27 years ago—
is it possible that it is really so long?—there
appeared in the Scientific American, and sev-
eral other papers, an advertisement, headed

‘**Mend Your Own Tinware,”’ and to the

effect that the implements, with full printed
instructions, would be sent by mail for 30.
The signature to the advertisement was

_Amos I. Root & Co., Medina, O. The Amos

I. Root was myself ; but the ‘‘ Co.” existed
only in my fertile, but (I fear) unscrupulous
brain. Many 30 ‘‘centses” were sent, and I

_ drove quite a thriving business, for a boy of

only 18. I believe the implements generally

gave good satisfaction, and I should look

back at the enterprise with some degree of
pride, were it not for that unfortunate pro-
pensity of desiring that the world should
think me greater than I really was, which
then prompted me to think I needed to say
*Co.,”’ to induce people to invest.

233

SOLDERING.

It was just about this time that the Amer-
ican Agriculturist began to do a thriving
business exposing humbugs and swindles,
and, the first I knew, they had my soldering-
implements held up to view. My little sold-
ering iron, or brass, rather, they laughed at,
and, without even reading the printed diree-
tions, they pronounced the little metal case
of chloride of zine, with the few strips of
solder, entirely worthless for mending tin-
ware; and so I dropped thatspeculation, not,
however, without something of a protest
that I was right, and they wrong. We
should be very careful about consigning
things to the Humbug and Swindle depart-
ment too hastily. Iam inclined to think
some good resulted, at all events; for very
soon after, they got up some soldering-im-
plements of their own, which they sold for
$1.00. They gave a full-sized soldering-cop-
per, a box of rosin, and quite a bar of solder.
As bee-keepers find a great many uses for
tin and tinwork about the apiary, it has oc-
curred to me that I might get up a little
‘*kit of tools”? that would help youa great
deal, or, rather, might tell you how to get up
your own. Well, here we are, ready to talk
about soldering.

A .1-lb. soldering-copper will cost you about
3oc., and a handle for the same, perhaps 10e.
It may not be in order when received, and
to put itin working trim will be your first
job. File each of the four sides kright and
smooth, and, either with file or hammer,
make a nice sharp point to the tool. Solder-
ing-irons, like lead-pencils and a great many
other things, should be kept sharp, to do
good work. Get apiece of brick, some sol-
der, andsome rosin. Heat your iron hot,
but not red hot, andrub it in the rosin and
brick-dust. This should be placed in a small
cavity, in a piece of wood. If you rub the
point of the iron hard against the wood, the
brick will scour it bright, and the rosin will
coat it so that no air can oxidize the copper.
If you now melt a little from your bar of sol-
der, in the cavity in the wood, it will readily
unite with the copper and cover the surface
asif it were dipped in quicksilver. When
itis tinned all over, itis in working trim.
Every time you forget and let theiron get
red hot, it will burn the solder off, and it
must be tinned over again, in the same Way.

If you wish to solder on bright tin, you
have only to fasten the pieces securely where
you want them, and then just solder it. If
you look at a tinsmith you will think it is
just as easy as can be, to make the bright
melted tin run down the joint so smoothly

SOLDERING.

that it looks like one continuous piece; but
when your own inexperienced hands under-
take the task—oh dear! oh dear! You are
awkward, without doubt; but perhaps the
greatest trouble is, that you have not all the
necessary appliances at hand. To doa nice
job, and doit conveniently, you will want a
soldering-board, something like this:

SOLDERING-BOARD.

It should be about 12x18 inches, and the
sides about an inch high. The two staples
are for resting your iron, to prevent its burn-
ing the wood when not in use, and for hold-
ing the bars of solder, when the iron is
touched to them. On the right hand, a bar
of solder is shown, ready for use. You can
never do anything with your solder laid flat
onaboard. On the left, are two little boxes;
one is to hold a wet rag, on which the iron
is to be wiped every time voutake it from
the fire, that we may havea bright clean
surface. The other is to hold the powdered
rosin; andif you wish to work with satis-
faction, I would advise you not to get the
rosin on your fingers or clothes. For a
brush for applying the rosin, draw some
candle-wicking into a tin tube. You can
do a cleaner job by having the rosin mixed
with oil, for all that is left after soldering
may be wiped off witha soft cloth. Our
girls use the rosin and oil for making the
inside work to extractors. The ability to do
smooth nice work, and do it rapidly, comes
by practice.

Below I give youa cut of the soldering
iron, the bar of solder, the box of rosin, and
the printed directions, such as are sent by
mail for $1.00. Common solder is worth
about 15c. per Ib.; but for fine nice work, we
use a larger proportion of tin. About equal
parts of lead and tin is the general rule.

SOLDERING-IRON AND IMPLEMENTS.

You will probably get along very well
with bright new tin but when you come to
try repairing, or mending old breaks
where the metals are old and rusty, much
more skill will be required to make a strong
job. You will also find that something
more than rosin is needed for iron, brass, and
copper, and for rusty tinware. This was

234

SOLDERING.

where my soldering implements came in,
years ago. I got hold of the idea in this way:
One dull day in the winter, a stranger called,
asking if we had any tinware we would like
repaired, free of charge. You may be sure
that he and I were friends at once, and we
gathered up the tin pans, and set him at
work. He took a pretty little camphene-
lamp out of his pocket, then a bottle of some
liquid, next an old file, and some little
lumps of solder. A pan had a hole in the
bottom ; he scraped around the hole with
his file, then punched the hole a little larger

so as to raise a slight burr, held the place
over the lamp, wet the metal with the liquid,
and dropped on a bit of solder, which melted
and filled up the hole in a twinkling; then
another, and another, until all were done.

‘* Tow much for your work?”

‘* Nothing.”’

‘* Nothing?
do ?”

‘* Buy that little bottle of soldering-fluid.”’

‘* For how much ?”’

‘* Twenty-five cents.”

I put down the money very quickly, and
he prepared to go. But I was full of ques-
tions about the contents of that bottle. I
was chemist enough, and Yankee enough, to
make him own up, before he got out of the
gate, that it was nothing but sal-ammoniac
and chloride of zinc, in solution. In re-
turn, he made me promise not to sell any of
it inside of our county, under one year. The
next week found me in a neighboring coun-
ty mending tinware, gratis ; and before Sat-
urday night, I was back with between $10
and $12 clear profit, which was quite a spec-
ulation in those days. To make this won-
derful soldering - fluid which will cause the
solder to tlow on copper, zinc, iron or brass,
you are to get ¢ of a lb. of muriatic acid, of
a druggist, set it ina glass jar or tumbler,
out of doors, and slowly drop in pieces of
zine, until it will ‘‘ eat’? no more. Dissolve
2 oz. of sal - ammoniac in a glass of water,
and add this to the acid and zine. Strain
the liquid into a glass bottle, and keep it
out of the way of the children. When you
mend the tinware for ‘ nothing,” a half-oz.
bottle of it is sold for 25c. Keep it off your
clothes, and especially off your tools, for it
rusts every thing badly. When you solder
any thingwith it, carefully wash the article
in clean water, or rub it off well with a wet
cloth. If iron or steel, finish off with some
oil ona cloth. If you are careless with such
things, you would better let it alone entirely.
Always use rosin when you can make it

But what do you want us to

SOURWOOD.

work, as the fluid destroys the tinning on
the soldering iron, very rapidly. To show
you what you can do with these simple tools,
I will state that the Hains feeder, shown on
page 102, is easily made by one who is taking
his first lessons in the art of soldering.

SOURW OOD (Oxydendium Arboreum.)

| in July.
This is considered a great honey - bearing |

tree in some localities, especially in the

rience with it, I submit a description from
one of our friends who has furnished us

with the specimen of the leaves and flowers, |

from which our engraving was made.

The Sourwood, sometimes called the sorrel, is a |

fine tree from 40 to 60 feet in height, and about a
foot in diameter; although it sometimes reaches 70
feet in height and a foot and a half through. The

popular name, Sourwood, is derived from the odor |

and the peculiar sour taste of the leaves and small
twigs.

It is entirely distinct from the black-gum and
sour-gum, or pepperidge, with which it has been_un-
wittingly classed by some writers on honey - plants,
much to theinjury of Sourwood. The former are
honey - producers to a small extent, but are not
worthy to be compared with Sourwood, which, we
are convinced after living where basswood, poplar,
clover, buckwheat, goldenrod, persimmon, and
aster abound, has not its/;superior among the honey-
producing plants of America, either in the amount
of yield, or in its beautiful appearance. Basswood
iS more important, only because of its widely extend-
ed growth. We write this article, to call attention
more directly to this tree as a honey-produecer. LBee-
masters are familiar with other flora which abound
where those who have written our books on bee cul-
ture reside, yet few are aware of the merits of Sour-
wood, outside of the regions where it is found.

J

dy le bd
Lily

SOURWOOD LEAF, FLOWERS, AND SEED-PODS.

We are not familiar with the extent of its growth,
but know this much: it abounds in the native for-
ests from southern Pennsylvania into Georgia and
Mississippi. It seems to be more abundant along
the whole mountainous tract of country on both
sides of the Alleghanies and the Blue Ridge, reach-
ing, in places, even as far as the tide-water on one
side, and to central Tennessee on the other. In

2365

SOURWOOD.

many sections where poplar abounds and much
buckwheat is raised, Sourwood is considered the hon-
ey-plant, and yields the largest amount of surplus
honey. It seems to flourish best on high, dry soil,
and often abounds on poor woodland ridges, which
can be purchased at a nominal price: though the
forests along the rivers, in rich cultivated soil, are
often beautifully checkered with the white blossoms
Being a tree, the growth is tall and gener-
ally spare of branches along the trunk, except. when
it grows in the edges of fields, where it yields the

South ; but as I have had no personal expe- | greatest amount of honey. The trunk preserves its

| uniformity of size for some distance up from the
| ground.

The wood is white, with straight grain,
which splits nicely. It is brittle and quite fine
grained, and is used for posts by cabinet-makers.
The flowers (see engraving) are produced on
spikes five or six inches long, which hang in clusters
on the ends of branches. Many of these flower-

| bearing spikes are thrown out from one central

spike, and are all strung with white, bell - shaped
flowers, rich in honey. The flower is midway in
size and appearance between the whortleberry blos-
som and the lily of the valley. Unless there is a
failure of the blossom, the honey-yield is sure to be
abundant; for, being in the woods with good roots,
the flow is not checked by ordinary droughts, nor do
the rains wash out the honey from the pendant, cup-
shaped flowers. Often have we regaled ourselves,
while riding along the road, by breaking a bunch of
the blossoms, shaking out the honey in the hand,
and, licking | up the delicious nectar. It bears no
fruit; but each flower, as it dries up, produces a
brown seed-pod about the size of a large grain of
wheat, which separates, when ripe, into five parts,
and permits the very fine seed to fall to the earth.

With improved methods of securing honey and
sending it to market, we believe that, in suitable lo-
ealities in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, and Georgia, immense quantities of the
most attractive honey can be secured from this
source. The extent of its growth may be wider, but
not to our knowledge. Let those speak for them-
selves where it abounds, that the extent of this
source of development of the honey industry may
be better known.

We omitted to state that the tree commences. to
bloom the latter part of June, and the harvest from
this source lasts until the middle of July.

We are inclined to think that the tree would
thrive in our more northern latitudes ; perhaps
anywhere in our land. It is found abundantly in
many parts of the Alleghany Mountains, where it is
very cold, the thermometer often indicating several
degrees below zero. JAMES W. SHEARER.

Liberty Corner, N. J., July 4, 1878.

The following is from Feb. No. of GLEAN-
INGS, for 1880: ©

SOURWOOD HONEY, ETC.

I send you to-day a sample of sourwood honey.
Examine it.and let us know what you think of its
quality. I get more of it than of any other kind. I
took about 800 tbs. last year from the poplar, and
something more than 1200 from the sourwood, all ex-
tracted.

Now, Mr. Novice, nearly all of you bee- men up
North say that all pure honey will candy in cold
weather; and I want you to keep the sample I send
you through the winter, and report if cold weather
candies it. I know you have colder weather than

SPIDER-FLOW ER.

we have down here, but I don’t believe it will get
cold enough to candy sourwood honey.

J. F. MONTGOMERY.
Lincoln, Tenn., Jan. 5, 1880.

Thanks. You will see under EXTRACTED
Honey that I do not claim that all pure hon-
ey will candy. If sourwood honey never
candies, it will be a great point in its favor,
and I would pay a good price for a barrel of
it now, just on account of this one peculiari-
ty. The sample is at hand, and, although it
is not as light as our clover and basswood,
the color is fair, and the flavor is beautiful.
Its aroma is delightful, and has a suggestion
of timber and forest-trees.

SPIDER -FLOWER (Cleome Pun-
gens). This has but recently been brought
into notice as a honey-plant. It belongs to
the same family as the Rocky-MOUNTAIN
BEE-PLANT, which it much resembles.

Early in 1878, Mollie O. Large, of Pine-
Hill Apiary, Millersville, Ill., sent me some
seeds, which I had started in a flower-pot,
in the house, but transplanted them to the
garden some time in May. Aug. 16th they
were in full bloom, and the bees were at
work upon them; but, strange to say, the
blossoms opened only at about sunset; ac-
cordingly, after the time when thj/ bees
have usually stopped flying, they wee seen
eagerly hovering over this strange but
beautiful plant.

The petals, which are of a lovely deep
pink, are all on one side of the blossom; and
on the other side we see what resembles
the long, sprawling legs of the spider. The
foliage is also quite ornamental, and we
have decided to have a bed of it on our hon-
ey-farm.

In Sept. of the same year, Mrs. Large
wrote as follows:

Our experience with the spider-plant, this season,
is this: It commenced to bloom about the 25th of
June, and the bees have worked on it every fit day
since. They commence about 5 o’clock P. M., and
work until dark. I used to think bees went home
with the sun, but I have heard them on this plant
when too dark to see them at any distance, and
found them again in the morning as soon as it was
light, and for a while after sunrise. If youtiea
piece of mosquito-bar over a bunch of the flowers,
in the afternoon, and examine it about sundown,
you can see the honey for yourself. We have about
1-10 of an acre thi: year, but expect, next season, to
plant several acres, as we consider it ahead of any
thing that we have tried for honey.

MOLLIE O. LARGE.

Pine Hill Apiary, Millersville, I]., Sept 11, 1878.

Acting upon her suggestion, we tied a
piece of lace over one of the blossoms on
our plants, to keep the bees from it, and the
drop of honey that collected was so

256

SPIDER-FLOW ER.

large that I had a fair taste of it. It was
very white and limpid, but had a slightly
raw, unripened taste, which I presume the
bees would know how to remedy.

LATER.

To-day is the 11th of October, 1879. This
morning I got up before 6 o’clock. I had
been reading, the night before, in Muller’s
book, ‘‘ The Life of Trust,’ and I was par-
ticularly impressed with what he says about
early rising, and the blessings God sends to
those who make it a point to rise early and
give their best and freshest thoughts to him.
I put the book away, and went right to bed,
that I might get up early. The gray of ap-
proaching daylight heralding in this warm
autumn day met my gaze as I sallied forth
toward the factory. I opened my mouth and
took in the fresh pure air, and, as I opened
my eyes to the beauty of the world we dwell
in, 1 opened my heart in thankfulness to
Him who gave it all. As I came near the
garden, I was surprised to hear a loud hum-
ming so early. It was not robbing, but it
was a hum of rejoicing. How strange itis,
that bees will make this happy hum over the
honey from the flowers, but never over syrup
from any kind of a feeder. The sound led
me to the spider-plant. It had been bearing
honey a couple of months, at night and ear-
ly in the morning, but I had no idea that
they ever made so much noise over itas now.
I approached leisurely, but was startled to
find that each floweret contained a large
drop of some liquid, so large, in fact, I
thought it must be dew, and not honey. I
touched my tongue, and, behold, it was fair
honey, of a beautiful limpidity and taste,
and then I understood the humming. Asa
bee alighted, and made his way down be-
tween the stamens, I watched until he spread
out that delicate, pencil-like tongue, and be-
gan to draw in the nectar. Surely no bee
can take in so large a drop; and soit proved.
He lapped as long as he could and then rest-
ed awhile; again he sipped the ‘‘sparkling
ambrosia,”’ and again he stopped. I could
imagine him soliloquizing as he dipped into
it a third time.

‘* Did anybody ever before hear of a sin-
gle floweret containing more than a bee
could carry?”’

He finally spread his wings, and essayed
to fly; but his greed had been too great; and
when he bumped against a Simpson-plant,
which is now out of bloom, down he went on
his back in the dirt. Others did the same
way, but soon they tried again, and I presume
created a commotion in the hive, by coming

li

SPIDER-FLOW ER.

in, podded out with such a load. Now will
our friend Mollie O. Large tellus if she has
ever seen the like among her plants? An
acre would furnish—— whew! I should not
be surprised if it made a barrel of —— sweet-
ened water, any way, every morning. Now
I want four acres of the Simpson honey-plant,
and four more of the Mollie O. Large honey-
plant; if the name were not so long, we
would call it so, for the credit she deserves
for calling attention to it. Dear me! the
honey-farm will not be largeenough. Ihave
set the hands to-day to doing more under-
draining, and I am going to plow up all cor-
ners, and work up close to the fences, for we
can not afford’'to have a weed grow on the
premises, so long as there are plants that
bear honey like this. These plants are in our

flower garden, close by the building, and have |

had a very rich,deep soil. This, perhaps,
may account for such large amounts of hon-
ey. This plant is strikingly like the Rocky-

237

SPIDER-FLOWER.

opens twice, but the honey is yielded only
from the first blooming. In the center of
the picture, a single floweret is shown, with
its load of honey sparkling in the rays of the
rising sun. The sight of a whole plant
bending beneath a sparkling load of nectar
like this is enough to set any bee-keeper
crazy, let alone your enthusiastic old friend
Novice. Our plants are on ground made by
piling up the sods taken from where the
factory stands; this may, in part, account
for the great yield of honey.

MORE ABOUT THAT WONDERFUL SPIDER-

PLANT.

Oct. 14th. — Yesterday morning, Mr. Gray
came down before sunrise, to verify my ob-
servation and see that there was no mistake
about that large drop of honey, the product
of a single night... There is no mistake.
Not only does a single floweret produce a
large drop, but some of them produce a
great many drops. Last evening we made

“MRS. MOLLIE 0. LARGE’S SPIDER - PLANT,

Mountain bee-plant, of which I have given
you a picture already, but it is so much larg-
er, and bears so much more honey, that I can
hardly think it worth while to offer the seed
of the latter forsale any more. Our engrav-
er has given you a picture of the plant, as it
appears in our garden.

The picture scarcely needs explanation.
On one side is the beautiful leaf of the plant;
on the other, one of the flower-stalks, of
which there are from 12 to 20 to each plant.
As the flowerets, shown in the center, keep
blossoming each evening, the stem grows
out in the center, until it becomes, finally,
two feet long or more, and lined with seed-
pods its whole length. These seed - pods,
when ripe, break open, and the seed must be
gathered daily, or itis lost. Each floweret

THE GREAT HONEY - PLANT OF THE AGE.

observations by lamplight; and, before
nine o’clock, the globules of honey were of
the size of large shot. The crowning exper-
iment of all took place this morning. I was
up a little after 5 o’clock, and, with the aid
of a teaspoon, I dipped honey enough from
3 or 4 plants to fill a 2-dram vial, such as we
use in the queen-cages, a little more than
half full. The honey in some of the flowerets
had collected in a quantity so large that it
spilled out and actually streamed on the
ground. I have called this honey, but it is,
in reality, the raw nectar, such as is found
in clover and other flowers. The taste is a
pure sweet, slightly dashed with a most beau-
tiful, delicate flavor, resembling somewhat
that of the best new maple molasses. The
honey will be as white as the whitest linden,

SPIDER FLOWER. 2

so farasI can judge. With the aid of a
lamp I evaporated the nectar down to thick
honey. You can see something of what the
bees have to do, when I tell you that I had
in bulk, only about 1-5 part as much as when
lL commenced. You can also see that we
now have some accurate figures with which
to estimate the amount of honey which may
be obtained from an acre of honey-plants.

HOW MUCH HONEY WILL AN ACRE OF

PLANTS YIELD?

I think I visited with my spoon, four plants.
Perhaps half of the nectar was wasted, either
by overflowing before I got there, or in my
attempts to spoon it out. This will give a
half-dram of nectar to each plant, each morn-
ing. We shall set the plants 3 feet apart each
way.
plants to the acre, and they would yield every
morning, perhaps 5 gallons of nectar, or one
gallon of ripe honey. The plant has been in
bloom in our garden for the astonishing
length of time of about3 months; this would
give, counting out bad weather, perhaps 60
gallons of honey, worth—say $60.00. I have
known a single colony of bees to gather a

gallon of raw honey in a day, from the clover; |

but as the bees seldom work on the spider-
plant after 9 or 10 o’clock in the morning, an
acre might require 5 or 10 colonies, to go all
over it every morning. How many acres of

At this rate, we have nearly 5000 |

38 SPIDER FLOWER.

our best honey-plants will be required, to keep
100 colonies out of mischief? As the Simpson
honey-plant yields honey all day long, the
two would go very well together ; and Iam
inclined to think 5 acres of each (good soil,
well cultivated) would keep 100 colonies of
bees busy, and out of mischief at least, dur-
ing the whole of the fall months when bees
have nothing to do.

Bear in mind, my friends, that this plant
yields by far the largest amount of honey of
anything that we have ever come across, and
_thatits time of blossoming extends to an
“unusual length. It may be also, {that this
amount of nectar is caused only by the un-
_ usually fine, warm, October weather we are
/now having.

Our boys are to-day planting out 1000
Simpson honey-plant roots. I would advise
no one to undertake such experiments, un-
‘less he can stand a failure, if it should
| prove such.

Shortly after the above was written, our
_ artist, as a piece of pleasantry, made the rude
sketch, found below. See INTRODUCTION,
| concluding remarks.
It is now 1884, and I have nothing further
'to add in regard to the Spider-plant, except
that it does not yield honey profusely unless
it has a deep rich soil. On our creek bottom
the stalks made a tremendous growth, and

stint
tA
fnnaaiiRede is

Ni \/

BLN

= ae :

TIME AND PLACE.
SCENE,—The flower garden - adjoining the
Factory.
TIME,—Half-past five o’clock in the morn-
ing, Oct. 11, 1879.
For particulars of the ‘ play,’’ see previ-
ous page.

DRAMATIS PERSON &.
Novice, who has just got up.
. THE BEES, who have just “got up.”
‘*OLD SOL,” who has just ‘‘got up’’ too, and
who seems to have a lively interest in the
proceedings, as he shows his ‘‘shining face’’
just over the top of the wire fence.

ee ee ee

ee a

STINGS.

the blossoms were full of nectar; but anoth-
er plantation, on higher ground, yielded,
comparatively, but little honey ; and during
a dry spell, scarcely any nectar would be
found in the blossoms. The Simpson honey-
plant has tnrned out in much the same way.

STINGS. It is true, that bees can not
bite and kick like horses, nor can they hook
like cattle; but most people, after having had
an experience with bee-stings for the first
time, are inclined to think they would rath-
er be bitten, kicked, and hooked, all togeth-
er, than risk a repetition of that keen
and exquisite anguish which one feels as he
receives the full contents of the poison-bag,
from a vigorous hybrid, during the height
of the honey-season. Stings are not all alike,
by any means; and whileI can stand the
greater part of them without even wincing,
or stopping my work, I occasionally get one
that seems as if it could not possibly be
borne. As I always find myself obliged to
bear it, however, I try to do so as best I
can. :

I have often noticed that the pain is much
harder to bear, if I stop and allow my mind
to dwell on it; or after being stung, if I just
think of former times when I have received
painful stings, at the mere thought, a sud-
den pang darts along the wounded part. I
do not know why this is, unless it is the ef-
fect of the imagination ; if so, then itis clear
to my mind that even imaginary pains are
very hard to bear. I have sometimes pur-
posely, by way of experiment, allowed my
mind to dwell on the pain of the sting the

moment it was inflicted, and the increase’

would be such that it would almost make
me scream with pain. If you doubt this, the
next time your feet get very cold, just think

‘of wading barefooted in the frozen snow, at

a zero temperature. Perhaps my- imagina-
tion is unusually active, for it sometimes
makes the pain, when riding in the cold, al-
most unbearable, while I get along very well
if thinking of something else. Well, if oth-
ers have had a similar experience, and I pre-
sume you all have, you can see why I have
so often given as a remedy for stings, simply
to keep on with your work, and pay no at-
tention to the stings whatever.

Of course, where stings swell on one so
badly as to shut an eye, or the like of that,
I presume you, might be obliged to stop work
awhile; but even then, I would advise pay-
ing as little attention to the matter as it is
possible to do, and by all means to avoid
rubbing or irritating the affected part. I
have known stings to be made very painful,

239

STINGS.

by rubbing and fussing with them, that I
have good reason to think would have given
little if any trouble otherwise. Youall know
that when you get warmed up with hard
work, a bruise, a bump, or a slight flesh
wound, gives little if any pain; but to sit
down calmly and cut into one’s flesh gives
the most excruciating pain. When a lad, I
have repeatedly cut great gashes in my fin-
gers with my jack-knife, and felt but little
pain at the time; but when it became neces-
sary to lance the flesh to get a sliver out of
the foot, or to cut open a stone-bruise, the
pain was the most intense I can imagine.
To pare away with the razor until you get
through the skin, and see the blood start—
why, it makes my flesh creep to think of it
now; but the clips that came unawares with
the dull jack-knife were scarcely heeded at
all, more than to tie up the wound to keep
the blood from soiling my work.

Well, the point is, we are to take stings
just as we used to take the cuts with those
jack knives, in our boyhood days. Ofcourse,
we are not to rush needlessly into danger;
but when it comes, take it philosophically.
I would pull the sting out as quickly as pos-
sible, and I would take it out in such a way
as to avoid, as much as possible, squeezing
the contents of the poison-bag into the
wound. If you pick the sting out with the
thumb and finger in the way that comes nat-
ural, you will probably get a fresh dose of
poison in the act, and this will sometimes
prove the most painful of the whole opera-
tion, and cause the sting to swell when it
otherwise would not have done so.

I have sometimes thought it might be near-
ly as well to leave the sting in the wound. I
have frequently found them when washing,
and the presence of the sting was the first
indication I had that I had been stung; but
I presume I knew at the time that a sting
had been inflicted.

THE PROPER WAY TO REMOVE A BEE STING.

The blade of a knife, if one is handy, may
be slid under the poison bag, and the sting
lifted out, without pressing a particle more
of the poison into the wound. Whena knife
blade is not handy, I would push the sting
out with the thumb or finger nail in much
the same way. It is quite desirable that the
sting should be taken out as quickly as pos-
sible, for if the barbs (to be described fur-
ther along) once get a hold in the flesh, the
muscular contractions will rapidly work the
sting deeper and deeper. Sometimes, the
sting separates, and apart of it, one of the

STINGS.

splinters, so to speak, is left in the wound;
it has been suggested that we should be very
careful to remove every one of these tiny
points; but after trying many times to see
what the effect would be, I have concluded
that they do but little harm, and that the
main thing is, to remove the part containing
the poison-bag, before it has emptied itself
completely into the wound. When Iam very
busy, or have something in my other hand
making it inconvenient to remove the sting
with my knife or finger-nail, I have been in
the habit of rubbing the sting out against
my clothing, in sucha way as to push the
poison-bag off sidewise; and although this
plan often breaks off the sting so as to
leave splinters in the wound, I have found
little if any more trouble from them than
usual,”

REMEDIES FOR BEE-STINGS.

For years past I have taken the ground
that remedies of all kinds are of so little
avail, if of any avail at all, that the best way
is to pay no attention to any of them. This
has awakened a great deal of arguing, I
know, and the remedies that have been sent
me, which the writers knew were good, be-
cause they had tried them, have been enough
to fill pages of this book. Ihave tried a
great many of them, and, for a time, have
imagined they ‘‘ did good;” but after giving
them a more extended trial, I have been
forced to conclude that they were of no avail.
Nay, further : they not only did no good, but
if the directions with the remedy were to rub
it in the wound, they did a positive harm;
for the friction diffused the poison more rap-
idly into circulation, and made a painful
swelling of what would have been very tri-
fling, if let alone. Please bear in mind that
the poison is introduced into the flesh through
a puncture so minute that the finest cambric
needle could by no manner of means enter
where the sting did, and that the flesh closes
over so completely after it, that it is practi-
cally impossible for the remedy to penetrate
this opening; now, even if you have a reme-
dy that will neutralize the poison, in some-
thing the same way that an alkali neutral-
izes any other acid, how are you to get it
in contact with the poison? I know of
no way of doing it, unless we resort to a sur-
gical operation ; and if you will try that kind
of ‘‘tinkering’’ with one bee-sting, you will
probably never want to try another. I tell
you, there is no remedy in the world like let-
ting it alone, and going on with your work
without even thinking about it. But, sup-
pose we get a sting under the eye, that

240

STINGS.

closes up that very important organ; shall
we goon with our work still? Well, I be-
lieve I would go on with my work still, and
do the best I could do with one eye. If both
were closed at once, I do not know but I
would wait awhile until they should get
open again. I would not resort to medicine
and “‘tinkering,’’? even then, but would let
the eyes alone, until they came open of
themselves.

If the wound is feverish, or if a person has
received a great number of stings at one
time, an application of cold water, or cloths
wet in cold water, may prove a relief; but
even in using this simple means, I would lay
the cloth on very quietly, and carefully avoid
rubbing or irritation. I have often dipped
my hand in cold water after having a pain-
ful sting ; but as my hand ached just as bad
under the water (it really ached worse, be-
cause I had nothing else to do but to stand
there and think aboutit), [soon dropped that
remedy also. A year or two ago, kerosene
oil was suggested as a remedy, and two of
our friends regarded it of such importance
that they almost got intoa controversy about
which was entitled to the honor of the dis-
covery. Well, I had a very bad sting on my
hand, and I went for the oil-can, and dropped
oil on the spot for some time; as kerosene
will remove a rusty bolt or screw when noth-
ing else will avail, and as it seems to have a
wonderful power of penetrating all cracks
and crevices, I began to have faith that it
might follow the sting of the bee, and in
some way neutralize the poison. I had the
satisfaction of having one of the most pain-
ful and lasting stings I ever got; and togeth
er with the offensive smell of the oil, it quite
sickened me of that, as a remedy. I pre-
sume the oil made it no worse, but it really
seemed to me that it must have done so.

In discussing this matter of bee-sting rem-
edies, we should remember that the pain of
a sting very often ceases suddenly, with no
application whatever; those who have been
stung a great deal will all tell you that this
is the case. Well, the beginner who carries
his saleratus-water or hartshorn, and always
makes an application of some kind, will tell
you, and truthfully too, that the pain stopped
the very moment the remedy was applied.
Again, some stings swell very badly, while
others do not swell at all. Well, if an appli-
cation is made, and no swelling results, he
will remember how former stings had
swelled, and at once ascribe the difference
to the remedy applied. You will see from
this, that itis only by repeated trials, ex-

\

STINGS. 2

tending through a considerable period of
time, that we can arrive atthetruth. There
is one rule that will apply to this, and to a
great many other similar matters. If a
thing is really good, it will come into general
use, and stay there, not only for a few weeks
and months, or for a single season, but will
be in demand year after year. If I am cor-
rect, not one of the bee-sting remedies has
stood this test. Sooner or later they have
all been dropped, and old bee-keepers get
along in the way I have advised—picking
the sting out, if they are not in too much of
a hurry, and thinking no more about it.

WHAT TO DO WHEN STUNG A GREAT NUM-
BER OF TIMES, ALL AT ONCE.

There is very seldom any need of such a
catastrophe; but as such an event may come
about, it may be well to consider the matter.
In hiving hybrids, under certain conditions,
I have known them to attack the operator in
amass,and sting him most unmercifully.
A neighbor of ours was stung in this way
until he fainted, and had to be carried into
the house. In such cases, I would resort to
the usual means to restore the person from
the fainting-fit, and then extract the stings
as speedily as possible, and treat with wet
cloths. It is true, that death may result from
the stings of bees, and, if report is correct, a
single sting has been known to result in
death, in very rare instances. Shall we stop
keeping bees on this account? People are
killed by horses almost every day, and such
cases are comparatively frequent; but did
any one ever advocate giving up the use of
horses on that account? Cases that have re-
sulted fatally, or in laying a person up for a
time, or have produced fainting, are usually
where the person is stung for the first time;
after the system-gets inured to the poison,
its effects are comparatively harmless.
GETTING HARDENED TO THE EFFECTS OF

STINGS.

When I first commenced bee - keeping,
stings swelled so badly, and were so painful,
that I had either my hands or eyes swelled
up most of the time, and I seriously contem-

plated giving up the business, just on this |

account alone. After I had had alittle more

_ practice, I discovered that there was very

little need of being stung at all, if one was
careful not to provoke the ire of the little in-
sects. Still further, I found the swelling to
be gradually less and less; and before my
first summer was over, I very seldom felt the
effects of any sting, the day afterward.
When first commencing, if my eye was
swelled so as to be closed by a sting, it often

41

STINGS.

took until the third day, to have it go down
entirely. The A BC class, almost without
exception, corroborate this experience.

HOW TO AVOID BEING STUNG.

Some may imagine, from the foregoing,
that it is necessary for one who keeps bees
to submit to the pain of being stung several
times, every day. A short time ago a lady
said that she could never stand it to have
her husband keep 100 swarms, for she got
stung four or five times a day with onlya
dozen, and 30 or 40 stings a day would be
more than she could possibly bear. Now,
my friends, [think Ican take any one of you
into an apiary of 100 colonies, and have you
assist me all day long, without your getting
a single sting. Nay, further: if you are very
timid, and cannot bear asingle sting, by tak-
ing some pains you may be able to work day
after day, without being stung. The apiary
must be properly cared for, and no robbing
allowed, and you must do exactly as I tell
you. See ANGER OF BEES. It may bea
hard matter to tell you in a book how to be-
have without being stung, but I willtry. In
the first place, avoid standing right in front
of any hive; Iam often very much tried
with visitors (some of them bee-keepers, too,
who ought to know better), because they will
stand right before the entrance until they
have asmall swarm scolding around them
because they cannot get out and in, and then
wonder why so many bees are buzzing about
in that particular spot.” If you should go in-
toa factory, and stand in the way of the
workmen until a dozen of them were blocked
up with their arms full of boards and finish-
ed work, you would be pretty apt to be told
to get out of the way. Now, you are to exer-
cise the same common sense in an apiary.
By watching them you can tell at once
their path through the air, and you are to
keep out of their way. Right back of any
hive is a pretty safe place to stand.

One of the first things to learn is to know
whether a bee is angry or not, by the noise he
makes. Itseems tome you should all know by
the hum of a bee, when it is gathering honey
from the heads of clover in the fields, that it
has no malice toward any living thing; it is
the happy hum of honest industry and con-
tentment. People sometimes jump, when a
bee hums thus harmlessly along, and it
seems to me they should know better, but I
presume itis because bees are not in their
line of business, and they don’t know ‘* bee
talk.”’

Well, when you go in front of a hive, or
even approach hives that are not accustomed

STINGS. 24

to being worked with, one of; the sentinels
will frequently take wing,’and, by an angry
and loud buzz, bid you begone. This note
is quite unlike that of a bee upon the flow-
ers, or of the ordinary laborer upon the
wing; itisina high key, and the tone, to
me, sounds much like that of a scolding wo-
man, and one who will be pretty sure to
make her threats good, if you do not heed
the warning. When one of these bees ap-
proaches, you are first,to lower your head,‘or,
better still, tip down your hat brim; for
these fellows almost always instinctively aim
for the eyes. He will often be satisfied, and
go back into his hive if you move away a lit-
tle; but you do not want to give him to un-
derstand that you admit yourself a thief,
and that he has frightened you. If he gets
very threatening, and you are timid, you
would better go into some building. I am
in the habit of opening the door of the honey-
house, and asking visitors to go in there,
when an angry bee persists in following
them. Very many times I can hardly get
them to goin asI direct, because they can
not see why the bee will not follow them,
and thus have them cornered up and a sure
prey.

I do not know why it is, but a bee very
seldom ventures to follow one indoors. A
single bee never does, if Iam correct but a
very vicious colony of hybrids, when fully
aroused, may do so. I have learned by hab-
it, to know just about when one of these
cross bees is ready to sting; and the greater
part of the time, I can catch them in the act
of inserting their sting before Iam stung.
Sometimes I get a slight prick, butnot often.
Where there has been no robbing going on,
one has usually warning enough, and in am-
ple time, to take precautions. Where the
bees are quietly at work, that is, ‘during the
working season, there is but little danger
from bees in the air. When you are work-
ing with a hive, bending right over the un-
covered frames, you are comparatively se-
cure from the bees of other hives; for when
there is no robbing, bees seem to have no
disposition to meddle or hang around their
neighbors’ homes. This is one reason why
bystanders, or those who are off at a little
distance, are so much more apt to be stung
than the apiarist who is right among them.

HOW TO OPEN A HIVE, WITHOUT BEING

STUNG.

Have your smoker lighted, and in good
trim, and then set it down near the hive you
are going to work with. Now, I would ney-
er use smoke with any hive of bees, unless

2 STINGS.

they need it to subdue them; for why should
we disturb and annoy the little fellows while
quietly going about their household duties,
unless we are obliged to? I frequently open
hive after hive, with no kind of use for
smoke at all, and yet I often see bee-keepers
drive the poor little chaps down to the bot-
toms of their hives with great volumes of
smoke, when they had not shown the least
symptom of any disposition but the most
friendly one. It is true, where the colony is
very large, the bees sometimes pile up in the
way, on the rabbets and ends of the frames,
so that it becomes desirable to drive them
away for their own safety. For this pur-
pose, very little smoke is needed; and if you
are in no great hurry, they will clear out of
the way, if you just pat them on the backs
gently with a weed or bit of grass. If the
bees are disposed to be cross, and to show
fight, you will readily discover it the minute
you turn up the first corner of the cloth cov-
ering; and if it takes smoke to make them
beg pardon, give them smoke, but only in
small quantities until you are sure more
is needed. The top of the hive is supposed
to be off, the sheet removed, and yourself
down on your knees on the sawdust beside
the hive. Ifitisa chaff hive, you work
standing, but lean your body against the
hive. With your eye, decide which one of
the 10 frames will come out easiest, and slide
the rest on the rabbets a little away from it.
By sliding two or three on each side, you
can have all the room you need to lift out the
frame without pinching a single bee. Now,
this taking out not only the first frame, but
any or all the frames, isa very important
matter, if you wish to do it without getting
stung. Suppose you are obliged to pass
through a room, with the floor all covered
with babies, creeping about. As you lift
your feet and set them down, you will prob-
ably exercise some care, for it would be quite
a serious piece of business to hit one of the
soft little things a blow with the heel of your
great, awkward boot. NowlI wish you to
think it just as serious a matter to mash one
of these little innocents while faithfully do-
ing their work in their own home. I know
you will say, some of you, that you haven’t
the time to be so careful, but I tell you God
holds you responsible for any needless cruelty
you may inflict on these dumb friends. Be-
sides that, you will make more money, to be
humane and gentle, than if you smash ahead,
regardless of everything except the money
you can squeeze out of these little creatures.
If you can lift out the frames and put them
back without harming a bee, youcan get

SS ee ee

STINGS. 2

along, usually, without any smoke, if you
choose. It is much easier to handle a shal-
low frame, without killing bees, than itisa
tall one.

We should try to bear in mind that a sin-
gle bee bears much the same relation to the
colony as does one of our fingers or toes to
us. If somebody carelessly or purposely
pinches a toe or finger, self-preservation de-
mands that we make him stop; andif you
crush a bee, the whole hive remonstrates
and threatens; in fact, they do thisif you
only give them reason to think they may be
in danger of injury. Your business is to as-
sure them by your careful and gentle move-
ments that they need fear no injury from
you, and then you will find them very pa-
tient, and as tractable as any of our domestic
animals.

When I see a person opening a hive, I usu-
ally watch him carefully, to see if he takes
care to kill no bees. After the first frame is
taken out, it must be placed somewhere. I
believe the usual way is to stand it on end,
leaning against the side of the hive. Now,
the corner of the frame that rests on the
ground is very apt to be coveréd with bees,
and many, many times, after it has been put
back in the hive, have I seen the maimed
and mashed bodies of the little fellows, writh-
ing in their death agonies. Do you blame
bees for stinging when they are treated thus?
Why will people be so careless and heedless
of the comfort and life of the rest of the ani-
mated creation?"

Within the last year, several devices, en-
eravings of which we give below, have been
suggested for the purpose of holding the
first frame or frames, that the rest may be
manipulated with greater ease.

One of the simplest of these, made of fold-
ed tin, and originated by myself, I have
christened

NY

THE SIMPLICITY COMB-HOLDER.

This is to be hooked over the edge of a
Simplicity hive; and when the first frame
is lifted out, you are to hang it on the two
projecting arms. These are slightly turned
up, as you will notice, that the frame may
not easily be pulled or slipped off. If you
are disposed, you can then slide the remain-
ing frames along, so as to get at any partic-
ular one, with ease,

43

STINGS.

To J. M. Valentine’s comb-holder, which
he has called a queen-stand, because used by
him principally in queen-rearing, our en-
graver has taken the liberty of adding a
smoker, and a stool whereon the tired apia-
rist may repose (?), while inserting queen-
cells, etc. He has also hung an all metal-
screw-driver on one of the posts, as you see,
and a stout screw - driver is a very handy
tool in an apiary, as most of you have prob-
ably experienced.

VALENTINE’S QUEEN-STAND.

This is 24 inches high; the standards are 144x% in.;
a piece 14 in. square runs across the top to hold
it together, and fora handle to lift it by; the shelf
is 12 inches wide, and is placed 4 inches below the
bottom of the frame when hanging on the arms of
the stand. This shelf is handy to lay cages, etec., on.
There is a drawer 6x8x2 in. under the shelf, in which
we keep a dozen, more or less, of queen - cages, a
pair of small curved-pointed scissors, a slim sharp
knife, etc. Our queen - stand (as we eall it) weighs
just 4lbs. We leave it out in the bee-yard, as it is
well painted, and a groove is cut around on the under
side of the shelf so that no water can get into the
drawer. When we are in the yard, and happen to
want to look into a hive, the stand and its contents
are ready near by. J. M. VALENTINE.

Carlinville, Ill.

Another very convenient device is the fol-
lowing, with a description by the originator.

AN EASEL TO HOLD COMBS.
The stand is made as follows: Take a cubic block,
A, measuring four inches each way, and four strips
of wood, B, 14% inches square by 3 or 4 feet long;

STINGS.

nail these strips, one at each corner of the block, for
legs; spread the lower ends about 18 inches apart,
and secure them by nailing cross-pieces about half
way down. Inthe middle of the top, or block, put a
round nail, letting it project upward about 14 inches.
This is for a pivot. Take three pieces of board,
C, 4 inches wide; let the one for the bottom have
the same length as the inside of your hive, and the
other two for the sides have the same length as the
height of the hive; nail the two side-pieces on the
ends of the bottom - piece,and bore a hole in the
center of the bottom-piece, large enough to fit the
pivot in A; place this, C, on the stand, A, and you
have a swivel; hang your frame init, and you can
hunt for your queen at leisure, turning C as you
choose, without disturbing the bees in the least. If
the bees cluster on C, it can be removed, and the
cluster brushed into the hive.

On the legs, little cleats may be nailed, on which
to place additional frames if desired. We find our
bee-easel a handy institution, and would not be with-
out one. MOSES G. YOUNG.

Brooklyn, N. Y., Aug. 29, 1878.

Perhaps the simplest and cheapest of all
these devices is the one sent us by Mr. L.S.
Jones, of New Philadelphia, O., which he
has called the Simplicity comb - holder, and
describes as below:

JONES’ SIMPLICITY COMB-HOLDER.

It answers the purpose nicely, is very easy to
make, and costs almost nothing. When [ finished
the invention, I imagined friend Root saying, ‘‘Well,
now, that holder can be made and finished for about
10 cents, perhaps 9144, and the work ought to be well
done at that price.”’

HOW TO MAKE IT.

Take a piece of 34 lumber, size 20x94 inches; also
cut two pieces, 9'44x2%, and % inches thick; saw a
rabbet 4%4x°4 inches, in one end of each, in which
tack a tin rabbet 4 in. high; nail these ends to the
side-board; also nail on a thin bottom-board 20x2%
inches; then fasten on two pieces of hoop iron and
bend to hang on the Simplicity hive; finish by giv-
ing it a good coat of paint, and you have one of the
cheapest and handiest things about the apiary.

While these implements are very handy,
without question, they are more machinery

to have around in the way. and it takes time |

to run after them and carry them about. I
do not know but that I should prefer doing
without them, but you will probably have
different tastes and views in the matter. I
have illustrated them, that you may be able
to act according to your own judgment. If
you decide to stand the first frame on the
ground, be sure that you brush or drive all
the bees off the corner that is to touch the
ground. Be sure, also, that you set the

244

STINGS.

frame at such an angle that it can not possi-
bly fall over, or be blown down by the wind.
On this account alone, I would want wind-
breaks of some kind, to keep off the pre-
vailing winds. See ComMB BUCKET.

If your colony is a small one, and the hive
not full, the frames are very easily handled —
without killing bees; if there is a division-
board, it can be moved back a little, and the
first frame set on the other side of it. All
these things can be done very quickly, when
you get used to it; much quicker than you
could take out a movable side to a hive. I
believe experience has taught this with al-
most every one that has used hives with moy-
able sides. No matter how sanguine the in-
ventor may be at first, that his hive is the
one to prevent danger from stings, in a few
years we find all such hives dropped and
laid aside.

WHAT KIND OF BEES STING WORST.

The general decision is, that the pure Ital-
jans are, as arule, the most easily handled.
Not only do they sting less, but as they keep
their places on the combs without getting
excited, when hives are properly opened,
they are far less liable to get under one’s
clothing than the common bees. <A great
many stings are received from bees that are
in no way badly disposed at all, simply by
their getting pinched accidentally, while on
the person of the bee-keeper. Pure Italians
may be handled all day, with no such mis-
hap; but after working among blacks or hy-
brids, I often find a dozen or more under my
coat, up my sleeves, if they can get up, and,
worst of all, up my trousers, if I have not
taken the precaution to tuck them into my
boots, or stockings when I wear low shoes.
See BEE-DRESS. Well, I believe this one
thing alone would decide me in favor of the
Italians, if they were simply equal to the
blacks in other respects. The hybrids, as I
have before stated, are much worse to sting
than either of the races when pure.

It may be well to add, that we find many
exceptions to these rules; a hive of blacks
will sometimes be much easier to handle
than a hive of Italians in the same yard, and
the progeny of a queen that we may have
every other reason to call pure, may be as
cross as the worst hybrids. Still farther: A
very cross swarm of bees may be so educat-
ed, by careful treatment, as to become very
gentle, and vice versa. The colony in front
of the door of the honey - house is always a
gentle one, season after season; the explana-
tion of it is, that they become accustomed to
the continual passing and repassing of the

STINGS.

bee-keeper in front of their hive, and learn
to be dodging past some one almost all the
time. On the contrary, those bees that are
in the remote corners of the apiary are very
apt to sting you, if you just come round to
take a view of their entrance. The Egyp-
tian bees are said to be very much worse
than any of the other races; and as they do
not yield to smoke, as do others, they
have been discarded, principally on account
of this unpleasant feature.*

THE BEE-STING POISON.

When bees are very angry, and elevate
that portion of their bodies containing the
sting, you will often see a tiny drop of some
transparent liquid on the point of the sting.
This liquid is the poison of the bee-sting. It
has a sharp, pungent taste; and when thrown
in the eyes, as often happens, it has a sting-
ing, acrid feeling, as if it might be a com-
pound of cayenne pepper, onion - juice, and
horseradish combined, and one who tastes it
or gets it in his eyes concludes it is not so
very strange that such a substance, intro-
duced into the circulation, produces such ex-
quisite pain. The poison of the bee-sting
has been shown to be similar in composition
to that of the viper and scorpion; but at the
present writing I can not learn that any
chemist has ever given us an analysis that
would tell us just what the poison is. The
acid obtained from ants is called formic acid,
and I have wondered whether that from bee-
stings is not similar, if not the same. It is
probably a vegetable acid, secreted from the
honey and pollen that constitutes their food,
and it is well known that the poison is much
more pungent when the bees are working in
the fields, and accumulating stores largely,
than it is when they are at rest in the winter
months. It is generally during basswood-
bloom that we get those severe stings which
draw the blood and show a large white spot
around the wound.

HOW IT IS DONE.

Itis quite an interesting experiment to
let a bee sting you on the hand, and then
coolly observe the whole performance, with-
out disturbing him. When a boy wishes to
jump across a brook, he usually goes back a
few feet, and takes a little run; well, a bee,
when he introduces the point of his sting,
prefers to make a short run or dash, or he
may fail in lodging the barbs of the sting se-
curely in the flesh. Ido not believe a bee

_, *Queenless bees are almost always much worse;

it may be because they seldom work with energy,

and have therefore no fresh accumulation of stores,

Hes tend so much to put bees on their good be-
vior.

245

STINGS.

can very well get up the necessary energy to
sting, unless he is under the influence of
some excitement. I have sometimes, in try-
ing to see how far I could go with an angry
colony of bees without the use of smoke, had
a lot of them strike my face with a sudden
dash; but as I kept perfectly still, they would
alight without stinging. Now, the slightest
movement, even an incautious breath, would
result in some pretty severe stinging; but if
I kept cool and quiet, and carefully walked
away, I might escape without any stings at
all. Very often, a single bee will work him-
self up to a sufficient passion to try to sting ;
but to commence while standing still, I have
always found to be rather difficult work for
them; and although they sometimes prick
slightly, and give one a touch of the poison,
they seldom sting very severely, without
taking wing again. To go back: After the
bee has penetrated the flesh on your hand,
and worked the sting so deeply into the
flesh as to be satisfied, he begins to find that
he is a prisoner, and to consider means of
escape. They usually get smashed at about
this stage of proceedings, unless they suc-
ceed in tearing the sting—poison-bag and all
—from the body; however, if allowed to do
the work quietly, they seldom do this, know-
ing that such a proceeding seriously maims
them for life, if it does not killthem. After
pulling at the sting to see that it will not
come out, he seems to consider the matter a
little, and then commences to walk around
it, in a circle, just as if it were a screw he
was going to turn out of a board. If you
will be patient and let him alone, he will get
it out by this very process, and fly off un-
harmed. I need not tell you that it takes
some heroism to submit patiently to all this
manceuvring. The temptation is almost un-
governable, while experiencing the intense
pain, to say, while you give him a clip,
‘““There, you little beggar, take that, and learn
better manners in future.”’

Well, how does every bee know that he
can extricate his sting by walking around it?
Some would say it is instinct. Well,I guess
itis; but it seems to me, after all, that he
‘‘sort 0’ remembers” how his ancestors have
behaved in similar predicaments for ages
and ages past.

ODOR OF THE BEE-STING POISON.

After one bee has stung you, if you use the
hand that has been stung among the bees in
the hive, the smell of the poison, or some-
thing else, will be pretty sure to get more
stings for you, unless you are very careful.
Also after one sting has been tener there

STINGS.

seems a much greater chance, when about
in the apiary, of getting more stings. Mr.
Quinby has suggested that this is owing to
the smell of the poison, and that the use of
smoke will neutralize this scent. This may
be so, but I am not fully satisfied of it.

THE POISON OF THE BEE-STING AS A REME-
DIAL AGENT.

For some years past there have been run-
ning through our journals many reports in
regard to the agency of bee-stings in the
cure of certain forms of diseases, especially
rheumatism. From the facts put forth, I
think any candid reasoner will have to ad-
mit, that being stung frequently does certain-
ly have the effect of relieving certain forms
of rheumatism, paralysis, and perhaps drop-
sy. It is true, the open-air exercise may
have something to do with it; but I believe
the poison of the sting itself often gives al-
most immediate relief in the diseases above
mentioned. I may add here, that it is well
known that homeopathists use bee-sting poi-
son as aremedial agent, under the name of
Apis mellifica. In their hands it is one of
the most useful of all remedies in the treat-
ment of cedematous and dropsical conditions
of the cellular tissue, skin, serous and mu-
cous membranes, and the glandular system.
In fact, a short time ago friend Muth, of
Cincinnati, informed me that he had sold a
good many colonies of live Italians to doc-
tors, for the sole purpose of extracting the
poison. If I am correct, they extract the
poison by means of alcohol. As the demand
for this medicine seems to be on the in-
crease, it were reasonable to conclude there
is no myth about it.

DOES THE BEE DIE AFTER LOSING HIS STING?

It seems strange after all that has been
written about it, that nobody seems to know
whether the bee dies or not. I know it does
not die right away after losing its sting, for
I have kept them some time in confinement,
afterward, and could not see but they flew
off just as well as bees that had not lost their
sting. Iam inclined to think they live and
gather honey after the sting is gone, but they
probably never do much more in the sting-
ing line. The matter might be tested by
painting the backs of a number of bees
which have lost their stings, as we do in bee-
hunting. If you find them day after day in
the hive, and see them with loads of pollen,
we will then know that losing their stings
does not spoil them for other duties. I have
often identified certain bees, both in the
hive and on the alighting-board, as they came
in from the fields.

2416

STINGS.

SMOKE NOT ALWAYS A PREVENTIVE OF BEE-
STINGS.

Although smoke is our great reliance as a ~

security against stings while working among
bees, there are sometimes colonies, or sea-
sons of the year, I scarcely know which,
when one can get along better without it. I
remember trying to open a coleny of hybrids
in the fall of the year, to show them to my
wife. Asa safeguard, I first gave them a
good-smoking; but, to my surprise, they got
into a perfect panic, and poured out of the
hive and showed fight, in great numbers. It
is true, I could drive them down ; but the
minute I ceased smoking them, to lift out a
comb, they became perfectly infuriated; and
although driven down to the bottom - board
repeatedly, they were up and ready for an
attack, almost as soon as the smoker was
turned away from the hive. Ilet them go,
without half making the examination I
wished. The next day, in passing the hive,
I thought I would look in, and see if they
were of the same opinion still. I had no
smoker, and so raised the corner of the cloth
over the frames cautiously. They kept on
with their work, and seemed to care nothing
about the intrusion. I took the cloth clear
off, lifted frame after frame, but not a bee
showed the least sign of hostility. In sur-
prise, I carried a frame with the queen on it
into the house and showed it to my wife, and
told her it was the same swarm that acted
so wickedly, just the day before. The only
trouble seemed to be that they very decided-
ly objected to having their hive deluged with
the offensive smoke, and I am sure it must
be very painful to them inits effects. I took
the lesson, and have since often found that
I could get along even better without smoke.
Have your smoker in readiness; and if you
are obliged to use smoke, use a very little, as
circumstances seem to decide best. Some-
times the only way seems to be to use it in
considerable quantities, but I would never
smoke the poor little fellows needlessly.”

MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION AND OPERA-

TION OF THE STING.

After a bee has stung you, and torn him-
self away from the sting, you will no-
tice, if you look closely, a bundle of muscles,
near by and partly enveloping the poison-
bag. Well, the curious part of it is, that for
some considerable time after the sting has
been detached from the body of the bee,
these muscles will work with a kind of pump-
like motion, working the sting further into
the wound, as if they had a conscious ex-
istence, and burned with a desire to wreak
vengeance on the party attacked. Nay, fur-

:
4
f
;
:
:
t

(3)

pa

STINGS.

ther, after the sting has been pulled from
the flesh, and thrown away, if it should stick
to your clothing in such a way that your
flesh will come in contact with it, it will
commence working again, pulling itself into
the flesh, and emptying the poison into the
wound, precisely as if the living bee were
himself working it. I have been stung a
great many times from a sting without any
bee about it at all. Without any precise fig-
ures, I should say a sting would hold life
enough to give a very painful wound, aslong
as full five minutes, and it may be, in some
eases, even ten minutes. This phenomenon
is most wonderful, and I have often, while
watching the sting sink into the rim of my
felt hat, pondered on that wonderful thing,
animal life. Why should that isolated sting
behave in this manner, when the bee to
which it belonged was perhaps far away,
buzzing through the air? Why should this
bundle of fibers and muscles behave as if it
had a life to throw away? I do not know.
This, however, I do know; when you pull a
sting from the wound, you should throw it
far enough away so that it will not get back
on your face or hands, or into your hair, to
sting you again.

In giving the following description of a
bee-sting, I am much indebted to the draw-
ings and description given by J. R. Bledsoe,
of Natchez, Mississippi, in the American Bee
Journal for August, 1870. I am also in-
debted to Prof. Cook’s excellent Manual,
for hints on this as well as on many other
subjects. As friend Cook is an entomolo-
gist, he has been enabled to give us very
material aid in that department. Friend
Bledsoe has given us by far the most com-
plete description and drawings, and I have
just been trying, with a good microscope, to
verify his work. Although I have not been
able to verify all his work, probably because
I lack the necessary skill in making dissec-
tions, I have found some items which I
think have not. before been given, and I
have made some changes that I think bring
the matter nearer the truth.

~The sting under the microscope is found
to be a beautifully fashioned and polished
instrument, whose delicate taper and finish
make a most surprising contrast with any
instrument man has been able to produce.
In shape it appears to be round ; but it is, in
reality, more like a three-cornered file, with
the corners nicely rounded off. It is of a dark
red color, but transparent enough so that
Wwe may see the hollow that runs through
the center of each of its parts. These hol-

47 STINGS.

lows are probably to secure lightness as
well as strength.

oF

\)
j
Up

LB

| \ WZ
‘ iQ

\

i i

AS WN; '
2

BEE STING MAGNIFIED.

I have given you three views of the differ-
ent parts of the sting, like letters represent-
ing like parts in all. Bear in mind that the
sting proper is composed of three parts—the
outer shell, or husk, D, and two barbed spears
that slide partly inside of it. In Fig.2 I
have shown you the spears. The barbs are
much like the barbs on a fish - hook; and
when the point of one spear, A, penetrates
far enough to get one barb under the skin,
the bee has made a hold, and has no difficul-
ty in sinking his sting its whole length into
the wound; for the pumping motion at once
commences, and the other spear, B, slides
down a little beyond A, then A beyond B,
and so on. The manner in which these
spears are worked is, as near as I can make
out, by a pair of something like pump-han-
dles, operated by small but powerful mus-
cles. I have shown you the arrangement of
these handles at J and K, Fig. 1, as nearly
as I could conjecture what it must be, from
watching its workings under the microscope.
These muscles will work, at intervals, for
some time after the sting has been torn from
the bee, as I have explained. They work
with sufficient power to send the sting
through a felt hat, or into a tough buckskin
glove. I have often watched the bee while
attempting to get his sting started into the

STINGS.

hard cuticle on the inside of my hand. The
spears will often run along the surface diag-
onally, so that you can see how it works down
by successive pumps. The hollow in these
spears is indicated at G and F, in Figs. 2
and 3.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section, sliced across
the three parts, at about the dotted line D.
A and B are the barbed spears; F and G,
the hollows to give them lightness and
strength; H, H,the barbs. It will be ob-
served that the husk, D, imecloses but little
more than $ of them. Now, the purpose of
this husk is to hold the barbs in place, and
to allow them to slide easily up and down,
also to direct them while doing this work.
To hold all together, there is a groove in

each of the spears, and a corresponding pro- |

jection in the husk, which fit each other, as
shown in the cut. This allows the barbs to
project to do their work, and yet holds all
together tolerably firm. I say tolerably firm,
for these spears are very easily torn out of
the husk ; and after a sting is extracted, they
are often left in the wound, like the tiny
splinters I have before spoken of. When
torn out and laid on a slip of glass, they are
scarcely visible to the naked eye; but under
the microscope, they show as seen in Fig. 2.

Stings do not all have the same number
of barbs. I have seen as few as 7 and as
many as 9. The two spears fit nicely against
each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and you will
observe that the shape and the arrangement
of the 8 parts leave the hollow, E, in their
center. This hollow is for a channel for this
wonderful vegetable poison. The working
of the spears also pumps down poison, and
quite a good-sized drop collected on the
points of the spears while I saw them work-
ing under the microscope. Friend Bledsoe
found a valve that let the poison out of the
poison-bag into this wonderful little pump,
but prevented it from returning. I have
not been able to see this, but have no doubt
that it is there. The drop of poison, after
it has laid on the glass a few minutes, dries
down, and seems to leave a gummy sub-
stance, that crystallizes, as it were, into
strange and beautiful forms. I have tried
to show it to you in Fig. 4.

There are some things about the bee-
sting, I should much like to know. How do
the muscles work those levers so as to make
them pass and repass as they do? Is the
poison acid, perhaps formic acid? If not,
what is it?

I can not close the subject of stings, with-
out speaking of the wonderful similarity be-
tween the mechanism of the sting of the

248

SUMAC.

bee, and the apparatus furnished many in-
sects for sawing and boring into wood and
other substances, for the purpose of deposit-
ing their eggs.
apparatus is used, but the barbs on the ex-
tremities are saws instead of the sharp
hooks. If you will look at the cut you will
see that but very little change need be made
in these barbs to convert them into saw-
teeth, and then we should have an engine
for cutting and boring holes, that might eas-
ily be patented, if old dame Nature were so
disposed. Now listen. If the insect had
but one saw, even though he had strength to
draw it back and forth, his light body would
not give him purchase enough to do much
execution with it. It is true, he might “ dig
in his toe-nails,’”? and hold himself down so
that he could work it to some extent; but
then he could not change his position, ac-
cording to his work, etc. When the saw was

worked, instead of its cutting into the hard

timber, his light body would be simply slid
to and fro; but with two saws, like the
barbed spears of the bee-sting, working in a
sheath to hold them together, he ean stand
his ground and use his enormous muscular
strength to do rapid cutting, even if his body
does weigh only half a grain, or less.
While one saw goes forward, the other goes
backward ; and the rapidity with which these
insects work them enables them to make as-
tonishing progress, even in substances so
hard that one would not suppose they could
make any impression at all. Now here
comes in again the wonderful law I have
spoken of so many times, on these pages.
The insect that has the most effective and
perfect set of tools will lay most eggs and
have them most secure from the depreda-
tion of enemies, and his species will stand a
better chance of survival than the individ-
ual or class with poorer tools. By giving a
constant preference to the best workers, and
taking into account how nature sports and
varies, would it be strange, if, after the lapse
of ages, the result should be the beautifully
finished work we see through the micro-
scope? I do not know that bee-stings could
develop into saws, or saws into bee-stings;
but if an insect should be found using its

Ovipositor as a weapon of defense, as well as_

for the purpose of egg-laying, it might look
as though the thing were possible. I am
not an entomologist, and I do not know that
any such insect has ever been discovered.
Who will enlighten us?

SUMIAC (I?hus). This is a sort of
shrub, or small tree, readily known by its

Almost precisely the same

See

SUNFLOWER.

bunches of bright red fruit, having an in-
tensely sour taste. The acid property, how-
ever, seems to be only on the surface of the
fruit, in the red dust that may be brushed
off. I have had no experience with the hon-
ey, which the bees sometimes get in large
quantities from the small greenish flowers,
but give the following from page 96, GLEAN-
INGS for 1874:

June 22, 1874.— Contrary to expectations, we are
now im the height of a wonderful flow of honey from
sumac, which of late years has not yielded much.
Every thing in the hives is filled full, and Iam kept
busy hiving swarms, as it has become too much of a
job to keep them from swarming by removing
frames of brood. G. F. MERRIAM, Topeka, Kan.

SUNFLOWER (Helianthus). This
plant embraces a very large family; but the
principal ones for honey are the common
sunflower and the Jerusalem artichoke.
During some seasons and in some localities,
the bees seem to be very busy indeed on
these plants, allthe day long. The mam-
moth Russian sunflower bears flowers of
enormous dimensions; and from the way
the bees crowd each other about the necta-
ries, one would suppose they yielded much
honey. The seed, which is yielded in large
quantities, would seem almost to pay the ex-
pense of cultivation. The following is taken
from page 36, Vol. III. of GLEANINGS.

My boy had a small box of sunflower seeds, which
he kept as one of his playthings. Last spring he ac-
cidentally spilt them in the garden by the fence,
and, old as they were, they came up profusely. They
looked so thrifty, 1 took it into my head to trans-
plant them. I set them all around in the fence, out
of the way, where nothing else would grow to advan-
tage, and, if you will believe me, I had an enormous
crop. When they blossomed the bees went at them
in earnest; and after the bees got through with them
there were several quarts of seed. I sold a dollar’s
woith tomy druggist, and the remainder I fed out to
my hens, and, asa writer of old has said, I found
nothing so good and nourishing for laying hens as
sunflower seeds. ThenI cut off the empty heads,
place them near the bee-hives, fillthem with sugar
and water, and that suits the beestoaT. So you
see I was at no expense, and they paid well. I write
this that others may be benefited as well as myself.

Dr. R. HITCHCOCK.
South Norwalk, Conn., Feb. 2, 1875.

SW ARMING. All animated nature
seems to have some means of reproducing
its like, that the species may not become ex-
tinct; and, especially among the insect
tribes, we find a great diversity of ways and
means for accomplishing this object. Inthe
microscopic world we find simple forms of
animal life contracting themselves in the
middle until they break in two, and. then
each separate part, after a time, breaks in
two, and soon. With bees we have a some-

249

SWARMING.

what similar phenomenon. When a colony
gets excessively strong, the inmates of the
hive, by asort of preconcerted, mutual agree-
ment, divide themselves off into two parties,
one party remaining in the old hive, and the
other starting out to seek their fortunes else-
where.”

I have carefully watched this proceeding,
with a view of determining how the matter
comes about, and whether it is because a
part of the bees become dissatisfied with
their old home, and seek to better their con-
dition, or because the queen leaves, for some
reason of her own (because she has not room
to lay her eggs, for instance), and the bees
simply follow from a sort of natural instinct,
because she is the mother of the colony, and
an absolute necessity to their prosperity.
After seeing a number of swarms issue, and
finding that the queen was among the last to
leave the hive, I concluded that the bees
take the lead, and that the queen simply fol-
lowed as a matter of course, in the general
melee. Suppose, however, that the queen
should not take a notion to join the new ad-
venture; well, swarms do often start out
with no queen accompanying them, and they
usually go back to the hive after a time, to
try it again next day. If she does not go
then, nor at the next attempt, they often
wait until they can rear a new queen, and
then go off with her. After I was pretty
well satisfied that this is the correct idea of
their pian, a little circumstance seemed to
upset it all. A neighbor, wanting to make
an observatory-hive, drummed perhaps a
quart of bees from one of his old hives. <As
he had no queen, I gave him a black queen
taken from a hive purchased several miles
away. Imention this toshow that the queen
had never been out of the hive, in the loca-
tion which it then occupied. After a day or
two, this neighbor informed me that I had
played a fine trick on him, for my queen had
gone home, and taken his quart of bees with
her. I told him it was impossible, for she
had never been out of the hive, only when I
carried her over in the cage.

We went and looked in the hive she came
from, and there she was, true enough, with
the bees she had brought with her stung to
death, in front and on the bottom-board. It
is possible that the bees swarmed out first ;
but even if they did, they certainly followed
the queen in going back to her old home.
We also know that bees sometimes follow
ayoung queen when she goes out to take
her wedding-flight.

It is my opinion that it is neither the queen
nor the workers alone that make the first

SWARMING.

start but that all hands join together and
act in concert.
WHY BEES SWARM. .

If you can contract the size of the hive
when honey is coming in bountifully, the
bees will be very apt to take measures
toward swarming, about as soon as the
combs are full of brood, eggs, pollen, and
honey. They will often wait several days
after the hive is seemingly full, and this
course may not cause them to swarm at all,
but it is very likely to. As soon as it has
been decided that the hive is too small, and
that there is no feasible place for storing an
extra supply of honey where it can be pro-
cured in the winter, when needed, they gen-
erally commence queen-cells. Before doing
this I have known them to go so far as to
store their honey outside on the portico, or
even underneath the hive, thus indicating
most clearly their wants in the shape of ex-
tra space for their stores, where they could
protect them.

I believe want of room is the most general
cause of swarming, although it is not the
only cause; for bees often swarm incessant-
ly, when they have a hive only partly filled
with comb. First swarms usually come
about from the cause I have mentioned; but
AFTER-SWARMING (Which see) often gets to
be a sort of mania with the bees, and they
swarm, apparently, without a reason.

AT WHAT SEASON BEES USUALLY SWARM.

The old adage runs,—

‘“* A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.”’

There is much truth in this, especially if
managed on the old plan; but with modern
improvements, a swarm in July may be
worth a silver spoon, or even a load of hay;
possibly, both together. See AFTER-SWARM-
ING. A colony that was very populous in
the fall, and has wintered finely, may cast
the first swarm in May, in this latitude; but
such events were very unusual before the
advent of Italians. The latter often swarm
during fruit-bloom, and in some cases even
earlier. In our locality, swarms do not usu-
ally issue until the middle or last of June.
If the season is a little late, sometimes the
greater part of them will come in July, and
we almost always have more or less swarm-
ing going on during our national holiday.
At this time, basswood is generally at its
height, and we frequently have quite a yield

250

SWARMING.

from clover, after basswood is gone.
this account, swarms that come out during
the first week in July usually get enough to
winter, and are therefore worth the price of
a swarm of bees any way. I presume the old
adage referred, principally, to the amount of
honey they would store; if the July swarms
did not secure enough to winter over, and
were allowed to starve, they would not be
worth the trouble of hiving them, and so
they might be rated as of less value than a
fly. Swarms that come outin June would
fill their hives, and perhaps make a surplus
that, on an average, would bring at least a
dollar, the old price of a silver spoon; while
those that were so thrifty as to be able to
start in May, would have the whole season
before them; and if they did not get set back
before white clover came out, would very
likely make a surplus worth $5.00, the mar-
ket price of a load of hay. In some locali-
ties, bees seem to swarm in the latter part of
July and Aug., and reports seem to indicate
that they do it when little or no honey is to
be had, and when the bees are disposed to
rob; but such is certainly not the case here,
for our bees give up all preparations for
swarming, some little time before the honey-
crop has ceased. I do not remember ever to
have seen a natural swarm issue here later
than July; but in some localities, buckwheat
swarms are a very common thing. Where
the apiarist has plenty of extra combs filled
with stores, it is an easy matter to care for
and make valuable stocks of swarms that is-
sue at any time.

SYMPTOMS OF SWARMING.

Although we can sometimes tell when
bees are going to swarm,I do not think it
will be safe, by any means, to assume that
we can always do so. It has been said, that
the bees which have been clustering outside
will, all the morning of the day they are in-
tending to swarm, go inside the hive; but
this can not always be so, for I have seen a
swarm issue while the loafers were hanging
on the outside as usual; and at the sound of
the swarming-note, they took wing and join-
edin. Whereacolony is intending to swarm,
they will not be working like the rest, as a
general thing; and quite likely, on the day
they are intending to swarm, very few bees,
comparatively, will be seen going out and in
at the hive.” With movable combs we can’
generally give a very good guess of the dis-
position to swarm, by opening the hive.’
Bees do not, as arule, swarm until they have
got their hive pretty well filled up, and have
multitudes of young bees hatching out daily.

On

ee ee

SWARMING.

The presence of queen-cellsis generally con-

sidered an indication of the swarming fever,
and it used to be supposed that there was no
danger of swarming unless these were pre-
ent in the hive; but since so many stocks of
Italians have swarmed when nothing in the
shape of a queen-cell was to be found in the
hive, the idea of removing queen-cells, to

arrest or prevent swarming, has been toa |

great extent abandoned.

Many think that the clustering of the bees
on the outside of the hives is an indication
that they are going toswarm. Toa certain
extent this may be the case, but itis by no
means an indication that they are going to
swarm very soon. I knew a colony, belong-
ing to a neighbor, that hung out in great
masses nearly a month, before the bees came
out. His new hive was in readiness, and he
stayed at home and watched day after day,
until clover and basswood both were almost
gone, and finally they cast a truly large, fine
swarm.

NEVER ALLOW BEES TO HANG OUTSIDE THE
HIVE.

This swarm had hung outside the hive
during the great honey-harvest of the sea-
son; and as it is no unusual thing for a colo-
ny to store 10 lbs. a day, during the height
of the season, they had lost at least 100 Ibs.
of honey, for the swarm was an unusually
strong and fine one. I think they could eas-
ily have secured this amount if they had
worked, but it is by no means certain that
they could have been made to go to work
as they did after they swarmed, and were
put into a new hive.. Within two or three
weeks after they swarmed, if I remember,
they filled their hive, and gave about 25 lbs.
of surplus. How shall we deal with such
bees? Well, it will be an excellent problem
for our A BC class to work out by actual
practice. One way is to put section boxes
on the /top and sides, and then drive the bees
inside with your smoker, and thus make
them go to work, if you can. If they will
not do so, get from some other hive some
sections partly filled, and this will generally
accomplish the object. If the bees are in a
box hive, and you can not at the time trans-
fer them (it is rather unsafe to transfer dur-
ing a great honey-yield, with the hive full of
honey, you know), fix a new hive all right,
move away your old box hive, brushing all
the bees off on the ground, and then give
them a queen or a frame of brood in the new
hive, as in ARTIFICIAL SWARMING, and
make them go to work at something. You
can do it every time, although it may be a

oO
mt

|

|
|

1 SWARMING.

few days before they get over their stub-
bornness, and get to work fully. Sometimes
a very large new swarm will hang out, and
refuse to work. I have several times made
such go in and attend to business, simply by
the use of asmoker. If bees hang out dur-
ing the hot weather of Aug., after honey has
ceased coming, you can still set them to
work by feeding ; but unless you want more
colonies, more combs built out, or can rear
queens for sale, it may not pay to try to keep
them at work. Toward night, after very
sultry days, bees will sometimes hang out so.
as to cover their hives, and there may be no
harm in allowing them to do this, although I
should prefer to have them better occupied
by doing something indoors. <A really en-
ergetic colony will often be at work rearing
brood at such a time, if they are gathering
honey enough. Bees should always have
room enough during the working season, to
prevent their being crowded out; but we
should not go to the opposite extreme, and
give them so much that they feel cold drafts
in their hive, and can not keep up sufticient
heat for comb-building and brood-rearing.

PREPARATIONS FOR SWARMING, TO BE MADE
BY TIE BEE-KEEPER.

Every apiarist, even if he have but a cou-
ple of hives, should make preparations for
swarming, at least to some extent; for, even
though artificial swarming is practiced, and
the utmost care used to prevent any other,
there will always be a chance that swarms
may come out unexpectedly. Ilives should
be in readiness, and at least one should be
fixed on the stand where you wish your next
colony placed. Bank it round with cinders
and sand.and fix as nice and level as if it con-
tained bees. Have some extra combs if pos-
sible, and have them placed in the honey-
house where you can put your hand on
them at any minute. I would also have some
hives where I could get a comb of unsealed
larvee, without very much trouble; that is,
make up your mind what hive you are to go
to, in case you should want such a comb in
ahurry. Bees will often swarm on Sunday;
and as we would not wish to work with our
bees on the Sabbath more than is absolutely
necessary, it behooves us to be at all times
prepared to take care of a swarm, should it
come, with very little trouble. I can re-
member having swarms on Sunday, when it
became necessary to hunt up a hive, decide
on its location, hunt up some empty combs,
and then look over my hives to see where
there was one with no surplus boxes on, that
I might get at a brood - comb with as little

SWARMING. 2

trouble as possible, to put in the new hive,
to prevent them from decamping. A1l these
things take time, and more than one swarm
have departed while a hive was being made
ready to receive them. If you keep the

wings of your queens clipped as I have ad-|
| them closely with a sheet.

vised, you will need some queen-cages where

you can lay your hands on them at a min- |

ute’s notice, for there are times when you
need to step about as lively as you would if

52

a house were on fire, and you do not want to |

be bothered by hunting for things.

N. N. Shepard, of Cochranton, Pa., gives
a plan of an apparatus for hiving swarms,
with some excellent instructions for using
it. Below we give the letter with an engrav-
ing of the swarming-box:

SWARMS AND SWARMING; HOW TO MANAGE.

For the first two or three years of my bee-keeping,
when I had only from 10 to 30 colonies, I lost by hav-
ing swarms leave me, also by having large first
swarms go together when they came out nearly at
the same time. After years of experience and
practice, I have learned that I can prevent both
their going to the woods and their guing together;
and for the last five or six years, though I have in-
creased my number to 100 swarms, and, some sea-
sons, to 200, I have not lost a swarm, nor had two
large swarms get together; but this result I could
never have reached, except by the help of certain
implements which I use in swarming-time.

With these I can attend to 100 colonies as easily
as I could to 20 without them, and, at the same
time, be more sure of keeping them separate. With
these I can hive all my swarms and stand on the
ground; I cut no limbs off, and I brush no bees from
bodies and large limbs of trees. Let them swarm
as fast as they please, 10 or 15 in an hour, I can take
care of them, and keep them all separate, and it is
only fun.
ing.”

SHEPARD'S HIVING BOX FOR SWARMS.

SWARMING.

With these you need not wait for all the bees to
alight, but when one-half or one-third have clustered,
hold the box close under them, and, with the hook,

| jar the limb once or twice, holding your box still,

and you will soon have them all out, and into it.
Then if another swarm comes, carry off these, in the
box, to a safe distance, or let them down and cover
The other swarm will
nearly always alight on the same limb. I have taken
as many as6off the same limb, setting away the
box with each swarm, until I could get time to hive
them. Then, to prevent their alighting in places
where they are hard to get at, and much time is re¥
quired to hive them, I have one or two long poles
with a bunch of grass tied tightly on the end. Put
this in any place where they first commence alighting,

and keep it in motion for a few moments, and they

will leave for some other place.

When the swarm is all clustered in the box, you
ean hive them at your leisure. Let them down
carefully, holding the box horizontally until you
get them where you want to shake them by the side
of the hive or into it, then turn it so the open end is
down, jar or shake them out just as you choose, and
the work is done, only you must be constantly on
the lookout fur other swarms coming out to get
with them. Have3or4 good sheets where you can
get them in a moment, if needed to cover a Swarm.

N. N. SHEPARD.

Cochranton, Pa., April 22, 1878. :

The remark about having the sheets ready
for covering the extra swarms, is excellent ;
and not only the sheets, but your poles,

_ boxes, queen-cages, empty hives, and every

Ido not dread the “ everlasting swarm-

My hiving apparatus is a box made of % -inch

basswood boards, about 8 inches square by 16
inches deep; one end is closed, and the other cpen.
This should be nailed together so as to be as strong
as possible, then with a % bit bore it full of holes
on each side. Put this on the end of a pole whichis
light and yet strong enough to let down a large

swarm and not break. A straight-grained pine or |

basswood stick 1% inches square will answer; take
off the corners, bore a 14-inch hole through the cen-
ter of the box, and fasten it on tight. Then you
want a pole of corresponding length, with a strong
hook fastened to the end of it.
hiving. I want 6 or8of these,if I have
colonies.

This is one set for |
80 or 100.

thing which you have learned by experience
you may need, should be kept in a neat
handy place, a small neat’ shed, for in-
stance, such a place as would be always eas-
ily ‘* get-at-able,” and would protect the
utensils sufficiently from the weather. I
think I will have our engraver give us a
view of such a—

= au iis ina su a

lO
\—-=

ak

LEPOSITORY FOR SWARMING-IMPLEMENTS.

It is quite customary, in hiving swarms, to
spread a sheet in front of the hive, that the
bees may have a clean path to walk in on.
This white background also gives one an
excellent opportunity to see the queen; and
if they are too slow in getting into the hive

| the corners of the sheet may be raised, and

ee ee ee ee

——”

!

SWARMING.

the bees shaken toward the entrance. As
the fiber of the sheet gives them a chance
to cling to it, I have liked much better, for
this purpose, a large newspaper; for the
bees can be shaken from it as readily as if
they had no claws with which to hang and
cling to every thing in the shape of cloth.
The bush or hiving-box may be laid in

front of the hive, or the bees may be gently

jarred from it in front of the hive, as may
be most convenient; but with cross hybrids
I prefer the former way, for I have known
them, at times, to take wing and leave when
suddenly shaken on the ground; and at oth-
er times they will take a notion to sting,
right and left. In this respect, the Italians
are widely different from the common bees,
for I have never known a swarm of the lat-
ter to make an attack, or start off when sha-
ken down in front of the hive. For these
reasons I would advise hiving the Italians,
and especially hybrids, in as quiet a manner
as possible; and, where it can be done, by
letting them run into their hive at their
leisure.

One of our hands uses an apparatus ATE
catching swarms, as shown below.

The hoop is made of stout wire, and is
about 20 inches in diameter. The ends are
soldered into a tin socket that will receive a
rake-handle, or, for tall trees, something still
longer. The bag is to be put up under the
swarm, and the hoop is then made to gently
cut off the cluster so that the bees will fall
into the bag. It is then turned edgewise, so
as to confine them while it. is taken down
and carried to the hive. As the bag is made
of cheese-cloth, they have plenty of air. To
get the bees out, turn it inside out. The
bag has the same diameter as the hoop, and
is about four feet long. The whole appara-
tus would cost about 75e. This machine an-
swers very well where the cluster hangs
straight downward; but where they get
among the small limbs of trees, and in in-
convenient places, the basswood box is the
handiest, and Iam inclined to give it the
preference, as a general thing.

HOw TO HIVE A SWARM OF BEES.

The great secret of this depends much on
keeping in mind the queer propensity, in-
stinct, or habit, which bees have when clus-

253

SWARMING.

tered together in swarming, of running
eagerly into any cavity, box, or hollow that
may present itself. It was this queer fash-
ion that first attracted my attention. to the
subject of bees. JI have mentioned the cir-
cumstance in the introduction to this book.
My friend, when he started after the bees,
picked up a rough box that lay near by; and
when they came to the ground, he simply set
the box near them. Seeing the cavity or
shelter offered them, they at once com-
menced humming, and traveled into it. My
curiosity was unsatisfied, and asked him
how he knew they would go into the box.
He said he knew they would, because bees
always go into a box. or any similar thing
that offers them shelter.

Their instinct seems to prompt them to
seek any sort of a cavity, and this very point
is the secret of the success of friend Shep-
ard’s swarming-box. Those auger-holes in
the basswood box are sure to attract them,
and they seem to hugely enjoy crawling
in, and then crawling out again, through the
holes, beginning at once to claim it as their
home, and being doubtless the better pleased
with it because it has so many cool door-
ways where they can look out and get the
fresh air in abundance, which they always
need when the swarming fever is on them,
and every bee is gorged with honey with
which to commence provisioning the new
home. . In fact, their first act, when getting
ready to swarm, is to repair to the unsealed
stores of honey, and fill themselves with all
they can contain. I donot know how they
always behave after being thus filled; but in
the few instances when I have been right on
hand when the swarm issued, I have seen.
them commence to circle about the inside of
the hive with uplifted wings, uttering the
swarming-note until finally they began to
issue from the hive. As they go tumbling
out pell-mell, hurry-skurry, like a lot of ur-
chins when school is out on a sSummer’s aft-
ernoon, they seem, for the time, to have but
one object in life, and that is to get as far
and as speedily away from their home as
possible.

HOW TO HIVE A SWARM WITH
QUEEN.

By turning to QUEENS, you will see what
I say about clipping the wings of every
queen as soon as she becomes fertile; if we
do this, our queen can not take wing, as she
usually does as soon as she gets out of the
hive (she is generally nearly the last to come
out), but hops helplessly on the ground. If
you are on hand, pick her up as soon as she
makes her appearance, and cage her. As

A CLIPPED

SWARMING. 2

soon as the bees are all out, move the hive
to a new stand, put a new hive in its place,
and lay the caged queen down close by the
entrance. The bees, as soon as they discov-
er that the queen is not with them, will
come back to their old stand, and enter the
new hive. When they are going in nicely,
release the queen and let her go in with
them. All this is very simple, and we have
practiced the plan quite extensively. To
let the new swarm go to work at once, and
prevent any probability of absconding, we
give them a single comb containing eggs
and larvee, and fill out the rest of the hive
with frames of fdn. The bees usually com-
mence coming back in about 5 or 10 min-
utes ; but they may cluster and remain away
15 minutes, or, in extreme cases, as much as
a half-hour.

They will always come back sooner or lat-
ter, so far as I have been able to learn, un-
less they have an extra queen, or get another
queen by uniting with another colony, or
something of that sort. See ABSCONDING
Swarms. If you do not find the queen as
she comes out of the hive, and she hasa
clipped wing, you may be pretty certain that
she will come back. AFTER-SWARMS (which
see) have unfertile queens, and consequent-
ly their wings can not be clipped. If you
see them when they come out, and succeed
in catching them, you can often hive the
swarms in the same way; but the young
queen will sometimes put right out again,
and you must expect her to show all sorts of
eccentric manceuvres.

If you do not wish to move the old stock
away, you can tie the caged queen to the
end of a pole, with some leafy twigs near
her, and usually succeed, without much
trouble, in getting the bees to cluster around
her. We have usually kept on hand for this
purpose, a common rake, witha bush tied
to the end of it. If they commence cluster-
ing on a limb, hold it near them while you
shake the limb and keep itin motion, and you
will soon have them on your rake, to be car-
ried where you please. If your hive is al-
ready fixed, lay the rake on the ground in
front of the hive, and the bees, finding the
cavity, willat once commence to travel in.
If they do not discover the entrance at once,
guide them to it with a twig; after they are
going in nicely, release the queen, and watch
to see that she goes in with them.

Very often the readiest way of getting a
swarm, especially if you are away from home
and without tools, is to cut off the limb on
which they are clustered, and carry them

o4

SWARMING.

where you like. If the limb is small, you
can cut it with a stout knife; but if large, a
saw will be needed. The teeth should be
fine, that there be not too much jarring, and
it would be well to make a slight cut first on
the under side, that the bark may not hang
when you get it nearly off.

J
CARRYING THOME A SWARM OF
SAWING OFF THE LIMB.

BEES, BY

A small pruning-saw, such as is shown in
the picture, is very convenient for getting in
between the limbs; if bolted to a pole, all
the better. Whenthe limb begins to fall,
catch it with a pitchfork, or get some one to’
do it for you. If you catch it properly with
the fork, you can let it down very quietly.
I have carried a swarm of bees on a limb, +
of a mile or more, without any trouble.
Where the limb can not well be cut, or the
cutting would mara valuable tree, I often
get a basket and tie some twigs to the bot-
tom on the inside, then hold them over the
cluster, and with another twig make the bees
climb up into it, and carry them home, giv-
ing the owner of the tree a dollar or half a
dollar for the bees, according to the season,
or as We Can agree.

HIVING BEES BY MACHINERY.

A friend sends us a model of a machine
for taking down swarms. As it is ingeni-

SWARMING.

ous, and a curiosity, if nothing more, I have

AMPA SNS ao

i

a SN

MACHINE FOR
SWARMS.

TAKING DOWN

JACKEL’S

The machine is made for hiving bees; it is 10 feet
high, and can be made higher if wanted; it is so
light that one man or boy can earry it easily, and it
costs only a few cents to make it. Set it with the
cross-pieces on the ground, and with the little pul-
ley up; then turn your crank so as to let the table
for the hive slide down; put your bee-hive onit, and
turn your crank until the hive is right up to the
bees that have alighted on the tree or bush; puta
pin in one of the holes to keep the crank from turn-
ing back, then get up on the ladder and start them
to going in; when they are in, pull the pin out and
let them down slowly, and set them where you wish
to have them.

I had one in use during the summer, and I think
it is real fun to hive bees with it. JOHAN JACKEL.

Bell Plain, Wis., Jan. 6, 1879.

I fear it is too much machinery, but we
will let our readers try it if they wish, and
they can then report.

TWO OR MORE SWARMS COMING OUT AND

S UNITING.

When the swarming-note is heard in the
apiary, it seems to carry with it an infec-
tion; this may be a mistake, but in no other
way can I account for swarms issuing one
after another, while the first is in the air,
unless they hear the sound, and haste to go
and do likewise.’* Of course, they will all
unite in one, and as many as a dozen have
been known to come out in this way, and go
off to the woods in a great army of bees, be-
fore any thing could be done to stop them.

255

SWARMING.

If your queens are clipped, and you ‘hustle
arouid,” and get them all in cages deposited
in front of the hives, they will usually sepa-
rate and each bee go wherehe belongs. Un-
less you have plenty of help, you. will be un-
able to get the hives all moved away, and a
new hive fixed for each one before they
come back. In this case they will go back
into their old hive, and, if the queen is re-
leased, will sometimes go to work; but often-
er, they will swarm out again within a few
hours, or the next day; and if you keep put-
ting them back they will soon attack and
kill their queen, and loaf about until they
can rear a new one, and then swarm.” This
is very poor policy, and we can by no means
afford to have such work. If they swarmed
for want of room, they may go to work all
right, after having room given them. If
they come out the second time, I should give
them a new location, divide them, or do
something to satisfy their natural craving
for starting a new colony.

To go back: Suppose they get a queen or
queens having wings, and cluster in one
large body. In this case you are to scoop
off bees from the cluster, with the swarm-
ing-bag, a tin pan, or a dipper, as may be
most convenient, and apportion parts, made
about as nearly of the size of a swarm as
may be, about in different hives. Give each
hive a comb containing eggs and larve as
before, and then get a queen for each one if
you can. In dividing them up, should you
get two or more queens in a hive, they will
be balled as I have before described, and
you can thus easily find them. If more than
one queen is in a hive, you will find a ball of
bees, perhaps the size of a walnut or hen’s
egg, about them, and this can be carried to
the colony having none. If you can not tell
at once which are queenless, you will be able
to do so in a few hours by the queen - cells
they have started. If you are more anxious
for honey than bees, you may allow two
swarms to work together; and if you give
them suflicient room, you will probably get
a large crop of honey from them; but this
plan does not pay, as a general thing, be-
cause the extra bees will soon die off by old
age, and your colony will be no larger than
if the queen had had only her ordinary num-
ber of bees.

PREVENTION OF SWARMING.

If we can entirely prevent swarming, and
keep all the bees at home storing honey all
the season, we shall get enormous craps from
a single hive. Whether we shall get more
in that way than from the old stock and all

SWARMING.

the increase, where swarming and after-
swarming is allowed, is a matter as yet hard-
ly decided. Ifaswarm should come out in
May, and the young queens get to laying in
their hives by the first of June, their work-
ers would be ready for the basswood - bloom
in July, and it is very likely that the workers
from 3 queens or more would gather more
honey than those from the old queen alone.
But, another point is to be considered. The
two or three new colonies must have stores
for winter; and as it takes nearly 25 lbs. to
carry a colony through until honey comes
again, this amount would be saved by the
prevention of swarming. Where one has
plenty of bees, and desires honey rather than
increase, anon-swarming apiary would be
quite desirable. Then how shall we prevent
swarming? We can do it, very often, by
simply giving abundance of room in the sur-
plus receptacles, just as fast as more is need-
ed, but no faster. This plan is the one gen-
erally in use. If the bee-keeper is on hand
to look after his bees carefully, he will get
along very well usually. But, suppose he is
not on hand. In that case, if the queen has
beth her wings, she will go with the swarm,
and cluster. If the queen is clipped she
will hop out on the ground, and may stay
near the entrance until the swarm com-
mences to go back, when she will be attract-
ed by their humming, and go in with them.
After watching their manceuvres many
times, I am inclined to think that, in such
cases, about half the queens get away and
are lost, when no one is near to direct them.
In case the queen is lost, the bees come back
to the hive, and do little or nothing until a
new queen is hatched, and then swarm
again. ‘This is a great loss; for the use of a
good queen « week or ten days, in swarming
time, toa populous colony, might be equiva-
lent toa swarm of bees; besides, if the bees
were at work in the boxes, almost all work
would be suspended until they were again
in possession of a queen.’° To prevent this
loss, Mr. Quinby invented what is called A
Queen- Yard.

This was a little box, perhaps 20 inches
square, with sides 4 in. high. On the top
edge of these sides tin was nailed, so as to
project inward perhaps 14 inches. This
was so placed before the hive that the en-
trance opened directly into one side of the
yard. The bees, when at work, came out in-
to it and took wing. When they swarmed
they took wing without any trouble; but the
queen, after trying to fly, would try to crawl
up the sides, and could not on account of the

256

SWARMING.

tin ledge. She could only get back into the
hive, which she would be sure to do about as
soon as the bees got back. I believe these
worked all right, except that they were cum-
brous things to have about in an apiary, and
that the bees often killed the queen after
trying several times, and finding she was
never with them.

RESTRAINING THE QUEEN BY MEANS OF
PERFORATED METAL OVER THE
ENTRANCE.

This matter has been discussed for nearly
fifty years, and many great claims have been
made by patent-hive men, that their hive
would restrain swarming by such arrange-
ments. At the present time the subject has
been revived, and the drone-traps shown un-
der RESTRAINING UNDESIRABLE DRONES
have been claimed to answer in caging the
queen so that the swarm would come back
and stay till the owner was prepared to take
‘are of them. If worker-bees could pass
freely where a queen can not, this would
doubtless prove a success; but I believe the
matter has not, as yet, been satisfactorily
proved by actual experiment. Queens, more
especially young ones from second swarms,
manage to slip off and get away in some

way or other.

Before we had Italians it used to be con-
sidered that cutting out all the queen-cells,
as fast as built, was a preventive of swarm-
ing. But as Italians often swarm without
any sign of a queen-cell, the plan has been
pretty universally dropped. Cutting out all
the queen-cells except one, after the first
swarm has gone out, will of course prevent
any third or fourth swarms from coming
out, if you are careful not to overlook any
cells. See AFTER-SWARMING. I believe,
however, that this plan is not much in vogue
at the present time. Perhaps it is because,
where colonies are in the habit of being
overhauled enough to perform such opera-
tions, artificial swarming is made to take the
place of natural swarming, or, what is still
better, a judicious combination of the two
modes is practiced.

A few years ago it was quite common to
talk of non-swarming hives, and there were
many inventors who claimed to have accom-
plished the end desired. The most of these
hives were covered by a patent, and they
have gone the way of most, if not all, patent-
ed bee-hives. Giving the bees abundant
room, both over the cluster and at its sides,
will do very much toward making a non-
swarming hive; but they will swarm occa-
sionally, in spite of us. Keeping the hive

EEE

oS 2 hoe

ee

SWARMING.

well shaded, or having the walls entirely pro-
tected from the sun, will do much to discour-
age swarming, and the chaff hive has for
this reason proved about as good a non-
swarmer as any brought out.

PREVENTION OF SWARMING BY THE USE
OF THE EXTRACTOR.

Without doubt, the greatest reason for
swarming is, that the bees have got their
hive full of honey, and there is no more
room for them to labor to advantage; ac-
cordingly queen-cells are started, and other
preparations made, and they get, as we say,
the swarming fever. Now, if their honey is
taken away, and more room given them, be-
fore they have begun to feel cramped for

room, they will seldom get this swarming |

fever.*! This room may be given by taking
out combs filled with sealed honey, and
substituting empty combs or frames of fdn.,
or it may be done by extracting the honey.
This latter plan, I believe, is most effectual,

for almost every drop of the honey can be |

taken away by extracting. Weextract from

the brood-combs as well as from the rest, |

and this can be done without any injury to
the brood, if we are careful not to turn so
fast as to throw out that which is unsealed.
I would do this, however, only in extreme
cases, where the bees will not work, and are
determined to swarm. The honey around
the brood is generally needed there, and
would better not be removed. It should be
remembered that this remedy to prevent
swarming is not infallible, and I do not
know that any one is, at all times. I have
known aswarm to issue the day after ex-
tracting all the honey I could get from the
hive, but they had probably got the swarm-
ing fever before any extracting was done.
At another time, the bees swarmed while I
was extracting their honey.

KEEPING BEES IN UPPER ROOMS AND GAR-
RETS.

This plan for keeping a single colony, to
furnish honey for the table simply, has been
in vogue for perhaps centuries back. If the
room is small, and made perfectly dark, the
hive being placed back a few feet from the
entrance in the wall, the bees will seldom

swarm. One or more sides of the hive are |

generally removed, and the bees build their
combs on the outside of the hive, or against
the walls of the room, where the owner can
go with knife, plate, and smoker, and cut
out a piece for the table, without opening
any hive, or disturbing anybody. In fact,
he can consider this his ‘‘ honey-room,”’ and

257

SWARMING.

| leave the honey stored there year after year,
if he chooses. When a friend calls, he can
say, “‘ Will you have a slice of new honey?
or will you have one a year old? or two years
old?” He might even have it ten or a dozen
years old, for aught I know, if he has a taste
for antiquated honey. Would not such a
honey-room be nice? While writing about
it, it has occurred to me that a room of this
kind, fitted up with all modern appliances,
might be a very pretty and a very useful
thing. With the experience I have had in
the house-apiary, however, I am inclined to
think that, where there is so much room,
| there would be a great disposition in the
bees to loaf and cluster on the sides of the
room, in the shade, instead of going to work.
Now for the objections.

If the hive and honey are close by the en-
trance, the bees will swarm as much as in
| the house-apiary. If it is a yard or more
back from the wall, the bees, not being able
to take wing in the dark, will crawl] all this
distance on foot, which would prove a great
loss of time and strength, and, consequently,
of honey. Providing the plan succeeds, you
get a good crop of honey year after year, it
is true ; but you have all the time the efforts
of only a single queen. While your honey
increases, your gathering force is no more,
after the lapse of ten years, than it was be-
fore. If one colony is all you want, this may
be all right. The queen can not live more
than three or four years, and at her demisea
new one must be reared and fertilized. For
some reason, I know not what, she is very
often lost in these garrets, and the colony
dies of queenlessness. Worst of all, they
will often swarm, and keep swarming, until
nothing is left of them; but I believe swarm-
ing is rather the exception, and not the rule.
Now, who will have the nicest honey-room,
close to or adjoining the pantry? Have it
| so your wife can cut out the honey any day
| in the year, without saying a word to any-
body. When itis allin nice working trim,
send me a description of it.

DO BEES CHOOSE A LOCATION BEFORE
SWARMING?

We have ample proof that they sometimes
do ; but whether such is always the case or
not, we have no means of determining posi-
tively, so far as I can see. It is my opinion,
that, although they usually do so, there are
many exceptions. When a swarm of bees
catches the fever by hearing the swarming-
note of a neighboring colony, it seems diffi-
cult to understand that they could have se-
lected their tree, and made the same provi-

SWARMING.

sion for housekeeping that the first one may
have done. The proof of this has been giy-
en many times through our journals. A
neighbor of ours once saw bees going in and
out of a tree, and supposing of course that it
contained a colony, went with his boys the
next day, and cut it down. It contained no
sign of a bee. While they were standing
still and wondering at this strange state of
affairs, the boys, doubtless joking their fa-
ther about his seeing bees where there were
none, lo and behold! aswarm appeared in
the air. They came to the very spot where
the now prostrate tree had stood, and seemed
as much astounded as a colony whose hive
has been moved away. After some circling
around they clustered in a neighboring tree,
and were hived. They had selected this as
their home, it seems, and an advance party
had gone ahead the day before, to clean out
and fix the hollow ready for the swarm, and
it was these house-cleaners that my friend
saw at work. I gave the above in GLEAN-
INGS a few years ago, and a large number
of corroborating instances were furnished
by our readers. The number of bees that go
out to look up a location is not usually great,
but they may often be seen about swarming-
time prowling about old hives, and hollows
in trees, as if they were looking for some-
thing. After awhile, swarms come and take
possession of these places, if they seem suit-
able, and of late a hope has been expressed,
through the journals, that we might take ad-
vantage of this disposition, and fix hives so
attractive that the bees will come out, se-
lect the “Shouse and lot” that suits their taste
best, and then, when they get ready, ‘‘ move
in.” When this is accomplished, we shall
have automatic swarming.

DECOY HIVES.

Many of the friends have followed out the
idea given above, by locating hives in the
forests, in the trees, and such hives have in
many cases been quickly accepted and ap-
propriated. I believe we are indebted to Mr.
J. H. Martin, Hartford, N. Y., for first sug-
gesting the idea. Hives left standing on
the ground in the apiary have many times
been selected by swarms, and, if I am cor-
rect, the bees, in such cases, often come out
of the parent hive, and go directly to these
hives without clustering at all. I have sug-
gested, through our journal, the possibility
that hives could be so arranged that the
bees would be attracted by them, and use
them instead of going for the woods. When
this shall be successfully done, I think it
will be a great achievement; and even if we

258

SWARMING. |

succeed in securing only half of the run-

away swarms, it will be no inconsiderable
item.
AUTOMATIC SWARMING.

From what has been said, it will not take

much of a jump of the imagination to con-
ceive of a hive so arranged as to swarm it-
self, mechanically. We usually keep a hive
suspended on a spring balance, with the
white dial so placed that the amount of hon-
ey gathered each day can be seen at a
glance, even when only passing near the
apiary. On coming to dinner one day, the
dial showed that the hive had lost instead
of gaining, and the loss amounted to exactly
8 lbs.; you see, this was the weight of the
swarm which had issued during the fore-
noon. Of course, the hive rose an ineh or
two, after having been lightened so much.
Well, the same idea has been used in con-
nection with Quinby’s queen-yard for auto-
matic swarming. The hive must first be
made double; that is, an empty hive is
fastened to the one filled with bees, and the
two are balanced ona pivot. A weight is
added to the empty one each morning, and
suitable slides are so arranged that, when
the swarm goes out, the hives tilt, opening
an entrance into the new hive, and closing
the old one. The queen, having her wings
clipped, is confined in the queen-yard; the
bees rush back on missing her, and their
old entrance conducts them right into the
new hive, the queen following in with the
rest. I believe this machine has been
brought into shape so as to work in practice,
but, like many other things, the amount of
machinery required for each hive, and the
labor of adjusting the weights each morn-
ing, on every hive, more than balances the
trouble of hiving, and the possible loss of
swarms which issue in the old way.

Another automatic swarmer has been in-
vented and brought into practical use by
D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Ont., Canada. This
is based on the principle, or rather the pecu-
liar habit which swarms have, of alighting
on the same spot or limb on which other
swarms have alighted before. Where many
hives of bees are kept, it is well known that
after one: swarm has clustered on a certain
limb, others are apt to choose the same spot;
and often, nearly every swarm of the sea-
son, by some strange instinct, will take to
that very limb as soon as they leave the

hive.
After having watched a great many times

to discover the cause of this queer behavior,
I decided it came about thus: As soon as a
swarm issues, straggling bees scatter about

SWARMING.

in every direction ; and while the air is full
of them, you may see individual bees scan-
ning and hovering about all the twigs and
shrubbery forrodsaround. Well,ifaswarm
has clustered on one of these twigs or limbs,
and a bee should come very near the spot,
he would catch the scent of the queen, from
her having rested on the spot, even were it a
week before. See ODOR OF QUEENS. Well,
as soon as he catches this he gives a call,
and other bees rush to the spot, and the
probability is, the whole swarm will soon be
clustered on this very limb. After this the
chances are double, that the next will alight
there,and soon. Aside from the odor of
the queen, the limb almost always has bits
of wax fastened to it by the bees, while
hanging there, even if they hang clustered
not longer than fifteen minutes.

Our friend Jones fixes something like an
old-fashioned well-sweep; thatis,a pole bal-
anced in a fork, so that its smaller end is
high in the air, while the other rests on the
ground. On this heavy end is fixed a box
to contain stones for ballast. At the other
is what is sometimes called a bee-bob. This
may be a bunch of hay, or a bunch of green
leaves. I have heard of using a black stoek-
ing on a pole, to cause the bees to alight on it.
Mullein-heads dipped in ink, so as to imitate
a swarm of bees, are also recommended.
Perhaps the best thing is a ball made by
stringing dead bees on a string with a nee-
dle, and then winding it about some sub-
stance about the size and shape of a swarm,
letting some of the strings hang down.
Well, suppose you put stones in the box, un-
til about 5 lbs. on the bee-bob would cause
it to sink with a moderate speed. If a swarm
should cluster on this bob, it would be let
down automatically, as soon as the weight
was sufficient. A stop is arranged at the
proper point, to stop the pole and shake off
the bees, and, as a matter of course, ahive is
set right at the proper point for them to run
into it. If they go back to the bee-bob
it will let them down again, and so on.
Furthermore, our ingenious friend has a
bell and pistol fixed to the post, so that one
is rung, and the other discharged, to let the
apiarist know that his bees are safely in the
hive, ready to be placed where he wishes.
Many of these machines have been put up;
but I believe few succeed with them, as does
friend Jones, principally for the reason that
the first swarm can not be made to use the
bee-bob, in preference to some place suiting
their own fancy. I give these plans, that
you may know what has been done.

259

SWARMING.

| RINGING BELLS AND BEATING PANS TO
BRING DOWN A SWARM OF BEES.

The books, of late years, have seemed to
teach that this practice is but a relic of su-
perstition, and that no real good was accom-
plished by the ‘‘ tanging,” as it is often
called. Perhaps it usually has no effect in
causing them to alight; but from watching
the habits of swarms, I am inclined to think
otherwise. Those in the habit of seeing
queens on the wing are generally aware that
the note they give when flying is quite dif-
ferent from that of a worker or drone ; and
many times, when a queen has escaped while
being introduced, I have detected her where-
abouts by the sound of her wings, before I
had any glimpse of her at all. With a little
practice we can distinguish this note amidst
the buzzing of a thousand bees flying about,
so as to turn our eyes upon her when she is
quite a distance away. Is it not likely that
the bees composing a swarm know this
sound as well as we do, or much better?
Again, a swarm of bees usually has scouts
to conduct them to the tree, or other place of
their chosen abode, and it ig quite likely
they follow these scouts, and know of their
presence as they do their queen, by the
sound they emit from their wings. <A noise,
if loud enough, would be likely to drown
these sounds, and thus produce disorganiza-
tion. Throwing dirt or gravel among them
will bring them down generally quite speed-
ily, and I suppose itis because it produces
disorganization much in the same way.

Throwing water among them is thought to
be more effectual than either the sounds or
the dust ; and it has been suggested, that it
is because they think a shower is coming up ;
but I am inclined to think it is more the dis-
organization, and perhaps also the wetting
of their wings, that makes them hurry to
cluster on the nearest object. If a pail of
water is near the apiary, and a dipper handy,
swarms that do not seem inclined to cluster
may usually be made to do so without
trouble. As it is difficult to throw water
with a dipper as high as swarms often fly,
and in the fine spray that seems most ef-
fective, a small hand force - pump, or fire-
engine, has been used, and seems to answer
the purpose most effectively. With a pail
of water on your left arm, and the fountain
pump, as itis called, in your right hand, you
can chase after a swarm, if need be, and
with the attacbment for giving a fine spray,
you can wet their wings, if they threaten to
be stubborn, so that they must come down.

As this fountain pump is a most valuable

SWARMING.

implement to have around for a great varie-
ty of other purposes, to say nothing of fires,
I think the investment a very judicious one
for the bee-keeper. In one case, our honey-
house took fire from the stove-pipe, after
we had been making candy, and a fountain
pump saved the building after the fire had
burst through the roof. The whole apiary
would have suffered much, and much of it
been entirely destroyed, had not the fire
been extinguished in the building.

Many claim that absconding swarms can
be stopped by flashing across them the re-
flection from a looking - glass. This has
been explained by saying they take it for
lightning, and stop, thinking that a storm
is coming. Iam inclined to think the true
solution of this and other means used to
bring down swarms is, that it disturbs and
disorganizes the body, thus causing them to
alight.

In concluding the subject of swarming, I
would ask the reader’s attention to an ex-
cellent article on the subject, written by
G. B. Peters, of Council Bend, Ark., and
given below.

NATURAL SWARMING, AND ITS ATTENDANT CLUS-

TERING.

When bees swarm naturally, why do they collect
together on some object, and not fly directly to the
woods after leaving the parent hive? This was a
question which excited my juvenile attention when
I was ten years of age. ‘

The ancient and honored custom of ringing bells,
beating on tin pans and other sounding things, I had
often noticed, and to my childish mind it appeared
to be all-important in stopping the swarm when on
the wing. It happened that the family were absent
at church, on one occasion, and I at home lolling on
the greensward, or playing among fruit - trees and
roses, when the bees swarmed and clustered as readi-
ly as they could have done if all the Callithumpian
troupe had been there on duty; and I had the plea-
sure afterward of boasting to papa that I had hived
the bees without noise or assistance. He said some
persons borrowed excitement from the agitation and
roaring of the swarm, and rang bells more from an
ecstatic impulse than from a sense of its necessity;

260

SWARMING.

and he had no objection to such persons thus enjoy-
ing themselves, but that it had about as much to do
in settling bees as the jargon of trumpets, gongs, and
horns, used by the ancient heathen, had in fright-
ening away the evil genius that eclipsed the sun, as
they supposed. It was manifest to my young mind,
that there was a cause for bees fixing on bushes or
other objects, and, after observation, I established
the fact, long before Langstroth threw out the sug-
gestion of a reconnoitering party.

The bee is impelled in all its operations by instinct
alone, which in some casesis so remarkable that
some authors have attributed to it the power of
rational conception.

When a swarm issues from a parent hive, either
with an old or a young queen, they appear confused
until they cluster, when they become docile and-
quiet. Why did they cluster there? Because they
were homeless little wanderers, and instinet directs
them to sojourn awhile until a set of explorers
shall have discovered some cavity in cliff or tree,
suitable for a future habitation. A number of
scouts, varying from 30 to 50, leave the swarm be-
fore it is fairly settled, to explore the country in
search of a cavity suitable for the propagation of
their species, which is the end and aim of all insect
ereation. If these scouts are not successful, the
swarm may be hived and permitted to remain in
the same place and do well; but if they are success-
ful, and on returning find the swarm where they
left it, or near the place, they will immediately lead
it away. Queen, workers, drones, all take wing,
rise high in the air, and abandon old home, kin, and
every thing, for ever, and no effort of the bee-keeper
can arrest them. This result of a successful scout
is as sure to transpire as night to follow the day.
Perhaps one in a hundred will go straight to the
forest without fixing on any thing; but in such cases
they have been delayed from some unknown cause
in swarming, been lying outside the parent hive,
and have selected their home before issuing forth.
I have seen that occur three times myself, and they
move differently from the absconding bees that
have clustered before starting. Now, those runa-
ways went straight out of the hive to a hollow tree,
moving slowly and near the ground, scarcely above
your head and I followed all of them to their place
of abode, once on foot, twice on horseback, and very
easily kept pace with them; they took a “‘bee-line”
from the hives to the hollow trees not exceeding a
half-mile off. I suppose all such have found a hol-
low near by. I noticed a revolving lot of bees in
each, about five feet through, leading the van with
a hissing sound not unlike the sound of bees when
exasperated. That sound is in plain contrast with
the roaring of the great body of bees that follow in
the rear, and it is that peculiar sound that makes
bees frantic with the impulse to follow it, so that
they can not be prevented short of actual destruc-
tion.

I will remind the reader here that bees have differ-
ent sounds to accomplish different ends. The only
natural sound of bees on the wing is that produced
by the returning laborer when she comes, at even,
laden with spoils collected from some flowery field.
Who has not been charmed by such industrious en-
ergy, as those mellow tones died in the entrance of
the hive? The shrill note of the pugnacious defend-
er of the hive is familiar to every child. The sharp
sound of bees just beginning to lead out a swarm
heralds its advent to the apiarist and is very differ-
ent from the two former sounds. The coarse bass

SWARMING.

roaring of the swarm before it begins to cluster is
heard only when they are in search of the queen,
and is kept up by both workers and drones; then
follows the sharp cutting sound as they begin to
eluster, to call the colony together, which is well
known to the bee-keeper as the signal of congrega-
ting. Then the shrill hissing sound of the escort
that leads them to the woods blends with the rour
of the rear part of the swarm, making «a strange
compound heard only from absconding bees. Then
again, in that “happy hour’ when they have founda
house, we hear the happy hum made by a peculiar
position of body, and indicating peace and content-
ment. Also asound of distress, when annoyed by
smoke or enemies, rings through the hive, and no
wail of misery from any other insect tribe can equal
it. Finally we have the ventilating sound at the
entrance and all through the hive, which in hot
weather may be heard quite a distance. All these
different sounds are instinctively associated with
certain purposes, and the movements of the queen
are generally governed by them. She thus follows
certain sounds as do the whole colony. She never
leads the swarm, but is attracted by the roaring mass;
and when she enters a new hive there follows an air
of quiet, which security induces. If she is lost, or
has stayed, after awhile her faithful children will
leave the hive, and in wild confusion look for their
mother, giving out a sound of despair differing from
allothersounds. .,

In settling this dense forest country (Mississippi-
River bottom) I deadened large tracts of land for fu-
ture cotton-fields. I found many bee-trees in these
deadenings when divested of foliage. In winter
time I would cut them down, saw out a segment of
the tree, including the hive when it was not smashed
by the falling, place them upright as they originally
stood, and leave them to swarm next spring. Hav-
ing 40 or 50 such stands, I made a specialty of see-
ing them every day, between 10 and 2 o’clock, during
Swarming-time, and saved many new colonies. In
riding one day through the deadening, I heard the
shrill noise of escort bees, and soon discovered about
50 circling about a tree, ascending to the branches,
then going to the nearest tree, and circling, descend-
ing to the very roots, and continuing ascending and
descending from one tree to another, taking in sap-
lings even, until I was led by them unconsciously to
one of my bee-tree colonies, and there hung aswarm
in the bough of a small tree, and into that swarm
they went. I was sure that was a band of bee-scouts,
and, believing they had returned without finding a
hollow tree, I hived them, and, to test my theory, let
them remain on the spot. They did well. Thus I
deduce the tollowing conclusions which I know to be
practically useful to the bee-keeper who préfers
natural swarming: 1. They cluster to afford oppor-
tunity for the explorers to tind a new habitation.
Many times they fail to find one, and in that case
alone the new hive may be permitted to remain
where they clustered; but if the explorers find a
home, they conduct the whole colony directly to it.
2. As the swarm is watching for the return of
scouts, itis necessary to hive them without delay;
and as soon as they are quiet, remove them a dis-
tance from that place so as to thwart the returning
scouts. 3. The new colony will never flee to the
woods unless the scouts conduct. I have kept a
regular account, running up to one hundred and
eighty-two colonies thus treated, and never had one
t2 leave the hive. There are apparent exceptions;
for instance, a colony clustering in the full rays of

261

SWARMING.

the sun on a hot day will be driven off by its scorch-
ing rays to seek a more congenial resting-place.
Another exception is where bees, in a dry, sterile
country, if they ever swarm at all, are almost sure
to take wing, in order to find a more favored region i
where their instinct suggests that the pabulum ‘of |
bee life may be more abundant. ‘
HIVING A NATURAL SWARM OF BEES.

Fifty years ago the common bee-hive of the pio-
neer was a segment of a hollow tree, with a board
on top and sticks across the center, to prevent the ,
new comb from breaking down when filled with _
honey or brood. Next followed the box hive, fin-
ished somewhat after the fashion of the gum hive.
From the first came the appellation of ‘‘ bee gum.”’
To introduce a natural swarm in either of these is
most easily done by hiving from above, and not
from below, as my ‘“‘ illustrious predecessors’’ did.
This is readily effected by inverting the hive and
placing the open mouth immediately under the
swarm, and almost in contact with it. If they have
clustered near the ground, place the hive on the
ground; and as the height varies, vary the resting
of the hive, say on a bench, box, barrel, or any ob-
ject so as to obtain that relative position of bees
and hive. If high up on the branch of a valuable
fruit or ornamental tree, draw up the hive and lash
it to the branch or some other object to make it se-
cure; then a sudden jar by tapping the limb or oth-
er object will precipitate the whole swarm to the
lower end of the hive. Cover the mouth of the hive
with a board, leaving two inchesopen. Immediately
upon finding themselves in a dark room, they set up
that “happy hum” indicating delight instead of
fright, and all the bees that happen to miss the hive
will make a rush for it; nay, they can not be kept
out unless the mouth of the hive is entirely closed
up. After a half-minute’s rest to enable the bees to
get a footing, the hive is to be gently raised and
placed in an upright position, and in five minutes
more it can be removed to its permanent locality
where they will begin the career of a complete col-
ony.

if the swarm is high up on the body of a tree, or
any object not susceptible of the ‘sudden jar,” I
lash the hive securely to the tree or limb, and with
the quill end of a turkey’s feather, detach as much
of the lower part of the swarm as I can, letting it fall
in the open hive as before. Isay lower part of the
swarm, for there the queen is always to be found in
a clustered swarm. I then put on the closing board,
the roaring is instantly started in the hive, and then
I gently brush all the bees off the tree, not caring
where or how they fall, as they are sure to go to the
sound in the hive. When they cease to return to
the tree I lower them down, upright the hive, and in
a short time place them on their parent stand. Up-
on the same principle I hive bees in my triangular
hives or in movable-frame hives, with this difference:
I do not invert these hives, but I bring the top of
the triangular hive in contact with the swarm, and
the slots for the honey-boxes just underneath them,
or I take out the center frame of such a hive of any
construction and place it as I do the triangular hive;
then with the quill end of said turkey’s feather, de-
tach about one-third of the swarm, dropping them
in and through the slots or frames as the case may
be, gently pushing in, with the feather end, all the
bees that lodge on top of the hive. In an instant
that welcome roaring is started, when I displace the
rest of the swarm, which, lodging on top of the
hive, rush to their companions’ welcome. Whenthe

SWARMING. 2

whole energy of the swarm is directed to the inner
hive, I close honey-slots or replace the movable
frame and cut off connectionthroughthetop. They
then make for the entrance, calling in all absentees,
and in a few minutes the new colony is placed in the
apiary. It is the simplest process in the world to
hive a natural swarm of bees, if they are managed
with patient gentleness, and not irritated by rude
treatment. Thousands of men think they know
how to hive bees, and yet the use of the veil and
gloves proves they do not comprehend the nature of
the insect. I can hive half adozen swarms in the
time required to make an artificial colony. In fact,
it can be done sooner than described, and there is no

2 SWARMING.

earthly necessity of using veils or other protective
means. With this mode of hiving a natural swarm,
or with any other mode, the most important part: of
the whole transaction is to remove the hive as soon as
the confusion of hiving is over and the bees quiet, to
some other locality, in order to avoid the returning
scouts whose explorations of the forest for a hollow
tree may have been successful. If so, whether
they find the swarm in the place they left it, or in a
new hive, they will as surely take the colony off to
the woods as effect follows cause in any other ope-
ration of their economy. GEORGE B. PETERS.
Council Bend, Ark., Sept. 22, 1876.

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25

a.

TEASEL (Dipsacus). The Greek name
of this plant signifies to thirst; because the
heads, after flowering, are of a porous nature,
and “drink” large quantities of rain water.
On account of this property, the heads are
often used to sprinkle clothes, before iron-
ing. They take up the water, and, when
shaken, throw it out in a spray.

TEASEL (Dipsacus Fullonum).

The variety that produces honey is the one
used by fullers in finishing cloth, and hence
its name, D. Fullonum, or Fullers’ Teasel.
This plant, like the buckwheat and clover,
is raised for another crop besides the honey,
and therefore may be tested by the acre
without somuch danger of pecuniary loss,
should the honey-crop prove a failure. Our
friend Doolittle pronounces the honey re-
markably white and fine, but some others
have given a somewhat different opinion.

From what I can learn, I am inclined to
think teasel does not yield honey every
year; it grows in considerable quantities by
the roadsides and in waste places in our lo-
cality, but I very seldom see bees on it.
Perhaps acres of it under high cultivation
might make a great difference, as it does
with any other plant.*? The following letter
from G. M. Doolittle, of Borodino, N. Y.,
gives a very full account of the method pur-
sued in its cultivation.

The plant. is biennial as a rule, although a part of
the plants (the smaller ones) may not produce heads
till the third year, and in that case they are called
*““voors.”’ The ground is prepared much the same
as for corn, being marked but one way, the rows
beiig from 3 to 38% feet apart. The seed is then
sown, and, as arule, left for the rains to wash the dirt
over it, as it is sown as early in the spring as the
ground can be worked. Some, however, slightly
brush the seed in. The plants, when they first
come up, are very small, and the first hoeing is a te-
dious operation, being about the same as that re-
quired for beets or carrots. The plants are hoed, or
should be, three times. Farmers usually raise a part
of acrop of beans or turnips with them the first
year. One heavy drawback on teasel culture, is
that they are very liable to winter - kill by having a
thaw, and the weather turning cold suddenly, so as
to freeze the plant when there is water in the crown,
which entirely destroys it. An open winter is very
bad for teasels. The second year, during the month
of May, they are passed through witha cultivator,
and slightly hoed, when they are left to run, as it is
termed. The “kings,” as they are commonly called,
are heads at the top of the stalks, and commence to
blossom about July 10th, continuing in bloom about
a week or 10 days, opening first in the center of the
head, blossoming toward the tip and base, and end-
ing off at the base. As soon as the blossoms fall off
they are cut, cured, and shipped to manufacturers
for the purpose of taking the nap from cloth. The
“middlings,’’ as they are termed, commence to blos-
som when the kings are about half through, and the

“buttons” come last, making from 20 to 25 days of

bloom from the commencing of the kings to the end-
ing of the buttons. The middlings and buttons re-

cecive the same treatment as the kings, and all are.
They are sold by the.
thousand, 10 lbs. making a thousand. An acre will |
yield from 100 to 250 thousand. At present they-.

mixed and sold together.

bring about %5e. per thousand, but years ago the
price was from $2 to $5.00. Bees work on them all
hours of the day, and, no matter how well basswood
may yield honey, you will find them at work on the

teasel at all times ; and I have never known teasel

to fail to secrete honey, except in 1876.

The honey is very thin, and much evaporation is.
required to bring it to the consistency of basswood

honey when first gathered. We have many times

thought, if teasel could come just after basswood, it

would be of great value; but, coming as it does with

basswood, it is of no great advantage, except that it

usually lasts from 6 to.8 days after basswood is

past. ! G. M. DOQUITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Dec. 10, 1877.

T=

‘TOADS.

TOADS. These, without question, are
an enemy to the honey-bee. They usually
plant themselves before the entrances of
the hives about night-fall, and, as the heav-
ily laden bees come in, they are snapped up
with a movement that astonishes one who
has never witnessed it. His toadship sits
near the alighting-board, with an innocent,
unconcerned look, and, although you seea
bee suddenly disappear, it is only after you
have repeatedly witnessed the phenomenon
that you can really believe the toad had any
thing to do with it. By observing very
closely, however, you will see a sort of flash,
as the bee disappears, accompanied by a
lightning-like opening and shutting of his
mouth. The bee is taken in by his long
tongue, and I should judge that he is capa-
ble of striking one with it when as much as
two inches distant. I do not know how
many bees it takes to make a meal, but I do
know that toads will often become surpris-
ingly thick about the hives during the hon-
ey-season, if they are not driven away by
some means. I have been in the habit of
killing them ; but I must confess, my feel-
ings revolt at such severe measures, and I
much prefer the plan given by a friend, as
follows:

During last season I noticed large numbers of
toads hcpping about my apiary; and having often
seen them eat bees, I devised a plan to dispose of
them asfollows: I made a pair of wooden tongs, and,
' with a deep tin pail, I went into the apiary just
after sundown one evening, and in a short time
picked up, with the tongs, 32 toads; and it was nota
good day for toad-hunting either. Well, what should
Ido with them? I did not really like to kill them,
so I took them on to the bridge and dumped them
into the Tuscarawas River, telling them to swim for
life. About a week after that, I disposed of 16 more
in the same way. A. A. FRADENBURG.

Port Washington, O., Nov. 3, 1879.

TRANSFERRING. I firmly believe
that all of our readers can do their own
transferring, and do it nicely, if they will
only make up their minds that they will suc-
ceed. If you are awkward and inexperi-
enced, it will take you longer, that is all.

It has so often been said, that the best
time is during the period of fruit-blossoms,
that it seems almost needless to repeat
it. Be sure that you have cleared away all
rubbish from about your box hive or gum,
for a space of at least 6 feet all round. We
would decidedly prefer to have the hive
stand directly on the ground with all: rough
and uneven places filled up with sawdust
nicely stamped down. Make it'so.clean and
tidy that you can find a needle if you should
drop it, and be sure you leave no cracks or

26

5 TRANSFERRING.

crevices in which the queen or bees may
hide orcrawl. Make all these arrangements
several days beforehand if possible, so that
the bees may be fully acquainted with the
surroundings, and be all.at work; remember
we wish to choose a time when as many bees
as possible are out at work, for they will
then be nicely out of the way. About 10
o’clock A. M. will probably be the best time,
if it isa warm, still day. Get all your appli-
ances in readiness, every thing you can think
of that you may need, and some other things
too, perhaps. You will want a fine-toothed
saw, a hammer, a chisel to cut nails in the
old hive, tacks, and thin strips of pine (un-
less you have the transferring-clasps), a large
board to lay the combs upon (the cover to a
Simplicity hive does ‘ tiptop’’), an old table
cloth or sheet folded up to lay under the
combs to prevent bumping the heads of the
unhatched brood too severely, a honey-knife
or a couple of them (if you have none, get a
couple of long thin-bladed bread or butch-
er knives), and lastly a basin of water anda
towel to keep every thing washed up clean.
Now, as I have said before, this is really,a
great pait of it, women’s work; and if you
can not persuade your wife or sister, or some
good friend among the sex to help, you are
not fit to be a bee-keeper. In saying this we
take it for granted that women, the world
over, are ready and willing to assist in any
useful work, if they are treated as fellow-
beings and equals. The operation of trans-
ferring will afford you an excellent oppor-
tunity to show your assistant many of the
wonders of the bee-hive; and in the role of
teacher, you may discover that you are stim-
ulating yourself to a degree of skill that you
would not be likely to attain otherwise.

A bellows smoker will be very handy; but
if you have not one, make a smoke of some
bits of rotten wood in a pan; blow a little
smoke in at the entrance of the hive, but do
not get the sawdust on fire. Tip the old
hive over backward, and blow in &@ little
more smoke to drive the bees down among
the combs; let it stand there, and place the
new hive so that the entrance is exactly in
the place ofthe old one; put a large news-
paper in front of the new hive and let one
edge lie under the entrance. The returning
bees, laden with pollen and honey, are now
alighting and going into.-the hive, and
rushing out again in dismay at finding
it empty; we therefore want to get one
comb in for them, to Jet them know
that it is their old home., Move the old
hive back a little further, so as to get

TRANSFERRING

266

TRANSFERRING.

all round it, and give them a little more! and bits of comb that have much-honey

smoke whenever they seem disposed to be
‘‘obstreperous ;”? and now comes the trial of
skill and ingenuity. The problem is, to get
those’ crooked, irregular combs, out of that
old’ hive, and then to fix them neatly in the
movable frames as in the cut on next page.

Your own.good sense will have to dictate
much in this matter. Saw off the cross-
sticks, if such there be, and with your thin
knife cut the combs loose from one side;
cut off the nails and pry off this side, but
don’t get the honey running if you can help
it. We have as yet said nothing about bee-
veils; and although we keep them _ to
sell, I really do not think you need one, un-
less you are so careless as to get the honey
running, and start robbers. When the side
is off, you can probably get one comb out.
Lay it on the folded table-cloth, take out the
comb-guide, lay the frame on the cloth, and
let your feminine friend cut it soas to require
that the frame be sprung slightly to go over
it. With the clasps she can cut and fasten
the combs in as fast as you can take them
out; if sticks and tacks, strings or rubbers
be used, it will take some longer. When the
frame is to be lifted into a horizontal po-
sition, the board, cloth and all, is to be rais-
ed with it. With the wash-basin and towel,
keep the honey neatly wiped up. If robbers
begin to annoy, cover both hives with a

cloth while you are fitting the combs, and.

keep the brood in your new fraines in a
compact cluster, as it was in the old hive,
or some of it may get chilled. When you
get near the central combs, you will proba-
bly lift out large clusters of bees with the
comb; these are to be shaken and brushed
off on the newspaper. If they do not seem
disposed to crawl into the hive, take hold of
the'edge of the paper and shake them up
toward the entrance ; they will soon go in.**
A paper is better than a cloth, for they can
not stick fast toit. If you carefully fixed
things before commencing, so there was no
crack or ‘crevice into which a bee could
crawl, except into the entrance of the new
hive, and if you have been careful—as you
always should be—to avoid setting your
(clumsy?) feet on a bee, you certainly have
not killed the queen, and she is in one hive
or‘the other. To be sure she is in the new
hive, shake all before the entrance when
you are done, and see that every bee goes in-
to the hive. Save out the drone-comb, and
fix it allin a frame or frames by itself.. It
will do well for surplus honey, but we don’t
want it‘in the brood - chamber.’ Utensils

daubed on them may be put in the upper
story for the bees to clean up; but if the
weather is cool, keep the quilt down over
them closely for a day or two. We would
look them over carefully every day or two,
and as fast as they get the combs fastened,
remove the clasps or other fastenings and
bend the combs into place.

Each operation is very simple and easy in’

itself, if you go about it at the proper time
and in the right way. Bear in mind that
the bees, from first to last, are to be kept
constantly in subjection, by use of the
smoke, and that you must never let them
get the faintest idea that, by any possibility,
they can become master. Send them back
among the combs as often as they poke
their heads out, until they are perfectly sub-
dued, and hang in quiet clusters, like bees
at swarming-time.

It makes no difference which side up the
brood-combs are, in transferring ; turn them
horizontally from their original position, or
completely upside down, as you find most
convenient. Store comb in which the cells
are built at an angle, would perhaps better
be as it stood originally; but if you do not
get it so, it makes very little difference; the
bees have a way of fixing all such matters
very quickly.

WHEN TO TRANSFER.

Several inquire if we would advise them
to transfer bees in the months of June, July,
Aug., etc. We really do not see how we can
answer such a question, not knowing the
persons. Among our neighbors there are
those who would work so carefully that they
would be almost sure to succeed ; and again,
there are others who would be almost sure
to fail. We are inclined to think those who
make these inquiries would be quite apt to
fail, for the careful ones would go to work
without asking any questions, and do it at
any season, if they were sufticiently anxious
to have it done. Bees can be transferred at
any month in the year. If in June or July,
you will need an extractor to throw out the
honey from the heaviest pieces, before fast-
ening’ them into frames. The spring has
been decided to be the best time, because
there are then less bees and less honey, as a
general thing, than at other times. ~ The
bees will fix up the comb better, when honey
enough is being gathered to induce them to
build comb to some extent, and the period of
fruit-blossoming seems to secure all of the
above advantages more fully than any other
seasén. |" ;

TRANSFERRING.

APPLIANCES FOR FASTENING IN THE
COMB.

We generally use and rather prefer trans-
ferring-clasps.

These are made of pieces of tin of various
sizes, from 23 to 5 in. in length, and: fromto
$in. in width. They are bent twice, at right
angles, so as to leave just ¢ of an inch be-
tween the two bends. As I have directed
all our frame stuff to be made of $-inch lum-
ber, these clasps will just slip over either the
top, bottom, or sides, and catch on the comb
so as to hold it in place as shown in the cut
below.

Thin slips of wood, something like comb-
guides, are sometimes used by tacking them
to the bars of the frame. Others wind fine
binding wire clear around the frames. Some
of the large bee-keepers of York State use a
long sharp thorn, which is pushed through
an awl-hole made in the center of the frame-
stuff.. This holds the frame very securely,
and the thorns may’ remain in, to give
strength to the comb. °

There is still another plan, by the use of
bent wires, which I shall call transferring-
wires. The wirés;and the manner of put-
ting them on, are shown in the cut below.

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.. TRANSFERRING. CLASPS, WIRES, AND
STICKS, AND THE MANNER OF
USING THEM.

These wires have one advantage over the |

clasps, from the fact that they ean be re-
moved without lifting the frames from the
hive. Just slip off the top and twist the
wire half ’round, and it ean be drawn right
up. They also possess another very decided
advantage. .When very heavy combs are
transferred, they, as a matter of course, rest
with their full weight on the bottom-bar,
and it is sure to be bent by the weight, un-
less made considerably heavier, than would
be needed for combs that are built down
from the top-bar, or for those built on fdn-
Well, these wires support the lightest bottom-
bar® until. the’comb* is all firmly waxed
into the frames, and depending from: the
top-bar ‘like:ai e6mb built: on it naturally.

267

TRANSFERRING.

It is a very bad feature indeed, to have
combs with bottom-bars that have sagged,
for they are constantly in danger of killing
bees by striking the bottom of the hive, or
the frames below, when used in a two-story
hive. To prevent combs being built be-
tween the upper and lower story frames, it
is desirable to have remaining not more
than 4 or 2 of an inch space between them;
but we can not do this unless we can be as-
sured the bottom-bars are perfectly straight
and true, and on this account I am very
much inclined to give the transferring-wires
the preference over all other modes of fast-
ening. While the clasps will fit frames of
any dimensions, the wires must be nade to
fit the frames they are to be used on. When
one has many colonies to transfer, it will be
well to provide both clasps and wires, using
at least one wire to hold up the center of the
bottom-bars that have much weight to sus-
tain.

It is now December, 1879, and, after hav-
ing transferred a number of colonies into
light frames braced with wires (shown on
page 56), I unhesitatingly give that plan the
preference. Only the diagonal wires are
used, and a knife-cut, in the comb, will let
the wire clear down to the base of the cells,
out of sight and out of the way.

All fastenings, of whatever kind (except
thorns), should be removed as soon as the
bees have waxed the combs fast to the
frames, which will often be by the next day,
if the colony is strong and the honey is coin-
ing in fast. They should be taken away
soon, because they cover the cells and brood
more or less. Where the combs were large
and straight, I have often cut them to fit so
nicely that the frame could be sprung over
them so as to hold them securely enough
without any fastenings of any kind.

1IOW MUCH OF TILE COMBS IN

IIIVES SHALL BE SAVED?

If you choose, you ean save pieces not
more than an inch square. T have taken lit-
tle bits of comb and tilled frames with them,
so as to be finally worked out into very fair
combs. The way I did it was to lay the
frame on a board just its size and no larger.
The small bits were then put in place and
pressed together moderately, until the frame
was full. This was then placed horizontally,
board and all, over the frames of a populous
colony, over night, allowing the bees to go
up and cluster over the combs. True to
their nature, they at once set to work, and
welded or cemented these pieces all together.
When it was so it would hold, I raised board

THE OLD

TRANSFERRING.

and all perpendicularly, and slipped off the
board, and hung. the frame in an upper
story, when honey was being gathered. An
_assistant was so sure that these combs could
never be nice ones, that I marked them with
a pencil; a few days after, when the cells
had all been drawn out evenly, and filled
with honey, I was very loth myself to admit
that the thick, beautiful comb I held up
was the mass of odds and ends of all colors
which I had thus patched up. On holding
it up to the light, the old ground-work could
plainly be seen. While such combs answer
excellently for extracting, as does any kind
of drone or store combs, they are not profit-
able for the brood-chamber. In fact, it is
doubtful if any natural combs are as profita-
ble for the brood-apartment as those built
on our latest improved fdn.‘* On this ac-
count we seldom, nowadays, save any
combs in transferring, except those contain-
ing brood, or the very nicest and straightest
worker-eomb. The rest, after having the
honey fed out, is condemned to the wax-ex-
tractor. I think the readiest way of getting
this honey out is to transfer the combs and
feed it out, placing it near enough the out-
side of the hive, to avoid having the queen
use it. It may also be placed at the other
side of the division-board.

If you have many weak co}onies in your
apiary you may .transfer a colony, and di-
vide the combs and bees around among
those needing it. In this way you can have
the combs all fixed and disposed of very
quickly.

One who is expert in the business should
transfer a colony in an hour, on an average ;
I have taken a heavy one from a box hive,
and had it completely finished in 40 minutes.
Where the apiarist goes away from home’to
do such work, the usual price is $1.00 for a
single colony, and less for more than one, ac-
cording to the number.

Some bee-keepers drum out the bees be-
fore transferring. The drumming is done
by placing a box or hive over the old one,
and drumming on the sides of the latter,
until the greater part of the bees are up in
the box and can be lifted off.° After having
practiced both ways, I can not but think the
drumming a waste of time, and a needless
annoyance to the bees. If you work properly,
the bees should keep bringing in pollen and
honey during the whole time; and if you
place their brood-combs.in the same relative
position ito each other, they need scarcely
know that their outer shell has been ex-
changed for a different one. Should the

268

TRANSFERRING.

bees seem troubled by the different appear-
ance of their new home, the front board to

the old hive may be leaned up over - en- ©

trance for a few days.

Many inexperienced persons Harte vile
ed having succeeded perfectly in transfer-
ring, by the above directions, which have
been in print now for the last five years.

TRANSFERRING WHEN THE BEES ARE DIS-
POSED TO ROB.

I have recommended the period during

fruit-bloom, because at such a time the bees
usually get honey enough to prevent rob-
bing. Should it be necessary, however, to
do it a little later, say between fruit-bloom
and clover, use a mosquito-bar tent, like the
one on page 224, or the one figured pe

FRAME COVERED WITH MOSQUITO- BAR, TO
SET OVER A HIVE WHEN ROBBERS
ARE TROUBLESOME.

The whole structure, finished complete,
weighs only 18lbs. 1t is 5 feet high, 3 feet
wide, and 5 feet long. The upright pieces
are 14x 4; the others, #x%. The boys have
two of them now, and they are just jubilant
over them. ‘I'he whole structure can be af-
forded for $1.50 set up, or $1.25 tied up ina
bundle, mosquito - bar and all. When you
have combs or the stool in your hands, you
can carry the ‘‘ tent,’’ as they call it, by put-
ting your head under the top-bar, and walk-
ing right along to the next hive.

TRANSFERRING INDOORS.

If the weather is bad or the bees at all
disposed to rob, you can, if you choose, carry
the hive and all into some convenient out-
building, or into your honey-house, to dothe
transferring. If you can work before a door
with a window in it, all the better; butifno
such door is at hand, do the work before a
window. When you are through, place-the
new hive with its combs on the old stand,
take out the .window, and shake the bees
on to the newspaper before the entrance and
they will all go in.

_Ifryour new hive is placed directly aide

|

TURNIP.

the window while you are transferring, a
great many of the bees will collect on the
transferred combs, keeping the brood warm,
and being just where you want them when
the hive is carried to its stand. We havea
glass door in the honey - house, on purpose
for such operations. When bees are brought
in for any purpose, the restless and uneasy
ones soon collect on the glass, and, by swing-
ing the door open, they quickly take wing,
without much danger of admitting robbers.
My neighbor Shaw has a window on pivots,
which allow it to be swung the other side
out, by simply touching a spring. This
throws the bees on the outside instead of
the inside of the glass, where they can take
wing at their leisure. I have often thought
such an arrangement would be very conyen-
ient for windows in a house-apiary.

Now, do not take them into a room filled
with all kinds of dust, rubbish, and cobwebs,
for they will get all over the room, and get
lost, and you will have all sorts of trouble.
There should be only one window in the
room, and every thing near it should be re-
moved; the floor should be clean, and no
piace left for them to crawl into and get lost,
just as I told you about the outdoor trans-
ferring.

A SHORT WAY OF TRANSFERRING FROM
BOX HIVES.

A little before swarming-time, pry the top
from your box hive and setasingle story
Simplicity over it, making all the joints bee-
tight. Now hang frames filled with fdn. in
this new hive, and the bees will soon work
up into it. After the queen gets to laying
in these combs the bees will soon all move
up into it and you can lift it off, and trans-
fer,.or do what you please with the old hive
and combs. When you are hurried, this
plan gets your stock gradually into im-
proved hives, without very much trouble,
and no mussing with dripping honey.

TURNIP. The turnip, mustard, cab-
bage, rape, etc., are all members of one fam-
ily, and, if I am correct, all bear honey,
when’ circumstances are favorable. The
great enemy of most of these in our. locality
(especially of the rape), is the little black cab-
bage-flea. The turnip escapes this pest by
being sown in the fall; and were it not that
it comes in bloom at almost the same’. time
that the fruit - trees do, I should consider it
one of the most promising honey-plants.

In the summer of 1877, Mr. A. W. Kaye,
of Pewee Valley, Ky., sent me some seed of
what is called the ‘“‘Seven-top turnip,” say-
ing that his bees had gathered more pollen

269

TURNIP.

from it, in the spring, than from any thing
else. I sowed the seed about the 1st of Oct.,
on ground where early potatoes had been
harvested. In Dec. they showed a luxuri-
ance of beautiful green foliage, and in May,
following, a sea of yellow blossoms, making
the prettiest ‘‘ posy-bed,”’ I believe, that I
ever saw in my life, and the music of the
bees humming among the branches was just
‘‘ entrancing,”’ to one who has an ear for
such music. I never saw so many bees on
any patch of blossoms of its size in my life,
as could be seen on them from daylight until
dark.

Friend K. recommended the plant partic-
ularly for pollen; but, besides this, Iam in-
clined to think it will give a large amount
of honey to the acre. We have much trouble
here in raising rape and mustard, with the
small turnip beetle, or flea; but this turnip-
patch has never been touched; whether it is
on account of sowing so late in the fall, or
because the flea does not fancy it, 1 am un-
able to say. The plants seem very hardy,
and the foliage is most luxuriant, much
more so than either the rape or Chinese mus-
tard, which latter plant it much resembles,
only having larger blossoms. As our patch
was sown after the first of Oct., and the
crop could easily be cleared from our land by
the middle of June, a crop of honey could be
secured without interfering with the use of
the land for other purposes.

Friend K. also recommends the foliage
for “‘greens,”’ and says that he sows it in his
garden for spring and winter use. Wetried
a mess of greens from our patch in Dec.,
and found them excellent. Our seed was
sown very thickly, in drills about one foot
apart. This turnip bears only tops, and has
no enlargement of the root. _

If I could get a ten-acre lot covered with
such bloom during the month of August, I
should not hesitate an instant to hand over
the money for the necessary expenses. If
we can not get the blossoms in August, we
can certainly have an abundant supply be-
tween fruit-bloom and clover.

Turnip seed is valuable for the oil made
from it, and also as a food for canary birds.
If sown on corn-ground at the last cultivat-
ing, the plants will gain a good hold before
winter, and in the spring blossom profusely.
If they are turned under just before going
out of bloom they make one of the most val-
uable of soiling crops. Thus a good turip
pasturage may be obtained with no extra
work, except sowing the seed, and the crop
would be an actual benefit to the soil if
turned under.

fia
}

Ha Nise males PA | SHIT
Sorc

APIARY OF W. H. SHIRLEY; GLENWOOD; MICHIGAN, “! :f-eged

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U.

UNITING BEES. Uniting colonies
is much like introducing queens, inasmuch
as no fixed rule can be given for all cases.
Itis a very simple matter to lift the frames,
bees and all,-out of one hive and set them
into another, where the two are situated side
by side. Usually there will be no quarrel-
ing, if this is done when the weather is too
cold for the bees to fly, but this is not al-
ways the case.° If one colony is placed
close to one side of the hive, and the other
to the other side, and they are small enough
for a vacant comb or two between them,
they will very rarely fight. After two or
three days, the bees will be found to have
united themselves peaceably, and the brood
and stores may then be placed compactly to-
gether, and your chaff cushions put in at each
side. If there are frames containing some
honey, that can not be put in, they should be
placed in an upper story, and the bees al-
lowed to carry it down. You should always
look to them 20 minutes or half an hour after
they are put in to one hive, to see if every
thing is amicable on “both sides of the
house.”’ If you find any bees fighting, or
any doubled up on the bottom - board, give
them such a smoking that they can not tell
‘‘ which from t’other,”’ and after 15 or 20
minutes, if they are fighting again, give
them another “ dose,’’.and repeat until'they
are good to each other. I have never failed
in getting them peaceable after two or three
smokings.

If you wish to unite two colonies so large
that a single story will not easily contain
them, which, by the way, I feel sure isalways
poor policy, or if their honey is scattered
through the whole ten combs in each hive,
proceed as before, only set one hive over
the other. If this is done on a cool day,
and the bees are kept in for two or
three days, few, if any, will go back to the
old stand. If the hives stood within 6 feet
of each other, they will all get back without
any trouble anyway, for they will hear the
call of their comrades who have discovered

the new order of things. Sometimes you
can take two colonies while flying, and put
them together without trouble, by making
the lost bees call their comrades. Only actual
practice, and acquaintance with the habits
of bees, will enable you to do this; and if
you have not that knowledge, you must get
it by experience. Get a couple of colonies
that you do not value much, and practice on
them. As I have said all along, beware of
robbers, or you will speedily make two col-
onies into none at all, instead of into one.

WIEAT TO DO WITH THE QUEENS.

If one of the colonies to be united has been
several days queenless, all the better; fora
queenless colony will often give up its local-
ity and accept a new one, by simply shaking
them in front of a hive containing a laying
queen. From a hive containing neither
queen nor brood, I have induced the whole
lot to desert, and go over to a neighboring
colony, by simply shaking the bees in front
of it. They were so overjoyed at finding a
laying queen, that they called all their com-
rades to the new home, and all hands set to
work and carried every drop of honey to the
hive with the fertile queen. By taking ad-
vantage of this disposition we can often
make short work of uniting. If you are in
a hurry, or do not care for the queens, you
can unite without paying any attention to
them, and one will be killed; but, as even a
hybrid queen is now worth 50c., I do not
think it pays to kill them. Remove the
poorest one and keep her safely caged until
you are sure the other is well received by
the bees. If she is killed, as is sometimes
the case, you have the other to replace her.*"
Where stocks are several rods apart, they
are often moved a couple of feet a day while
the bees are flying briskly, until they are
side by side, and then united as we have di-
rected. This is so much trouble, that I
much prefer waiting for cold weather. If
your bees are in box hives, I should say your
first job on hand is to transfer them. If

UNITING BEES. 27

you have several kinds of hives in your
apiary you are about as badly off, and the
remedy is to throw away all but one. My
friends, those of you who are buying every
patent hive that comes along, and putting
your bees into them, you little know how
much trouble and bother you are making
yourselves for the years to come.

In conclusion, I would advise deferring
the uniting of your bees until we have sey-
eral cold rainy days, in Oct., for instance, on
which bees will not fly.88 Then proceed as
directed. If you have followed the advice I
have given, you will have little uniting to
do, except with the queen-rearing nuclei ;
and with these, you have only to take the |
hives away and set the frames in the hive
below, when you are done with them. If
the hive below is a strong one, as it should
of course be, just set the frames from the
nucleus into the upper story, until all the
brood has hatched. If you wish to make a)
colony of the various nuclei, collect them
during a cold day, and put them all into one
hive. If you have bees from 8 or 4, they will |
unite better than if they came from only two |
hives, and you will seldom see a bee go back
to his old home. A beginner should beware
of having many weak colonies in the fall, to |
be united. It is much safer to have them.
all strong and ready for winter, long before
winter comes.

ing the b

”

=~

UNITING BEES.

UNITING NEW SWARMS.

This is so easily done that I hardly need
give directions; in fact, if two swarms come
out at the same time, they are almost sure
to unite, and I do not know that I ever heard
of two such swarms quarreling. One of the
queens will very soon be killed, but you may
easily find the extra one by looking for the
ball of bees that will be found clinging about
her, very soon after the bees have been join-
ed together. A swarm can almost always
be given without trouble, to any swarm that

' has come out the day previous ; and if you

will take the trouble to watch them a little,
you may unite any swarm with any other
new swarm, even if it Game out a week or
more before. Smoke them when inclined to
fight, as I told you before, and make them
be good to the new comers. :
UNITING BEES IN THE SPRING.

Since our spring-dwindling troubles, it has
been quite customary to unite a stock that
has become queenless to one haying a

queen, or to unite two or more weak stocks,

to enable them to go through the spring
months. The process is much like uniting
in the fall. Lift out the frames and put
them together, watching to see that they
are friendly to the new comers. Bees are
often united in the spring for the purpose of
securing great results in honey; and by unit-
ees and brood, great amounts may
be obtained from what might be called a
single swarm.

LAWN OR CHAFF HIVE.

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_APIARY OF JEROME WILTSE, FALLS CITY, NEBRASKA.

V.

VEILS. The use of a veil over the face
will often give a beginner a sense of s2curity
that will enable him to work to much better
advantage than he would if continually in
fear of every bee that chanced to buzz near
him. I well remember the long breath of re-
lief which I drew whien first safely ensconced
in the wire-cloth fixture that Langstruth de-
scribes and recommends in his book. It was
so ponderous and unwieldy that a friend,
who had come to see my bees, named it the
‘‘bird-cage’”’? when he volunteered to help me
introduce my first Italian queen, if I would
furnish him with one like my own, to put
over his head. After alittle practice and
experience, and a more thorough acquaint-
ance with bees, veils of all kinds are almost
always laid aside; still, as beginners invari-
ably want them, it may be well to give the
matter some consideration.”

WIRE-CLOTII AND LACE BEE-VEILS.

There are two great objections to the use
of veils; one is that they necessarily obstruct
the vision more or less, and the other is that
they obstruct the free circulation of air,
which is so desirable in hot weather, and
thus tend to make the wearer sweaty, un-
comfortable, and perhaps nervous and irri-
table. I need hardly say that one who hand-
les bees needs to keep ‘‘cool,” in more senses
than one, and he also wants the free and
unobstructed use of all his faculties. Many

| both the points I have mentioned.
| principal point where clear vision is dem:nd-

years ago Ladvised, instead of the wire-cloth
bee-hat, a veil made of black tarlatan, with
a rubber cord put in the top, to be slipped
over the hat, and the lower ends to be tucked
inside the collar, as shown in the cul.

After a while [ founda fine kind of silk
lace, called Brussels net, that obstructs the
vision much less than the tarlatan does, or
wire cloth either; but as this is quite expen-
sive, we use it for only that portion of the
veil that comes directly in front of the eyes,
and these are the veils which we have used
for the past half-dozen years perhaps. .\s
the tarlatan is not a very strong fabric, we
have quite recently used, in its place, black
grenadine.*® I do not myself use a veil at all,
or at least very seldom, preferring the chance
of an occasional sting to having my eyesight
obstructed, and being hainpered with any
unnecessary clothing, when working in the’
hot sun. Within the past year several at-
tempts have been made to improve veils on
The

ed is in looking for eggs in old dark combs.
With a veil, you might decide that your
queens had. not commenced laying, being
unable to detect the tiny speck of an egg at
the bottom of the cells; but with the veil re-
moved, you would be able to see the eggs at
once. A piece of glass might be framed and
sewed into the veil just before the eyes, but
it would be in danger of being broken. To
remedy this difficulty, Mr. A. Nickerson, of
Norwalk, Conn., has suggested a thin sheet
of mica,such as is used for stove-fronts.”
This gives a very clear vision, when it is
perfectly clean ; but, judging from the way
in which most of the A I C class manage, L
should expect it very soon to get so soiled
that the wire cloth or lace would be much
the clearer medium to see eggs through.
The latest idea is a wire cloth with meshes
just as large as they possibly can be without
admitting a bee, and made of very fine hair
wire. Itis found by experiment that the
wire, lace, or whatever else be used, should

VEILS. 2

be black, rather than any other color. I am
at present taking steps to have a wire cloth
of this kind made. The difficulty seems to
be in having a durable wire cloth, with such
fine wire and so large a mesh. Such wire
cloth, besides being cooler than any of the
other fabrics used, would be much stronger;
and as a veil is in constant danger of being
caught and torn on shrubbery, etc., to say
nothing of the probability of a rent from the
frantic efforts of the young apiarist to get a
bee out, which may, by chance, get imprison-
ed inside, they really ought to be made of
something as nearly like sheet iron, in
strength, as possible. It may be wellto state
that no danger need be apprehended from a
bee who gets inside, for all his energies are
at once devoted to getting out, instead of to
stinging, unless, by some chance, he should
get pinched. A piece of wire cloth about 23
feet long by 9 inches wide will be about
right for most persons. I would have some
soft fabric attached to it at the top to go
around the hat, and alsoat the bottom, to
tuck inside the collar. Besure no loose ends
of wire are left sticking out to catch and
tear the cloth ; for the annoyance of such
things when one is writhing under the inflic-
tion of a sting, does not particularly contrib-
ute to the Christian frame of mind which a
bee-keeper, above all other persons, should
strive to carry constantly with him.

M. M. Baldridge, of St. Charles, Ill., gives
the following in the Prairie Farmer of May
17, 1879:

Some use a hat made of wire cloth, but that is
very bad for the eyes. I nearly ruined my eyes by
its use Some 20 years ago.. In no ease would I advise
its use, for a bee-veil, properly made, is much better.

Notwithstanding this, a good many still
adhere to the use of wire cloth, and among
them is our good friend Mrs. Harrison. We
give the picture, and her directions for mak-
ing, from March Gleanings, 1882 : —

Here we are, dressed cap-a-pie for work in the
apiary. There is one thing lacking in the picture,
which we wear when hees are very cross, and we
did not put it on; for if we had, you could not have
seen how the cape is made. We put on a linen sack,
or a gent’s vest is buttoned on, and we then have a
perfect head-gear, as no bees can gain access by
creeping under the cape or around the arms. Our
assistant will wear a long-sleeved apron, fastened
around the bottom of the hat, and, if bees are very
eross, wear leggins or a long skirt.

The hat is made of green wire gauze, such as
screens are made of; the top of pasteboard, and
bottcm of calico. In making, we are careful to
leave no wires to stick our hands or head when we
putiton. We first roll up a hem; andif the wires
stick through, hammer it upon a flatiron. When all
sticking wires are disposed of, it is bound top and
bottom, joined at the back, the top and cape sewed

(6)

VENTILATION.

on. Atthe bottom of the cape is a wide hem, through
which'a string is run; under one arm is left open,
and the other is joined with a string, thus forming
an arm-hole. We put our arm through this hole, slip
on the hat, and tie it at the open side. When we are
stooping Over a hive, the wire cloth rests upon the
back of the head; and, to prevent the bees stinging
through there, a postal card is sewed on the under
side. Our hands are covered with buckskin gloves,
which have deming sewed on to the gauntlets, kept
in place by clastic. The apron has capacious pock-
ets, which are always handy for a screw-driver,
handkerchief, cte.

DNS
me:

BEE-DRESS USED BY MRS. L. HARRISON, OF
PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

We never succeeded very well with a veil. If we
only wanted to walk around the apiary, it was all
right; but when we worked, getting into all sorts of
positions, it was sure to get close to our face or
neck, and stings were the result.

Peoria, I1l., Jan., 1852. Mrs. L. HARRISON.

VENTILATION. [| should be tempt-
ed to pass this subject by as one of little
importance comparatively, were it to be con-
sidered only in the light in which it has been
presented by the venders of patent hives.

I do not mean that bees do not need venti-
lation, but that they get it, ordinarily,
through the entrance, and through the cracks
and crevices which, as a general thing, are
found in even the best-made hives, providing
the hive is properly constructed in other re-
spects cousidered under the head of WINTER- -
IN@. I do not believe in holes made in
different portions of the hive, and covered
with wire cloth, because the bees persistently

VENTILATION.

wax the wire cloth over, just as soon as they
get strong enough to be able to doso. If
we omit the wire cloth, they will, in time,
build the holes up, by much labor, with walls
of propolis, until they have effectually stop-
ped the inconvenient drafts that the improv-
ed(?) ventilators would admit at all times
through the hive. During extremely hot
weather, a powerful colony may need more
air than is afforded by an ordinary entrance,
especially if the hive stands fully in the sun.
In such a case I would much prefer giving
the bees shade, to cutting ventilation-holes,
which the bees will soon begin to use as en-
trances ; and when the hot weather is over,
and it is desirable to close these entrances,
you confuse and annoy the bees by so doing.
On this account I would give all the venti-
lation that a strong colony might need to
keep them inside at work in the boxes, by
simply enlarging the entrance. This can be
done very readily with the Simplicity hives,
and I have frequently given them an en-
trance, under such circumstances, the whole
width of the hive, and as much as two or
three inches broad. The chaff hive with its
entrance 8 inches by # has always had all the
ventilation it seemed to require, because the
sun can never strike directly on the walls of
the apartment containing the bees and honey.
For the same reason, the house-apiary with
its two-inch auger-hole entrance has never re-
quired any further provision for ventilation.
The chaff cushions placed over the bees in
winter are kept over the surplus frames for
the greater part of the time in summer, to
confine the heat during cool nights; and from
their porous nature they allow of the escape
of more or less air that comes in slowly
through the entrance, the honey-boxes hay-
ing no other covering than the broad frames
that hold the sections and these same chaff
cushions. Ihave obtained more surplus hon-
ey with this arrangement than with any oth-
er, and am firmly persuaded that a great loss
of honey often results from allowing such a
draft of air through the hive that the bees
can not work the wax, unless during the ex-
tremely warm weather. To test this matter
I covered a large colony in the house-apiary,
with woolen blankets while they were gath-
ering clover honey, to induce them to remain
in the boxes, even after the weather had
turned quite cool. So long as the blankets
remained on, the bees would remain in the
boxes working wax; but as soon as the blank-
ets were removed, at each time the experi-
ment was tried, they retreated to the body of
the hive. The same thing was tried with
thin-walled hives out of doors.”

276

VENTILATION.

SMOTHERING BEES BY CLOSING THE i
ENTRANCE.

Although bees will make out to get along,
even with a very small entrance, we should
be very careful about closing the entrance
entirely, in warm weather, even for only a
few minutes. Many are the reports we get
almost every season, of bees destroyed by
simply closing their entrance, while under-
taking to stop their swarming for a few
minutes, until some other colony can be at-
tended to. See SWARMING, ENTRANCES,
and ROBBING, especially the last head, How
to Stop Robbing. ;

When bees have the swarming fever, as a
general thing they are gorged with honey,
and in a feverish state. They are like a man
who has been taking violent exercise after a
hearty meal, and require more than an ordi-
nary amount of air. Their breathing-tubes.
are in different parts of the body, principally
under the wings; and as soon as the entrance
is closed, they crowd about it; and when the,
heat of so many becomes suffocating, as it
will in a very few minutes, the honey is in-
voluntarily discharged, wetting themselves,
and their companions, and most effectually.
closing their breathing-tubes, in a way that.
causes death to ensue very quickly. I have.
known of heavy swarms being killed in the.
short space of fifteen minutes, when the hive
was thus closed on them. The heat gener-
ated by the smothering mass will often be
great enough to melt down the combs, en-
veloping bees, brood, honey, and all, in a
mass almost scalding hot. Bees are some-
times smothered in this way, in extremely
hot weather, even when they have very large
openings covered with wire cloth. In fact,
I have once or twice had bees, when shipped
by railroad, in July and August, get hot and
smother, when the whole top of the hive was:
covered with wire cloth. I took a lesson
from this, and put wire cloth over both top
and bottom of the hive, and then put inch
strips across, so the hive could not be set
down in such a way as to cover the bottom,
and have had no more smothering since,
while being shipped. When thus prepared,
I have sent the heaviest colonies, during the
hottest of summer weather, with hives full
of honey. and had no trouble. See Movine
BEES.

IlOW TIE BEES DO THEIR OWN
VENTILATING.

If you watch a colony of bees during a
warm day, you will see rows of bees standing
around the entrance, and clear inside of the
hive, with their heads all one way, all mak-
ing their wings go in a peculiar manner,

VENTILATION.

much as they doin flying; but instead of
propelling their bodies along, they propel
the air behind them, and a pretty strong
‘* blow ” they get up too, as you may tell by
holding your hand near them. Well, if the
air is very hot and close inside the hive, so
much so that there is danger of the combs
melting down, they will manage soas to
send cooling currents clear to the furthest
parts of the hive, and even up a small hole
into honey - boxes, where honey - boxes are
made after such old - fashioned patterns.
This idea is not by any means new, and
those who have invented patent ventilators
will tell us, with a very fair show of reason,
how many bees are thus employed blowing
through the hive, that might just as well be
out in the fields gathering honey. I once
thought so, and that ventilators were needed;
but after watching the matter longer, I con-
cluded the harm done by excessive heat was
far less than that from cold drafts when they
were not needed, and that it is better to let
a few of the bees waste some time in the
middle of the day, than to have comb-build-
ing stopped entirely at night, on account of
the drafts given by these thoroughly venti-
lated hives. The most prosperous colony I
ever owned was one that was so completely
enveloped in chaff that they sent a stream
of warm air out of their hive during frosty
nights in March, strong enough to melt the
frost about one side of the entrance. Of
course, a stream of cold air went in at the
opposite side, as fast as the warm air went
out. When I can get a hive into this condi-
tion of things, they always prosper; and it is
on this account that I would have no other
arrangement for ventilation than that fur-
nished by the entrance. See WINTERING.

VENTILATING QUEEN - CAGES DURING
SHIPMENT.

This is a very simple matter, during quite
warm weather, for all we have to do is to
have a broad surface of wire cloth, and they
will then be sure to have enough air. When
queens are to be shipped during cool weather,
it is desirable to have them tucked up as
warmly as may be, and still have all the air
they need. Wood for cages is much better
than metals, because it is a non-conductor
of heat, and also because it prevents stick-
iness from their food, by absorbing portions
that the metal would not absorb. If the
bees or queens become daubed, they very
quickly suffocate, for the reasons I have
given above.

VINEGAR. This seems to merit a
place in our book as being one of the legiti-

207

VINEGAR.

mate products of honey, and, doubtless, in
many localities it may be profitably manu-
factured, and sold as honey vinegar — espe-
cially since the recent low prices of extracted
honey. As I have had but little practical
experience in making vinegar from honey, I
give you the following letters which have ap-
peared in the back volumes of GLEANINGS:

“Some one inquired whether honey vinegar is
good or not. I will say yes; the best there is made.
It will not die nor lose its strength like most other
vinegars, and you can have light or dark vinegar as
you take light or dark honey to make it from. You
can make what are called sweet pickles with it, with-
out any fear of spoiling. Last season a neighbor’s
family bought honey vinegar of me to do their
choice pickling with when they had cider vinegar of
their own make, as it was so much better, they said,
than cider. Icannot give any rule for making it,
as I have made it from the washings of vessels used
in extracting, and of the cappings after the honey
was pretty well drained out; but there has got to be
such a demand for it in our neighborhood that I
shall have to make some from the clear honey this
year.”’ R. R. MURPHY.

Fulton, Ils., May 6, 1876.

I can give my testimony in favor of honey vinegar.
We have used no other for two years; and nearly
every one who tastes our pickles asks my wife for
her recipe for making them. When told that we
used nothing but honey vinegar, they are surprised,
and say that they have always heard it would not
keep pickles. The only trouble that we havehad is,
it keeps getting stronger and stronger, and we have
to occasionally put in some water. As we have used
only the waste honey from extracting, we cannot
give the proportions of honey and water, but usual-
ly have it too sweet at first, and have to add more
water. If it does not sour enough, we put it in a
keg and set it in the sun with a black junk-bottle in
the bung. Do you think the bottle has any thing to
do with the circulation of air? I have thought it
might. G. W. GATES.

Bartlett, Tenn., May 29, 1876.

The following, which we extract from the
American Bee Journal for 1883, page 148,
contains several hints in regard to the mat-
ter of making vinegar from honey:

“The ecappings should be put intoa dripper and
allowed to remain about 24 hours, then put into as
much water as you may reasonably expect to
sweeten a little sweeter than good new cider, with
the cappings that you expect to have. I fill an or-
dinary whisky-barrel with water, and the honey
from the cappings, in extracting 1000 of honey, usu-
ally makes it sweet enough. The cappings are left
in the water an hour or two, then skimmed out and
put into a strainer to drip dry, which they will do
in 10 or 12 hours. The drippings are, of course,
saved and put into the barrel.

“This slightly sweetened water soon begins to
‘work,’ and the scum may be taken off with a wire
cloth, or other skimmer, as often as necessary, until
nothing rises. This sweetened water passes through
allthe stages of fermentation, the same as cider, until
itreaches the point called vinegar. One year, perhaps
less, makes it such vinegar as you saw at Kalama-
| zoo. We have used no other vinegar in our family

VINEGAR. 278 VINEGAR.

for 20 years, except a year or two when we first | and there is not much danger of getting the water
came to Michigan, 14 years ago, when I had no bees. | toosweet. If very sweet, it takes longer to get it
“There is, probably, no profit in making honey | to vinegar; but it is better when it does get there.
vinegar from good salable honey, but in keeping Abronia, Mich. 7, F. BINGHAM.
bees there is often waste honey that is of little value. Another friend, H. A. Palmer, of Madora,
1 know of no manner of getting cappings ready for | Towa says, “One pound of honey will make
making into wax that is so convenient and profita- fi ‘
ble, and the vinegar is known to be pure. three gallons of better vinegar than one can

“I keep the barrel covered with a cotton cloth, | buy.’”’%*

} ie 4 Wine ae”

SIMPLICITY-HIVE TOOL-BOX.

W.

WATER FOR BEES. That bees
need water, has been pretty well demonstrat-
ed; but the best means of supplying them
has not been very satisfactorily settled.
The amount of water needed depends much
on whether they are rearing brood in consid-
erable quantities or not, and whether their
food is old, thick (possibly candied) honey,
or new honey right from the fields. If the
latter, it contains usually a large quantity
of water that must be expelled before the
honey can be considered ripened. See VEN-
TILATION. Well, while the bees are gather-
ing this thin, raw honey, as a matter of
course they will not need much water, if
any at all, besides what the honey affords
them. This new honey is frequently so thin
that it runs out of the combs like sweetened
Water, When they are turned horizontally;
and when tasted, it seems, in reality, but
sweetened water. The excess of moisture
is probably —I say probably, for I do not
know that we have positive proof on the
matter — expelled by the strong currents of
air the bees keep circulating through the
hive, which takes up the watery particles,
and speedily reduces the honey to such a
consistency that it willnotsour. If you will
examine a hive very early in the morning
during the height of the honey-season, you
will find the blast of air that comes out,
quite heavily charged with moisture; and
when the weather is a little cool, this mois-
ture often condenses and accumulates on
the alighting - board, until it forms a little
pool of water. Where the alighting-board
was of the right shape to retain the water, I
have seen it so deep as to drown bees in
passing out. These bees, it would seem,
were at least in no need of having water
supplied them. While I am on the subject,
I will mention another way which, as I have
discovered, the bees have of expelling the
liquid portions from very thin honey. I
guess I will say it is the way in which I
think they do it, for I may be mistaken. I

had several colonies in a small greenhouse
for experiment. They were fed on sweet-
ened water until they stored a large amount
in their combs. When the sun warmed up
the air in the morning, they would come out
in great numbers and sport in the sunshine: ~
and by taking a post where they came be-
tween my eye and the sun, I distinctly saw
them discharge from their bodies what
seemed to be only pure water. These bees
had been fed until they had their hives so
full of the thin syrup that they had even
crowded out the eggs. When coming out of
their hives, they seemed heavily laden ; but
those returning were so much reduced in
size as to make quite a contrast to those
going out. By watching the matter, it
seemed quite plain that they took the thin
food into their stomachs, and, after a time,
longer or shorter, were able to expel the
liquid portion while on the wing, and then
return the thick portion to the cells. If I
am in error in this, I should like to be cor-
rected.*? It may be well to state in this con-
nection, that honey,no matter how thin, will
never sour while in the hive, under the care
of a sufficient number of bees; but if a comb
of this thin honey be taken away from them,
and kept outside of the hive, it will sour
very quickly.

As the following little sketch, given in
GLEANINGS, in July, 1874, gives a vivid
idea of one way of giving bees water, and of
the way they use it, I give it entire.

WATER FOR BEES.

‘* They are robbing the Quinby hive now,”
Mrs. N. had said to Novice who was suffer-
ing from a ‘‘tormented headache,” to use his
own expression, one pleasant Sunday after-
noon in May. IJle had often boasted he
didn’t have headaches, and seemed, so the
women-folks say, to regard the matter asa
kind of feminine weakness that one should
be ashamed of; but now he was making more
of a row about it than a whole dozen of the

me

aS

WATER FOR BEES.

weaker sex; besides this, some neighboring
black bees had just discovered that a quanti-
ty of combs of nicely sealed sugar syrup
were but poorly guarded by a few miserably
weak Italian stocks. Under the circum-
stances, Mrs. N. and Master Ernest had been
directed to close the entrances of such hives
as failed to make a successful resistance, by
banking the sawdust up in front. They
soon reported that the robbers were going
out and in under the cover of the Quinby
hive, it having warped enough to allow this.
In this dilemma, Novice was again consult-
ed, and was obliged to cease rolling and
tumbling on the bed where he lay, long
enough to direct that stovewood be piled on
the cover until the cracks were closed. This
was done,and Mrs. N., for additional securi-
ty, placed on the center of the top of the
hive a large stone jar, inverted.

When Novice awoke next morning at
about his usual hour—5 o’clock—although a
little sadder than usual, and perhaps wiser,
his head was free from pain, and he, of
course, repaired at once to the apiary, the
scene of yesterday’s troubles and turmoils.

A refreshing shower, which had been
much needed, had materially changed the
aspect of things; and as the locust-blossoms
had opened during the night, all robbing
had ceased, and every thing was lovely.

On turning his eyes toward the Quinby
hive, which stood under the shade of a dwarf
pear-tree, he beheld a perfect circle of bees
for all the world like beads strung on a
string, greedily sipping the rain water from
the coneave bottom of that inverted stone
jar. It was raised up so they could find it
readily, was clean, and so shallow it could
not drown them, and altogether seemed just
the thing. Later, after Blue Eyes was up,
the numbers had increased; and so intent
were they on sipping the pure water, that
she could touch them with her fingers with-
out their scarcely noticing the interruption.
Of course the supply was soon out, or would
have been had we not replenished it; the
concavity held about a teacupful, and Miss
Maudie was commissioned to see that they
did not “get out.’’? But they did, for all that;
for during hot days, several teacupfuls
were needed, partly on aecount of evapora-
tion, and it only remained for Novice to de-
vise a cheap and simple mechanical arrange-
ment to keep constantly full the shallow
cavity in the bottom of that stone jar. This
he did very quickly by filling a quart glass
fruit-jar with water; a piece of paper was
laid over the mouth until it could be invert-

0 WATER FOR BEES.

ed on the stone jar, and then the paper was
drawn out. Of course, when the water be-
came exhausted so as to allowa bubble of
air to go up into the jar, a little more water
came down; and so on. <A quart of water
lasts several days, and the receptacle being
glass, we can always see when it needs re-
plenishing. We were amused this morning
to see the usual number of bees around it,
and more going and coming quickly, even
though it was raining quite briskly. Many
of the bees were quite young Italians that,
it seems, had become so accustomed to go-
ing to acertain spot for water, that they
couldn’t think of doing otherwise, even
though water was raining down all about
them. We are well aware, the principle of
the above is not new, as feeders on a similar
plan are in use ; but the plan of supplying
fresh water is new, at least tous. We have
in former years tried arrangements with
shavings, water allowed to drip on a board,
and a cloth laid over a vessel full of water;
but all of them were soon abandoned because
they were too much trouble, or were untidy,
etc., and the bees were allowed to go to dis-
tant muddy streams, to the pump, etc. Is it
not a fact, that during the working season
the workers mostly fail from worn - out
wings? and,if thisis the case, should we
not save them all we can by having supplies
near at hand—at least water, if we can do
nothing further ?

Our 4060 basswood - trees were planted
with this end in view; that is, to give them
as much forage within one-fourth mile of
their hives as they usually get in an area of
one anda half or two miles around their hives.

The device we have mentioned can, of
course, be used for out-door feeding, and it
is perfectly secure from waste; by inverting
a tumbler of syrup in a saucer, we can also
use it for feeding in the hives, when there
is no oceasion to feed rapidly. This latter
plan has been given several times in print
already.

If the bees that frequent your water - jar
come in large numbers, it may not flow
from the jar fast enough, unless the mouth
is raised slightly; this we do by means of a
afew bits of window glass.

IMPROVEMENT ON THE ABOVE.

The above was written just about four
years ago, this present month. Ihave just
been improving on it a little, and, below,
submit the arrangement as we have it in the
apiary now, for watering bees. Get a piece
of board about a foot square, and with a

WATER FOR BEES.

Saw, or saws, such as we use for grooving
the ends of the pieces composing the section
boxes, plow grooves from one end of the
board to the other, being careful that they
do not run quite out. Now with a single
saw, cut a groove from each corner to the
opposite one, and a couple more across the
grain of the wood, near
the middle, and the TTL
board is done. These ily |
grooves should be about bee i fi
tinch deep, and about i ()

———

the same distance from
each other. Invert the
jar of water on the cen-
ter of the board, and the
grooves will keep just
full of water, as long as
any remains in the jar,
and yet they will never
run over. The bees can

stand on the walls of il |

wood that separate the |iililil ii
grooves, as well as ona | il

sheet of their own comb, ——=—=

and with as little danger wapRRING-JAR
of getting daubed, or. AND BOARD, OR
wetted. Now, this ar- OPREN-AIR
rangement makes per- EEE DEE.
haps the best feeder ever invented, for
open-air feeding (see FEEDING and FEED-
ERS); for all we have to do is to use sweet-
need water, instead of water only. Puta
pound of coffee sugar in the jar, fill up with
water, cover it with your hand, and shake
briskly, and it is ready for business. Laya
paper over the mouth of the jar, as before,
invert it on the center of the board where
the grooves cross, draw out the paper, and,
if it is at a time when robber bees are
hovering about, some one will soon find it.
After the first bee has gone home with one
load, he will bring others back with him,
and pretty soon the board will be covered
with them, sipping like a lot of pigs out of a
trough. As the syrup goes down in the
grooves, air will be allowed to come in, and
you can see, by the bubbles rising in the
jar, just how fast they are taking the syrup.

"

I have just been watching one of these
feeders (May 31, 1879); and after the bees
got well at work, a bubble would be on its
way to the surface in the jar almost con-
stantly, and the liquid was carried off by
the little fellows at the rate of about 1 ineh
in 10 minutes. This would empty the 3-ga]-
lon jar in about an hour andahalf. Nota
bee is daubed, and they flit away to their
hives as easily as if they had loaded up

281

WATER FOR BEES.

from the blossoms on the trees. This feed-
er answers admirably for feeding grape
sugar; for all we have to do is to fill the jar
with lumps of it, and pour in water until it
is filled, and then invert as described. The
passage of the bubbles upward tends to dis-
solve the sugar rapidly. Old, thick, or can-
died honey may be fed in the same way; and
when the bees stop, the feed stops coming
down into the grooves. This, will perhaps,
be the best arrangement we can have for
feeding grape sugar to keep brood - rearing
going on, during a season of drought or
scarcity.

In the above engraving, the jar and board
are represented as standing ona block of
stone, but they may be placed on a box or
block of wood as well. We keep the device
afew rods from the apiary, under a clump
of trees, to call away the robbers from about
the hives. Of course, the arrangement may
be placed inside the hives, by putting in a
division - board, or setting it in an upper
story.

Ater the foregoing arrangement had ap-
peared in the earlier editions of our A BC
book, a kind friend in Scotland made mea
present of the beautiful design for glass
vases which we picture below. It now
stands near the center of our apiary, and is
indeed a thing of beauty. Accompanying
it he wrote the following kind note:

é.
cn

A WATER - FOUNTAIN FOR THE BEES FROM
7 FAR-AWAY SCOTLAND,

WATER FOR BEES.

Since beginning bee-keeping, many years ago, I
have always regularly supplied water to my bees by
various modes, and send along with this a vase for
your acceptance.

The watering-stage on top, with gutters from a
common center to a circular one, outer circumfer-
ence, I had originally cut in marble; but being too
expensive for general use, I applied to a large pot-
tery establishment, and from it had a mold made and
copies reproduced in polished white earthenware.
They require great pains in firing, to preserve a true
level, but are much superior, and do not split off
like wooden ones. The bottomless water-bottle, or
barrel, set thereon, is fern engraved, and has a nice
cool refreshing effect to the eye in hot weather.

J. M. MCPHEDRON.

Craigket, Renfrewshire, Scotland, Dee. 7, 1882.

Perhaps I should explain to our readers,
that we have cut down the height of the ped-
estal some in our engraving, but it shows
pretty well the handsome desigh our friend
MecPhedron has furnished us. I know wood
is hardly the thing for the base of our water-
ing-jar, and some of the friends may remem-
ber I first used a stone washboard, with the
sides of the grooves stopped with wax; but
the groves were too large,and the bees push-
ed under, and rose up into the jar, and were
drowned. The grooves need to be so small
that a bee can not even wedge his head in
one of them; for if he does, many will get
fast and die; and who wants to see dead
bees sticking around a nice feeder? After
this I had a block of sandstone hewed out,
and set the water-jar in a cavity in the top
of this; but to my surprise I found the
sandstone would take up a whole pail of wa-
ter in no time, and during a dry atmosphere
it would absorb and give off water about as
fast as I could bring it.

If you wish to give them a supply that will
last them a month or more, it may be well to
get a large glass bottle or carboy, at the
drug - store, and your bees will then have
water during the season, all they can
usc. Where there is a spring near you
that can be conducted to the apiary, a very
pretty watering - place can be made. Be
sure that it is so arranged that the bees can
not get drowned. A little fountain, where
the spring is high enough to allow it, isa
very pretty addition to the apiary. I once
had one made with an iron vase, perhaps
eighteen inches across. This basin was al-
ways full, and overflowing slightly; and dur-
ing the warm weather all summer long, bees
would be sipping the water around the edge;
sometimes they stood side by side clear
around the edge of the vase, making a sight
that was enough ‘to call forth exclamations
of surprise from almost anybody, bee-keep-
er ornot. The fountain was supplied with

282

WATER FOR BEES.

water from a large pine box, placed on the
roof of the wood-house, and itself supplied
by the eave-spout from the upright part of
the building. When the box was full it ran
over on the roof and down into the cistern
as usual, so the arrangement required no
special supervision, so long as we had vain
as often as once a week. The connection
between the box and the fountain near the
apiary was by 34-inch iron pipe. The bees
never drowned in this fountain, because the
vase was always full and overflowing. If a
bee flew in, or got pushed in by his compan-
ions, he soon buzzed over to the side, and
walked out, having no perpendicular sides
to climb up. Below I give you an engraving
of the vase and fountain.

FOUNTAIN FOR GIVING BEES ACCESS TO
WATER.

You will observe a stop-cock at the lower
part of the jet. This is for the purpose of
regulating the supply of water. During a
dry time it is to be turned so as to just keep
the vase full, and the same during windy
days, when the water would be blown away.
When we had still evenings, the jet was
opened so as to throw a stream perhaps six
feet high. Around the fountain we had
flowers of different kinds. It is hard to
imagine a prettier adjunct to an apiary than
a watering-fountain surrounded with flowers
humming with busy laborers.

During some experiments in the same
greenhouse I have mentioned, I put a small
colony into the lamp nursery, and warmed
it up until their hive indicated over 100 de-
grees. The bees then went out, and began
flying around the room as if in quest of
something. I fixed the same watering-jar I
have mentioned in one corner of the room,
and they pretty soon found it and were busy

WAX.

carrying water into the hive as fast as they
could load up and unload. By turning the
lamp up or down so as to increase or dimin-
ish the temperature, I could easily make
them stop and commence carrying water, at
pleasure. Does not this seem to indicate
that hives should be shaded, during the ex-
treme heat of the summer weather? Colo-
nies in the same room whose hives were not
warmed showed no disposition to gather wa-
ter at all, although they were rearing brood
in considerable quantities.
SALT WATER FOR BEES.

At times, bees unquestionably show a
fondness for salt water, and I presume they
should have access to salt in some way, as
well as others of the animal kingdom. Itis
generally agreed, I believe, that cattle, hors-
es, sheep, etc., must have salt, or they will
suffer. I know of no reason why bees
should not come under the same law. They
seem to have a preference for it in a much
diluted form, and are very often seen eager-
ly hovering over barrels containing refuse
brine. I have seen them eagerly digging in
the sawdust, where brine had been spilled
or thrown out, showing their craving for it.
Within the past year, 1879, a great many
plans have been given for feeding bees salt,
but none of them are any simpler or easier
than the one for giving them water, which I
have already illustrated. It may be well to
have two watering-places, one with the wa-
ter slightly salted, and the other of pure wa-
ter; you can then easily tell which your bees
prefer.

If no place is furnished for the bees to get
water, they usually go to creeks or puddles
near by. Our own have quite a fashion of
congregating about the kitchen pump, and
Mrs. R. says she knows they hear the pump;
for just after water has been drawn, they
come in considerable numbers, and sip the
water that is spilled on the stones. Some of
our subscribers have complained that they
could not keep their bees from going to
their neighbor’s pumps, and thus annoying
them. I think you will have no difficulty,
if you provide an arrangement such as IL
have described, and keep water in it during
the whole warm season. It may take them
some little time to get used to going to the
precise spot; but after it is once learned,
they will never forget it. Look out for the
comfort and convenience of these little
friends of ours, and they will, in time, con-
tribute to our comfort and convenience.

- WAX. Whether bees make honey, or
simply collect it, may be'a subject of discus-

283

WAX.

sion ; but we believe there is no question in
regard to wax, for bees do assuredly make it.
If you have your doubts, however, just
watch them closely during the height of the
honey - harvest, or, what is perhaps better,
feed a colony heavily on sugar syrup for
about 3 days during warm weather. At the
end of the second or third day, by looking
closely, you will see little pearly disks of wax,
somewhat resembling fish-scales, protruding
from between the rings on the under side of
the body of the bee ; and, if you examine
with a microscope, you will find these little
wax cakes of rare beauty. Sometimes, es-
pecially when the bees are being fed heavily,
these wax scales will fall:dewn on the bot-
tom-board and may be scraped up in consid-
erable quantities, seeming for some reason
to have been unwanted. During the sea-
sons of the natural secretion of the wax, if
the colony has a hive affording plenty of
room for surplus, we believe these wax
scales are seldom wasted. At the swarming-
time, there seems to be an unusual number
of bees provided with these wax Scales ; for,
if they have remained clustered on a limb
for only a few minutes, bits of wax are found
attached, as if they were going to start comb.
When they are domiciled in their new hive,
comes the time, if the hive pleases them,
for them to show their astonishing skill and
dexterity in fabricating the honey-comb.

In the attempts that have been made to
supply material for artificial comb, we have
had a view of the wondrous skill with which
nature supplies just what is needed for the
safety and well-being of her creatures.
Many substances seem, at first view, to have
all the requirements needed ; but when we
discover that the material must be sufficient-
ly soft to be readily molded at the ordinary
temperature of the hive, and yet be in no
danger of melting down during the intense
heat of midsummer, we see that perhaps no
other material than just the wax they secrete
can come anywhere near answering the
purpose. Wax melts at about 145° in its

natural yellow state, but becomes so soft

that it may be molded by pressure at a tem-
perature of about 100° or less. When this
yellow wax is exposed to the sun and mois-
ture in the shape of thin ribbons, # gradual-
ly loses its yellow color, and becomes white.
Its melting-point is also raised by this change
about 12°, yet it is still readily worked into
comb if given to the bees during hot wea-
ther; and when raised up into cells, it has a
most beautiful appearance of snowy white-
ness. This, however, is soon soiled and col-

WAX.

ored, if left in the hive; for, neat as bees are
said to be, they have a habit of running over
the clean white combs with muddy, or at
least dirty feet. With old and dark combs
this might be unnoticed ; but in a hive fur-
nished with combs made from bleached
foundations, it becomes very apparent.

Like other folks, the bees seem more care-
ful of their best rooms, for the surplus-hon-
ey boxes are kept much cleaner than the or-
dinary working-room, or brood-apartment,
though this may not be intentional after all,
for itis principally the young bees that have
never been out in the fields, that work at
comb-building and in the boxes. On this
account, clean, yellow wax, when used for
foundations, will give very nearly as fine
box honey, when filled and capped over, as
does the bleached. As the latter is consid-
erably harder than the yellow, it is not
worked into comb as rapidly. When the
bees are needing room they will fre-
quently raise a whole sheet of yellow fdn.
into very fair comb in a single night, while
it would require nearly double the time, per-
haps to do the same with the bleached.

Until somebody shall discover a use for
propolis, we shall have to consider the prod-
ucts of the apiary but two in number, wax
and honey. It is true, bees and queens are
now quite marketable commodities ; but as
they are bought only for the wax and honey
they may produce, they can hardly be con-
sidered as legitimate apiarian products.

The manner of getting the honey intoa
marketable shape has been very fully dis-
cussed, and great improvement has been
made in this particular, within the past few
years; but the operation of rendering the
combs into clean, nice wax so as to be at-
tractive to the eye of purchasers, has been
very little improved since the time when
our grandmothers used to boil them in a
large kettle, and squeeze the wax from the
melted mass through a cloth or bag, much
in the way lard is expressed. Our engra-
ing given shows one of the implements that
was ever offered for sale. It is called the
Swiss wax extractor; and, if Iam correct,
was introduced into our country about the
year 1869, by Mr. A. Gray, of Reily,O. The
following report in regard to it, furnished
by Adam Grimm, of Jefferson, Wis., I ex-
tract from the American Bee Journal, of
April, 1871.

WAX EXTRACTOR.

It is only a few years since we got the melex-
tractor, and we have by its aid succeeded in doub-
ling and even trebling our yield of honey. And
now, again, our brethren acrogs the ocean have

234

WAX.

sent us an apparatus that is of great value to the
bee-keeper. It is what I venture to name the wax
extractor, an apparatus devised by Prof. Gerster, of
Berne, in Switzerland, for the purpose of extract-
ing wax from the combs. While all bee-keepers
agree, that all nice, not too old, comb should be
saved, it will also be conceded that in an apiary of
some size and age, an amount of comb will continu-
ally accumulate that is only good for rendering into
wax. A bec-keeper whose main object in keeping
bees is profit will therefore need an apparatus for
rendering this wax, whenever he gets a supply of
combs no longer serviceable in the hives ; and it
becomes of great importance that the wax should
be extracted before the moths get hold of it, store it
with eggs, and a horde of troublesome and de-
structive millers are bred for future annoyance.
An apparatus should be had, too, by which all the
wax that can possibly be got out of very old combs
can be secured, of a quality that will command the
highest market price.

Such an apparatus we get in the one exhibited at
the Indianapolis Convention by my friend, A. Gray,
and which was handed over to me to be tested. My
wife, who usually has to doalarge share of the
work connected with the straining of wax, and has
often complained, in former days, of having her
kitchen floor, stove, kettles, and pans, bedaubed
with wax, is delighted with this new invention. She
can now with ease strain all the wax, without the
aid of any other person, and without being hindered
thereby in her other work. In cold weather, she
says, she will not need an extra stick of wood; but
the greatest point of superiority is the utter impos-
sibility of the contents of the vessel boiling over; a
feature alone important enough to assure the
adoption of this mode of rendering wax. How oft-
en in former days, from momentary inattention, did
we find the boiling liquid flowing over the stove
and down to the floor, a misadventure to which we
are not here exposed;

THE GERSTER WAX-EXTRACTOR.

The wax extracted by this apparatus is of the
brightest yellow color I have ever seen, even when
it is extracted from very old dark combs. It is free
from all resinous matter, and will doubtless bring
the highest price in the market. I am satisfied, too,
that the refuse is as clear of wax aS we ever get it
by any other process, if tried till it stops running,
There is but one drawback connected withit. The
women say they do not get through with the ex:
tracting as speedily as when we used the cider
press, by means of which three men could render
100 lbs. per day. When very old combs are to be
rendered, not over 20 lbs. can be extracted in one
day. Butas the time when bees were brimstoned
and all their combs rendered into wax ig now near

es
:

WAX.

ly over, and the chances for getting large quantities

of wax are thus gone or going by, I cheerfully rec-

ommend the wax-extractor exhibited at the Indian-

apolis Convention by Mr. Gray,as the next best

thing to the melextractor. A. GRIMM.
Jefferson, Wis.

Friend Grimm has given pretty faithful-
ly, in his article, the good and bad points of
the machine.

The basket, B, is made of perforated tin,
and itis into this that the pieces of comb,
cappings, etc., are to be put, and allowed to
drain into a pan or some convenient vessel.
It is true, you can put them into the ex-
tractor, honey and all, and the spout, D,
will deliver both wax and honey into the
pan or other vessel set to catch it; and when
the wax is cold, it may be lifted from the
honey below, in a solid cake; but the honey
is then dark, and fit only for vinegar, or for
feeding bees; whereas, if drained before
being subjected to heat, we get the very
best and nicest liquid honey, especially if it
is cappings that are to be rendered; be-
cause the honey that adheres to the cap-
pings, is always that which has been sealed
up. When the basket, LB, is filled with
drained cappings, or bits of comb, the
cover of A is to be removed, and the basket
placed inside, resting on the fixed shallow
pan, shown where the side is cut away.
This pan has three pieces fixed near its in-
side rim (only two of which are visible), to
support the basket a little distance from the
bottom, and the spout, D, is put into this
shallow dish, so as to take all the wax as it
falls from the perforated basket above.
Now, to set the machine working we have
only to supply steam around the basket.
We do this by setting it over a pan or ket-
tle of boiling water, or, what is better, a cop-
per bottomed steam generator, often sold
with the apparatus. The latter utensil will
do very well to catch the drippings of the
honey, if a cork is fitted tightly in the tube,
D. I would advise you to keep the cover
on and this tube corked at all times, if you
do not wish robber-bees to learn that the
machine is almost always a nice place for
their depredations. If you do this, you can
keep it in the apiary, and throw every bit of
comb into it, as soon as found.

If you will go back to Grimm’s descrip
tion, you will see that he calls the machine
slow, and says that his wife could not well
get out more than 20 lbs.aday. I think I
should put it at 50 lbs., or even more but it
is not as rapid as the cider-press he speaks
of.

A modification of the Gerster wax-extrac-

285

WAX.

tor, and one that works much more rapidly,
is seen below.

JONES’ IMPROVED WAX-EXTRACTOR.

It was devised and given gratuitously to us
by D. A. Jones, of whom we have before
made mention.

The drawings will make the matter plain,
with a little explanation. The plan is not
very much different from our Swiss wax-
extractor, only that the copper-bottomed
steam-generator is a fixture, and that the
steam is admitted right into the center of the
mass of comb.

The can is almost exactly the size of our
10-gallon flour or honey can, but the bottom
is copper. About 6 in. up from the bottom,
a swage is run in the can, that catches and
holds a second bottom, so it may be securely
soldered. This second bottom has a hole in
the center, 74 in. in diameter. Around this
hole a tin curb is put, 2+ in. high, with a wire
around the top, and this completes the can
itself. By reference to the second cut you
will see this second bottom, and you will also
see that it slopes a little toward the outer
sides of the can. This is to carry the wax to
the outside, so it may run around and finally
be carried out by the long exit pipe. The
other funnel-shaped pipe, right by its side, is
for pouring in the water that generates the
steam. Well, now, to prevent the wax from
dropping down that large hole, into the wa-
ter, a sloping cover is set over the hole.
Three legs keep it from resting right on the

WAX.

curb, that the steam may get out easily, and
in the center rises the tube that carries the
steam into the center or the wax. Now
when we set in the perforated wax-basket,
shown in figure 3, we have the whole thing
complete. You see this basket has a center
of the same perforated zinc, that slips over
the tin steam-pipe. The cover to the whole
is an ordinary tin sloping cover. Here is
what friend Jones writes in regard to the
machine :—

Isend you electros of wax-extractor. They are,
as I think, the nearest to what we want of any thing
yet got up, and are patented in Canada. I think
that youcan confer no greater favor on the people
of the United States than to make them. Just place
the one I send you alongside of four ‘“‘Gerster’’ ex-
tractors, and see if mine doesn’t beat them all. You
ean make the perforated basket of tin instead of
zine, if you choose. My retail price is $4.5). You
can do them, I guess, at thesame, and make a profit.

D. A. JONES.
Becton, Ont., Canada, Feb. 18, 1883.

Mr. Wm. W. Cary, of Colerain, Mass.,
sends us the following deseription of a plan
similar to the cider press, which, I think,
might prove of much value, if a large quan-
tity of wax is to be got out, as is often the
case where many stocks are te be transfer-
red:

Mr. A. I. Root:—Below you will find a description
of Cary’s wax-press. I call it Cary’s, because I
have never seen or heard of any thing like it. The
idea suggested itself to me, from the way in which
I press my cider, in burlap and racks, just as in the
Wax-press.

CARY’S WAX-PRESS.

Make a boiler of good heavy tin, 18 in. square by
13 in. high, inside measure. Solder stout handles on
two of the sides, and put a spout on one of the other
sides, about 4 inches from the top. The spout con-
sists of a tunnel, 3 in. in diameter at the top and Lin.
at the small end, and about 3 in. long, flattened at
the large end so as to make it oval-shaped. This is
for running off the wax, and the mouth of it should
be 3 or 4in. wide by 1 high on the inside of the boil-
er. Now cut out a hole on one side of the boiler, and
solder on the spout, which will need a brace to hold
it steady. Perhaps one of your molasses-gates for
extractors would be a good thing soldered to this
spout; we use a cork, however.

Now make 6 racks of pine strips, 4% inch wide by
3¢ thick. The slats should be planed on all sides.
Cut them 17% in. long, and take 2 strips 3% thick by
lin. wide and 17% in. long, and nail the other strips
on crosswise, leaving 4% in. plump between them.
Next, make a box 154%x15%, without top or bottom,
and make it of %-inch boards, 3 inches wide. This
is what cider-makers call a form, or hoop, and is
used for laying up the cheese. Now get burlap,
such as the factories use for baling their cloth. Cut
it into pieces 28 or 30 in. square. Five of these are
enough, as 5 layers will fill the boiler. Now take the
old comb and pound it up fine, lay down a rack, put
on the form, spread on a burlap, and fill up with
the comb; then double in the sides, raise all from
the form, and place in the boiler. Fill5 racks in

286

WAX.

this way, and put the 6th on top, and a board, for a
follower, on top of this, with a block 6 or 8 in. square
which should be fastened to the follower. Perhaps
all this will make the boiler more than full, but it
will soon settle down when it comes to a boil. A
better way is to put the boiler on the stove, with 2
pails of water in it, before you commence. This
saves time in heating, and the layers can be lowered
in with hooks made of wire.

As soon as it has boiled 15 or 20 minutes, it is ready
to press, which I do with a small jack-serew. You
need a small frame, of course, to press in; this can
be made with a screw in the upper beam, if desired,
but the jack - screw does just as well. Now when
your wax has boiled enough, take the boiler from
the stove, place it under the press, and turn down
your screw, and you will soon find the wax on top of
the water. Proceed to draw it off by the spout.
You will need a pailful or two of hot water to fill
up withas the wax runs off. The wax should be all
removed before the screw is loosened up, as it will
stick to the racks and burlap. Skim the wax off
with a paddle made of thin board or tin. If the
screw is loosened once or twice, and the water al-
lowed to soften up the pumice, it will get it out
cleaner. :

You need not be more than 15 or 20 minutes in
pressing out a cheese, after it is boiled. A press of
the size [ have described will get out from 10 to 20
lbs. to a pressing, of as nice wax aS you ever saw.
If you have a good stove to heat on, you need not be
more than an hour, or 1% hours to a pressing, which
gives a capacity of from 75 to 159 Ibs. per day, more
than 10 times the capacity of the steamer process;
and again, it gets the wax out muchcleaner. If you
do not believe this, run some through the steamer,
and then put it through a press of this kind. We
had the bottom of a bee hive-full of pumice which
had been through the steamer, and all the wax had
been removed that we could get out by that process;
then we put it through the press and got out 10 lbs.
more. I tried the steamer for 3 or 4 weeks, and be-
came disgusted with it, as it worked so slow. I got
out more wax the first day after I made the press
than I could in 10 days with the steamer.

Now, if you want to make a press after this pat-
tern, you are at perfect liberty to do so, as far as I
am concerned. The boiler and racks will not cost
over $3.00. Wm. W. Cary.

Colerain, Mass., 1878.

We are much obliged to friend Cary, and
I have no doubt that his press will bring out
much more wax than the wax - extractor
does. The plan we have adopted is some-

thing similar, but we do not use a press.

OUR OWN WAY OF RENDERING WAX.

Get an ordinary wash-boiler that sinks in-
to the fire - place of the stove. Put some
strips of wood across, to keep the bags of
wax from resting on the bottom, and burn-
ing. These strips are to be of such length
that their ends rest on the ledge of the bot- _
tom part of the boiler. A frame similar to
that mentioned by Mr. Cary would be very
convenient; we have been using one made
of wire cloth, but it is hardly stiff enough.
Now, have some bags made of coarse strain-

WAX.

ex cloth, such as is known in the dairy re-
gions as cheese -cloth. These should be
about the size of grain-bags, but not as long.
Squeeze your wax into balls in the hands,
getting it into as small a compass as may be,
and put it in the bags. Have bags enough
to contain all the wax. These bags cost
very little, as the cloth is only 8c. per yard.
When you have as many packed into your
boiler as you can get in, while the water is
boiling, put on a board, with a heavy piece
of iron on it. When the wax is all pressed
out of the bags, the iron should be beneath
the surface of the liquid; if it is not, add
more water, or make the weight sink deep-
er. The wax, of course, is found swimming |
on the surface, and may be dipped off, or,
if much is to be worked in this way, it will
pay to have a spout or gate, as suggested by
friend Cary. It is so difficult to clean the
bags from the gum and propolis always
found with old black combs, that I think I
should throw them away, and use new ones
each time. The more compactly the wax is
put into the bags, the less number of bags
will be needed.

Where one has cappings from the extract-
or, they should not be put with old dark
combs, but worked by themselves, for they
are almost pure wax. I have seen cappings
from new white combs produce wax so near-
ly white that it would readily sell for
bleached wax.*

The wax of commerce, when it is bought
in quantities, is composed of cakes of
all sizes and of all colors, from nearly
white to nearly black, the intermediate
shades comprising almost all the colors
of the rainbow. Where it contains much
refuse, it can be improved by putting it)
through either of the presses described |
above, and, in fact, almost any wax can be
made cleaner and brighter by being put
through the extractor two or three times.
It has been our practice, in using it for fdn., |
to select the cleanest and nicest cakes for
the thin fdn., to be used in the honey-boxes, |
and the darker for the brood fdn., for the
latter, I think, is less liable to sag and
stretch than the very light vellow. Wax, as
if comes from the hives, varies greatly in

* JUNE, 1881.— We have just adopted a plan for ren-
dering old combs by the use of steam, that is vastly
ahead of all these given, both in quality of wax and
rapidity of work. It is simply a large honey-barrel
having a basket made of the perforated zinc sus-
pended in it by a hoop that rests on the top of the
barrel. A steam-pipe throws a strong jet of steam
into this basket, and all one has to do is to shovel in
the old comb in any quantity. The wax is found in
the water below, and the refuse matter remains in |
the basket. The idea was partlyfurnished me bymy
friend D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Canada.

287

/ With soft newspaper.
/can not be easily immersed, benzine or a so-
‘lution of sal-soda will readily dissolve the

WAX.

hardness. Some specimens are so soft that
it seems as if they could not stand the
weight of the bees at all, when made into
sheets of fdn., while others are so hard that
it is difficult to roll them at ordinary temper-
atures. If I am correct, the soft wax can
often be worked into comb better than_ the
hard. This is because it does not continue
to soften, in the same proportion, as the
temperature is raised. As an illustration,
take paraffine. It is too hard to be worked
ordinarily ; but if warmed to the right de-
gree, it makes beautiful - looking fdn. If
given to the bees during moderate spring
weather, it is worked out into beautiful
comb, and filled with honey; but when the
extreme heat of midsummer comes, these
beautiful-looking combs, with their precious
load of sweets, will soften and fall down in-
to a heap. This fact I learned by expe-
rience that cost me a hundred dollars or
more. The admixture of the least particle
of paraftine is sure to give the wax a tenden-
cy to stretch and sag, and, on this account,
I would not advise it; for it is a serious
matter to send out fdn. that may endanger
the life of a colony, by breaking down when
heavily filled with honey. I have been told
that, with wires stretched at frequent inter-
vals, say every inch through the frame, it
can be used without danger; and, as the
bees work it out into combs faster than I
ever saw them work natural wax, it may be
practicable to use it in that way, after all,
when mixed with a sufficient quantity of
wax to make a sure thing of the side-walls.
After a comb has been once used for brood,
the cocoons left give it sufficient strength
and firmness to be ever afterward safe.

CLEANING WAX FROM UTENSILS.

Perhaps the readiest means is to immerse
them in boiling water until all the wax is
thoroughly melted off, then drain, while
kept hot, until the wax which adheres to
them when being lifted from the water is
thoroughly melted, and can be wiped off
Where the article

wax, so it may be cleaned off with a cloth.
Benzine dissolves wax almost as readily as
water dissolves sugar.

Caution in handling wax.—I have spoken
about order, care, and cleanliness, in hand-
ling honey, candy, etc.; now, my friends, it
ts a much more serious thing to daub melted
wax about the house, on the carpets and on
your clothes, than it is to daub either honey
or candy. You can very easily spoil a dol-

9°

_

WAX.

lar’s worth of clothing while fussing with
10c. worth of wax, as I know by experience.
When you commence, bear this in mind,
and resolve that you are going to have
things clean and neat at every step, no mat-
ter what the cost. Newspapers are very
cheap, and it takes but a minute to spread
them all around the room where your wax
may be dropped. Have every thing, at
every stage, in such order that you would
not be ashamed of your work, should vis-
itors call unexpectedly. The greatest trials
I have ever had with boys and girls, in try-
ing to teach them neatness and order, has
been with those in the wax-room; they will
drop little bits of wax, and step on them.
My friend, if youcan not learn to avoid step-
ping on bees, or dropping and stepping on
wax and honey while you are at work, you
would better stop right here, and give up try-
ing to be a bee-keeper. I do not know but
you might also give up all thoughts of ever
trying to be happy anywhere. You certainly
can not be wanted in this world, and I am
not sure you will be wanted in heaven, if
you go about carelessly treading on things,
and sticking and daubing honey and bees-
wax everywhere you go.

The article below, from the American Bee
Journal of Oct., 1867, covers so many impor-
tant facts in regard to wax, that I copy it
entire :

WAX.

This is an organie product of bcth animal and
vegetable origin, and occurring even as a mineral,
though in this case, also, its original source is un-
doubtedly vegetable. The common properties of
the substances included under this name are fusi-
bility at a moderate heat; burning with much flame;
insolubility in water and alcohol; solubility in alka-
ilne solutions and ether; and in most cases a pecul-
iar luster, to which the name of ‘‘ waxy ’”’ has been
given. The mostimportant of these substances is
beeswax, which was for a long time supposed to be
simply collected by the bees from flowers, t ut has
proved by the experiments of Huber and the Hunt-
ers, tobe secreted by them. It is obtained in the
cakes in which it appears in commerce, by boiling
the comb, from which the honey has been drained or
pressed out,in water, with frequent stirring, that
the wax may not burn. When completely melted,
the wax is strained by pressing through hair bags,
and received in a vessel of cold water, which serves
to cool it and prevent it from sticking. This is re-
peated two or three times, the bags increasing in
fineness, and the wax is finally melted without wa-
ter, and poured into molds wider at the top than
at the bottom, and wetted to prevent sticking.

After being filled, the molds are kept in a warm |

room till the wax has solidified, as otherwi:e the
cakes are apt to crack inthe middle. This process
is, however, tedious and somewhat wasteful, and
various attempts have been made to find a more ex-
peditious one, of which Mr. Bagster’s appears the
most simple. The combs are placed in a conical

88

WAX.

earthen vessel filled with a mixture of one ounce of
nitric acid to a quart of water. This is set over an
open fire till the wax is completely melted, when it
is removed from the fire, and allowed to cool gradu-
ally. The product becomes divided into three lay-
ers, the upper one pure wax, the lowest chiefly im-
purities, and the middle containing sufficient wax
to be worth adding to the next melting. A market-
able wax is thus obtained at a single operation,
without straining or pressing. Beeswax obtained
by either of these processes is yellow; has an agree-
able, somewhat aromatic odor, and a slight, but pe-
culiar taste; is rather soft and unctious, though
firm; has a granular fracture, but when cut shows
the characteristic waxy luster; does not adhere to
the fingers, or to the teeth when chewed; is render-
ed soft and tenacious by a moderate heat; melts at
about 142° F.; and has a specific gravity of 0.960 to
0.965.

Wax is often adulterated with earth, meal, rosin,
etc. The two first render it brittle and grayish, and
may be detected and separated by melting the wax,
when the impurities may be strained out. Rosin
makes the fracture smooth and shining instead of
granular, and may be dissolved in cold alcohol,
while the wax remains untouched. Tallow or suet
renders the wax softer, and gives it an unpleasant
odor when melted.

Wax is bleached by causing it, when melted, to
pass through a perforated trough upon the surface
of revolving wooden cylinders half immersed in wa-
ter, by which it is formed into films, which are
then placed on webs of canvas raised from the
ground, and exposed to the action of the weather
until perfectly white. Itis, however, generally nec-
essary to repeat the process so as to expose fresh
surfaces before the wax can be completely bleach-
ed; and care must be taken to finally remove the
wax from the webs of canvas only in dry weather,
as if it is done in damp weather, it retains a grayish
tint, which much impairsits value. The films are
finally melted and cast into thin circular cakes,
known commercially as ‘ virgin wax.’ When
bleached by means of chlorine or its compounds,
the color is destroyed, but the wax is rendered unfit
for many purposes, and especially for candles.
Another method of bleaching is to add one pound of
melted wax, two ounces fulverizcd nitrate of soda,
and stir in by degrees a mixture of one ounce sul-
phuric acid and nine ounces of water. When all the
acid is added, it is allowed to partially cool, and the
vessel is then filled up with boiling water, to remove
the sulphate of soda and acid; it is then quite white,
translucent in thin slices, shining, harder and less
unctious than the yellow, without taste or smell;
becomes soft enough to be kneaded at 85° to 95° F.,
and fuses at 150° to 155° F., though it will remain
liquid at a somewhat lower temperature; by great
heat it is partially volatilized and partly decompos-
ed, the vapor burning with a clear bright flame; it
is insoluble in water, but slightly soluble in boiling
alcohol and ether, which deposit most of it on cool-
ing; casily soin the essential and fixed oils; and
ean readily be combined with rosin by fusion. Jt is
very frequently adulterated with spermaceti, which
destroys its peculiar luster, and renders it softer
and more fusible; it is also adulterated with stea-
rine, which may be detected by the odor of fat or
tallow evolved when the wax is highly heated, and
by the crumbly texture which it imparts.

White wax is composed of two principal sub-

stances; myrigine, which is grayish-white withopt

WAX. 289

erystalline texture, fusible at 127° F., and almost in-
soluble in boiling alcohol; and cerine or cerotic acid,
which crystallizes when pure, in delicate needle-like
erystals, fuses at 172° F., is much more soluble, con-
stitutes about twenty-two per cent of the entire
weight of the wax, and has forits formula C 54, H
54,04. Wax also contains four or five per cent of a
substance called ceroleine, which is soft, very solu-
ble in cold aleohol and ether, and melts at 838° F.;
and by dry distillation, and by the action of acids
and alkalies on cerene and myricine, a large num-
ber of peculiar organic compounds may be derived
from it. A specimen of beeswax from Ceylon was
found by Mr. Brodie to consist almost exclusively of
myricine.

Beeswax, though produced in almost every coun-
try in the temperate and tropic zones, is an article
of foreign commerce in comparatively few. The
European supply is principally derived from the
Baltic, the Levant, Africa, India, and the United
States. The Portuguese province of Angola, in Af-
rica, annually sends to Europe about 1,500,000 arro-
bas, or 47,772,000 ibs. Japan also exports much. In
the United States it has long been an important
article of production and export. The census of
1840 gives the value of the product at $628,303, which
would be about 2,000,000 ibs.; that for 1850 states the
value of wax and honey to have been 14,853,790 lbs.,
worth $2,736,606; and that for 1860 gives 1,357,864 lbs.
of wax alone. The exports in 1859-60 were 362,474
Ibs., worth $131,803. In 1861, 238,553 lbs. were export-
ed from New York. In 1860 more than five-sixths of
the exports were to France, England, and Brazil.

Besides beeswax, two kinds of wax of animal ori-
gin enter into commerce. ‘The first, the insect wax
of China, is found coating the surface of the Rhus
Succedaneum and some other trees. Itis the product
of a very small white hemipterous insect (Coccus
Sinensis), which about the beginning of June climbs
up the plant and feeds upon it, depositing the wax
upon the branches as a coating which resembles
hoar frost. This is scraped off toward the end of
August, melted in boiling water, and strained
through a cloth. It is white and crystalline, re-
sembling spermaceti, but harder, more brittle, and
more fibrous, fuses at 181° F., is but slightly soluble
in alcohol or ether, dissolves readily in naphtha, and
has for its formula C 108, H 108,04. It does not con-
tain cerotic acid ready formed, but by fusion with
potash is decomposed into a mixture of it with a
substance called cerotine (C 54, H 56,02.) The Chi-
nese call it fe-la, and employ it for making candles,
sometimes alone, but more commonly mixed with
softer fats, and as a coating for other more easily
fusible material, in order to prevent guttering. It
is often colored red with alkanet root, or green with
verdigris. It has been introduced into England for
the manufacture of composite candles, and is found
to answer the same purpose of beeswax, of destroy-
ing the crystalline structure, or ‘‘ breaking the
grain’ of stearic acid. In China it is also employed
as amedicine. The French have introduced the in-
sect into Algeria. The price of wax at Ningpo some
years ago was 22 to 25 cents per pound, and the an-
nual production was estimated at 400,000 ibs. Anoth-
er wax of animal origin is the Andaquiss wax of
South America, which is produced by a small insect
called avesa. It melts at 171° F., has a specific grav-
ity of 0.917, and, according to M. Lewy, contains fifty
per cent of ceroxyline, or palm wax, forty-five per
cent of ceroxine, or sugar-cane wax, and five per
cent of an oily substance.

WAX.

Of the vegetable waxes, the Japanese, the palm
wax of New Granada, and the myrtle wax of the
United States are the principal varieties. The first
is aS white as bleached beeswax, more brittle, less
ductile, and breaks with a smoother and more con-
choidal fracture; its specific gravity is rather less;
and its melting-point is about 127° F. Its chemical
composition is not definitely known. The berries
yielding it grow in clusters, like grapes, on trees
from 15 to twenty-five feet high, and when gathered
are roughly washed and boiled in water, when the
wax rises to the surface, is skimmed off, and formed
into cakes weighing about thirty pounds. Itis said
to require protracted bleaching before it is fit for
market. Small quantities have been shipped to Eu-
rope for many years past, but itis only within four
or five years that it has been exclusively employed
for candles, ete. The amount exported is large and
continually increasing. In 1859 a single cargo of
1,170,000 lbs. arrived in England. In 1860 the price at
Nagasaki was $11 to $12 per pecul, or 8% to 94 cents
per pound. The palm wax of New Granada (cerox-
yline) is obtained from the Ceroxylon andicola. The
scrapings from the exterior of the tree are boiled
by the Indians, and the wax rises to the surface. It
is grayish white when crude, and after purification
by digestion in alcohol is yellowish white, almost in-
soluble in alcohol, and fuses at 161%° F. The tree
has been introduced into Algeria. Carnauba wax is
derived from a palm growing in northern Brazil.
It is soluble in alcohol and ether, and fuses at 182° F.
The ocuba wax of Brazil is derived from kernels of
the fruit of several species of myristica, especially
the M. ocuba. Itis yellowish white, soluble in boil-
ing alcohol, and melts at 95° F. The Bicuhiba wax,
also from Brazil, comes from the M. Bicuhiba, is
yellowish-white, soluble in boiling alcohol, and fusi-
ble at 95° F. The myrtle wax, which for many years
has been an article of commerce in the United
States, also known as ‘‘ candleberry wax” and as
‘ bayberry tallow,” occurs as an incrustation on the
berries of the wax-myrtle or bayberry. The berries
are inclosed in bags of coarse cloth, and kept im-
mersed in boiling water until the wax collects on
the surface, which is then cast into molds, and sold
without further preparation. It varies in color
from grayish-yellow to deep green, has a balsamic
and slightly aromatic odor, a specific gravity of 1.004
to 1.006, fuses between 117° and 120° F., and is much
harder and more brittle than beeswax. It is com-
posed, according to Mr. G. E. Moore, of one-fifth
part of asubstance called palmatine, which exists
iu palm oil, Japanese wax, etc., and four-fifths of
palmitic acid, with a small quantity of lauric acid.
This wax appears, as a candle-making material, to
be worthy of more attention than it has hitherto re-
ceived. Its illuminating power is scarcely inferior
to that of the best beeswax; it costs hardly one-
quarter as much, can be obtained more free from
color, is easiiy bleached, and from its superior hard-
ness can be cast instead of being molded by hand
like beeswax. The plant grows abundantly on the
poorest soils along the coast of New England.
Plantations of it have long existed in Europe, and
its cultivation has lately been tried in Algeria. The
berries of myrica quercifolia, natives of the Cape of
Good Hope, growing on dry sandy plains along the
coast, also yield a greenish wax, which can be
bleached, and when made into candles gives a very
good light. The sugar-cane yields a wax called cer-
osine, which is soluble in boiling alcohol, and slight-
ly so in boiling ether. The sorgum also secretes on

WAX.

the surface of the native stalks a white resinous
powder, from which candles could be made. A
waxy substance called suberine has likewise been
obtained trom cork.

Several mineral substances resemble wax in phys-
ical properties, the principal of which are ozocerite
and hatchettine. The principal use of tne different
kinds of wax are: 1. For the manufacture of candles,
either from pure wax, the consumption of which is
especially great in Roman-Catholic countries, or of
wax mixed with stearic acid, palm oil, etc., as in
composite candles; to which purpose every variety,
whether animal, vegetable, or mineral, seems to
have been employed in different countries; 2. Asa
vehicle for colors in certain kinds of painting, and
as a protecting coat for them; 3. For giving a
polish to furniture and floors, for both which pur-
poses it is generally used in France and other parts
of southern Europe; 4. In medicine, in which bees-
wax is employed as an internal remedy against
diarrhoea and dysentery, as an ingredient in almost
all ointments, cerates, and plasters, and also for fill-
ing carious teeth; 5. As a lute or cement of much
utility for chemical and other purposes, and also as
an impervious coating for vessels formed of porous
materials; 6. As a material for modeling; and 7,
formerly for seals instead of sealing-wax.

The process given above, of bleaching by
the use of chemicals, I have tried repeated-
ly; but although I procured the purest arti-
cles, and used the utmost care, I have never
been able to get wax enough whiter to make
it any object, to say nothing of making
white wax of it. The sun bleaching is the
plan generally used, if I am not mistaken ;
but as Ihave said before, we certainly do
not want white wax for use in the apiary.
The plan of cleansing wax by the use of
acids or vinegar is well known, I believe;
but, as a general rule, I think it is more
trouble than the plans I have given. Our
friend Doolittle sent us some remarkably
pretty wax, that he said was cleansed by the
following process, which is taken from Quin-
by’s Bee- Keeping, edition of 1866, page 283:

By adding an acid to the water in which the wax
is melted, it may be separated much more readily.

A quart of vinegar toa gallon of water, or a small |

spoonful of nitric acid is sufficient.
ADULTERATION OF WAX.
The white wax of commerce, Iam sorry

to say, is generally largely adulterated with |

parafiine, which very much injures it for
making fdn., as I have before explained.

Within the past two years, another sub-|

stance, called ceresin, has been imported in
large quantities, and bids fair to take the
place of wax to a great extent for many pur-
poses. It, however, like paraffine, when
used for combs, stretches so much as to
make it worse than useless. Both of these
substances can readily be mixed with wax,
and the problem is to determine when there
is such admixture. My method has been

290

_ifera).

| season ;

WHITEWOOD.

simply to chew a piece of the suspected wax ;
if adulterated, even slightly, with either, the
wax will chew like gum; whereas, if pure it
will soon crumble and break to pieces in the
mouth, and will not make gum at all. In
buying the ordinary cakes of wax of com-
merce, we are pretty safe from adulteration
with either of these, or at least we have been
up to this time (June, 1879), but I am daily
expecting to find counterfeit cakes of dirty
wax, all sizes and colors. I am sorry to say,
that there is a species of fraud practiced by
the country people themselves, by adding
tallow to their cakes of beeswax, but, hap-
pily, this is not very common. The pres-
ence of tallow is detected by both taste and
smell, and especially by chewing, for a
very small per cent of tallow softens the wax
quite perceptibly, and makes it like grafting-
wax. Where we suspect a cake of wax, I
have sometimes made a little of it into a
piece of fdn., and hung it in a hive. If the
cells made are regular, and do not stretch
out so as to give the oblong appearance, I
pronounce it pure wax; for, so far as I
know, there is no other substance known
that will stand the heat of the hive, as will
wax, without bulging and stretching.

WHITEWOOD (Liriodendron Tulip-
This is often called the tulip-tree, I
suppose from its tulip-shaped flowers.

After [had written the above, I concluded
I did not know very much about the white-
wood, especially the blossoms; and as I had
directed our engraver to copy engravings of
the Rocky - MOUNTAIN BEE - PLANT, the
MOUNTAIN SAGE, and TEASEL, from Cook’s
Manual. I concluded I would get my obser-
vations and pictures this time from nature ;
and so I deserted my type-writer, and travel-
ed off into the woods. At length I found a
tree, but there were only buds to be seen,
not blossoms. It must be too early in the
but, hark! whence come those
sounds of humming - birds and humming
bees? Whence, too, comes that rare and ex-
quisite perfume? I looked higher,and, away
in the misty top of the tree I thought I dis-
cerned, by the light of the setting sun, mul-
titudes of bees flitting about. Oh that I were
just up there! I looked at the rough trunk
of the tree, and meditated that I was a boy
no longer, but a man of 40, or would be in a
few months more. I might get up to that
first limb : after a good deal of kicking and
pufting, I got up there. The next was a
harder pull yet; but soon the limbs were
thicker, and finally I began to crawl up-

3 WHITEWOOD.

ward with about as much ease as our year-
and-a-half-old baby goes up stairs, whenever
she can elude maternal vigilance. Up, up,
I went, until, on looking down, I really be-
gan to wonder what that blue-eyed baby and
her mamma would do, should my clumsy
boots slip, or a dead limb break unexpected-
ly. NowI was in the very summit of the
tree, and, oh what a wonderful beauty I saw
in those tulip - shaped blossoms that peeped
from the glossy-green foliage all about me!
No wonder there was a humming. Bumble-
bees, gaudy-colored wasps, yellow Italians,
and last, but not least, beautifully plumaged
humming-birds, were all rejoicing in a field

291

WHITEWOOD.

Our friends in the South have a great deal
to say about what they call ‘* poplar honey;”
and, if I am correct, the poplar is the same
tree which we call whitewood. It blossoms
with them in April and May. I know what
time it blossoms here, for I thought about
its being the 27th of May, when sliding
down out of that tree. A few days ago I
received some bees from G. W. Gates, of
Bartlett, Tenn. The combs were filled and
bulged out with a dark honey, such as I
have described, and the bees had built fins
of snow-white comb on* the cover of their
shipping-box. From this I infer the honey
must be yielded in great abundance in those

LEAF, BUD, AND BLOSSOM OF THE WHITEWOOD, OR TULIP-TREE.

of sweets. Every now and then one of the
latter paused before my very face, and, as
he swung pendulously in mid air, winked
his bright little eyes, as much as to say,
“Why, what on earth can you be doing away
up here in our domain?”’

I picked off the great orange-colored, mot-
tled blossoms, and looked for the honey. I
presume it was the wrong time of day to ex-
pect much; but the inside of those large pet-
als seemed to be distilling a dark kind of
dew that the birds and insects were licking
off. It tasted to me more like molasses than
honey. On the next page our engraver has
tried to show you what I saw in the tree-top.

As the sun had gone down, I commenced
in rather an undignified way to follow suit,
and after resting a little, limped home.
Although I was stiff and sore, I carried an
armful of whitewood blossoms to surprise
the good folks who, probably, had never
dreamed of the beauties to be seen only in
the tree-tops.

localities. I have seen it stated, that the
large flowers sometimes yield a spoonful of
honey each. As the tree is often used for
ornament, I make the following extract from
Fuller’s Forest-Tiee Culturist:

LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA (Tulip-tree Whitewood).

Leayes smooth, on slender petioles, partially
three-lobed, the middle one appearing as though
cut off ; flowers about two inches broad, bell-shaped,
greenish yellow, marked with orange; seeds winged,
in a large cone-shape cluster, which falls apart in
autumn. The figure shows a single seed
as it appears when separated from the
mass. It blooms in May and June, and
the seeds ripen in late summer or early
autumn, and should be sown as soon as
ripe in good, moderately dry soil. They
may remain in the seed - bed two years,
if desirable, but should receive a slight
protection the first winter; tree of large
size, sometimes 130 feet high, with a very
straight stem; wood light color, greenish
white, soft and light, not hard enough to
receive a polish. It is much used in cabinet work,
and for making panels for carriages, and for any
inside work where toughness orahard surface is

WINTERING.

not required. There is perhaps no native wood that
will shrink more in seasoning than whitewood, for
it not only shrinks sidewise, but endwise as well;
but when once thoroughly seasoned, it remains
fixed, and does not warp or twist like many of the
hard and tough kinds of wood. There is also much
difference in character of the wood coming from
different sections of the country, and mechanics
who are conversant with the various kinds and lo-
ealities will readily tell whether specimens came
from the West or East. The latter is of a light
greenish color, grain not so smooth and soft, and
sometimes rather tough. To produce good timber,
the soil should be deep and rich, and on such the
trees will grow very rapidly. The wood is little
used, except for the purposes mentioned above,
consequently it is only large trees that will be of
much value. It is one of the most beautiful
ornamental trees we possess, growing in a conical
form, and producing an abundance of its beautiful
tulip-shaped flowers in spring. The roots are soft
and sponge-like, and it requires great care in re-
moving to insure success. Frequent transplanting
in the nursery is the best method for preparing the
trees for future removal.

The question is often asked, ‘‘Is white-
wood good for bee-hives?” It may do for
sections and honey-boxes, but it is very un-
satisfactory for hives, for the reasons given
in this extract.

WINTERING. My friends, if you
have been over faithfully what I have writ-
ten in the preceding pages, you are nearly
ready to sum up the matter of wintering
with me, with but few additional remarks.
Under the head of ABSCONDING SWARMS, in
the opening of the book, I cautioned you
against dividing, and trying to winter weak
colonies. See Absconding in Early Spring,
under the head mentioned. Also see House-
Apiary, under head of AprARyY. In regard
to keeping bees warm through the winter
with ARTIFICIAL HEAT, see that head. In
regard to the effect of different kinds of food
or stores on the welfare of bees during win-
ter, see DYSENTERY, FEEDING AND FEED-
ERS, CANDY FOR BEES, and HONEY-DEW.
In regard to fixing the size of the entrances
to hives, and keeping them from getting
clogged with dead bees, see ENTRANCES TO
Hives, VENTILATION, and Propouis. In
regard to starving bees, and taking away
their sealed stores, allowing them only un-
sealed, late fall honey, see EXTRACTORS.
Tor a consideration of the different sizes and
shapes of frames for wintering, see Nu-
CLEUS.

After you have gone over all these, I think
we are ready to consider wintering intelli-
gently.

WHEN TO COMMENCE PREPARING THE BEES
FOR WINTER.
If either bees or stores are lacking, they

29

2 WINTERING.

should be supplied during warm weather, so
that all may be quiet and ready for the win-
ter doze which nature intends them to take,
long enough before winter weather has act-
ually setin. In this latitude I should ad-
vise examining all hives the first of Sept.

In the first place, be sure that you have
bees enough in each hive to winter; if you
have not, unite until every colony is strong.
I would not undertake to winter any colony,
unless it would cover well as many as 4 L.
frames. If your colony has not as many as
4 good combs, they must be supplied with
fdn., and made to build them out. If they
are to do it in Sept., you and the bees
both must stir yourselves, I tell you. There
must be no forgetting them, and you must
be at home every day, to attend to it. Close
the space up by chaff division-boards, until
there is just comfortable room for the 4
frames, put in your fdn. where the combs
are lacking, and then feed them every night,
from half a pint to a pint of food. Openthe
hive every day or two, and see how things
get along. You want a good queen and lots
of brood started. Make them prosper, and
build up. You will soon learn to know
what prosperity means. They should be
rearing brood, building comb, and getting
full of bees, precisely as they do in June.
lor winter stores, I would use granulated su-
gar (sce FEEDERS AND FEEDING; feed them
about half a pound every night, until their
combs are full.“4 If you have the 4 combs
average about 5 tbs. each, you will be on the
safe side. If your colony is heavy enough to
cover 6 combs, clear out to the ends, during
a cool night, they will perhaps need 6 combs
filled so as to average 5 lbs. each. When
you get the bees and the stores, with the
chaff cushions on each side, sthey are all
ready to winter, by simply putting a thick
chaff cushion overthem. This arrangement
is not as good as a regular chaff hive, but it
has answered for several seasons past, quite
well. If the winter is very severe, a colony
that would cover densely 5 or 6 combs would
be much safer than a smaller one. The
main points are, a brood - apartment closely
packed with bees, and plenty of good sealed
stores. With these two conditions alone,
the bees will generally winter all right, even
in a hive made of inch boards. If the bees
are not enough to fill the hive, reduce the
size of the apartment until they do fill it.
This is usually done by a division-board. If
the walls of this wintering apartment are
made of thin wood, the bees will then keep
the thin walls of the hive, as well as them-

- may be 3 inch in thickness.

WINTERING. 2

selves, warm all winter, and we shall then j

avoid the loss that often ensues by bees con-
tinually freezing in the outside combs.
This is the purpose of the chaff hive; itis
of about as much use to put chaff and straw
over the outside of great heavy hives, as it
would be to put your bed clothes on the roof
of your house, instead of next to your body,
on a cold winter night.

VENTILATION, AND ITS RELATION TO FROST
AND DAMPNESS.

I think the subjects of chaff{packing and
ventilation are not clearly understood. Bees
become damp because the walls of the hive
are so cold as to condense the moisture from
their breath. If these walls did not become
cold, no moisture would condense on them,
and no dampness would accumulate in the
hives. Ona cold winter night, frost some-
times accumulates on our windows until it
The amount
of ice depends on the difference in the tem-
peratures of the air on the two sides of the
glass. If the air outside should be below
zero, while that inside is 70 or 80, and at the
same time is fully charged with moisture
from the kitchen, perhaps, as is the case fre-
quently on washing-days, or even from the
breath of many persons, the accumulation
of ice on the glass will be veryrapid. If the
room is kept warmed up, the ice will melt,
and the water will run down until the floor
becomes quite wet. While running a small
engine one winter, inaroom having large
glass windows, the water accumulated so
rapidly on the glass that we had to attach a
tin trough to the window-sill to catch it, and
in a little time we caught a pailful from the
end of thespout. Thecauseis this: Warm
air takes up and holds in solution a large
quantity of water. This water is, of course,
invisible, and we have scarcely any means
of detecting it so long as the temperature of
the air is unchanged by coming in contact
with colder substances, or currents of air of
a lower temperature. If the walls of the
room are kept warm, there will be no per-
ceptible dampness. Let them be chilled, as
in the case of the window-pane, however,
and we shall have the warm air dropping its
water the very minute it comes in contact
with the cold surface, in exactly the same
way that dew is deposited on a hot summer
day, on the outside of a pitcher containing
cold water. The process with the window
goes on, because currents of air are started
both on the outside and inside of the glass,
by the heat that passes through the glass.

93

WINTERING.

To make this plain, let A, in the cut below,

represent the pane of glass. A
The arrows represent the course

of the currents of air. The neat \, f

er the difference in temperature — :

between the outside and _ inside, i

the more active are these currents,
and the greater is the deposition *]Y,
of dew or ice on the surface of the 4
glass on the inside.

_ TOW BEE-IIVES BECOME DAMP.

In the warm room you will see that the
air is chilled as it strikes the window, and
then falls because it is heavier; this gives
place to more warm air, and keeps up the
circulation. On the outside, the cold air
next the window becomes warmed, and ris-
es on account of being lighter, and this
keeps up a similar action on the outside, the
direction of the currents being reversed.
Thus you see how the water from the air is
condensed on the windows, and goes down
into the pail. The air in the room would
soon lose its moisture, were not more sup-
plied from the breathing of living persons,
or from the kettles on the stove, from damp
air rising from the cellar, or from something
of that kind. I need hardly state that the
Same operation goes on in the bee-hive, es-
pecially if the walls are thin, and the hive
at all tight. If the top of the hive is a thin
honey-board, with cold air above and warm
air below, ice will be sure to collect over the
cluster, and when it melts will dampen the
bees. The sides of the hive will be covered
with frost, and perhaps a heavy coat of ice,
by the circulation of currents of air as I have
explained. Now let us go back to the win-
dow, and place one of the chaff cushions I
have advised for wintering, close against the
window-glass, on the outside. This will
stop the outside circulation, and the light of
glass will soon become warmed through to
such an extent that no ice, or dew either,
will condense upon it. To make a further
protection, suppose we put glass or boards
on the outside of the cushion, or, in fact,
make two walls, with chaff between them as
in the chaff hive. A good colony of bees
would warm up the thin walls next to them,
sufficiently to prevent either frost or mois-
ture from accumulating on them at all.
Now, if the walls all around the bees are
thus protected with chaff cushions, they can
not well get frosty on the outside, and thus
accumulate either moisture or dampness on
the inside. Asa proof of thisI have win-
tered a colony nicely, with a covets of en-

WINTERING.

ameled cloth over them, that was almost ab-
solutely impervious to air. Tobe sure, a
thick chaff cushion was over this enameled
cloth, or it would have been wet very quick-
ly with the condensed moisture; in fact, sev-
eral colonies became quite wet during fros-
ty nights in the fall, before the chaff cush-
ions were put on. Now, if the bees are to
keep these Walls about them so warm that
moisture can not condense on them,the walls
must be close to the cluster of bees, and cer-
tainly the material for them should be a
non-conducter of heat, and they should be
so thin that they will readily warm through.
Although it may not be absolutely necessary
that the walls and covering should be of
some porous material, which will absorb any
chance moisture from the breath of the bees,
it will perhaps be better that they should be
so, and many experiments seem to indicate
that straw or chaff is the best material for
this purpose. For the reasons I have named,
the old-fashioned straw hive; which has for
ages been emblematical of the honey-bee,
seems to be very nearly what is wanted to
protect them in the way they seem to de-
mand. The straw next to them is warm, and
therefore proof againt condensation; it is
thin, and hence easily warmed; is a non-
conductor of heat; and while it may permit
the air to pass through the porous walls
slowly, tt does not admit of a draft of cold air
through the hive, as does a badly made wood-
en hive, or one that has cracks or fissures.

STRAW HIVES.

Ever since the advantages of straw hives
for wintering have been fully demonstrated,
attempts have been made to make hives of
straw, to hold the movable frames in com-
mon use. Such hives have answered the
purpose very well, but they are inconvenient,
untidy, expensive to make, and not durable
after they are made. As they can not well
be painted, they are soon destroyed by the
weather; and if we make an outer shell to
protect the straw, we have, virtually, a chaff
hive, such as I have described. It is true,
we might have straw next to the bees; but
straw does not present a clean, smooth sur-
face such as we wish to have next to combs
to have them built true,and I can not discov-
er, by experiment, that the straw is any the
less effective with a thin board interposed
between it and the bees.

HOW TO COVER THE BEES IN WINTER.

Straw mats to put over the bees have been
in usémany years, and with good results ; but
Lhave found it a difficult matter to have them

294

WINTERING.

fit so closely over the cluster as do the chaff —
cushions, and they are not so neat and tidy.
The mats will always have more or less loose
straws pulling off. For the reasons I have
ziven, I do not think a hive with the straw -
exposed either to the bees inside, or to the
weather outside, will ever eome in vogue ex- —
tensively. After having tried many differ- —
ent plans of covering the frames for winter,

‘I have adopted a single sheet of burlap, or

coarse bag stuff; but this covering is in-
tended only to keep the bees down, and
to keep. them from soiling and biting the
cushions, and not to furnish protection from
the weather, unless it should be during the
warmest summer weather. Under this, and
right over the cluster, we have the Hill de-
vice, shown below, which is the same men-
tioned by Mr. Langstroth on page 287.

HILL'S DEVICE FOR COVERING THE FRAMES
IN WINTER.

The sticks are sawed on a cirele, from
half-inch basswood. They are sawed on a
curve that would make a circle of about 11
inches in diameter. The stuff is held at an
angle when sawed, so the outer surface is
something like the surface of a sphere. The
two inside sticks are 9 inches in length; the
two outside ones, only 8. The back-bone, as
it were, is a strip of very light hoop iron, like
that used to hoop pails. It is about a foot
long, which holds the ribs about four inches
apart. Two wire nails are put through and
clinched, at each stick. You set this on the
frames, right over where the bees are clus-
tered, then lay over the piece of bagging,
or burlap, and fill the upper story with chaff.
Up under these the bees cluster; and with
sealed honey in the combs below, and chaff
above them, they can hardly be in a better
fix for winter. If they should need feeding
in winter, which never ought to be the case,
put balls of granulated sugar and honey,
stirred up together, right in this cluster.
This device I think better than sticks laid
across the tops of the frames, or any thing
of that kind; because it does not leave inter-
stices clear to the outside of the hive, and
because it accommodates the bees in a sort
of sphere-shaped ball, which extends down
between these combs of stores.

nad ee

ae ©,

WINTERING.

CHAFF CUSHIONS.

Take two pieces of burlap, mentioned
above, £0 inches wide, and the other way
clear across the roll. As the burlap is 40 in.
wide, our two pieces will be each 20 x 40.
Well, these two make the cushion by sewing
them together in such a way as to make one
single endiess seam, and I think that a look
at the cut above will tell you how it is done,
without any further explanation.

In sewing it, leave the last corner open
until the chaff is put in. It is not to be
packed in tight, but just loosely; and, in
fact, we prefer them with the quilt not quite
full. Recent experiments seem to indicate
that 6 inches of chaff over the cluster may
be better than a foot or more. It is pretty
sure that bees have many times died from
being too heavily ‘*‘ blanketed,” as it were.
The cushions should at all times be per-
fectly protected from wet or dampness, for
this very soon rots and destroys the cloth.

FIXING TILE CUSHIONS OVER THE BEES
FOR WINTER.

That the cushion may fill the upper story,
and leave no crannies or interstices to allow
frost to get in, or, by any chance, allow bees
to push their way up under the cover during
warm days in the winter, you are to put
about a peck of soft, loose chaff over the
mat, when fixing the bees for winter.
Spread it around so as to fill completely all
corners and crevices; and if the brood-nest
is contracted by a division-board, fill the
empty space back of that with chaff. The
loose chaff is to be kept there until the hon-
ey-season Opens, and you wish to use the
upper story for surplus. If some of the
chaff rattles down among the bees, it will
do no harm, but rather good. If you want
to open a hive, push the chaff over to one
side. I would put in the chaff and cushions
as soon as honey-gathering is over, or as
soon as the nights become cool.

BEST KIND OF CHAFF.

After trying a great many kinds I have
decided in favor of soft oat chaff. To get
it free from dirt and the harder portions, I
have had it run through a fanning-mill, and
collected that portion which was blown fur-

295

WINTERING.

thest from the mill. This issoft and warm
to touch, and it is easy to imagine how bees,
mice, or any thing else, snugly tucked up in
it, might pass the winter dry, warm, and in
comfort. To Mr. J. H. Townley, of Tomp-
kins, Mich., lam indebted for the idea of
using chaff for a protection in wintering.

HOW I LEARNED CHAFF-PACKING.

If he is not the original inventor, he is at
least entitled to the credit of bringing it
prominently before the public. It was dur-
ing the month of Sept., 1875, when he so
strenuously insisted that I should try one
hive on his plan that I could not well help
complying.. The following are the directions
he gave me, taken from the Nov. No. of
GLEANINGS for that year.

Make the box water-tight, so that no water can
getin from outside, and large enough to give youa
space of three or more inches between hive and box,
on all sides and top of hive. Arrange the entrance
so that it cannot get clogged with dead bees (old bees
will die, no danger of ice), take off top-board or cov-
er, put two sticks an inch apart across the center of
frames for winter passage, cover with cloth or mat
(we use old 3vorn-out grain-sacks cut in pieces of
suitable size), pack the space snugly with dry wheat
chaff or finely cut straw (sawdust is not as good), and
leave them there till fruit blossoms next year, or
longer. On some cold freezing morning next April,
open this hive and notice the difference between it
and those outside. See how warm it is, how nicely
the bees are spread over the combs in all parts of
the hive, while in hives outside they are packed in
a snug, compact, winter cluster, with more or less
dead bees outside of the cluster, killed by the cold.
We now have 60 stocks snugly packed in boxes, all
ready for winter, where we shallleave them, with
but little care and no anxiety for the next seven or
eight months. We are so well pleased with our suc-
cess in wintering and springing bees in these boxes
for three seasons past, that we shall continue it un-
til we do meet with disaster.

Friend Novice, please pack one hive away as
above described, now, and give it a fair, impartial
trial, and oblige, Yourstruly, J. H. TOWNLEY.

Tompkins, Mich., Sept. 22, 1875.

I prepared a hive exactly ashesaid. It was
a fair colony, and they had an abundance of
sealed stores, but it was no better than many
others. I used an old grain-bag, as he had
directed, and it was so very old that the bees
bit holes through it, and let the chaff sift
down into the hive on them. With the ex-
ception of this trifling accident and the
chaff packing, the bees of this colony had
the same treatment as the rest of the apiary.
I will give you some extracts from G@LEAN-
INGS, in regard to this colony and some oth-
ers, and bearing directly on this matter of
chaff-packing.

The following extracts are taken from Glean-
ings in Bee Culture for 1875-°76:

Nov. 20.—We are trying five hives in the

WINTERING.

open air; the Quinby hive, which contains
about the best colony in the apiary, and
would winter well without chaff or any thing |
else; a 20-frame hive, which has two col-

onies in it; the hive with the burnt candy ;

and two other fair stocks to test the advan-

tage of a close hive compared with an open

one. One of the latter is to be tucked up

snugly with a quilt, and the other is to be

put on eight combs in the center of a two-

story L. hive, with nothing over or around

the bees, except the cover to keep off rain.

Both are carefully weighed, and neither have

been ‘‘tinkered’”’ with by late feeding.

Double walls and chaff and straw packing

have been so much extolled, we wish to try

the opposite—no protection at all.

Feb. 8.—It is warm again now, but we
have just had a zero spell, and our colony
that we purposely left with neither sides nor
cover to their defenseless heads, except the
cover to the upper story to keep off the rain,
for the first time this winter seemed to be
the worse for such treatment; in fact, about
one-half were cold in death, martyrs to the
cause of science. ‘‘So bees do really freeze,”’
thought I; but an examination showed that
they did not freeze, they only starved after
all; for on one side of the comb where there
was no honey, every one was dead; but on
the other, where there was an abundance of
stores, they were all alive. There was
plenty of honey in all the combs, except
where the dead bees were found; in this
there was none for several inches; and to
get what there was they were obliged to get
out in the cold or over the top of the comb,
neither of which they could do during zero
weather. Now, it may be said that winter
passages in the combs would have saved
them; but even if they would, it will be
cheaper to have plenty of bees, a good, gen-
erous-sized warm quilt nicely tucked up
over their heads, and a division-board to re-
duce the size of the hive for wintering, to as
small a space as consistent with an ample
supply of food. All the rest of our colonies
are in fair trim, and those in the house-apia-
ry searcely seem to feel, as yet, the winter
at all.

April 26.— Perhaps the best colony we
have is the ane in the Quinby hive that was
packed on all sides and overhead with chaff,
ala Townley. They were so strong they
would probably have wintered well any-

where, for we tried to get them to work in|

the boxes, and failed; consequently they
had every thing full of nice sealed clover

296

honey. Now, I never saw a hive haying too

WINTERING.

| much stores, notwithstanding all that has

been said about it. I have tried the effect
ot too little, and know just what it does;
I now propose trying what the effect of too
much will be. Our next best colony is the
one in the hoop* hive, and they have been
steadily increasing in numbers since Feb.
Third best, colony with imported queen, in
house-apiary, on north side. Can not see
that it makes any difference whether stocks
are on north or south side. I should be glad
to add that the several dollars’ worth of oil
that has been used keeping the house-apiary
warmed for the past month has been of some
sort of benefit to the brood ; but really, the
bees outside that have taken their chances
are just about as well off.. The colony left
with nothing over them finally died outright.

It is now May 9th, and the bees in the
house-apiary are going so rapidly that I fear
none will be left. Those outside are most
of them building up, but a few of the weak-
est are yet going down with the well-known
spring dwindling. Now, this Quinby hive
that has the chaff over it is, as I have before
said, considerably the best colony in the
apiary; they are out first in the morning,
and fly when it is cold and rainy, and, so far
as we can see, have not lost a bee; to tell
the truth, they are so covered up that I
could not open and overhaul them if I
would, and perhaps that is one secret of
their prosperity. Day before yesterday,
while I was walking near the hive, a bit of
chaff flew out of the entrance as if impelled
by a draft of wind. ‘‘Halloo!” said I, “have
you really become so strong as to send out a
current of air for ventilation?’ and I ap-
proached and held the back of my hand be-
fore the entrance. Sure enough, there was
a steady, strong blast, and, what astonished
me more, it was so warm that it seemed al-
most as if it must come from an oven.

I at once proceeded to my other hives, and
not a breath of air could be perceived com-
ing from the entrance of even the strongest.
I went back to the Q. hive and pushed my

*This hoop hive was one of my hobbies in 1875. The
idea was, to give bees the same amount of ventila-
tion in a wood hive that they would have in a straw
one; the hive was therefore made of slats placed at
an angle so they would shed rain, but the walls of —
the hive were less than 4 inch in thickness. Strong
colonies wintered in such hives, but they kept away
from the thin open walls, not only in winter, but in
summer also; for they would not seal comb honey,
when placed next to those cool outer walls. A half-
inch board was next tried, but the bees showed
more aversion to that than they did to an inch
board. Next, I tried a half-inch board witha cush-
ion against it, and found the honey was sealed up
better next to this, than next to the inch board.
From these expeiiments, demonstrating that chaff
cushions are needed in summer as well] as winter,
the chaff hive was worked out.

Se

~WINTERING.

hand down into the chaff; and long before it
reached the bees, the warmth was very ap-
parent; as I touched the cloth that covered
the combs I made the remark that I must
have touched the cluster; but as I slid my
hand to the other end of the hive and then
over and around the sides, I was obliged to
admit that the cluster either filled 8 of the
large Q. frames, or that the chaff had the
astonishing property of so confining the heat
that the whole hive was warmed up to a
temperature that reminded one of handling
a sitting hen. Perhaps it would be weli to
state here just how the hive was prepared
last fall. The hive is wide enough inside to
hold 16 frames side by side, and the side
boards are tall enougn to hold 16 more set
on top of the lower ones. Well, the direc-
tions Mr. Q. sent with the hive were, to re-
move all but 8 of the frames for winter, and
to turn these 8 frames at right angles from
their usual position, so that, when set in the
middle of the hive, there would be a space
of about 4 inches left on all sides for the
chaff, etc., and over the top of the frames, a
space of nearly a foot. Now,if a Quinby
hive prepared in this way will always winter
like this one, why has the plan been aban-
doned? I once wrote in regard to the matter
to Mr. Elwood, I think, and, if I am cor-
rect, his reply was that the plan did not suc-
ceed so well generally as wintering in the
cellar. At all events, in Mr. Q.’s neighbor-
hood, the plan of outdoor packing seems to
have been pretty generally abandoned in
favor of cellar wintering, notwithstanding
the hive used (Q.) is most excellently adapted
to being packed. Now, I cannot help won-
dering why they failed. If it were possible
to have 100 stocks in the condition of this
one, by the Ist of May, bee-keeping would
be perfectly ‘“‘ splendid,’”’ as the little girls
say; and such colonies would be cheap,
even if it cost $10.00 to put them in the nec-
essary condition in the fall. If our friend
Townley can and does winter a whole apia-
ry in this way every time, why have others
failed? It is true, our friend Butler did in-
sist that I was stubborn in the matter,
and perhaps I would better own up that 1
was,and beg his pardon, for he certainly has
been quite successful.

For the benefit of those who did not have
Vol. IIT., I will say that, in obedience to
friend Townley’s commands, after turning
the frames around as mentioned, I covered
them with a common grain-bag, cut up, ex-
pressly to have every thing just as he said,
and then poured in and packed all around

297

WINTERING.

the bees about 5 bushels of oat chaff. Of
course, I made a passage to the entrance, by
laying a shingle over a couple of $-inch
sticks. To get at the truth of this matter, I
am going to waste some time and—chaff.
In fact, I have already taken one of the
weak colonies that was likely to die, stood
the L. frames on end, slipped a grain-bag
over all, put on an upper story, and filled
both with chaff. They haven’t got “ hot ”
yet, but perhaps it needs more than 4 pint
of bees for such an experiment. The swarm
I have been talking about is the one that
came from the suspended hive, July 24th,
last year; and as I tried again to get them to
fill the Quinby boxes, and they would not,
they had every frame full of stores. I let
them have it all, thinking I would try for
once the consequences of too much food, if
such a thing is possible.

I am now going to have for my next hob-
by, hives crammed full of stores, and no tin-
kering during cool or cold weather; no di-
viding until natural swarming commenees,
and, if honey is the object, perhaps no divid-
ing or swarming at all, if it can be avoided;
no extracting until the combs below are
filled to their utmost, and no extracting
under any circumstances that may render it
necessary to feed the same back again. Of
all the blunders in bee culture, I think there
are few greater than fussing to get the hon-
ey out of the combs where it is nicely sealed
up, and then fussing, at still greater lengths,
to get it back into the same combs, and
sealed up in the same way, if we can. ‘‘And
give up feeding?” At present I would give
up feeding, at least where one has as much
to doasI have. Why, just think of it! the
best colony in our apiary has not had one
minute’s time expended on it for the past
six months. At that rate, one person could
take charge of 1000 hives until the time for
surplus honey came; and should there be no
surplus honey he might do it the year round,
for all that would then be required would be
to see that each one had a good queen, and
the bees would do the rest. At the rate at
which good colonies of bees sell, he could do
a thriving business selling them, if he didn’t
get an ounce of honey ; and should a great
yield of honey come, he ought to be able to
hire help at a price that would pay for tak-
ing care of it, if he were not burdened with
too many ‘‘new inventions.”” Now, all these
bright visions could be realized without
trouble, if every colony as well supplied as
was the one from which we are taking this
text would only thrive in the same way.

WINTERING.

The 20-frame hive wintered beautifully
winter before last, because it contained two
good colonies; but during the past winter, a
fair colony went down to a pint, and the
rest of our apiary went down in the same
way more or less, during the month of April,
or after they commenced to raise brood
briskly. Is it possible that this spring-
dwindling has all been caused by allowing
the juvenile bees to get sore throats, etc., on
account of the brisk draft that our modern
hives allow, when they are just the age to
want to be tucked up? Keeping them warm
with a tight board box has been no better;
a tight board box would be small comfort to
one of us on a frosty night; but plenty of
warm, porous bed clothing would enable
even an infant to keep comfortable. Corn-
fodder and straw put around hives and over
them may keep the wind off, but they assur-
edly can not confine the animal heat in any
such manner as the soft dry oat chaff that is
separated from the bees on all sides by only
a thin piece of cloth. Again, a packing of
straw, or a straw mat over a strong colony
of bees, may be a very good thing; but ean it
amount to very much when there are cracks
all around where the warm air can creep out,
and when the sides are only cold, hard
boards after all? How would you like to
sleep in a bed made in that way? Would not
the children begin to dwindle out in just
about the way the bees do? Another thing:
we don’t cover our children with a board or
an oil-cloth, or paper or canvas; but we
have wool and flannel. As the bees seem pe-
culiarly sensitive to accumulations of damp-
ness, I am inelined to think that even these
would get damp and moldy. In fact, I have
had some such experience; but the soft chaff,
I think, is going to fully meet the require-
ments. Is it not possible that our fathers
knew what was best when they decided on
the old straw hive? Several weak colonies
have starved because it was too cool for
them to crawl up to a feeder containing syr-
up, While this Q. hive has bees all day and
all night, walking around on the bare
ground in front of the entrance, which is
kept warm by this blast of warm air that is
constantly passing out of one of the en-
trances, while a stream of cold air goes in at
the other.

Several years ago we had a very weak nu-
cleus in the fall; and as they were out of
stores (they were in the American hive) we
gave them one L. frame moderately filled
with stores. To get this frame into the A.
hive, we were obliged tostand it on end; and

298

WINTERING.

as this looked like a rather cold and “‘loose”’
arrangement, we packed some very fine, soft
hay all around and over the top. As there
was but the one hive, we did it well and
carefully; and so closely was the hay or grass
packed, not a bee found a chance to get out
during the whole four months. Well, we
supposed this frame of stores would last
them only a month or so; and, to deter-
mine when they would need more food, we |
tapped on the hive occasionally (they were
in the cellar), to see if they responded
promptly. Well, they answered every time
until the next April; and when they were
put out they were all alive, and had nearly
all of their frame of honey left. As this was
our first experiment with indoor wintering,
we were jubilant over it, and the next win-
ter put all our colonies in the cellar—omit-
ting the hay (of course, that could not be im-
portant, we then thought, and it may be a
good place right here to apologize to those
whom we have ridiculed for packing their
bees and putting them in the cellar besides),
and when they died with dysentery worse
than ever before, it did not occur to us then
that the hay had any thing to do with the
matter. If, after all these years, our un-
lucky nose has, at last, by accident, been
turned in the right direction, we shall be
very thankful.

May 18.—As the bees were crowding out
of the Q. hive to-day, I removed the chaff
covering. The colony is a mammoth one
for the season, and we found solid sheets of
sealed brood in nearly every one of the 8
large Q. frames. The chaff protected them
so well that they seem to have been entire-
ly free from the dwindling that has affected
nearly every other colony; of course, the
abundance of bees and stores in the fall,
as well as the chaff, had much to do with it.
To get at the real virtues of this chaff idea,
I am making some experiments now, which,
I hope, will tell me before another winter
just how much to expect from it. If I can
xeep the whole interior of the hive warm,
even in June, during cold storms and cool
nights, by some such porous covering, I
think it will be quite an item; perhaps it,
like many other things, when well tested,
may turn out to be an accidental success
after all; but I wish to know just what it
does.

Last year we did not clip our queens’
wings; but with the prospect now before us
(several colonies are strong enough to
swarm) we have concluded to have all clip-
ped.

on the front of the hive.

WINTERING.

Now in regard to closed-end frames: I
found the queens, moved the. division-
boards, and had the hives all closed up,
where there were suspended frames, in
an amount of time that seemed insignifi-
cant compared to that required to per-
form the same operations with a closed-
end Q. frame; and the statement made by a
few, that such hives can be handled as rap-
idly as the suspended frames, séems to me
positively awful. With a small colony and
anew hive, either closed-top or closed-end
frames may be handled very well; but with
an old hive so full of bees that they cover
the end-bars of the frames so as to prevent
your seeing the wood at all, and frames so
heavy as to make your back ache while you
stoop in the hot sun and look first at one
end and then at the other, to see if you are
killing bees, and those hybrids, too,—well, if
you think we don’t know how, try one such
hive yourself, or visit some one who knows
how, if such there be. A careless person
might not be aware that he killed bees at
all, and some donot seem to care ; but to me,
the sight of the quivering form of a erushed
and mangled little fellow when he is inno-
cently standing in the threshold of his own
door, or peering out at the blue sky, while
the closed ends are being brought up into
place, is enough to spoil the pleasure of bee-
keeping.

June 14.—To open up the season's cam-
paign, the Quinby hive sent out a rousing
swarm to-day. Now, even after this swarm
was hived, and had sent to the field more
workers than any two stocks in the apiary,
the old hive kept on at work with almost
the same force as before, for they had been
for a couple of days rather inclined to loaf
Before swarming,
they stored 50 lbs., perhaps, in boxes, and
there are bees enough left to keep the work
going right along. What do you suppose an
apiary of 100 stocks like this one would
amount to? and this is the Quinby hive that
we have tried 4 seasons, and, heretofore, un-
successfully. Although our esteemed friend
who invented it is departed, his works bid
fair to keep him in kind remembrance many
days.

June 27.—Hurrah for chaff! The Quinby
hive has sent out a large second swarm.

Sept. 5.—Our Quinby hive (packed with
chaff) has given us four swarms, and all are
now good strong colonies. If the chaff
packing should work as well next winter,
why may not the 5 increase to 25? This
would be 25 from one, in two seasons. But
this is not all; the first swarm stored full 50

299

WINTERING.

lbs. in empty combs, and since these were
removed has given us about 25 lbs. in see-
tions. The second swarm has made about
25 lbs. of comb honey, and the third about
10; all four, as well as the old colony, have
their hives crammed with stores, and the
original stock has stored about 100 lbs. of
honey in the Quinby boxes. Think of it !
Five colonies amply provisioned for winter,
and 185 lbs. comb honey, from one in the
spring !—End of extract.

From the above, you can see what turned
my mind so vehemently in favor of chaff.
The same winter in which I packed the Q.
hive, as given above, I wintered the bees in
the house apiary, with only asingle thick-
ness of cloth over the frames. The result
was, they dwindled the worst of any bees I
ever tried to winter, and I lost, if Iam cor-
rect, every colony but one or two. The win-
ter after, I protected them with heavy chaff
cushions, and they all wintered nicely; not
as well, quite, as the Q. hive, it is true, but
they were not as perfectly protected on all
sides. Since it isso much labor to handle
the Q. frames (as I have before mentioned),
the next winter I tried a similar arrange-
ment with the LL. frames enveloped in a
large case, with chaff, or cushions, on all
sides. All colonies so packed came out all
right. My neighbors made similar experi-
ments, and they, too, as well as friend
Townley, reported the same, with scarcely
an exception. From these experiments I
worked out the chaff hive which I have here
described, and, after a three-years’ test, tak-
ing all things into consideration, I consider
it the simplest and safest means by which
bees can be wintered. The second year our
bees were all packed in chaff, and the result
is given briefly in the following editorial, in
the May No. of GLEANINGS, 1877:

April 29, 1877.—We have sold $250.00 worth of bees
out of the 100 colonies reported last month, and have
75 good colonies left. Is not that a litile better than
the reports we have been in the habit of making for
the month of April? An income from bees, in the
spring, is certainly quite a pleasant thing to have.
Hurrah for the chaff cushions! and many thanks to

friend Townley.
The winter of 1877-°78 was very mild, and

bees wintered well in chaff hives, and in
hives of every other kind, so that our bee-
keepers, myself among the number, doubt-
less got a little careless, and in undertaking
to winter small colonies in the same way in
the winter of 1878-79, disastrous losses fol-
lowed. Strong colonies in chaff hives came
out, as a general thing, as strong as they
had in the preceding winters; but bees in
common hives, and rather weak colonies in

WINTERING.

chaff hives, fared badly. The general testi-
mony from bee-keepers all over our land is
so strongly in favor of the chaff hives, that
there can be no doubt about their coming
into very general use for a winter hive. The
Simplicities, from their lightness and con-
venience in handling, will always be in
great demand for summer work. It is but
a moment’s work to lift the combs from one
into the other.

WINTERING IN CELLARS OR SPECIAL RE-
POSITORIES.

A few years ago, cellars and special re-
positories became all at once very popular,
and bee-keepers all over our land, especially
in the northern localities, invested much la-
bor and money in constructing good frost-
proof cellars, or sawdust - packed buildings
above ground. In 1868 I put up such a
building, and packed the walls with 8 inches
of sawdust, and also put sawdust between
the floors and overhead, and wintered 48
colonies in it without losing a single one.
A neighboring bee-keeper who used one
similarly constructed had wintered in his
for nearly a dozen years, and, at that time,
had never lost a colony in it. These results
seemed pretty nearly conclusive; but a few
years later, when the spring dwindling, as
it has been called, made its appearance, my
neighbor and I both made the discovery,
that bees taken out in March, in fair order,
would often, in spite of us, become reduced,
before the end of April, to a mere handful,
and then perish outright, or leave their
hives and swarm out as I have mentioned
under the head of ABSCONDING SWARMS ;
while at the same time, good strong colo-
nies left outdoors, without any especial
care, would often be full of bees, and ready
to swarm. I donot mean to say that such
was generally the case, but there were al-
Ways more or less in the neighborhood that
would winter finely without care, while
many so carefully housed would turn out
disastrously. A neighbor who had devoted
almost his whole time to his bees would be
obliged, in spite of his well-made bee-house,
to buy black bees in the spring to keep his
Italians alive, and the strong colonies of
black bees were invariably wintered almost
without loss, in an open shed, in cheap, un-
painted box hives. Even the York - State
bee-keepers, with their splendid cellars built
especially for their bees, if I am correct,
often used to go off into the country and
buy black bees in the same way, to get an-
other start in the spring. It is so difficult to
get many of them to report their losses, that

300

WINTERING.

I am unable to say whether they do any bet-
ter of late years or not. I presume they do,
for I should be very sorry to think we were
making no progress in this one great draw-
back to bee culture.

The bee - houses answered very well the
purpose of protecting the bees from the ef-
fects of frost during ordinary winters ; but
when we happened to have avery severe
spell of several days’ duration, the walls
would collect ice and dampness, in the way
I have explained in a former part of this ar-
ticle; and when the weather moderated, the
melting of this ice made the room damp
and unwholesome, in spite of the ventilat-
ing-tubes or any thing else that could well be
arranged in sucha building. If the weath-
er came off very warm, as it frequently does
even in midwinter, in our locality, the bees
would very naturally want to get out, and
then ensues a disturbance that is very likely
to result in trouble, unless the weather
speedily changes. The houses may answer
well for one or two winters, or even more;
but with the changeable weather we have
here, I am forced to consider them more

| trouble than profit, taking them for a series

of years together. To illustrate what we
have to contend with, I will mention that, in
the month of Jan., 1878, we had such a spell
of warm weather that dandelions were
found in blossom, and the bees raised brood
and grew strong almost all the winter
through. Well, the winter after, during al-
most all the month of Jan., the thermometer
stood from 10° to 20° below zero, and, the
spring being late and cold, the spring
dwindling had a ‘ rum,’ almost unknown
before. One-half to perhaps three-fourths
of all the bees in the Né6rthern States per-
ished. Ilouses and cellars were a splendid
investment for such a winter, while they
might have been a perfect nuisance the win-
ter before.

ADVANTAGES OF A CELLAR OVER A ROOM
ABOVE GROUND.

Now, a good cellar has one very obvious
advantage over any building made above
ground, for the earth at the sides and under
the floor will shut out frost in those direc-
tions, and a good building overhead will
afford protection above. It is not, in fact,
very difficult to make a cellar without win-
dows perfectly frost-proof, and we want no
windows in the apartment where the bees
are kept; for the darker it can be made, the
better. Besides keeping the frost out, a
good cellar is comparatively cool, even in
the summer time, a condition that is hard

oe

WINTERING. 3

to be secured in a room above ground.
What, then, is the objection to acellar? The
principal one, in our clay soil here in Medi-
na, is that it is almost of a necessity damp.
A ‘good, clean, dry, frost-proof cellar, in a
sandy soil, is perhaps as gooda place for
wintering bees as can well be arranged. If
it can be ina sandy side-hill, so that the
bottom of the cellar is on a level with the
apiary, it seems as if almost nothing more
could be asked. I should ask one thing
more, however, and that is, that the hives be
arranged permanently in this cellar, and the
bees be allowed to go out at their pleasure,
as they do in the house-apiary. There are
two difficulties in the way of doing this:
First, it would be difficult to fix an entrance
not too long, and that would not admit
frost; second, the bees would lack the ben-
efit of the warmth of the sun during the
spring months. I do not see, at present,
how we can get any thing much better than
the chaff hives and the house-apiary.®

HOW TO GET RID OF DAMPNESS, AND SE-
CURE PERFECT VENTILATION IN
/ CELLARS.

It was long ago noticed by many, that
bees wintered in cellars directly under the
kitchen stove came out in fine condition,
while others where there was no stove near
the bees wintered badly. This seemed to
show conclusively the benefit of artificial
heat, for warming and drying the atmos-
phere. If you will recall what has been
said in regard to cold and warm currents of
air, you will see that, to change the air
thoroughly in any apartment, you must get
up a circulation by heating a portion of the
air, or by other means. Putting astove in
aroom or cellar answers nicely for drying
and thoroughly ventilating the apartment
at one and the same time. As this would
be likely to cause a disturbance among the
bees, it is much better to run a pipe, such
as a stove-pipe, into or through the room.
A very common plan is to attach a pipe by
an elbow to the pipe coming from the cook-
ing stove. Carry this down into your bee-
cellar to within 6 inches of the floor. The
draft from the stove will “pull” the air up,
even the damp air from the floor, and fresh
air will find its way in through the crevices,
to take its place. If you wish to be sure
that a current of air is constantly going up
this pipe, throw a burning rag or paper on
the floor, and the smoke will show you how
the air rushes up the pipe.

I believe the large bee-keepers of York
State have generally decided on indoor

01 WINTERING.

wintering, and Mr. L. C. Root, in his Quin-
by’s Bee-Keeping, just out (May, 1879), gives
us some very valuable ideas on the matter.
Recognizing the points I have just men-
tioned, they have, at considerable expense,
prepared underground rooms, to be dried
and heated by suitably arranged furnaces.
They have entirely discarded buildings
built above ground. Mr. Root particularly
enjoins quietness, and to this end advises
that no one go into the bee-room during the
winter. Also that the hives be supported
from the floor, or ground, and not placed on
shelves or benches, as is so commonly done.
This would avoid disturbing the bees in the
other hives, when you are handling any one
of them. The clamps or cellars are, if pos-
sible, built in a side-hill, and the roof over-
head is covered by at least a foot of dry
earth, which is kept dry by a good shingle
roof over this. The bees are to be put in
these rooms during dry weather in the fall,
and, if I am correct, they are not to be taken
out until pollen and honey can be obtained
in the spring.

I hardly need to say that a cellar or frost-
proof repository should have double doors;
and if there be windows, they should be
fixed in a manner that will be equivalent to
making them double, being sure that no
portion of the walls ever shows a bit of frost
to melt, and thus produce dampness. A cel-
lar within a cellar would be the thing; and
if it can be so perfectly protected from
dampness that the dust on the floor will re-
main dry all winter long, it is about as near-
ly perfect as it can well be, if perfectly dark
and well ventilated; that is, so far as getting
the bees through the winter months is con-
cerned. If I am correct, our greatest losses
have been in the spring months, after the
bees have been removed from their winter
quarters. I shall have more to say on this,
a little further along.

PREPARING STOCKS FOR WINTER
QUARTERS.

We used to think, where bees were housed
from Nov. until April, that we need only
carry in the body of the hive, omitting coy-
er and bottom-boards, and, in short, every
thing but just the combs necessary to carry
the bees and their stores, with enough of
the hive to move them handily. Now, al-
though I have wintered bees finely, having
nothing at all over the frames while in the
cellar or bee house, I would, taking all re-
sults into consideration, pack them in chaff
to be carried into the cellar, much the same
as I would to winter them on their summer

THEIR

WINTERING.

stands. Then, when carried out in the
spring, they are proof against cold winds
and cold nights, which almost always ensue.
For the same reason, I would advise the
chaff covering even in the Southern States,
that the bees might be spared the chilling
spells that are so much of a hindrance to
brood-rearing, even though the weather is
not down to a freezing-point. Bees with
warm walls all about them are in a much
better condition to go on with brood-rearing,
than where the cluster touches cold, damp
boards, and where cracks and crevices per-
mit the warm air of the hive to pass out as
fast as the bees can generate it. Witha
well-made chaff hive anda good colony of
bees, I can keep brood-rearing going on by
the use of the flour candy, right in the depth
of winter, with the hive standing outdoors
at that. In 1877 I hived a fourth swarm,
late in the season, in a chaff hive, and, as an
experiment, built them up during the win-
ter, with a frame filled with the flour can-
dy, until they were so strong in the spring
that a customer chose them in preference to
any other hive in the apiary, and paid me
$15.00 cash for them, which gave_me an ex-
cellent profit on all the time, sugar, ete.,
that was invested in the experiment. I
would bundle them up in chaff or chaff
cushions, no matter where they are to be
wintered. The experiments I first made in
this direction with the house-apiary also il-
lustrate this subject.

TIME OF PUTTING THE BEES INTO THE
CELLAR.

If they are packed and put away before
the first frost comes, all the better; and
please be sure to put them indoors during
some dry day, that the hives and combs may
be entirely free from dampness. You will
have warm days after the first frost, I am
well aware; and unless your cellar is as dark
as the deepest midnight, and cool enough to
prevent the bees from getting uneasy, you
will have trouble about keeping them in
their hives. This is one great reason why I
object to cellar wintering.*® Some bee-keep-
ers advise taking them out fora fly during
the winter, when we have a warm spell;
others object to moving them at all, and per-
haps both are right. Sometimes, carrying
them out does good, and, at other times, it
seems to do harm. If you have them in
chaff hives or a house-apiary, they can go
out whenever they please, and this plan
pleases me much better. I do not like to be
confined myself, and do not like to be
obliged to confine any of God’s creatures,

202

WINTERING.

when it can be avoided. I have sometimes
had bees remain quiet and contented in the
bee-house, and in the cellar, four months,
without trouble, and, at other seasons, they
would not be quiet one month. At present
I do not knowwhy bees winter well at one
time, and at another do not, when all the
circumstances, so far as we can see, are
the same.°7

SHALL BEES BE CONFINED TO THEIR HIVES
WHEN PUT INDOORS ?

If the bees are fastened in their hives with
wire cloth, in such a way that the dead ones,
in falling down, will not close and clog the
entrance, I do not know that it makes any
difference whether they are fastened in or
not.*s In the one case they will die against
the wire cloth, and in the other they will
get out on the floor, and die. It is so untidy
and disagreeable to have bees around on the
floor, on the shelves, and all over the room,
that I think I should fasten them in; I have
done it two seasons, and did not consider
the quantity found dead in the hives great-
er than we usually find on the floors. It
has been recommended that an extra space
be given below the frames, for the dead
bees, that they may not clog up the en-
trance. With the Simplicity hives, this can
be readily furnished by turning the bottom-
board hollowing side up, putting wire cloth
over the openings at both the front and back
end, and fastening the bottom-board in
place.

BEST TEMPERATURE FOR A CELLAR OR
BEE-HOUSE.

The general agreement has been on about
40°; but some of the York-State bee-keepers
claim they can succeed by keeping them as
warm as 50°. My experiments seem to in-
dicate that such a temperature, in confine-
ment, would induce dysentery; but a system-
atic ventilation in connection with this tem-
perature may answer better than the 40°.

REMOVING THE BEES FROM THE CELLAR.

If they do not get too restless, I would al-
low them to remain until the soft-maples, or
willow and alder, begin to furnish pollen.
Put them out very early, in the morning of
a warm pleasant day, if you can tell what
morning will develop into a pleasant day.
Set each hive out so quietly that none of the
rest will be disturbed, if you can. I would
a little prefer that each stock be placed on
its usual summer stand, if it be practica-
ble; but if not, it may make but little differ-
ence. Colonies often get badly mixed when
first carried out, and queens are sometimes
lost. Giving each one its old stand will do

WINTERING.

much to avoid this. If you doubt that the
bees remember their old location, just seta
single hive on anew stand, and see where
the bees will go when suddenly disturbed,
and allowed to fly.

After they are all out, and nicely fixed as
they were the fall before, keep a close watch
that the weak ones do not swarm out, as
they are quite prone to do, after their long
confinement. I do not know but I may dis-
gust you with indoor wintering, by the
many difficulties I have been mentioning; I
want you to know what you have to contend
with, even though I do discourage you.

ADVANTAGES OF CELLAR WINTERING.

L. C. Root estimates that bees wintered
indoors probably save as much as 5 ibs. of
honey per colony. This would be quite an
item in an apiary of 100 hives. In contrast
with the method of wintering outdoors with-
out protection, I think he may be right;
but with a properly prepared chaff hive, I
think there will be little if any more hon-
ey consumed, unless it is used in rearing
brood, which will add to the strength of the
colony. A colony may be so wintered as to
consume scarcely any stores, but it may
take thein all the fore part of the honey
season to recover strength enough to be of
any value.}”

NUMBER OF COLONIES TO BE PUT INTO ONE
ROOM.

Unless you have as many as 40 or 50,1
would not think of wintering them indoors ;
for a few colonies would not be able to keep
up the temperature of the room, and it
would be liable to get very cold. Many fail-
ures have been reported from trying to win-
ter a dozen or more in a small room.!¢!

ONE MORE HINT IN REGARD TO WINTERING.
- Sometimes a colony may run out of stores
unexpectedly, and, to all appearances, be
dead from starvation, the greater part of the
bees on the bottom-board, and others with
their heads in the cells. Now, if they have
not been in this condition more than three
or four days, they can often be revived by
taking them into a warm room. As soon as
they begin to show signs of life, sprinkle
them with diluted honey or sweetened water.
. In the course of 2to6or8 hours they will
come to life, as it were, crawl up on the
combs, and be nearly as well as if their mis-
hap had never happened. Such cases occur
most frequently in the apiary, when the
nights are not very cold. Valuable queens
may often be saved when but few or none of
the workes-beer can be resuscitated; for it
is a strange fact, that the queen’s tenacity of

303

WINTERING.

life is greater than that of any of the work-
ers.

In my earlier experience I was trying very
hard one year to winter my whole apiary, of
48 colonies, without any loss. I did it, but
one of them came so near being lost that it
was saved only by the above treatment; —
therefore, friends, don’t be in a hurry to de-
cide that a colony is lost irretrievably.

SUMMING UP THE MATTER OF WINTERING.

Taking all things into consideration, my
advice to the A B C elass, and to all others
who have not large apiaries and large ex-
perience, is to winter in chaff-packed hives,
in the open air, on their summer stands. If
it were as pleasant and convenient to handle
bees in the house-apiary as in the open air, I
should say, have a house-apiary.

SPRING DWINDLING.

I do not know whether to style this a dis-
ease, or a condition of things that comes
about naturally during cokd and backward
springs. I should incline to the latter, were
not its ravages so uncertain; that is, it
seems to affect a part of an apiary and not
another part; and, at times, it will go all
through one apiary, while another, a few
miles away, will be entirely free from it. . It
is very certain that it afflicts weak colonies,
as a general thing, more than strong ones,
but there are exceptions even to this. Itis
much worse after along, hard winter, and
it disappears always at the approach of set-
tled warm weather and new honey. Al-
though it does not generally seem to affect
stocks before March, I have seen them af-
fected by it from Feb. until June. I have
even known colonies to be listless and life-
less from its effects, until others in the api-
ary were sending out rousing swarms.
Strong colonies that are raising brood vig-
orously seldom seem affected by it; but I
suspect they are affected more or less by it,
or by the condition of things, but have suf-
ficient vigor and strength—animal heat, if
you please—to pull through until there is
plenty of warm weather, new pollen, and
new honey.

It made us but little if any trouble in
our apiary, during the spring of 1878; but
we had such a siege of it in 1879 that an ex-
tract from GLEANINGS of that year, for
May, will make a very good description of it.

SPRING DWINDLING.
A Report from the Battle-Field, by an ‘* Hye-
Witness.” :
To-day is the 15th of April, and scarcely a
bit of pollen has been gathered. The buds

WINTERING. 3

of the soft - maple are open; but, for some
reason which I can not give, not a bee is to
be seen hovering near them; the slippery
elm is also in bloom, but, strange to say,
not a bee hums about it either. The weath-
er has not been very warm, and there is a
cool north wind which may account in part
for the seeming indifference of the bees to
blossoms. Last month I reported 85 col-
onies left. Since then, one after another,
they have been dwindling down in a won-
derfully short space of time, and stocks that
were called fair, having brood on several
combs a week ago, are now found with only
a handful of bees, the brood dead by expos-
ure, the unsealed larve starving and drying
up in the cells, and a general air of discour-
agement all about the hives. Some colonies
bring in a little pollen now and then, but
the great part of them seem to have sus-
pended work, and the bees are loafing idly
about on the combs. Usually we find a row
of cells of unsealed honey around the young
brood, but now the heavy combs of sealed
stores remain untouched, and not a cell of
honey is placed close to the brood for imme-
diate use, and every bee seems to have stop-
ped work. When we open hives there is
no need of a smoker, for the greater part of
the bees seem too listless to care to show
fight. Some cases seem to indicate that the
black bees are less affected than the Ital-
ians; but, again, we find heavy stocks of
blacks, in box hives, bought of some of our
neighbors, all at once reduced to a handful,
the queen gone, and the whole establish-
ment an easy prey to robbers, if the robbers
had energy enough to appropriate it. The
dwindling is not in my apiary alone, but is
also lessening the stocks of the farmers and
other bee - keepers in our vicinity, and, in
fact, all over our land. Not that everybody
has lost thus, for many whole apiaries seem
to have wintered as well as they ever did,
but the losses seem to extend so widely
that it is almost impossible to ascribe it to
any special locality, or kind of stores. The
chaff hives, it is true, were all right when
the others were dying off at a rapid rate; but
within the past week they, too, have begun
to follow the rest, at a rate that is alarming.

The house-apiary, somewhat to my aston-
ishment, seems almost unaffected, only that
they are making very slow progress in brood-
rearing, and a very few stocks show signs of
the universal dwindling. Even the flour
candy seems to have lost its potency to start
brood - rearing. I have had experience in
this same line before, and it seems to me

O4

WINTERING.

that nothing but new honey and new pollen
can revive the drooping courage of our little
pets. I need hardly add that grape sugar
has nothing to do with it, for apiaries where
it has never been used are just as much af-
fected. The bees have died close up to
combs of sealed clover honey. No symp-
toms of dysentery are to be seen. Meal has
been given them in fine weather, but their
zeal for it has been nothing like what it is
usually. There are now 55 “hives with bees
in them,’ in our apiary. Perhaps a dozen of
these have queen-cells, instead of queens.
Four whole colonies, 9 nuclei, and 35 queens
(48 in all) have been sold. I am thus partic-
ular in giving these details, because I think
all who embark in bee culture should have a
fair view of the obstacles they may have to
contend with. We went into winter quar-
ters with 166 colonies.

It is not often that I disobey orders, but
the following describes so vividly the condi-
tion of my bees, except those in the house
apiary, that I have concluded to run the
risk, and give it. It may make some poor
fellow feel better, friend Bray, for you know
that misery loves company.

Well, I went into winter with about 130 colonies of
bees. To-day I think I can house all I have left, in a
44. bushel measure—yes, I believe I could put them
in a peck basket. Don't publish this. It would cost
me about $500 to replacethem. What's the matter?
However, I shall not give up. Can you offer me any
consolation? I hope ycu had better luck than I
have had. J. B. BRAY.

Lynnville, Tenn., Mar. 28, 1879.

April 25.—We have now had nearly a
week of beautiful weather, and the troubles
are allover. The bees are at work on the
maples; and under the influence of new hon-

yj \ " Say
VA\\)
Vf | q ead ao,

AN EXPERIENCE THAT ‘‘ BLESSED BEES ”’
DIDN’T TELL OF.

WINTERING. 30.

ey and pollen, every thing is promising.
The weak colonies have still quite a propen-
sity to swarm out,and, for some strange rea-
son, our queens most unexpectedly turn up
missing every day or two. This trouble
seems mostly confined to the black queens
in hives I have purchased, so we can not
well ascribe it to artificial ways of manag-
ing. The farmers in the country round
about us have lost most heavily. Our
neighbor Shaw, of Chatham, strange to tell,
has come through again this winter, without
the loss of a single colony. His hives are
not chaff-packed, butare double, with a dead-
air space between the walls. Those of our
neighbors who reared queens for sale last
season have generally lost badly. Our en-
graver, who had quite a fine little apiary in
the fall, has now but two colonies left. His
imported queen went with the rest, and it
was perhaps his sad experience that prompt-
ed our cartoon for this month, which I may
as well give you right here.
End of extract.

It may be well to state that the bees in
1879 were not as well protected as in the
former year, but the fact that colonies in
the chaff hives were eventually affected,
proves that chaff, with all our pains, is not
a positive preventive.

CURE FOR SPRING DWINDLING.

As I have said before, I know of no posi-
tive cure except warm weather, and this
always does away with it entirely; were this
not the case, I should hardly be willing to
class this great drawback to successful bee
culture, under the head of wintering. The
question now arises, Can we not, by the use
of artificial heat, bring about such a state
of affairs as is produced by warm weather ?
In other words, can we not, by going to the
necessary expense and trouble, save our
bees and queens, even though seasonable
weather does not come? Many experiments
have been made in the matter, and some of
them, apparently, have succeeded; but, on
the other hand, many of them have signally
failed. I have started healthy brood-rearing
in every month in the year, by means of ar-
tificial heat; but to take a whole apiary that
is running down, in the month of April, and
build it up, prevent the colonies from
swarming out, and the queens from desert-
ing and dying, is something I have never
succeeded in doing.

A singular part of the whole matter is,
that our friends in the South should suffer
in the same way, and even worse than we in
the North, as the letter I have given in the

5

WINTERING.

extract above indicates. Similar cases have
been reported almost all over the South, al-
though it is a more unusual thing there for
bees to die with plenty of stores in the hives.
There are considerable apiaries in Medina
Co., which, until within the past two years,
have scarcely known a case of this spring
dwindling, but which have lately been badly
affected. Two of the owners have excellent
cellars, and, heretofore, have rather ridi-
culed the idea that spring dwindling was
due to other causes than careless manage-
ment. Therefore, my friends, I am sorry to
say that, though you have hitherto never
lost a colony in your life, you must not be
astonished or disappointed should you, some
spring, see all your colonies go down to
handfuls, in spite of all you can do, and per-
haps perish outright. IfI am mistaken, I
Shall be very glad to know it, but I think it
will be safest to base our calculations on
the assumption that bee culture, in some
respects, is a hazardous business, even with
the most thorough and careful.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR BEES
““ SPRING DWINDLING.”’

Look them over every other day, if neces-
sary, and close up the division-boards, tak-
ing out all combs they can not cover. As
soon as a colony gets so weak that it can not
cover two combs, unite it with some other
weak one; also, whenever you find colonies
queenless, unite them with others. If you
have the real dwindling, you will find queen-
cells started and queens missing, at almost
every round you take among the hives.
This is because the colonies have become
disheartened and demoralized; and the only
thing that will prevent this demoralization
is todouble them up until there are num-
bers enough to repel the frost, and make
them feel that there is some use in trying to
hold out. It may be that these same colo-
nies that you double up and make strong
one day will need the same thing done
again within the next 3 days, but there is no
help for it. Keep the brood together so as
to have it protected as much as possible, and
keep reducing your colonies until they stop
losing bees with such rapidity. The ques-
tionmay be asked, What becomes of the bees?
I believe, generally, they fly out of the hives,
and never get back again. During cool sun-
shiny days they may be seen on the fences
and sidewalks, on the grass and like places,
often laden with pollen, showing clearly
that they are trying to make a live of it, and
doing the best they can. Ihave sometimes
thought they became so chilled in their mea-

GET

WINTERING.

ger clusters at home, that they had not suf-
ficient vigor to withstand the chilly spring
winds as a bee from a powerful and prosper-
ous colony would. As the Italians are more
eager for stores than the common bees, it
may be that this is one reason why they are
often said to be more liable to this dwindling
than the common bees.

Now, in regard to a decreasing apiary, al-
low me to say, evenif the bees do get de-
moralized, you must not. Fix up the hives
and combs where the bees have died. Brush
out the dead bees and bury them, that in-
quisitive visitors may not make a great fuss
on seeing heaps of dead bees; and while you
make a retreat, do every thing in good order.
Make the apiary neat and tidy, justas you
would if every hive were boiling over with
bees. Do not leave any filled combs exposed
to robbers; butas fast as they are taken from
the bees, either shut them up in bee-tight
hives, or carry them into your bee-house.
Your neighbor may have hives strong with
bees that will like no better fun than to clean
your hives out; and after they get once to
going, you may find they will clean out your
hives that have bees in them too. During
the past few weeks I have had more com-
plaints of robbing in connection with this
spring dwindling, than ever before, perhaps,
in the spring. Some of the friends seem in-
clined to lay the whole trouble to the vicious
bees belonging to their neighbors, or coming
from the woods.

During the doubling-up process mentioned
above, many queens will be thrown out; and
if the season is far enough advanced, they
may be sold to those about you who have
colonies strong enough to divide. Asa proof
that these queens are just as good as any,
just put them into a strong colony and you
will see them go to work just as well as they
did during the summer previous.

Well, suppose the bees all die; what then ?
Why, you must do the best you can; and if
none are left, go out among those about you
who are more fortunate, and buy more. By
paying a dollar a lb. for bees, as I have done
for the past month, or by buying hives and
all, as cheap as you can, with your stock of
hives and combs you may build them up at
arate that may astonish not only those about
you, but even yourself as well. In order to
save your queens it may be well to purchase
before your bees are quite all gone. You
will find that bees from another yard will
take hold and go to work just as well as they
ever did. Even this 10th day of June I have
noticed colohies that seem not to have re-

306

WINTERING.

covered entirely from the siege they have
just passed through, while stocks right by
their side, no heavier, but which were pur-
chased 10 miles away, perhaps, seem to rear
brood and build up equal to any thing I
ever saw.

WHAT TO DO WITH COMBS FROM HIVES
WHERE THE BEES HAVE DIED.

Put them safely out of the way of bees,
either in tight hives or in a bee-proof room ;
and if you have not bees enough to cover
them by the middle of June, or at sucha
time as you shall find moth worms at work
among them, be sure that all the combs are
spread at least two inches apart, as recom-
mended in BEE-MOTH. Now, whatever oth-
er precautions you take, you must look after
these empty combs occasionally. They are
very valuable, and must not be allowed to
be destroyed. A very good way to keep
them is to put them in empty Simplicity
hives, piled one over the other. This keeps
them perfectly protected, and yet you can
quickly look them all over as often as once
a week at least, until they are used. But,
suppose they do get moldy, or full of worms,
what then ?

WHAT TO DO WITH COMBS THAT ARE

SOILED, MOLDY, AND FILLED
WITH DEAD BEES.

When I wrote the article on DySENTERY
I forgot to mention what should be done
with the combs after the bees had died.
Many times you will find the cells full of
dead bees; and any one whohas tried it will
know what an endless task it is to try to
pick them out. Well, do not try; but just
take these combs and set them away until
you want empty combs to build up stocks,
and then hang them, one ata time, in the
center of a populous colony. After a few
hours, just take a peep at your comb, and
see how the bees do it. If itis at a season
when honey is coming in, it will have un-
dergone such a transformation you can
scarcely believe your eyes, when you come
to take a look at it. I have put in combs
that were full of dead bees, filthy from the
effects of dysentery, and moldy besides, and
found them in the afternoon of the same
day, clean, bright, and sweet, holes patched
up, and partly filled with eggs, honey, and
pollen. In one case I hunted the hive all
over for my bad comb, and then came pret-
ty near declaring somebody had taken it
away; there was no comb there that could
be identified as the bad one. Do not ex-
tract the honey, pick out the bees, or fuss to
wash them off with water; just let the bees
try their hand at it, and see. Do not give

WINTERING.

them too many bad combs at once, or they
may get discouraged, and swarm out. Give
them one; after afew hours, another; and
you will very soon have them all right.
How do they do it so quickly? Well, each
bee takes a cell; and when he has his cell
finished, they are all done. Suppose you
had as many boys as there are hills of corn
in the field. If all went to work, the field
would soon be clean. Combs infested with
moth-webs, and even live worms, may be
fixed up in a twinkling, in the same way.
If you stand in front of the hive, you may
have the satisfaction of seeing the worms
led out by the nape of the neck; to do this,
you want a strong vigorous colony of Ital-
ians. See BEE-MOTH. A new swarm will
usually clean out a hive of bad combs in
the same way; but if too bad they may
swarm out. Better take them in the way I
have mentioned. To be sure, it pays to save
such combs.1%

THE LOSSES DURING THE WINTER OF

1880-81.

It is now July, 1881, and the winter we
have just passed through has been the most
disastrous in the way of spring dwindling
ever known. Vrobably three-fourths of all
the bees in the Northern States were lost,
and a great part of them were in pretty
fair condition until April, when a very severe
spell of winter, with a temperature below
zero, was the occasion of the greater part of
the losses. Bees that were in good warm
and dry cellars during this siege fared bet-
ter; but some very bad losses are reported,
even with cellar wintering. While bees in
the chaff hives suffered more than they ever
have before, the testimony in favor of chaff
hives over those unprotected has settled the
matter of their superiority, beyond all ques-
tion. At the same time, a great number of
reports point strongly to the importance of
more and better ventilation than we have
been in the habit of giving. Hives where
the section boxes were carelessly left on all
winter have,in many cases, come through in
good condition, while those closely packed
with chaff cushions above have died. In
our own apiary, we started into winter with
about 140 colonies, and saved less than a
dozen. It is proper to say, however, that
few or none of these were really strong, first-
class colonies. The young bees were shaken
from the combs in the fall, and used to fill
orders ; and our trade in queens also kept
many of the colonies queenless when they
should have been rearing brood to stand the
winter. ~

307

WINTERING.

The following is from the pen of Mr. Lang-
stroth, in regard to the loss in my apiary, as
given in Gleanings for July, 1S81 :—

ON THE PROBABLE CAUSES OF THE LOSS OF OUR BEES
LAST WINTER.

Your heavy losses in bees affect me painfully.
While I admire your cbeerful spirit under such se-
vere reverses, I know that the failure to winter
your bees is much harder to bear than the mere
pecuniary loss. I speak from a vivid recollection of
similar experiences. Bcfore I discerned what pre-
cautions were necessary for wintering bees success-
fully in movable-frame hives, I more than once
found myself in the spring in a plight almost as bad
as your own. I can fully indorse your explanation
of some of the reasons why your reverses have been
so much greater than those of some large bee-keep-
ers in your neighborhood. I often met with great
losses when my apiary was managed chiefly for the
sale of Italian queens. At the close of a poor honey
season, my apiary often had many weak colonies.
The temptation to winter every such stock which
had a good queen was very great, as the demand at
high prices for such queens in the spring was usual-
ly greater than could be met. It was only the fact
that my location was a poor one for honey, and that
I could get large prices for nearly all the queens
that I could raise, that at all justified my course. If
in addition to the queen business, the selling of bees
quite late in the season by the pound had been prac-
ticed, the condition of my apiary after an unusually
eold winter and late spring would probably have
been very similar to that of yourown. I give some
comments on your replies to questions which I sent
to you.*

1. ‘‘ Did you spread the combs further apart?”

“I did not. Although recommended, so far as I
know it has been mostly abandoned.”’

Mr. Harrison, of Buffalo, first called attention to
the importance of keeping the combs in which the
bees cluster for winter some % of an inch further
apart than the natural breeding distance. In the
old box hives there are usually spaces in which bees
ean cluster in much larger numbers than in mova-
ble frames properly spaced for the working season.
In the very cold winter of 1872-’3, I wintered in the
open air in hives only % thick, until February,ta
number of stocks which were estimated not to have
over two quarts of bees per hive. All the bees of a
hive were placed between two combs full of honey,
which were kept nearly three inches apart, and they
formed a single cluster. shaped like a ball. If the
combs of these stocks had been left in their summer
position, no amount of chaff used in any fashion
could have saved them. Mr. J. 8S. Hill, of Mount
Healthy, Ohio, who wintered last season 112 stocks
without losing one, and who has wintered on an ay-
erage 80 stocks a year since 1868, without the loss of
one, spreads the combs.

2. “Did you make winter passages in the combs?”’

“ Perhaps half of the combs have winter passages.
I have never been satisfied that it made any materi-
al difference.”’

In this you differ from those who have had the
best success in wintering bees. Mr. Hill, for in-
stance, never neglects this point, and I am satisfied

*Friend L. wrote, before writing this article, asking five
questions. I answered briefly, and his comments are on these
questions.—ED.

+ Advised by the Signal Service that a cold wave more severe
poe previous one was coming, the bees were removed into
a cellar.

9

Oo

WINTERING.

that the power of passing from comb to comb
through the heart of the warm cluster, besides say-
ing the lives of many bees, greatly encourages early
breeding. In the old box hive the holes around the
eross-sticks for the support of the combs give the
best of winter passages.

3. ‘Did you place burlap or any other non-con-
ductor of moisture over the frames?”’

but saw no difference in favor of either.”

Whatever the material used for confining the bees
below, it should, as a matter of course, permit the
ready escape of superfluous moisture. With weak
stocks in very cold winters, this is a point of great
importance.

4. ** Did you give the bees a good space above the
frames for clustering in?”

‘A part of them, perhaps nearly one-half, had an
empty frame, or a frame of stores placed over the
cluster. Our Holy-Land bees went into this upper
chamber and starved, having plenty of stores below.”

Reference to the back volumes of A. B. J. show
that Bickford’s quilt (afterward improved by you) is
credited by him to the successful experiments which
he witnessed in my apiary. I discarded the honey-
board in wintering, using, instead, woolen rags, old
carpets, ete., through which all superfluous moisture
could pass, while sufficient animal heat was retain-
ed, explaining at length that the principle was the
same as using suitable bed-covering to keep our-
selves dry and warm in cold weather. I have always
regarded the elucidation and application of this prin-
ciple as a great advance in practical bee-keeping.
The letters ef Huber, published only a few years
ago, show how much his bees suffered from damp-
ness; and before IT so fully expounded my ideas in
the London Journal of Horticulture, our English
friends found that they could not use wooden boxes
with any satisfaction. My plans, as seen by Mr.
Bickford, and very fully described in A. B.J., not
only gave this free escape of moisture without too
much loss of heat, but especially provided an ample
warm space for the bees above the frames, so that
the cluster could contract or expand at will. This
saved the lives of many bees which, in very cold
weather, even with the best winter passages, often

failed to regain the central cluster, and died because | ; _
appt ar: Contra’ CUUster, Ane Crea Hecause They were on natural stores, in chaff hiyes,

they could not keep up the necessary heat.

IT believe that, even in such a winter as the past
one, that with winter passages, combs properly
spread apart, and a warm clustering space for the
aforesaid purposes, bees could be better wintered in
the open air in hives 3g cf an inch thick, than with
any amount of chaff above, around, or below them,
where these precautions are ignored; for in sunny

08

WINTERING.

out and allow the bees to reach their stores, while
the chaff hives may remain cold and damp as a cel-
lar. I will send you, in due season, an unpatented
device used by Mr. Hill, for securing a warm nest
above the clustered bees, which answers the end

| better than any one I have yetseen. Is there aman

in all our northern country who can claim equal suc-

| cess with Mr. Hill in wintering bees? It hardly need
‘* We used burlap, wood mats, and enameled sheets, |

be said that he is a pattern of skill, energy, and
promptness. He has made his bees pay,in a region
where I think it is ordinarily more difficult to secure
one pound of surplus than two in the mere favored
northern localities.

5. ‘* Did you feed your bees for winter with a mix-
ture of grape and cane sugar?”’

‘‘Only a part of them, as I stated formerly.”

I think your losses were owing in part to your use
of grape sugar, even although your candy contained
but one part of it to three of best granulated cane
sugar. It is not at all necessary that grape sugar

| Should contain any impurities to make it a very haz-

ardous food in such a winter and spring as we haye
just had. From its low sweetening power as com
pared with honey or cane sugar, your bees which
used it were forced to eat more than they other-
wise would have done, and thus to suffer from a
greater accumulation of feces. You say, ‘‘ Had our
usual April weather come on, we should probably
have saved about fifty colonies that we lost.” Is it
not highly probable that, with the weather just as it
was, you might have sayed many of those colonies,
if they had not been forced to succumb under the
excess of fzeces produced by the undigested starch
which so largely enters into the composition of grape
sugar?

For the winter of 1881 and ’82 we prepared
about 200 colonies as Mr. L. directs, using
the Hill device (see p. 294), and they came
through almost without loss, but the winter
was a much milder one than the preceding.

It is now April 16, 1884, and we have, dur-
ing the past winter, carried 160 colonies
through the winter, with a loss of only two.

Hill’s device over the combs. The combs
were spread more than we ever spread them
before, many being fully two inches from
center to center. Weused asmaller number
of combs in consequence, but these were fill-
ed almost solid with sealed clover and bass-

weather such thin hives will warm up so as‘to dry | wood honey.

SOME GENERAL CONCLUDING REMARKS.

A ONE-HIVE APIARY.

I have shown you a plan of an apiary for 7 hives, and over the leaf is one for 55 hives;
but before I close my A BC book I want to just give you a picture of an apiary of one
hive. Now I think it will pay you to make every swarm of bees as you get them, just like
this one; or, at least, I would have you fix up each one just as nicely as you know how.
The Bible says you must be faithful over a few things, before you can be made ruler over
many, and in nothing is this more true than in the care of bees.

It is for this reason that I would advise you to commence with a few stocks, and I would
say commence with one, if it were not that there are some decided advantages in having
two ormore. If youare an entirely new beginner, and a young person, I would advise
you to commence with just two hives, and to build up your apiary from just two. The
bees will come if you are faithful, just as fast as you can take care of them. In fact, they
will come from the woods and alight in or near your apiary, just as if they said in plain
words,‘ We want to be taken nice care of, just as your bees are. Here! put us into one of
those nice hives, and we will work for you.”’ Some of you may be a little incredulous in
regard to this; but scarcely a season has passed, that one or more swarms of bees have not
come in just that way. I always give them acomb of honey and another of brood, and
they go right to work with an energy that says very plainly, ‘‘ We are going to do all we
ean, to build up the business.” There is somehow a rare and keen pleasure in setting
these vagrant swarms at work, and I can liken it to nothing else than pulling out a
‘‘ whopping big fish,”’ in my boyhood days when I went fishing. )

Nowif you look back at APIARY, you will see what I said about the grapevines for
shade. Well, here is the grapevine all grown up, and loaded with grapes; the posts, pine
strips, and the three wires, ete.

TWO-STORY SIMPLICITY BEE- HIVE WITH PORTICO AND ALIGHTING - BOARD,
QUEEN-REARING TIVE, ETC,

After you have spread about a bushel of sawdust on the ground, you are to place the
bottom-board on it, resting on four half-bricks. The bottom-board is to be placed the
same side up as the cover. I am thus particular, because one friend informed me that his

A HEXAGONAL APIARY FOR FIFTY-FIVE HIVES.

bottom-boards caught rainwater and drowned his bees; he had turned them over, and
had left an opening at the back, as well as front. Level up your hives and bottom-boards
with a spirit-level. The upper story is used for surplus honey in the summer, and for
holding a thick chaff cushion over the bees in winter. The little hive above, contains two
or three frames only, and is used for queen-rearing. I think I would have the entrances
face different directions, after the experience I have now had; for once in a while, a young
queen will get into the hive below, attracted probably by the loud hum of the young bees,
as they happen to be returning from a play-spell. I have known but one such occurrence,
but I think it will be well to have the entrances to the small hives to the west, if we
have all the large ones face the east, as we usually do.

An apiary of 50 or 100 hives, all arranged like the above, is a pretty sight to behold, I as-
sure you; it adds to the beauty of it very much, in my eyes, to think that it is profitable,
as well as pretty, for I can hardly understand how we could have a season so poor that
such a well-kept apiary would not pay a handsome income. Our own, of about 75 hives,
has, during the season of 1875, given us just about $1000 cash, for bees, queens, and honey;
about half the amount was honey. About $100 was paid out for labor.

OuR HEXAGONAL VINEYARD APIARY.

We give you a diagram above, of our own apiary, vineyard and all. The square blocks
are supposed to be the hives; the lines on the south side of them, the grapevine trellises,
for shade ; the building in the center, the honey-house. You will observe that we have a
railroad leading to the nearest wagon-road ; the car that stands on this railway has its top
on a level with the honey-house floor, thus greatly lessening the labor of loading honey for
shipment, as well as getting our grape sugar for feeding during dry seasons. The ear is
simply a large shallow box turned upside down, with a post nailed securely into each cor-
ner. The axles and wheels are iron, and can be purchased cheaply at almost any foundry.
The track is 2x8 oak scantling. The ties are 14 inch oak nailed on the under side. The
honey-house has doors at each end, to facilitate carrying in honey. It will be seen that the
most remote hive is but 28 feet from one of the doors. The hives are 7 feet apart from
center to center, and, after trying different distances, I am satisfied that 7 feet is room
enough, and that more is not needed.

LATER REPORT IN REGARD TO HEXAGONAL APIARIES.

May 17,1879.—In moving the bees to our new grounds, we filled the central apiary in
just the manner shown on the previous page. They were all in one-story hives; and to have
them look nicely, we gave them all a fresh coat of paint. All were placed with the en-
trance facing the east, just as they were in our old apiary. Now I shall have to explain
that our old apiary has a building in the center, several trees scattered about (as you may re-
member), a house-apiary, old strong grapevines, and a great variety of objects, that might
give the bees landmarks. This one was on the clean, green lawn, and not an object was
to be seen, but the hives and a single stake, to which the grapevine was trained. Well,
what do you think? I expect J might have known what to think. If you stood in front of
a hive, first you knew, all of its bees were going into the next one. A few hives that had
no bees in them, had about as many bees around the entrance as the others. Bees heavily
laden with pollen were running one way and the other, in front of hives, looking sadly
puzzled because they could find no entrance, the entrances being closed up. « Four hives,
containing good colonies, stood in a row; a fifth one, an empty hive, was added; and
almost before it was set down, a shower of yellow Italians, laden with pollen and honey,
alighted, and commenced going in. You see they had marked their hive as the last in the
row ; and when another was added, of course they piled into that. Although in some
trouble, I was obliged to shout in merriment to see their astonishment, and I pitied them-
so much, they were given a frame of brood, and now they are a fair colony. I hereby give
notice, that this is my invention for swarming bees automatically, and nobody shall
patent it. Just think how simple; set your new hive down, and the bees pile into it,
almost before you get it leveled up.

What did we do with the beautiful hexagonal apiary? I called Mr. Gray, who isa genius
for inventions, explained the trouble, and, in a twinkling, with the assistance of the en-
graver, we had each hive so that the bees knew it, and so that you could lay a pin on any
one of the 60 hives, and go to it at once.

It was all fixed by turning the hives so that the entrances, instead of being all to the
east, were turned to all points of the compass. Of course, we had it so that no two adjoin-
ing were turned in the same direction.

Suppose we take the north row of hives, and turn every other entrance west; we shall
now have two entrances facing each other, and two backs facing each other, clear through
the row. Now take the next row, and turn one entrance south, the next north, and so ‘on
through. Turn the third row, one east, the next west, and so on, as we did the first row.
Now the fourth row, one north, and the next south, and soon. Itis an easy matter for
both you and the bees to remember which way the entrance pointed, and as it is 14 feet in
either direction before we come to another similarly situated, this brings the hive into

“another part of the apiary, or at least so far from any one like it, that there is little danger
of confusion. The plan answers the purpose perfectly, and the apiary presents an orderly
and systematic appearance to the eye.

: FIXING THE ENTRANCES.

Our apiary is surrounded with evergreens as windbreaks ; but as these are not yet grown
up, the location is much more windy than the old one, and the sawdust put around the
alighting-boards was blown about so badly I was forced to think of something else. The
handiest substance to keep down weeds and grass was coal cinders from the boiler room,
but these were too dark colored. As I have explained before, I want the space around the
entrance so clean that I can see dead bees, should there be any robbing, or even a dead
queen, should one be brought out. I can often tell when a queen is replaced, by having a
clean space in front of the hive; for if I do not see the body of the old queen, I am pretty
sure to see the immature young queens dragged from their cells. Well, after we got the
coal cinders nicely stamped down, we pounded up some clean white sandstone, left after
building, and made some nice white sand that we have spread over the cinders, making a
dooryard that will not easily be troubled with grass and weeds, and that neither sun, rain,
or wind will disturb or discolor.

Well, to keep the grass down befween the hives, we are now using a lawn-mower, with
much satisfaction. By running it through the alleys, in the three different directions, it
leaves the ground just beautiful. The doctor said I would better go to California and
stay a year, but I much prefer to stay in the apiary and run the lawn-mower; and if you
could see me this morning—June 27th—I guess you would decide the lawn-mower would

answer every purpose if “rightly applied,” especially since I have got through writing
this book.

HOW TO COMMENCE BEE- KEEPING.

Well, friends, here it is 1884; and after
having sold about 15,000 of the A B C books,
and haying also received and read nearly as
many letters from the A BC class, I have
felt as though something like the following,
which has already appeared in our JUVE-
NILE, is needed just about here. Therefore
we give you the following chapter, which is
principally intended for those just beginning.
The old hands in the business may read it
if they want to.

WHAT KIND OF AN OUTFIT IS REQUIRED
FOR ONE HAVING, SAY, HALF A
DOZEN HIVES?

I have asked my friend W. B. House to an-
swer the above question that was asked us
by a friend, because he has had practical ex-
perience right here :

As an evidence of his ability to advise in-
telligently,we will remark that he, during the
past season, with 12 colonies of bees (12
strong and 2 weak swarms) increased to
32 strong swarms, and took 3000 Ibs. of sur-
plus, nearly all of which was comb honey —
an average of 214 lbs., and one new swarm
per colony.

Friend Root:—The only way to answer your ques-
tion that I can see is to make an estimate of what
we would advise for a person who has a half-dozen
swarms. By this you will not only see what we
recommend, but will have the prices opposite. Then
if you order as we make estimate, you can return
this to us.

10 two-story Simplicity hives (i. e. 20 one-story
DIVES) |G ABO a scien oes dias ecm ei maietees oe sicieievare «steppers $8 60
This will include 10 bottoms and 10 covers, all

in flat.

100 metal-cornered frames, pierced, with wire,
ete: 0 hold fani. chs asus. Sac teee

100 wide frames for sections in 2d story..... ..

L000 sections, 414 KAA. oF aca tees cone sem emer

200 tin Beparators' @ UKE: boss fe waccueienictecjentees

10 division-boards put together @ 10c,.....,....

15 bs. fdn. for brood-frames @ 55c.............. 8 25
5 Tbs. fdn. for sections 33x3%, thin worker, @ :
CBG ai seseco, cape clown aowin oe odes Sadia sna Ei ae 3 25

1 honey-extractor, No. 5, for L. frames......... 7 00
1 Novice honéy-knife .. 2) 00.0.2 .. 7.) amma adtoeeeee 70
Lismoker, Clark’sis i 2i0% 4. Ji. 22 pisos eet 50
1 Clark’s starter machine. .)4. «sis... sick eee 50
Easterday’s fdn. fastener for wired frames.... 15
10 sheets enameled cloth, tinned, @10c......... 1 00
1 pair iron gauges for putting hives together.. 1 00
Y Ibs. 6d casing nails @ 6c... 2 veneer cemee 42
1%. 4d casing nails 2. 2. 3.0) tect 06
2 Ibs. %{-in. wire nails'@20¢C. .... 2). beeen 40
1 . 5-in wire nails... ..\.. .2.- =. <5 sce eee 22
1 Ib. 1-in. wire nails. .........2 <= ..- snes eee = 18
MOtall.. 65 0h. o0s,acig stood the 21s ieee eee $48 73

We advise an extractor even for comb honey, in
order that there may always be room in the brood-
chamber. Even inthis way it will very soon pay for
itself. W. 2B. H.

Medina, Ohio, March 28, 1883.

Inasmuch as hardly any two bee-keepers
agree in little details in regard to the man-
agement, it is quite difficult to make an es-
timate. For instance,a great many would
prefer the 13-story hive, with a case for sec-
tions, instead of the upper story with wide
frames, as Mr. House has figured it. The
season, also, has much to do withit. Dur-
ing a poor season, fifty dollars’ outlay for
half a dozen colonies would be very likely
far more than needed ; but with such a flood
of honey as our friends in the West have
had for the past year, the above estimate
might not be nearly enough. It will also be
observed, that quite a part of the above or-
der is for goods which, like the honey-ex-
tractor, knife, etc., should last a bee-keeper
a lifetime. Unless bees are sold, hives would
also come under the above head; and most
that would be needed after the first start
would be sections for honey, and hives,
frames, etc., for increases in stock.

BOOKS ON BEE CULTURE.

T hardly know of a question that is asked oftener than the following: ‘I want a book
on bee culture; what one shall I buy 2? Which one is the best ? I want one that is plain,
and tells a beginner just what todo. Where can I get it?” ete.

I should like to tell you just which one would be best for you, my friend, but I can not
Well do so without knowing something of your habits. If you read little, and do not care
for the reason why you are directed to do so and so, I might tell you to take one of the
brief text-books, or manuals; but if you want to know all about the matter, or at least all
that has been discovered up to the present time, I might think it best to advise you to pur-
chase quite a little library. It is almost impossible to learn all that is known in regard to
bees from any single book. Ifacyclopzedia were printed for that purpose, it would very
soon have to be revised and enlarged, or it would not be up with the times.

No book can well be a complete substitute for our Bee-Journals, not only for the reason
given, but because one gets a better view of any science, by reading the experience of a
great number of individuals. We are all liable to draw wrong conclusions, and to become
set in our own way; but by collecting and comparing facts from different authors, we, in a
measure, steer clear of these mistakes, or errors of judgment.

Again, one will take up bee-keeping solely for the money that is to be made, while an-
other cares little for the profit, but wishes to make it astudy. The book that would satis-
fy one pond not suit the other at all, although their line of work, much of it, lies in the
same path.

I know of nothing that has ever been written, equal to Langstroth on the Honey- Bee, for
all general purposes, if the book were only up with the times. Many a beginner has heard
it so highly spoken of that he has sent for it, expecting to find in it all needed information ;
but finding that it contains no hint of the honey-extractor that has enabled us to get over
500 Ibs. to the colony in one season, nothing about the new comb foundation and section
honey-boxes, besides much else that has been, for a few years past, stirring our Ameri-
can people in regard to the place the honey-bee is now taking in our industries, he has laid
it aside, feeling that he has been almost imposed upon. I have sold many copies, and it
has been, too, with the fear that my patrons would, very likely, be disappointed in the way
I have mentioned ; but then I reflected, if they should throw it down, they would be pretty
sure to take it up again, and, by and by, would learn to feel as I do, that there is no other
book equal to Langstroth after all, even if it is deficient in the respects I have named ; of
almost every thing that comes up, we shall find something said in Langstroth. The book
is pleasantly and beautifully written, and the number of mistakes in it is less than is usually
found in a book treating any one subject so thoroughly. The amateur, the student, and
the gentleman of leisure, can not afford to be without Langstroth, whatever may be the
discoveries in the science in the future. Vrice by mail, post-paid, $2,00.

The book that comes next to Langstroth, and in fact the only one that can stand beside
it at all, in many respects, is Quinby’s Mysteries of Bee-Keeping. If one were intent on
keeping bees solely for the money they would produce (and almost all of us take that view
of the business to a greater or less degree) Quinby would be the man to follow, for he made
his bees pay, and pay well, before movable frame hives were ever known. He had, in fact,
reduced bee-keeping to a paying business with a certain profit, with his plain, cheap box
hives. ' After reading his old edition over, I feel as if it would be rare fun, to keep bees in
just such box hives now. Both of the above are very pleasant books to read, to one who is
not a bee-kKeeper at all. Price by mail, postpaid, $1.50.

Langstroth seems to have pursued his investigations with an enthusiastic love of get-
ting at truth alone; and Quinby, with a desire of rendering the business less uncertain in a
pecuniary point of view. While these two great writers started out, each without a
knowledge of the other’s work, it is greatly to the credit of both that they agree so nearly
in all essential points. Since the above was written, Mr. L. C. Root, son-in-law of Mr.
Quinby, has revised and almost entirely re-written Mr. Quinby’s book, so that it is fully
up to the present time, July, 1879. See Quinby Hive, in the glossary. The price remains
the same as before, $1.50, postpaid.

The Bee-Keeper’s Text- Book, by H. A. King, has had a large sale, and has done a vast
amount of good. It is brief, and to the point, yet, like Langstroth and Quinby, was for
many years much behind the times, until it was revised and enlarged in 1878. Price by
mail, postpaid, $1.00; in paper covers, 75 c.

In 1876, Prof. Cook gave us a little Manual at 30 cents, and in 1878 a revised and larger
one, copiously illustrated, and fully. up with the times; price $1.25. As entomology is
friend Cook’s specialty, he has given us great aid, in many matters almost untouched by
any other writer. This is one of the advantages of consulting different books; one author
may be an expert in entomology, another in the mechanical part of hive-making, a third
in botany, while still another may have been very successful in raising and marketing
honey. Some writers, it is true, are quite proficient in all ; but almost every writer has
some particular specialty, in which he excels. We can mail any of the above books on
receipt of price. In 1888 a revised edition of the Manual was issued, containing additional
matter to the amount of £0 pages and’é0 illustrations. It is still sold at the old price.

Every one who aspires to become a successful bee-keeper should take one or more of
our Bee-Journals. As sample copies will be furnished by the editors, I need not attempt
to discuss their respective merits here. A sample copy of GLEANINGS, which we always
mail on application, will give you the address and price, not only of any of the journals,

but of whatever you may need in the apiary.

EN i) hele ne aes i ‘

FIGURES AT THE CLOSE OF A DEFINITION REFER TO PAGES OF THIS BOOK.

Abdomen of Bee.—The terminal division of the in-
sect, composed of a variable number of rings.

Absconding, or Abnormal Swarm. —One that, from
any unnatural cause, leaves its hive.

Adair Hive.—See Hives.

After-Swarms.—Those issuing after the first swarm.

Alighting-Board.—A board in front of the entrance
to a hive, on which the bees alight.

American Hive.—See Hives.

Berrie ae who keeps bees.
ble.

Apiarist.—See Apiarian.

Apiary.—A place where bees are kept.

Apiculture.—The culture of bees.

Apis (Latin).—The family to which bees belong.

Aphis, pl. Aphides.—A genus of plant - louse that
emits a liquid sometimes gathered by bees, and
called honey-dew.

Artificial Comb.—Comb Foundation.

Artificial Fertilization._Impregnation of queens in
confinement.

Artificial Heat.—Warmth artificially produced, and
applied to bees.

Artificial Pastuwrage.—Plants and trees cultivated for
the honey they yield.

Artificial Polen.—Rye meal or other substances fed
to bees as a Substitute for natural pollen.

Artificial Swarm.—A colony nade by the division of
one or more swarms.

Balling.—The manner in which bees cluster about a
strange queen, in attempting to sting her.

Bee-Bread.—See Pollen.

Apiarist, prefera-

Bee-Climbers.—Apparatus to assist one in climbing |

bee-trees.

Bee OCulture.—The care of bees.

i teehee suit adapted to prevent stinging by

ees.

Bee-Gum.—Term applied to that part of a tree or log
which is, or has been, occupied by wild bees. Ap-
plied, by our friends in the South, to all kinds of
bee-hives.

Bee Hive.—A box, or other receptacle, made by man,
to be used as a home for the honey-bee, and usual-
jy contedning but one swarm. (See Bee-Gum and
Skep.)

Bee-House.—A house for bee-hives. Also applied to
the rude sheds seen about the country, where one
or more hives are crowded together.

Bee-Line.— The most direct route between two places.

Bee-Moth.—A grey miller, 3% inch long, the larvae of
which feed upon and destroy combs.

Bee-Plants.—Plants which are valuable as honey-pro-
ducers.

Beeswax.—See Wax.

Bee-Tree.—A tree occupied by a swarm of bees.

Bell-Glass.—A bell shaped-glass much used in Eng-
land for surplus honey.

Black Bees.—A variety of the species Apis mellifica,
whose color varies from dark brown to black. They

are natives of Germany.

Bottom-Board.—The floor of a hive.

Box Hive.—See Hives.

Box Honey.—Honey stored in boxes or sections.

Brimstoning.—Fumigating with sulphur. See Fum-
igate, and Taking up Bees.

Bread Frame.—A frame used for holding section

oxes.

Brood.—When applied to bee’ culture, larvee in all
stages. Not applied to bees after emerging from

_ the cell, however young they may be.

Brood-Comb.—Either worker or drone comb used for
breeding; usually applied to worker-comb.

Brood-Nest.—The space inside the hive, occupied by
eggs and brood, extending in all directions from
the center. ‘

Brood-Rearing.—Raising bees.

Bumble-Bee, or Humble-Bee, a large noisy insect; a
species of the genus Bombus. :

Candied Honey.—Honey that has solidified.

Capped Brood.—See Sealed Brood.

Capped Honey.—Honey in cells that are sealed with
wax.

Caner: or Caps.—The covering of brood or honey
in cells,

Cell.—A hexagonal depository for honey, and apart-
ment for brood-rearing, made by honey-bees, of
wax; two sizes. See Honey-Comb, and Wax.

Chaff Hive.—A hive having double walls filled with
chaff at all seasons.

Chrysadlis.—State of brood in transition from larvee to
a fully developed bee. Termed, also, pupa and
nymph.

Closed End-Frame.—See Hives.

Closed Top-Frame.—See Hives.

Clustering.—Manner in which numbers of bees cling
together.

Colony.—A stock or swarm of bees, consisting prin-
cipally of worker-bees; but has, when perfect, one
queen and an indefinite number of drones.

Comb,—See Honev.

Comb-Basket.—A tin receptacle, with handles and a
close-fitting cover, for containing combs, or carry-
ing them from place to place.

| Comb Foundation (Abbreviated, fdn.).—Thin sheets
of wax, wbich have been passed between the two
rollers of a fan. machine, having the shape of the
bottoms of cells, with their edges partially raised.
An artificial foundation, or partition, upon which
bees build comb.

Comb - Foundation Machine.—A machine consisting
principally of two metallic rollers engraved with
such accuracy that thin sheets of wax passed be-
oe them will have the form of the bottoms of
cells.

Comb-Holder.—An apparatus which may be attached
to the outside of a hive to hold a frame of comb.
Comb Honey.—Honey which has not been removed

from the comb.

Comb-Guide.—Generally a wooden edge, or a strip of
comb, or fdn., in the top of a frame, or box, on
which comb is to be built.

Cushion.—A case or bag filled with some soft and
porous substance, as chaff, for covering brood-
frames On top or side.

Cyprian Bee.—A native of the island of Cyprus, dif-
fering but little from the Italian.

Davis’ Transposition Process.—See Grafted Cell.

Decoy Hive.—One placed in position to attract ab-
seonding swarms.

D viding.—Separating a colony into two or more, by
removal of combs or bees, or both.

Division-Board.—A board, of the same lene and
height of the inside of hive, used for contracting
the size of the apartment. ;

Dollar Queen.—Fertile queen, that has been laying
less than 21 days, and reared from a pure Italian’
mother.

Drone.—A male bee, larger than the worker. Useful
for nothing,except filling the sexual office.

Drone-Brood.—Brood in drone-cells (see Cell), from
which drones are hatched. ‘

Drone-Egg.—One that is unimpregnated, laid by a
virgin queen, or fertile queen, or fertile worker.

| Drumming Bees.—Driving from hive, by pounding

| on the outside. a

Dysentery. —A disastrous disease affecting beesin the
spring; a diarrhea.

Dzierzon Theory (pronounced ‘Tseert-sone).—The
theory of Dzierzon, formulated into 13 proposi-
tions, treating mainly of queens, their virginity,
fecundation, and fertility.

Embryo.—The first rudiments of existence of any
plant or animal.

Entrance.—An opening in the hive for the passage
of bees.

Entrance Blocks.—Three-cornered pieces of wood,
for regulating the size of the entrance, 7.

Egyptian Bee.— If it differs from the Italian, it is in
being lighter colored and exceedingly cross.

Extracted Honey.—Honey taken from the comb by
means of an extractor.

Extractor.—See Honey Extractor and Wax Extract-

or.

Fdan.—Abbreviation for comb foundation, 47.

Feeders.—Arrangements for feeding bees, 73.

Fertile.—Productive, laying; as, fertile queen or
worker.

Fertle Worker.—A worker that lays eggs which pro-
duce only drones, 78. See Worker.

Fixed Frame.—See Hives.

Foul Brood.—A malignant, contagious disease, being
a Species of fungoid growth which affects brood, 80.

Foundation.—See Comb Foundation.

Frame.—A movable structure of slats, generally four
cornered, in which bees build comb which may,
by this device, be changed about inside, or re-
moved from, the hive at pleasure. lt was brought
into use by Rev. L. L. Langstroth, in 1851. See
cut and Hives.

Fumigate.—To expose to smoke; to apply the fumes
of sulphur.

Gallup Hive.—See Hives.

Glucose.—See grape sugar.

Granulated Honey..—_Honey that has formed into

perains, in passing from a viscous to a candied
state.

Grape Sugar.—A saccharine substance less sweet |

and less soluble than cane sugar, made principally
from India corn; is called Grape Sugar because
it is identical with the sugar found in grapes. It
is often confounded with glucose, with which it is
nearly identical but glucose contains more dex-
trine than grape sugar, which renders it a perma-
nent liquid, grape sugar being a permanent solid.
Both substances are well known in commerce, and
while glucose may, by chemical means, be convert-
ed into grape sugar, grape sugar cannot, by anv
means known at present, be converted into glu-
cose. The sweet principle of both substances is
known under the general term of grape sugar, to
distinguish it from cane sugar, and as the manu-
facture of these articles, as an important industry,
is of rather recent date, our dictionaries and cy-
elopoedias, so far as I can learn, have failed to
make any distinction between the two. As the
sweet principle of honey is grape sugar, these sub-
stances, when made pure, are a more natural food
for the honey bee than cane sugar.

Green Honey.—See Unripe Honey.

Guide Comb.—Pieces of comb used as guides for
building combs in brood frames or surplus boxes.

Baier Brood.—Brood just emerging from the
cells.

Honey.— The nectar gathered by bees from flowers,
and brought to a viscous state, by evaporation in-
side the hive, after being deposited in the cells.

Honey Bag, or Honey Sack.—An enlargement of
the gullet or first stomach, in which the bee car-
ries the nectar gathered from flowers.

Honey-Bee.—An insect of the species Apis Mellifica.
Honey Board.—A board formerly used on top of

frames, containing holes or slots over which were
' placed surplus boxes; now but little used.

Honey Box.—A recept:cle for surplus honey, closed
on all sides, but with entrance holes for bees.
Mostly discarded now for the section boxes.

Honey Comb.—A sheet of hexagonal cells, the same
on both sides, having a middle wall or partition.
When new, weighs 4 lb. per sq. ft., requiring for
its production about 5 lbs. of honey. Brood combs
are 4% in. thick; but, owing to the shape of the
bottoms, each cell has a depth a little greater than
half the thickness of the comb. Combs of this
thickness will hold 3 lbs. of honey per sq. ft.; but
the cells may be lengthened to the capacity of 10
lbs. per sq. ft. Worker comb contains 25 cells per
Sq. in., on each side; drone comb, 16 cells per sq.
in., on each side: cells'of both are of the same
depth. Sides and bottoms of cells are, when new,

GLOSSARY.

1-180 in. thick. The bottom of each cell is formed
of 3 rhombs, so unitel as to make the center of
each cell the lowest p irt, which point is the center
of three cells on the upposite side. The bottom of
each cell thus forms a fourth part of a rhombic
dodecahedron, and athird part of the. bottom of
each of the three opposite vells. Honey comb is
made by the honey bee, from scales uf wax. See

Wax.

Honey Dew.—See p. 114.

Honey Extractor.—A very ingenious contrivance by
which centrifugal force is made to throw the
honey from frames or pieces of uncapped comb.

Honey Gate.—A cast iron fixture, for drawing off
honey from extractors, barrels, &e.

Honey House.—A building used for storing honey,
combs, hives, and apiarian implements; also for
extracting honey and doing other work pertaining
to the apiary.

Honey Knife.—A thin, double edged, steel blade,
with inclined handle, used for unecapping honey
for the extractor.

Hives.—\I have not thought best to describe the dif-
ferent kinds of hives in the main part of my book,
lest I should confuse the beginner by details that
IT cannot think at all important to his success. [
have thought best to give a brief description here of
the hives in use, that our readers may be able to
converse in regard to them understandingly, when
occasion requires. Of course, none but movable
comb hives are worthy of consideration nowadays,
and as the frame is the principal part of any hive, I
will make a diagram of the principal sizes and di-
mensions in use as below.

DIAGRAM OF PRINCIPAL FRAMES IN USE.
Figures given are outside dimensions in inches.
Suspended frames have % inch suppoiting arms, or
an equal prolongation of top bar.

IX},

|

QUINKBY. ss"

|
|
|
So rR SCE ETT
1
17%

LANGSTROTE.

1334

ADAIR, 5¢

12
to
AMERICAN.
| {
oe eC RT

114

| GALLUP.
|
|

CLOSKD END QUINBY. = jf

GLOSSARY.

QUINBY SUSPENDID FRAME, AND HIVE.

The first 5 are what are called suspended frames,
because they are supported or suspended rather, by
elongations of the top bar, or other equivalent de-
vices. Mr. Langstroth has the credit of inventing
this form of movable frame; but, as this, like al-
most every other invention, seems to have been the
joint work of a great many individuals, it is likely
that to him rather belongs the credit of first bring-
ing it practically before the public. Mr. Quinby
made the frame figured at the top of the list, after
seeing Mr. Langstroth’s book, in 1856. If I am _ cor-
rect, he chose those dimensions that he might have
a hive just about a foot square and a foot and a half
long inside. Judging from his experience with box
hives, he doubtless thought these would be about the
right dimensions. Jt is quite a misfortune to the
bee-keeping world at large, that he did not adopt the
exact size given in Mr. L’s book, especially when
he came so nearit. I believe one reason he gives
for choosing a size a little larger was that he could
thus use only 8 frames, where Langstroth used 10.
This is quite an important advantage, it is true; but,
as a great many bee keepers who use the Q. frame
(including among their number Mr. L. C. Root, who
has just (July, 1879) revised Mr. Quinby’s book) have
reduced the size of the Quinby frame to about that
of the L. frame, I think we may safely call the
frame as given by Mr. Q. rather large. Again; Mr.
L., in deciding on the dimensions of the frame he
has given us, contemplated its being used in a two
story hive, which, I believe, Mr. Q. did not: this
would readily account for the extra depth Mr. Q.
gave. The Q. hive for this frame was simply a box
a foot square inside, and 18 inches long, as I have
before mentioned. The entrance was, I think, an
auger hole, and the honey was taken from boxes
placed on the top, much in the same way as from the
box hives which Mr. Q. had been recommending.

THE LANGSTROTH FRAME AND HIVE.

I have given above, and under the head NUCLEUS,
the principle reasons for the dimensions of this
frame. Other reasons being equal, the fact that
there are more of this dimension of frames in use,
than of all others combined, should have some weight
in deciding what frame and hive to use. None but
one who has gone through the matter by actual ex-
perience can estimate the difficulties and annoyan-
ces caused by having hives and frames of different

imensions in the same apiary, Or even in the same IS : 4 .
Maen PlOns eats i | American hive was invented by H. A. King, about

neighborhood. There will always be more or less
buying and selling of hives, bees, &c , and where the
hives and contents are all made from one exact and
fixed gauge, there is little trouble; but where there
is even a slight variation—even the fourth of an
inch, it makes troubles innumerable. It is on this
account, I would most earnestly plead with you to
adopt the regular L. frame, if you can come any-
where near to it. While 10 frames are the standard
number fora single story, there are those who use
more, as wellas those who use less. Adam Grim
and others who have made quite a business of sell-
ing bees, have adopted 8 framed hives; and, as such
a hive of bees was sold at about the usual price,
there was, of course, a saving tothe one who sold
them. As these narrow hives cannot be used inter-
changeably, on or beneath the standard size, I would
not advise them. We have now a lot piled up a-
gainst the fence, just because they are too narrow to
be worked with the rest. For the same reasons, and
on account of getting boards wide enough for such
covers, I would also object to hives containing more
than 10 frames; if more room is wanted, put on an
extra story. I have objected to the old style L. hive,
such as Mr. L. gave us, principally because the up-
per story was made to fit over the lower one, and
could not therefore be used of itsel* independently,
as aone story hive. It also required much waste
lumber, to allow of frames of one size being used in
both stories. Compared with the Simplicity, they
are heavy to handle, expensive to make, cc mplicated
and bulky when they are to be stored away or ship-
ped, and yet their inside dimensicns are, after all,
no greater.
ADAIR FRAME AND HIVE.

Ever since Mr. L. gave us the dimensicns of the
frame he preferred, those who bave had less experi-
ence than be had have been insisting that the frame
is too shallow, and advising other dimensions. The
frame which 1 have called the Adair was not recom-
mended by’ Mr. A. specially for this reason, but be-
cause he thought it mcre suitable for the peculiar
hive he so strenuously advised. about the year 1872.

This hive, which, I suppose, should be termed the
Adair hive more because he brought it so promi-
nently before the public than because the idea was
of his own originating, was termed by him the ‘‘New
Idea Hive’’; said idea being to arrange the frames in
one long row, rather than to have an upper story, or
any kind of a surplus receptacle above the brood
nest. Such great things were claimed for this hive,
that it was tried all over the country, and hives
were made to contain not only 20 and 25 frames, but
Adair even claimed he could get a queen to rear
such a swarm of bees that a hive jourdaal long would
be needed to give them room; and I presume hun-
dreds, if not thousands, of such hives were made
and used. Like other similar inventions, they were
said to be a success, and some there were who even
went so far, as to stock their whole apiaries with
such hives. Like other things again, and I hardly
know why, the bees, in a couple of years, were taken
out of these long hives, and they were put away out
back of the barn, or somewhere else, and that was
the last of them. At present writing, July 7th, 1879,
I know of but two bee keepers who use them, and
they do not use them anything like four feet long.
Before closing the subject of what has been called,
in pleasantry, the “long idea hive,’ it may be well to
state that an unscrupulous vender of patent hives,
N.C. Mitchell, by name, about the time every body
had dropped this “long idea’ as a mistake, com-

| menced to introduce it to country people, as his

patent hive, claiming it as his own invention, and
that the most wonderful things could be achieved
by its use. At the same time, he claimed to have a
patent also, on all division boards for hives, and has
been, for the past four years, blackmailing innocent
farmers, by threatening them with prosecution, un-

| less they hand him over $10. for the right to use, etc.

Where they used neither the long hive nor division

| board, he claimed also to have a patent on a simple

cloth cover, or any kind of a quilt, placed over the
frames, and thus obtained, and, I fear, is yet obtain-
ing, considerable sums of money. When the matter
is sifted down, itis found that this Mitchell has a
patent only on an iron lug to be applied to a division
board, which is so impracticable that neither he nor
any one else has ever made use of it; a fair sample
of the way patents on bee hives turn out when in-
vestigated.
THE AMERICAN HIVE AND FRAME.

The hive known throughout the country as the

the year 1865. Mr. K., it seems, considered the L.
frame too shallow, and sought to make a tall hive
like the box hives in common use, having movable
frames like the L. hive. While a shallow frame may
be lifted out at the top of the hive very readily, it is
much more difficult to use a frame a foot deep or
more, in the same way. To obviate this, he made
the hive with a movable side. A great many hives
were sold, and it was very extensively introduced,
perhaps more so than any other patent hive that has
ever had an existence. I believe the decision has
been pretty general, however, that the movable side
is a very undesirable feature, as well as the tall
frame it was designed to accommodate, and the hive
has been either discarded or so much modified that
none of the patented features are left. The frame
was, originally about 124% wide, by 16 or more inches
deep, but after the long Adair hives came in vogue,
or about that time, it was char ged to a frame exact-
ly a foot square outside. This was a gain, in getting
it into a regular size, but the American hives scat-
tered about the country contain frames of such a
diversity of dimensions, that the term American
frame or hive scarcely means anything. Reducing
the depth to 12 inches was a great improvement, but
even that is too deep for a two story hive, and most
hives, since the advent of fdn., are used two stories
high or more. :

THE GALLUP FRAME AND HIVE.

This frame was first brought prominently bofore
the public, by Elisha Gallup. He used so small a
frame, because of the facility it gave for building
up small colonies or nuclei. The hive he recom-
mended was, at first, about 13 inches long, holding 12
such frames. It isthe frame used and advised by
Prof. Cook, G. M. Doolittle, and many others, and
there are those who claim that better results can be
secured by it than by any other of the larger frames.
It is possible that this is the case in the hands of one
long used to this frame, but 1 think the masses gen-
erally will succeed just as well with the L. frame.
It is objectionable, because it is too deep to be used

- needed.

GLOSSARY.

to good advantage in a two story hive, and the ad-
vantages of having both upper and lower story ex-
actly alike are too great to be lightly ignored. It is
also objectionable, because there are more frames to
be handled, to accomplish a certain amount of work.
At one time, friend Gallup used two rows of these
frames side by side, and named it the ‘‘twin”’ hive.
These, like the Adair long hive, were considerably
used, and some large results obtained from them,
but they are now, I believe, laid aside again, for the
old two story plan of gi\ing more room, and getting
Surplus.

CLOSED END QUINBY FRAME AND HIVE.

Ever since Langstroth brought out the movable
frame, there have been, every now and then, indi-
viduals advocating having the frames at fixed and
regular distances, that the bees may be obliged to
build their combs of exact thickness. I do not know
what may be accomplished with the aid of fdn., but,
at present, the majority agree that combs as they
are usually found, are better handled without being
fastened at fixed and regular distances. The Amer-
ican frame, aS it was made originally, had the top
bar very nearly 1% inches wide; as this is the dis-
tance which brood combs should be from center to
center, of course, the top bars came close together
in this case, closing the Space and forming a honey
board or chamber tloor, and making what is called
the closed top frames. ‘To be sure, there are some
very decided advantages in suck arrangements;
such as, having the frames solid and substantially
held when hives are to be moved, doing away with a
honey board, ete. But, alas, the frames are not
“movable,’’ and although thousands of such hives
were introduced and sold, nearly all of them were
soon laid aside. The L. arrangement seems to be
the only one that stands the test of years of service.

Well now, the Quinby hive of which I am about to
spcak is not a closed top frame, but it is a closed end
frame. One great objection to the ¢losed top Amer-
ican frame was, that it killed so many bees. Well
our friend, Quinby, made a very long frame, and
got the end bars so far away from the centre where
the bees are generally found, that they would be far
less likely to be in the way, when the frames were
being closed up in place. It will be remembered
that, in this frame, it is the ends that are made 1%
inches wide, instead of the top bar. That they may
not fall over too easily, a hook of hoop iron is nailed
to one of the lower corners, which hooks on a strip
of similar hoop iron nailed to the bott..m board. It
will be noticed that this closed end frame, Quinby
hive is the simplest form of a movuble frame that
can well be devised. For a summer hive, 6 frames,
with a pair of panels to close each of the outside
ones and some simple board for a cover, is all that is
Of course, the whole must be placed on
some kind of a flat board forabottom board. If you
wish « smaller hive, take out one or more frames
and close inthe panel; if larger, put in frames as
long as they may be needed. The troublesome di-
vision board, in all suspended frame hives, is here
dispensed with entirely. Tio be sure, the same idea
can be applied to any of the frames mentioned; but
with tall frames it is more troublesome, because you
have the closed end bars nearer the bees, and there
is a greater surface to be gummed fast, every time
the hive is opened and closed. In fact, there is no
standard size of Quinby frame, if [am correctly in-
formed. Quinby’s neighbors who use them, includ-
ing his son-in-law, Mr. L. C. Root, and Capt. Hether-
ington, who, it is said, has over a thousand hives, all
use different sized trames.

Why is not this frame and hive more in use? Be-
eause it places the combs at fixed distances, which
will remain a great objection so long as the bees will
persist in building combs of such irregular thick-
nesses. If you think this can easily be got along
with, take two heavily filled combs, with bulged cells
along the top bars, and try to make them come up
together. With suspended frames, this can easily
be got along with. Also, try to close up a hive made
of so many loose pieces, and try to doit quickly,
without killing bees. In short, try using such hives
in the apiary a year or two, by the side of suspended
frame hives. I know there is a man found, once in
a while, (yes and I know one woman, too, a very suc-
eessful one, Mrs. Axtell, of Roseville, Ill.), who will
give the preference to a closed end frame; but there
are so few, in proportion to those who prefer the
other kind, that I have thought best not to try to
describe the hivein full, in my book. There are
several who have used the hive afew years, and then,
at great expense, have had tbe combs all transferred

f

into suspended frames. If any of you think you
would like to adopt such a hive, I would advise you
to purchase L. C. Root’s excellent book, entitled
“Quinby’s New Bee-keeping.”’

1 have said nothing in regard to surplus arrange-
ments for these various hives, for those described in
this book can all be adapted to them. Where a
frame is very deep, the sections should be placed at
the side, as well as above the brood nest, and are
then termed Side Storing Boxes. As a general
thing, it seems to be well decided that the hives with
shallow frames give far the most surplus. This
brings us to the subject of extremely shallow hives.

BINGHAM’S HIVE.

Mr. T. F. Bingham of Otsego, Mich., has used a
hive, and [ believe is using it still, with frames only
6 inches in depth. While such extreme limits may
be used, and successfully, too, especially by those
advocating them, they will, as a general thing, be
found inconvenient by the masses. Very tall
frames, very shallow frames, very large and very
small frames, triangular frames, five sided frames,
and, in short, almost every imaginable kind of
frames have been used and patented. Yes, many or
them have been tried and abandoned over and over
again. Of late, it seems that a great many of them
have been patented over and over again; for patent
hives have got to be such a legion, it is not at all
strange that the patent office officials should fail to
be able to tell what has, and what has not, been pat-
ented. 1] would not discourage inventive genius, but
I would caution our A BC class about traveling the
same path over again so many times, not knowing
that the ground has been thoroughly worked over
before. Asa general rule, I think the most igno-
rant class of bee keepers we have are those owning
patents on hives.

House Apiary.—A double walled building usually of
octagonal or rectangular form, in which bees are
kept both summer and winter in separate hives as
out of doors.

Hybrid.—A cross between two species. In bee eul-
ture, applied to a cross between blacks and Ital-
ians.

Hymettus.—A country of Greece, famed for the su-
perior quality of its honey, which is of light golden
color, and gathered from mountain thyme.

Italian or Ligurian Bee.—A native of Italy, distin-
guished by three bands of yellow across the upper
part of the abdomen of the worker bee.

Ttaltianizing.—Changing from any other species of
bees to the Italian, 122.

Introducing.—Method of presenting a strange queen
to a colony of bees, so that they will accept her.

Lamp Nursery.—A device used in rearing queens;
a double walled tin hive, with space between filled
with water kept warm by means of a lamp, 125.

Langstroth dive. —See Hives. :

Larva (pl. Larvce).—The bee in the grub state, from
the time of the hatching of the egg until the cap-
ping of the cell; in other words, unsealed brood.

L. Frame.—Langstroth frame (See Hives).

IL. Hive.—Langstroth hive (See Hives).

Ligurian Bees.—See Italian Bees.

Lining Bees.—Noting the direction of their flight.

Mandibles.—Jaws of the bee, which work sidewise
iney ad of up and down as in higher animals. —

ook.

Manipulation.—Handling of bees.

Mat.—A covering for brood frames to be used under
the cushion, quilt, or sheet to keep them free from
propolis, or they may be used alone, made of
wooden strips, woven with cord.

Melextractor.—Honey Extractor.

Metal Corners.—Tin Fixtures for securing corners
of frames and forming on the upper bar an
edged support, which can not be made fast by
propolis, and under which no moth worm can se-
erete itself.

Mitchell Hive.—See Hives.

Movable Frame.—See Hives.

Natural Swarm.—A svarm which issues spontane-
ously.

Nectaries.—The lower part of the petals of flowers
where nectar is secreted.

Neuter.—See Worker Bee.

Non Swarming Hive.—One so large, or so construct-
ed, as to control the desire to swarm, an end never
yet satisfactorily obtained.

Nucleus (pl. Nuclei or Nuclewses).—A miniature col-
ony of bees, generally used for rearing queens.
Should have a queen or means of rearing one.

Nurse Bees.—Bees that care for brood: generally ,
those less than two weeks old.

GLOSSARY.

Nursery.—A place in which queens are reared. See
Lamp Nursery.

Nymph.—See Chrysalis.

Observutury Hive.—A hive constructed partially of
glass, to allow examination of work inside without
disturbing bees. .

Overstocking.—Having more bees in one locality
than there is pasturage to support.

Paraffine. —A white, translucent, crystalline sub-
stance, tasteless and inodorous, obtained from the
distillation of mineral and vegetable tar. It re-
sembles spermaceti. It derives its name from its
remarkable resistance to chemical action.—Web-
ster. It is sometimes used as a substitute for bees-
wax, for coating barrels and other utensils for
containing honey.

Parasite.—A species of lice that live on the body of
a bee, 63.

Parent Stock.—A stock from which a swarm issues.

Parthenogenesis (or Virgin Breeding.)—The law that
life is imparted by the mother independently, and
that every ege, as originally developed in the ova-
ries, is of the male sex, but whenever fertilized it
becomes transformed into a female.

Pollen.—Fecundating dust of the antheral part of
the stamen of flowers, gathered by bees, and when
mixed with honey used for food of young bees,
sometimes called bee-bread.

Pollen Basket.—A slight cavity on the outside, just
above the second joint, of each of the two hind
legs, in which the pollen is carried, 137.

Propolis.—A resinous substance gathered, probably,
from the buds of certain trees, by bees, and used

in covering rough places, and cementing and fill- |

ing cracks about the hive.

Pupa.—See Chrysalis.

Q). Frame.—Quinby frame.

(. Hive.—Quinby hive.

Queen.—The only fully developed female in the col-
ony; the mother of all the rest.

Queen Cage.—An enclosure of wire cloth, or of wire
cloth and wood, in which to confine a queen for in-
troduction or shipping, 38.

Queen Cells.—Elongated cells, in which queens are
reared.

Queening.—Introducing a queen to a colony.

Queenless.—Having no queen.

Queen Rearing.—Raising queens, 159. °

Queen Register.—A printed card so arranged as to
show at all times the condition of the queen in the
hive, on which it is tacked.

Queen's Voice.—A note frequently uttered by a
queen, probably produced by her wings.

Quilt.—A cover for brood frames made by putting

wool or cotton between two pieces of cloth, and

sewing them together.

Quinby Frame.—sSee Hives.

Quinby Hive.—See Hives.

Rabbet.—Lately applied to a strip of folded tin, to
be used in any hive where frames are suspended
by the top bar, either with or without metal cor-
ners, to aid in making frames more movable, and
to assist in keeping bees free from the ravages of
the bee moth.

Rendering Wax.—Separating the wax from all for-
eign substances by melting and straining. Usually
applied to the operation of converting combs into
wax.

Rhomb.—An equilateral parallelogram, having two
acute and two obtuse angles; one of the 12 equal
sides of a rhombic dodecahedron; one of the loz-
enge shaped parts of the bottom of a cell, 110.

Rhombie Dodecahedron.—A solid having 12 rhomb
shaped faces, 110.

Ripe Honey.—That which has by evaporation be-
come sufficiently thick to be sealed in the cell.

Robbing.—The act of pilfering stores from another
hive, instead of obtaining them in the ordinary
way from the fields. It occurs only in time of
searcity of stores, 165.

Royal Cell.—See Queen Cells.

Royal Jelly.—Food of queen larvee, 149.

Sealed Brood.—See Capped Brood.

Sealed Honey.—See Capped Honey.

i
{

|

Section Box or Section.--A small box for surplus
honey, open on two sides.

Separator.—a strip or piece, generally of tin, placed
between two section boxes, to insure straight comb.

Sheet.—A covering of single cloth, for brood frames.

Skep.—A term sometimes applied to any sort of a
bee hive. .

Spent Queen.—One that from old age becomes in-
competent to lay any eggs, or but few which pro-
duce drones only.

Spermatozoid (pl. Spermatozoa).--One of the Ani-
malcula contained in the generative fluid of drones.

Spring Dwindling.—Slow decrease in size of stocks,
in early spring, 241.

Starter.—Comb or fdn. fastened in the top of sur-
plus boxes, to induce work therein. :

Sting.—A weapon of defense, contained in the pos-
terior part of the abdomen of worker bees and
queens, composed of 3 parts, two of which are
barbed, 192.

Stock.—See Colony.

Super.—Any receptacle for surplus comb honey, ap-
plied by our friends across the water to any kind
of upper story.

Swarm.—aA large number of bees leaving the parent
stock at one time, for the purpose of taking up
new lodgings, accompanied by one queen in the
tirst swarm, and in after swarms (see Colonies) by
one or more.

Swarming Season.—The time of year in which bees
are most inclined to swarm.

Taking wp Bees.—Killing bees in fall, to get the -

honey. A practice now going rapidly out of use.

Tested Queen.—One whose progeny has been exam-
ined and found pure, 160.

Transferring.—Changing bees and combs from one
hive to another; changing comb from one frame
to another. Usually applied to the operation of
changing bees and combs from box hives to hives
with movable frames.

Transposition Process.—See Grafted Cell.

Unqueening.—Removing queen from a colony.

Unripe or Green Honey.—Honey which has under-
gone but little change by evaporation, and con-
tained in unsealed cells.

bab abe Queen—A queen which has not been fertil-
ized.

Wax.—A natural, unctious, secretion of honey bees,
formed in delicate scales, in the eight wax pock-
ets, on the under side of the abdor.en. It is
formed both in activity and in repose, but in much
larger quantities while the bees are quietly clus-
tered inside the hive. The production of each
pound requires about 20 lbs. of honey. It is used
by the bees for comb building, 222.

Wax Extractor.—An apparatus by means of which
wax is rendered by application of steam.

Wax Pockets.—The 8 depositories under the rings
on the under side of the
abdomen of a worker bee,
in which wax scales are
secreted.

Wax Press.—A device for
rendering melted wax by
pressure.

Wedding Flight.—The flight
of a virgin queen, for the
purpose of meeting a
drone.

Wild Bees.—A term applied to honey bees, that live
in the forest, in hollow trees, or in cavities of
rocks, or in other places away from the abodes of
men.

Wind Breaks.—Tight fences or close hedges, to keep
winds from the apiary. :

Worker Bee.—Erroneously called neuter; an unde-
veloped female possessing the germ of nearly
every organ of the queen, which may at any time
become sufficiently developed to allow her to lay
eggs, but only such eggs as produce drones. Does
all the work in the hive except laying eggs.

Worker Egg.—An egg which is impregnated, and is
laid only by a fertile queen: will produce either
worker or queen.

WAX POCKETS.

Se

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS

ON TEE A.

In 1880 I offered friend Doolittle $100.00 for
a careful going-over of the A B C book, that
he might point out its faults, and add such
suggestions as his large experience might
dictate. Ile has done this ; and his remarks
are of so much value that we have added
them here. Where obvious errors were point-
ed out, of course nothing remained but to cor-
rect them, and so these points need not be
given here. In some cases I have answered
his objections, and in some I have not; in

the latter, it will be understood that he holds |

one view, and I another.

1
ABSCONDING SWARMS.

CLIPPING QUEENS’ WINGS.

Searcely a queen need be lust, us a few bees will
always gather around the queen; and by walking
over the yard, and looking on the ground, this ball
of bees is easily Seen, and the queen picked up.
is not S) easy, however, always to teil where they

came from; but this can be done by keeping them |
till near night, and taking the queen from the bees, |

when they will return home to their own hives.

Very good indeed! The idea of letting
stray bees find their own hive is a new one
—to me, at least.

2

SAVING AFTER-SWARMS, AND BUILDING THEM UP TO
GOOD COLONIES.

T can not agree here. With the after-swarms goes
all prospect of surplus honey; and, if prevented, the
old stock is by far the better. Wait 7% days after
the first swarm leaves, and, as a rule, the first young
queen is hatched then. Cut all cells, and after-
swarms are done away with.

3
PLURALITY OF QUEENS IN A SWARM.

T find that a plurality of queens is just as common
in second savarms as in third; and I have had as
many as half a dozen in a first swarm, issuing from
the loss of the oJd queen ten or more days previous-
ly. During the height of swarming, the cells are
not properly guarded, and thus the young queens
run out.

4
CUTTING OUT CELLS, AFTER A FIRST SWARM ISSUES.
This is not sure, as the bees can rear more from
the brood remaining; but, cut them after the first
queen hatches, and you have a sure thing.

It |

iby Cy BOOK:

5

SETTING THE NEW SWARM IN THE PLACE OF THE OLD
STOCK, TO PREVENT AFTER-SWARMS.

This is not a good plan with the Italians, as they

will nearly always swarm after being thus moved;
but with the blacks it generally works well.

6
AGE OF BEES.
HOW LONG BLACK BEES WILL LIVE, IF AN ITALIAN
QUEEN JIS GIVEN THE BEES IN MAY OR JUNE.
They will live 45 days, from three experiments I
have tried.
7

| ANGER OF BEES.

Have you not made amistake here somewhere?
During a heavy yiell of honey, our bees seem to be
glad of a rest, and it takes at least 24 hours before
our bees think of robbing, after a full flow of honey.
We have taken off honey after a shower, aS you
speak of, when each bee was so full of honey that, if
Squeezed a little, she would throw the honey out on
the tongue; and, if jammed a little, the honey-sack
' (filled with honey) would burst through the sides of
the abdomen. After 24 hours has elapsed, or the
season draws to a close, we agree with all you say.

IT hardly think I have made a mistake in
the matter, friend D.; but, very likely, more
time had elapsed after the rain, than what I
have given. I have noticed all you say, im-
mediately after a very heavy yield; but so
many others have spoken of having trouble
in trying to extract,after a storm, that I can
not but think my caution a wise one.

8

I thoroughly tried Prof. Hasbrouck’s plan the past
season with the sugar-barrel with a hole in the top
and a glass on the inside. While I could get the
drones and queens to fly together and drop to the
bottom in the embrace, or laying-hold of each other,
yet not one was fertilized.

In regard to this same subject of artificial
| fertilization, I remark that now, nearly every
apiarist of 50 hives or more, has at least one
imported queen. In regard to this remark,
friend D. writes:—

9

Ican not agree here. I have had three daughters
of imported queens from as many breeders, and
none of them compared with the stock I had taken
pains to breed for honey. With the majority of
apiarists, probably, your remarks are correct; but
we have a few breeders whose queens are far ahead
| of a promiscuous importation from Italy,—at least,

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS ON THE A B C BOOK,

Such is my opinion. Five hundred dollars would not
hire me to breed all my queens from an imported
mother. 9nd let my present stock go down.

If better honey-gatherers can be obtained
by going elsewhere rather than Italy, by all
means let us have them. As friend D. now
offers queens for sale, we can give his stock
a very thorough test the coming season

10
ARTIFICIAL SWARMING.
HOW TO REAR QUEENS.

The first-hatched queen will destroy all remaining
queen-cells, providing it is not in the height of a
flow of honey. lf it is, our experience is, they will
swarm instead. For my views on this, see A. B. J.
for Oct., 1880—Doolittle’s artlele.

‘The reference to the article on queen-rear-
ing is, I presume, in regard to friend D.’s
position that queens reared under the swarm-
ing impulse, are better than those reared in
the manner I have given. If this were the
case, should not apiaries managed on the
natural-swarming principle, produce superi-
or queens? ‘There are plenty who have fol-
lowed the latter plan all their lives, but I do
not learn they have more honey to sell, than
those who have made their swarms and
reared their queens according to the meth-
ods I have given. It seems to me, friend D.
and our good friend Prof. Cook too have
been a little thoughtless in their condemna-
tion of all queens sold for a dollar, as if they
were necessarily inferior on that account,—
especially after the great numbers of great
yields that have been reported from the prog-
eny of queens that were purchased for a dol-
lar, and in the hands of A BC scholars at
that, but it is possible that those reared from
natural swarming will be better yet, other
things being the same; and let us by all
means give the matter a fair test. If friend
D. can supply the demand for such, even at
$3.00 each, we shall very soon have plenty of
reports from them.

11
BASSWOOD.

In a period of 12 years, I have never known bass-
wood to fail to yield honey,—the very shortest sea-
son yielding 4 days, and the longest 20. 1 place bass-
wood at the head of all honey-producing trees or
plants as to yield. From it I once obtained 66 Ibs. in
3 days, from one hive.

12

This is a picture of which you may well be proud;
for a better picture to convey to the mind just what
basswood is, was never executed.

13
I obtained s xty-six lbs. in three days.
14
BEES.
BEES, HOW THEY GROW.
You do not mention water as being mixed with
the honey and pollen for food. If water is not mixed

with this food, why is it so eagerly sought in spring
and summer, and not at all in warm days in October

and November? Now, I claim that many things

point to water being one element in this focd.
25
BUCKWHEAT.
We have given up placing any dependence on

buckwheat for honey. It has yielded honey only 5.

times in 12 years, so that any was stored. See our
report for 1880.

16
CANDIED HONEY.

SEALED COMB HONEY IN A CANDIED STATE,

Sealed honey seldom candies in the hive as you
say; but I never, to my recollection, had sealed hon-
ey away from the bees over winter without its can-

dying.
17
-SCALDING.

Iiow about changing the fiavor as soon as honey is
scalded? Our experience is, that honey that has
been heated hot enough to seald is spoiled, or near-
ly so, in flavor.

It can be heated so as to prevent candying,
without in any way detracting from the fla-
vor, I think, friend D.

18
CLOVER.
RED CLOVER FOR HONEY.

Tf I understand you correctly here, you and I do
not agree at all. Inever pulled the blossoms from a
head of red clover yet, but that there was honey in
them. But I have frequently found the corolla so
long the bee could not touch the honey, I think
there is nothing in the world that secretes as much
honey, year after year, as red clover; still, it is of
little use except to the bumble-bee.

In our locality, the red clover certainly
contains no honey, perceptibly, some sea-
sons. I am always in the habit of plucking
the heads and sucking out the nectar, when-
ever I find them in bloom; and whenever
I can squeeze out quite large globules, I al-
ways, so far as I can recollect, find the bees
gathering honey.

19

TAKING SECTIONS OFF THE HIVES, BEFORE THE
CELLS ARE ALL CAPPED.

Quinby said, and with much truth, too, that all
boxes two-thirds full of white honey should be taken
off before buckwheat honey was stored in them at
the beginning of that yield, as partly filled boxes of
white honey would bring more than when finished
out with dark honey. If you will adoptehe plan of
storing itin a warm room for a month, all your ad-
vice will not be needed, as in that case unsealed
honey will not heat or run in the least.

20
DANDELION.

This blossoms just with fruit with us, and so is of
little account, except the little they get before and
after, at beginning and ending.

Dandelion honey, after it is a year or two old, is
just splendid.

ee

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS ON THE A B C BOOK.

21
DISEASES OF BEES.

Can’t you manage to tell us why bees did not
spring-dwindle prior to 1870? When I first com-
menced to keep bees, there were 100 swarms around
me, kept by four or five parties that had kept bees
for 30 and 40 years; and, although they kept on
using box hives, still not oneof them has a bee to-
day. Tell us what did it. I confess I can’t see
through it at all.

To come right down to the point, I can't
either, friend D., even after all the learned
and exhaustive articles we have had on the
subject. Once they lived almost without
care, and now they don’t.

. 22
DRONES.
AGE OF DRONES.

Fultz, of Muscatine, Iowa, says, in A. B.J. for
January, 1880, that drones live only 24 days, while I
claim they live to about the same age as a worker, if
the bees allow them to live that long.

23
EXTRACTED HONEY.
DOOLITTLE’S ARTIFICIAL HONEY.

Take and make a syrup of A sugar, of the consist-
ency of honey; then for every 5 lbs. of this syrup,
put in 3 lbs. of clover or basswood honey, and thor-
oughly mix, and there is nut one in twenty but will
prefer it to clear honey, and not one in ten that can
detect it by the taste.

24%
RIPENING EXTRACTED HONEY.

Iam just one of those persons who have proven
to their entire satisfaction, that there is no differ-
ence between honey extracted before it is sealed
and ripened in an open cask or can in a warm room,
and that sealed by the bees, and ripened in the hive.

25
EXTRACTING UNRIPE HONEY.

I think your honey, when first gathered, mnst be
very poor stuff, orelse you are carrying this thing
toofar. We have tiered up hives, as you tell, and
left till October, then used in the comb, and extract-
ed it by warming the combs so we could, and for the
life of me I could see no difference between this and
some I warmed that was taken before it was sealed.
Both were so thick you could turn a saucer Over, as
you tell, and not have it run out, and so clear you
could readthrough it six inches deep. Just tell your
readers to extract when they will, but ripen in open
cans in a warm room.

26
DADANT’S HONEY-PAILS.
Candied honey in Dadant’s pails is seliing well in
all the markets we have tried, and it is by far the
nicest way to put it up.

27
Don’t say tin cans are ‘‘next best,” but say, the
way to keep honey is in tin cans holding 300 lbs., ina
warm dry room, witha cover madeof your duck
cloth. If you want to sell it in that shape, fill the
Dadant pails just before it ceases to run, and set
them away,
28

With tall hives there will not be 10 lbs. below if

you keep extracted from the upper story, at least
this is our experience.

It is to be remembered that friend D. uses
the Gallup frame while my remarks are all
for the L. frame.

29
FEEDING AND FEEDERS.
FEEDING BACK.

Haven’t you changed your mind on this feeding
back? Ihave again tried it this season, only ata
loss, as I have to feed 2 lbs. to get one in the boxes.
Betsinger and my neighbors succeeded no better.

I agree with you that such is the case ex-
actly until the brood apartment is crammed;
but after that, there are not more losses than
I have mentioned.

30

THICKENING WATERY HONEY.

If this is so, how came your thin honey from bass-
wood you told us about a little while before on these
pages? Why did they not thicken this in the same
way? Istill believeall evaporating of nectaris done
in the hive, as I once wrote.

I should explain it thus: The basswood
yielded in such quantities that they carried
it right to the hives. The Simpson plant
furnished only a limited amount compar-
atively.

31
FOUL BROOD.

If you don’t give them any comb, they don’t want
any confining, as I repeatedly found in 1871, ’2, and
73. A new swarm from a diseased hive, hived in an
empty hive, will never have the disease, unless they
get honey after the larvee has hatched from a hive
that has the foul brood; so your ‘starving part’’
should be left out. I ought to know, as I renovated
my whcle apiary in 1873.

32
FRUIT-BLOSSOMS.

Betsinger says, and I agree, that if we had the
same number of bees ina hive in apple-bloom that
we do in basswood, the yield would be as great. I
once had 8 Ibs. stored in one day, with not over one-
third the bees I have in basswood. Apple is a great
yielder of honey, sure.

Then we have a most excellent reason for
having powerful colonies to commence the
sea on with.

33
HIVE-MAKING.

A good colony of bees will store almost as
much honey in a half-barrel or nail-keg, as in
the most elaborate and cxpensive hive made
other things being equal.

If I am correct, it was E. Gallup who said this; E.
Gallup certainly said it, and Quinby may have done
so; but I do not remember that he did.

34
How « it, friend Root, that when you write a book
you give only a description of your hive? When L.
C. Root writes a book he gives a description of the
Quinby hive only. Has not Prof. Cook set you both
a good example by giving several, and then giving
his reasons for adopting the one he uses? As you

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS ON THE A B C BOOK.

know, Ido not agree with you on hives, and think
you are prejudiced on many points; butI have gone
over the ground so much in the bee journals, that I
will not say more here, except to say that, if I used
the L. frame, I certainly should use side boxes as
well as top; and as J took out the full ones on top,
raise the partly filled ones from the sides to the top,
placing the empty boxes at the side each time. This
is the principle to secure a large yield of box honey,
and we think we have proven it to you by our re-
ports the past eight years. Still, you do not even
mention the matter, but drive ahead asif yours was
the only way. Please excuse, but so it seems to me.
I know you consider the interchangeable side and
top boxes complicated; but can’t we well afford it,
if from 5 to 10 lbs. extra can be secured from each
stock each year thereby?

I know, friend D., that this matter of hives
is a very important one, but if Quinby and
Gallup were right, as in a few sentences
back, does it really matter so very much? I
have described minutely how to make both
summer and winter hives for the L. frame ;
but if anybody prefers any other sized frame,
they can vary the directions to suit, without
any great difficulty. I have not described
the hive preferred by yourself, Prof. Cook,
L. C. Root, Dadant, Harbison, and many
others, because it would make the book too
voluminous for one thing, and because I
could not give directions for each operation
all the way through, without modifying all
the time, to suit the different hives. Be-
sides, I should perplex and confuse the be-
ginner beyond measure if I tried to do so.
Even though Prof. Cook uses your sized
frame. he uses a differently made hive ; and,
if I am correct, you would hardly agree with
his directions any more than you do mine.
Friend Cook gives a general idea of the
whole subject, without going into minute
details as I have, and his book in this respect
fills a need that many of the others do not.
In deciding to have my whole book written
principally for the L. frame, I did it with
the belief that you would do nearly if not
quite as well with that frame as with your
own, and also that by far the greater
part of our bee folks had that frame already
in use. To advise everybody to throw away
the hives they have, and adopt another,
would be a most serious matter, and I have
not intended so to doin any thing I have
written ; but I would advise all new begin-
ners to fall into the great beaten path as far
as may be, in deciding upon implements to
be used. I feel now as I did at first, that it
is best not to confuse beginners by attempt-
ing to describe more than one frame, and
the summer and winter hives for holding
this one frame. JI indorse your idea in re-
gard to raising up the side boxes. Under

COMB’ HONEY I have given full directions
for using the sections at the sides as well as
above the brood frames.

35

THE 1-LB. SECTION BOX.

Would it not have been well to have told your
readers that Manum, of Bristol, Vt., made a section
that was nicer than any thing could be that was
planed, and that, too, with nothing but a saw, and
that it held 1%{lbs.? that Betsinger made prize boxes
that were very nice that held 214 ibs. glassed? that
Hetherington, the largest bee-keeper in the world,
used a box still different that Thorn & Co., and Thur-
ber & Co. pronounced the best for New York market
of any thing there was used? How should I know of
any thing but 1-pound boxes if I did not read it else-
where cutside of this book? Many can not afford to
buy several books, and so want to be posted by read-
ing one.

I have described but the one section, for
the same reason I have described but one
hive. Ido not wish to confuse my reader
and leave him in a broad sea of uncertainty
as to what style he had best adopt. Should
he choose the hive I have described, and
then try to use some of the other forms of
sections, without experience, he would be
likely to have the same troubles so many of
us have gone through with in patching up
and trying to make system out of chaos.
Harbison produces more comb honey than
any you have mentioned, and he uses still
another box ; but I have not described it. I
have once given a letter from ‘Thurber, say-
ing the 1-lb. section sold the best of any in
the market; but he may have given differ-
ent opinions at other times Hundreds who
had no knowledge of bee culture at all, have,
by following the plan and direct teachings
of the A B C, succeeded at once, rejoicing at
every step; but had I taken in all these
other points (and I grant they are important),
I can have no idea that such would have
been the case. As it is, every implement,
box, frame, and tool, fits exactly with all
there isin the book. Had I described and
advised the things used by others (even
though they are better, mind you), such
could not have been the case.

36
HONEY-COMB.
BEES PACKING IN THE,COMB COMPACTLY.

Betsinger says that the bees never pack them-
selves in the cells except in cases of starvation. I
am not posted, so can not say from my own ex-
perience.

As I have often pulled combs apart in win-
ter, and found them thus, I can not quite
agree with friend B.

37

IS IT THE RESULT OF AGES OF SURVIVAL OF THE
FITTEST?

Now, really, friend Root, do you think bees build

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS ON THE A BC BOOK. ;

comb any differently than they did when the great
Creator pronounced all his works good? That there
is a difference in the qualities of bees, I know; and
so [believe there was then. If God knows the be-
ginning from the end, he knows just what is wanted,
and so makes it good. Wehave no reason to believe
that there has been much improvement made, as a
whole, since the creation, if any thing; for wherein
one point is gained, another is lost; for instance,
man has perhaps a better intellect to-day than he
had 3000 years ago, but he does not live a tenth part
as long. So with our choice breeds of cattle, sheep,
ete.; the more choice they are, the more petting it
takes to keep them up, while the lean, uncouth
“scalawag’’ will live and thrive anywhere.

38
MAKING BEES USE LARGER CELLS.

We tried to so improve the bee as to make them
take cells 4% to the inch, but we had to give it up,
and believe God knew best when he taught them
that five is right.

39

HYBRIDS.

WHY DO HYBRID QUEENS BRING ONLY 14 PRICE OF
ITALIANS?

Just because anybody and everybody can raise
plenty of hybrids themselves, if they have an Italian
to start with; butif they have a queen producing
hybrid workers, they soon have nothing but blacks

40
BLACKS ARE MORE TROUBLESOME ROBBERS THAN
EITHER HYBRIDS OR ITALIANS.
I have had pure Italians that were ordinarily quiet
and peaceable get so roused up as to sting worse
than any hybrid ever thought of stinging.

41
You are just right here; and still we have those
who claim the Italian is superior to the blacks, only
as they rob others. I have been so annoyed by these
black chaps following me around, as to get fairly

nervous.
42

INTRODUCING QUEENS.
FINDING THE OLD QUEEN.
would say, draw one of the outside brood combs,
for the queen is oftener found on the outside brood
combs during the day than she is on the central one.

43
THR ‘‘ PEET-CAGE”’ PLAN.OF INTRODUCING.*

I have succeeded to my entire satisfaction the past
summer in introducing queens by making a cage as
you used to, to cage queen-cells; and make it so itis
4 inches square; find a place where the bees are
hatching out rapidly, and place your queen thereon,
after getting all the bees off; then place your cage
over the queen, and press intothecomb. Of course,
you must have some cells of honey inside the cage
too. As the bees hatch, they become attached to
the queen, and she commences to lay in the vacant
cells, and in from 24 to 48 hours she will fill them all,
and these young bees will protect her after you have
lifted the cage from off her and them.

44
IVALIAN BEES.
IS FRESHLY IMPORTED STOCK BETTER AS HONEY-
GATHERERS?
Can’t ‘‘swallow’’ that yet; and I candidly believe
furtherimportation is useless for the next five years.

*A4 cut and description of the Peet cage will be found at the end
of the subject CAGES FOR QUEENS.

45
THE FOURTH YELLOW BAND.

I have had those on which the fourth was just as
visible on the honey-scale as it usually is on the
third, and that while they were on the window.

I have also seen them during the past year

—especially on the Cyprian and Holy-Land
bees.
46
LAMP NURSERIES.

Are not your queens weak and feeble if hatched in
the lamp nursery? Mine were so much so that, after
using it two years, I laid it to one side, and have not
used it since. Queens hatching over a swarm of
bees in a wire-cloth cage seem to be as strong again.

I have not found it so, friend D. See
Hayhurst’s letter at close of subject QUEEN-

REARING.
47
LETTING NEWLY-HATCHED QUEENS INTO A HIVE
WHEN A LAYING ONE HAS JUST BEEN TAKEN OUT.
Out of 20so let in the past season, [ lost all but
one, and had nearly as bad success before; so I
should say, if I were writing a book, that, as a rule,
all so let in would be killed.

48

UNSEALED HONEY GETTING THICK IN THE LAMP
NURSERY.

A good argument in favor of my theory in ripen-
ing extracted honey, and also of keeping box honey
till it is so thick it will not leak from unsealed cells.
We have faith enough to believe that, if you were to
once store your box honey in a room that maintains
a temperature of 90° for three weeks, you would
never Ship it as it came from the hives.

49
MOTHERWORT AS A HONEY-PLANT.

As I said at the Chicago convention, so 1 say now:
if I were to cultivate any plant for honey, it would
be Motherwort; for our bees work on it from morn-
ing till night for weeks.

50
’ MOVING BEES.
HOW FAR DO BEES FLY FOR STORES?

You know we don’t agree here, as I claim they go
from 3 to 6 miles from choice. My bees went4to5
miles to work on teasel the past year, without any
teasels within 3% miles on the first part of the route.
This I know, asa bee working on teasel is always
partly covered with a whitish dust, as they are with
yellow when working on pumpkin and squash.

Thanks; very likely I have put the dis-

tance too small.*
51
NUCLEUS.
HOW FEW BEES, WITH A QUEEN, MAY START A COLONY.
We once had a colony become so reduced that, by
actual count, there were 81 bees and the queen, and
so they held on till warm weather, when they built
up without help, and actually gave a surplus of 5lbs.
on buckwheat, in Sections, and were in splendid con-
dition for winter.
52

IS THE GALLUP FRAME TOO DEEP?
I don’t see how you can eall the Gallup frame
deep, when it is only two inches deeper than the L.
frame. If you had said the old American or Kidder

*An article in April No. of GLEANINGS for 1882, shows conclu-
sively that Italian bees will fly from an island, under ftayora-
ble circumstances, as much as even SEVEN miles.

,

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS ON THE A B C BOOK.

that were 14 inches, I could have agreed. The Gal-
lup frame is the best proportioned frame of any, all
things considered. So think I

53

DOES THE BOTTOM PROJECT BELOW THE CLUSTER?

No more than the ends do, for it is exactly square.
A good swarm of bees in the Gallup frame will
touch the bottom and top of the hive, and also eacb
end where only 9 frames are used, but not the sides;
while with the L. frame they touch the bottom and
top only.

Why, friend D., it seems to me our bees
don’t act just as yours do, but perhaps we

are both a little prejudiced.

54
NUCLEUS.

How is it that you have only seven frames in this
hive, when you say you use ten in the chapter on
hives?

We usually use but 6 or 7 brood frames;
in winter, chaff division-boards take the
place of the other three, and in summer, a
frame of sections on each, outside.

55
POLLEN.
BASSWOOD YIELDS NO POLLEN.
1f Lam correct, basswood yields no pollen at all.

56
BEES ON CULTIVATED-GRAPE BLOSSOMS.

Did you ever see abee on a tame grape blossom?
Although they get pollen freely from the wild, or
frost grape, yet I never saw one on a tame variety.

Yes, sir! they work on our Concords nearly
every season.

57

DO BEES SEE OR SMELL HONEY?

Above, you give that the bees find honey by see-
ing the blossoms, ete.; but did they go into the hon-
ey-house by seeing the bowls and boxes of honey
there? I think not, and guess you have got off the
track. It can be easily proven, that bees are drawn
toward honey by the perfume, for you can place it
where they can see it all day, and yet yield no per-
fume, and not a bee will notice it.

DO BEES OR PLANTS CHANGE THEIR HABITS, UNDER
DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES OR SURROUNDINGS?
Is not this figurative language? The touch-mc-

notis probably just as it was whenit was first created;
if not, God did not know the necessities of flowers
when he created them. That a flower has “ learn-
ed”’ how and where to place certain organs to accom-
plish desired ends is a little strange talk, is it not?

59
POLLEN AND BROOD IN THE SURPLUS BOXES.
I find it right the opposite. I never had any brood
in the side boxes but once in my experience, that I
know of, but often have it in top boxes.

60
PROPOLIS.

PROPOLIS FROM BALM OF GILEAD AND POPLAR.

I have repeatedly seen bees getting propolis from
balm-of-Gilead and poplar buds, and a few at work
on the horse-chestnut; but this is so sticky they do
not like it so well, .

61
QUEENS.
DOES THE QUEEN OR WORKERS DESTROY RIVAL
QUEEN-CELLS?

As far as my experience goes on this point, the
workers do this destroying of the cells. I know
queens do tear open cells, but believe the workers do
most of it when the idea of swarming is not enter-
tained.

62
PIPING OF QUEENS.

I gucss no piping is ever heardin a hive till one
queen has hatched; at least, | never could hear any,
and I have experimented quite thoroughly on this
point.

63
WHAT DO BEES FEED THE QUEEN TO MAKE HER LAY?
What is this food that the bees feed the queen? I
claim it is the same as that fed tothe young larve.
When the queen takes honey, she helps herself to it.

64

AT WHAT AGE DO QUBENS COMMENCE TO LAY?

T once had a queen laying in just ten duys from
the time the cell was sealed over, or three days after
the queen had hatched, and at another time I had
one that did not lay till 26 days from the sealing of
the cell.

QUEEN-REARING.

INSERTING QUEEN-CELLS AT THE TIME THE NUCLEUS
Is MADE.

I have tried this plan till I know that my bees des-
troy at least nine-tenths of all cells so given, anddo
not understand why yours do not. With my experi-

ence, I should not put such a plan ina book, if I
were to write one, but would say, wait 24 hours.

KEEPING THE BKES OF THE NUCLEUS FROM GOING
BACK HOME.

I should say that this one would get half the bees
that were in the old hive; at least, when I make
nucleiin that way the bees seem bent on going back
to the old stand; so I generally confine them for the
first day, letting them out toward sunset by the
second day.

67

INSERTING A CELL IN PLACE OF ONE
HAVE BUILT.

That is correct; and I say, wait tillthey commence
to build cells, and you are safe.

68
ROBBING.

WHAT TO DO WHEN A COLONY CEASES TO DEFEND
ITSELF.

I cover the hive all up with a large sheet, and then
there is no chance of smothering; and, also, the
robbers are not confined to the hive.

69
A ROBBED COLONY GOING HOME WITH THE ROBBERS.
Did anybody ever know the bees from a robbed
hive to go home with the robbers? I never knew
such a thing to happen, and doubtits ever occurring.

I have had a few cases of the kind, and
several have beenreported. Perhaps, friend
D., you do not have the experience(?) in roby
bing we do,

THE BEES

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS ON TILE A BC BOOK.

70
DO BEES DISLIKE SNAKES?
Thad plenty of snakes live under my hives the
past Summer, and the idea that bees dislike snakes
is all bosh.

71
SMOKERS.
SMOKE FOR YELLOW-JACKETS.

Smoke will drive yellow-jackets and bumble-bees
much quicker than it will bees, so they will leave
their nests entirely —the yellow-jackets rarely re-
turning, but the bumble-bees will return.

72,
STINGS.

HOW DOOLITTLE MANAGES IN REGARD TO STINGS.

This is the way I always remove them; and if you
learn by instinct, as it were, to strike your hand
against your clothing at the moment you fecl the
strike to sting, you will, in nearly all cases, remove
the whole sting, and suffer scarcely any pain. I[
always wear a veil, as I don’t want them in my face
if they did not sting at all.

73

VISITORS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE HIVES.
This is the worst trial I have, and I sometimes feel
like telling such persons that it seems as if they
should “know something;’’ but instead, [ request
them to come back where I am, only to repeat it
when I open the next hive, and s» on.

74%

KILLING BEES IN HANDLING HIVES.

IT think you make more of killing bees than is eall-
ed for. When a bee’s life is worth more to me than
my time is, I take much painsto prevent killing one;
but, on the contrary, if my time is worth more than
the life of a bee, the bee is killed, always striving to
kill as few as possible consistent with accomplishing
what isto be accomplished. We kecp hees for the
profit there isin them, and that is what they were
ereated for—the benefit of man. Do you ohjeet? Let
us see: you keep a cow for the profit there is in the
milk and butter she affords you to eat orsell; but
when she gets old, soasto be of no value for milk
or butter, do you keep her for the good she has done?
No: you look tothe profit again, and fat and kill
her, and, as you reason, God should hold you re-
sponsible for this act. Why not? Because he has
ereated the cow for the benetit of man, as he did the
bees; so when a bee’s death is more profitable to me
than his life, there is no more harm in killing him
than there is in killing the cow.

75
USING SMOKE 1N OPENING HIVES.

Ialways blow alittle smoke under the quilt as I raise
it, and after that use no more unless they show signs
of stinging. In this way notimeis wasted to have
them off from the tops of the frames out of the way.
Any colony can be subdued by blowing in a little
smoke at the entrance, and closing it, and then rap
on the hive a fewtimes. Intwo or three minutes
you can dd any thing with them.

76
SWARMING.
NON-SWARMING HIVES.

Why not say bees swarm because it is God's plan
to keep them from becoming extinct, as much as it
is his plan for the birds to return to us each spring,
mate, and raise their young? With an apartment

that is suited to the bees for all seasons of the year,
that is not enlarged or contracted by man, the bees
invariably swarm if the season is propitious, and all
the combined ideas «of man have not as yet been
suflicient to produce a non-swarming hive when
worked forcomb honey, that was reliable.

77

DO BEES WORK LESS THE DAY THEY ARE GOING TO
SWARM?
I never could sce a bit of difference as to the work
of a swarm, and | have watched closely to see, when
I knew a Swarm hid a Sealed queen-vell.

78

BEES SWARMING BFCAUSE THRY ITKAR OTHER HIVES
SWARMING.
No mistake, as far as my experience gues.

79

FIRST SWARMS IRSUING TWICH ON THE SAME DAY.

I never knew but one first Swarin to issue the
second timeon the same diy—a returned swarm, L
mean.

REMOVING I1HE QUEEN WHEN BEES ARE AT WORK
IN THE BOXERS.

Both Elwood and Hetherington now take away the
queen from heir stocks at work in boxes during the
basswood bloom, and claim that is the correct way
to get box honey with no swarins. I donot yet agree,
but may some time.

82

EXTRACTING THE HONEY TO PREVENT SWARMING.
I don’t agree; your extracting reduces them, fur
the time being, to a state of poverty, the same as a
dearth of forage; hence, all idea of swarming is
given up the sameas it is when the flowers yield no
honey, on the principle that God has given them
knowledge enough to know that they can’t prosper
outside of the oli hive without a yield of honey. ~

82
TEASEL.
I have never known it to fail but one year during
the past eleven years, the time I have kept bees.
These road-side teasels are wild teasels, on which I
never saw a beein my life. These havea blue blos-
som, while the tame, or Fuller’s teasel, have a white.

83

TRANSFERRING.
DRUMMING THE BEES OUT, IN TRANSFERRING.
Why don’t you drum out those bees to start with,
and have them out of the way?

Because I like the way I have given, best.
84

DOOLITTLE’S NATURAL COMBS, VERSUS THOSE BUILT
ON FDN.

I have 1000 that I would not trade with you even
handed at venture, for they are perfection.

If you had tobuy your fdn., I think you would
Save all the comb you could.

85

The drumming isdone by getting off the side of
the old hive, and getting the nuils out of the cross-
sticks so no time is wasted.

86
UNITING BEES.
Alternate the frames, and thus mix the bees
thoroughly, and they will never figtt at any time of

the year.
21

DOOLITTLE’S REVIEW AND COMMENTS ON THE A B C BOOK.

But they do sometimes, friend D., with us,

nevertheless. I wish you would try uniting
Cyprians in that way.
87

LOSING QUEENS WHEN UNITING BEES.
Inever lost one in my life.

WHEN TO UNITE BEES.
I don’t agree. August is the time to unite bees, as
I gave in A. B. J., Oct. No. The first part of Sept.
would do, where fall flowers are abundant.
It is far easier to unite bees in the brood form in
August than in the bee form in October, for the
brood the last of August are the bees of October.

89
VEILS.
I use the grenadine for the whole veil, and wear
one most of the time.

90
USING SHEETS OF MICA IN BEE-VEILS.

The mica does very well in hot weather, but in cool
the breath steams it up so it is entirely useless.

91

VENTILATION.

KEEPING SURPLUS BOXES WARMLY PROTECTED,
WHEN THE BEES ARE STORING HONEY.

You are just **shouting’’ here, and this is one
great secret of success in getting box honey.

92
VINEGAR.
Vinegar is also used for cleansing wax.

93
WATER FOR BEES.
EVAPORATING THIN, NEWLY GATHERED HONEY.
For my views on this matter, after conducting
many careful experiments, see “ Evaporating
Nectar,’’ on p. 172, Vol. 3, A. B. J.

94
WINTERING.
FEEDING UP FOR WINTER.
Why not feed the whole 20 lbs. in one or two nights
if they have plenty of comb room and plenty of
brood and young bees? That is the way I do.

95

CELLAR WINTERING, AND OUT-DOOR WINTERING.

Notwithstanding there are probably at this date
more bees wintered in cellars than any other way, |
winter half of mine in a cellar, and half on summer
Stands, so I am sure of being right in one place or
the otber every winter.

96

DOOLITILE’S BEE-CELLAR.

My bee-cellar has not raised three degrees during
the winter since! built it, and we have had weather
all the way from 20° below zero to 65 above. Two or
three days of 65° above does not affect it a particle; I
do not use a stove as do Elwood, Root, and others.

97
WHY BEES WINTER WELL ONE WINTER, AND DO NOT
ANOTHER, UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES.
This is candid, and I agree exactly. No one can
tell why two swarms, sitting side by side, as near
alike as two peas, should not winter alike; and yet,

See p. 269.

often one dies before March, while the other comes
through a splendid colony.

98
FASTENING BEES IN THE HIVES IN WINTER.
Packed in chaff, as you propose, bees do not need
an entrance atall, especially in the cellar, and out of
doors only where they can fly. Hence I close mine
as tight as I can make them at the bottom in cellar,
and generally do those out of doors.

99°
WHEN TO TAKE BEES OUT OF THE CELLAR.

As you advise waiting till pollen is plenty (which
advice is good), your advice as to the time of day in
putting out is bad, as it is so warm at this season of
the year that robbing will likely result from those
set, out previously, or from those wintered on sum-
mer stands. Set out when sun is an hour high, on a
warm day, and they will have a nice fly, and protect
themselves the next morning.

100

WEAK COLONIES THAT CONSUME SCARCELY ANY
STORES, COMPARATIVELY, NOT BEING OF MUCH
VALUE.

Beg pardon, but this is not so. The colony that
consumes the least stores in cellar wintering is al-
ways tbe best colony in the spring, and the one that
will remain quiet till pcllenis plenty. Nowsetthem
out, and you willhave no spring dwindling, but each
bee in the hive will be strong and vigorous, and as
the weather is warm, they rush things.

IT agree with this, but my remarks were
meant to apply to those so small they could

not need much.
161

NO. OF STOCKS IN A PERFECT CELLAR,
PORTANT.

With a cellar like ours it makes no difference
whether there is one or 100 colonies in it, as it is not
dependent on the bees for warmth, but it is the tem-
perature of the ground at a depth of 8 feet, and that
temperature is from 43 to 45 degrees above zero.

102

BEES THAT ARE FOUND ON THE FENCES AND WALKS
IN THE SPRING, LADEN WITH POLLEN, ETC.

I believe these bees die of old age, caused by a
used-up vitality from holding the excrement solong,
as I gave in the A. B. J., which friend Roop and oth-
ers “blowed”’ about so much. If you will consider,
you will see that all evidences point that way.

iG3

SAVING SOILED OR MOLDY COMBS.
This sounds better than what you say on page 250.
I believe it well pays to save all pieces of worker
comb 6 inches square. This you save, while fdn.
costS money.

NOT IM-

Friend Root:—Although I have been pressed for
time and hardly knew how to do it, I have thorough-
ly read the preceding pages, and criticised what I
considered wrong. I may not have clothed my lan-
guage with as smooth a dress as some would have
done; but, believe me, I have not intended to be
harsh, and if you find any thing that so sounds, please
forgive. I did not intend any thing but kindness.

G. M. DOOLITTLE,
Borodino, N. Y., Noy. 1, 1880.

CONCLUSION.

““Tt is customary,”’ said I to my wife, ‘‘ to
have several leaves in the back of every
book, with nothing on them; two or more
leaves of blank paper. Now, it is almost as
easy to have something useful printed on
these leaves, as to have them blank. Why
shall we not use them?”’

‘* But, my husband, your book will look
badly ; just think of having the reading-mat-
ter reach the cover. Will it not look strange
and singular?”’

“Does it look strange and singular to see
advertisements on these concluding pages,
in close contact with the reading matter?”

‘“ Well, no; I do not know that it does; but
that, you know, is different.”

It is‘‘different,’’ my friends, and I presume
more than one of you have noticed the broad
difference between the matter contained in
the book, and the character of the advertise-
ments contained in these last pages. I beg
pardon for this little bit of fault-finding, and
will try to remember that I am responsible
for only the last pages of my book, and not
for those of other people.

Now, then, with the young bee-keepers,
with the boys and girls, and perhaps also
with the men and women, who have read my
A BC book thus far, and all who feel they
are young in the art of keeping bees, I would
have a little friendly talk. I wish you to let
me feel as if perfectly well acquainted; so
much so that I might come in without
knocking, or any introduction, and talk
about home matters, your bees and bee-hives,
or any thing else, wherein my experience
might enable me to help you. I can almost
imagine already, that some bright young-
ster who has been eyeing me keenly and
curiously thinks, if he does not say it out-
right :

‘* Haven’t you got something to sell, Mr.?”

‘*No, my boy, I have nothing to sell; at
least, not to-day. I keep things to sell, when

at home ; but now Iam making you a visit,
and what I wish to tell you about is given
away, without money and without price.” —

“Isn’t it a chromo ?”

‘““No, itisn’t a chromo. Come with me,
and you shallsee. Isn’tthatfunny ? ‘Come
with me, and you shall see.’ Tell sister to
come; and if all the rest will come too, we
shall be very glad to have them. Tlave youa
hoe? Well, bring that, and have sister bring
her little broom. Weare going to build a
little village. We will have streets and
houses in our village, and we will have folks
live there too. Oh, such folks! for they not
only work hard all day, but they come pretty
near working all night also.”

““Ts it the bees ?”

‘You have guessed it exactly, ‘ Sis;’ it is
the bees, and their hives are to be the
houses.”’

‘* But, they will sting.”

‘* Not if we get acquainted.. Ilow did you
get acquainted with me ?’”

‘* We ‘ talked.’”’

‘“ That is the idea exactly ; we are to talk

with the bees, and get acquainted.”’

‘* Bees can’t talk.”

‘* Oh, but bees can talk. They can talk in
their way just as your old Rover talks to
you, and just as the hens and chickens do.
It is true, they do not talk with their mouths,
as we do; but for all that, they talk, and very
plainly too, as [think we shall see. When
Rover is glad to see you, what does he say ?”’

““He says,‘ Bow, wow, wow, wow,’ and
wags his tail.”’ .

‘““'‘Very good. Now, when you are gather-
ing the eggs, and you find one of the hens
that sticks to the nest, and won't get off,
what does she say when you try to get her
off ?”

‘*T know what she says, but J can’t say it.
She says, ‘cr-r-r-r, cr-y-r-r-r, and she
pecks.”

CONCLUSION.

‘¢ Well, you know exactly what she, means
do you not? Does she not say, as plainly as
words could tell it,‘ You go way off, and let
me be; I will sit, if I want to. They are my
eggs, for I laid ‘em ’?”’

‘* Well, now, the bees talk just as plainly as
the hen and dog; but as you are not acquaint-
ed with them, I will go along and act as in-
terpreter. That is, I will tell you what they
say. <As little folks are pretty easily fright-
ened or discouraged, I think mamma had
better fix some sort of a veil on your hats,

until you get a little used to the business. |

Any sort of an old veil will do, or some new
ones can. be cheaply made, of a piece of tarle-
tan. Now notice; if I go up to their hives,

and stand in front of them, they will buzz |

allround me ; and pretty soon, if I do not

move, they will begin to ‘scold,’ very much |

as the old hen did; and to me, it is just as
plain what they want.
get away, so they can go on with their work.

When you go up to the hives, always be_

careful to stand at one side of their line of

travel, and then they will be much less likely |

to try to drive youaway. Almost every hive
has a particular ‘ path’ through the air, and
we are to watch and see where this path is,
and let them have it, full width.

‘* Now, boys, for business; pull down all
the old sheds there may be around the bee-
hives; clear away all rubbish; and if the
hives are set on any kind of benches, clear
these all away, and set them right on the

ground; or, rather, raise them on 4 half-bricks |
laid down flat; if we are going to have a con- |
venient village, we must have the houses

on the ground, not up on stilts.

‘* We have not called upon papa yet ; but
now we shall have to ask him for a load of
nice sawdust, and then we are ready for the
little broom and hoe, to make the streets

and lanes and alleys of our city. It may be |
a little city some time,if we keep at work as
the bees do, and do not get discouraged.

Sees
e

ne
SOeet

WORKER-COMB.

See

DRONE-COMB.

Now I suppose you will disagree with me,

when I tell you how.we are to lay out the)

streets ;' for [am going to plan our city just
as the bees plan their rooms inside their
houses. If you look at a piece of honey-

comb, you will see the cells are six-sided,
like the above.

‘‘ There are several reasons why the bees
can not have square rooms, as we do, and one
of them is that the bees are round, and would
not fit in square cells. A young bee, I im-
agine, would find himself quite uncomfor-
table in a square cradle; and if the cells
were made round, they would not fit up

waste corners. So you see the bee makes

material. Now we wish our bee village

|
| Save travel in working among them.

They want you to.

made six-sided for the same reason, and to
If you
have only seven hives, we will make them
stand about like this; one in the center, and
| six around it.

‘“You see by the drawing, how the hives are
to be placed, and where the sawdust is to be
spread for the paths. On the south side of
-each hive I have shown you the grapevine
trellis you will probably have after a
while. You can just see the tops of the
posts, and the top-strips.

‘‘AsS we must have every thing exact in lay-
ing out a city, we will cut a stick just six
feet long, and arrange all the hives so they
are just six feet from the center one, and
from each other. Make a nice walk of saw-
dust from the hives to the house, that we

Fine |

HEXAGONAL APIARY OF 7 HIVES.

may not get mamma’s floor muddy when we

/run back and forth; now make a walk be-
/ tween and around all the hives, and bank
/ sawdust up nicely all round them, to keep
_ them warm, and to keep the grass and weeds
_ from growing in the way before their doors.
If you will fix their doorways all nice and
clean, they will get just as proud of their
homes as the old hen does of her chickens ;
| you see if they do not.

| ‘*If the hives do not stand just as you want
| them, or pretty nearly so, when you com-
mence, you must move them into place a lit-
tle at atime each day, or you will make

against each other, as they do now, without

his cell six-sided to save room, labor, and

se ee

i
-
3
:
4
p

CONCLUSION.

serious trouble. If you move a bee’s hive,
even a few feet, he is as much lost as you
would be if your own house were moved a
mile, for he always comes home to the exact
spot from which he started out. If you com-
mence your improvements in the spring, be-
fore the bees begin to fly, you can set the
hives anywhere you choose, without making
any trouble, but you can not do this in the
summer time while they are flying. When
the sawdust is all fixed, sister is to keep the
paths all swept neatly with her little broom,
and all hands are to contribute in keeping
every thing neat and tidy.”

‘‘ But, we have not heard the bees ‘ talk’
yet.”

about bees talking, for they do it with their
wings, and not with their mouths. ©

“T think each one of you children may
choose which hive he will have, and then we
can see who will get most honey from his or
her hive. We have a little blue-eyed girl at
our home, and she has a hive that contains
the prettiest queen, the prettiest and gent-
lest bees, and they have made the nicest lit-
tle cakes of honey, of any hive in our whole
apiary, and there are nearly a hundred in all.

‘“ Now while I think of it, I believe I will
show you a picture of myself and ‘Blue
Eyes,’ so that you would readily know us, if
we should ever come to see you. Here it is.

NOVICE AND BLUE EYES.

“Haven't you? Well, just go up to a hive

on the back side, and rap gently, just as if
you wished to come in.”’
— “They say, Buzz-z-z-z-z.””

“Well, what do you suppose that means ?”

‘*T guess it means, ‘Go right away, and let
us be.’”

‘** Very good; after we know them a little
better, I think we shall be able to under-
stand almost all they say, or at least all they
wish to say. Now, there is something funny

If you will look at our hexagonal apiary,
a little further on, you will see her hive right
in front of the door of the honey house. She
has a little broom, and sweeps the sawdust
up around the hives, and stamps it down
with her little foot, and she isn’t afraid of
the bees, one particle. She has never been
stung at all, while at work among them. If
you will turn over to the picture of the House
Apiary, you will see where she and her sister
Maud haye their playhouse, It is up stairs

CONCLUSION.

where the plants stand out by the window.
You can see them both, standing on the
steps ; but the man who made the picture
did not try very hard, I guess, when he made
their faces, for it does not look very much
like them. They have never had any trouble
with the bees in their playroom, except one
day when they had some very nice water-
melon for tea, and the bees came to tea too,
and liked the watermelon so well that they
went home and told the rest of the bees
(don’t you see bees can talk?) in the hive
about it, and so many of them came that the
children ran to ask me _ what they
should do. You can see me in my camp-
chair down by the door of the house. You
see I had a nice young queen that I wanted
to have lay eggs, because I knew, after she
had commenced laying eggs, we should soon
have a nice lot of young bees in the hive.
Well, it was rather dark in the house where
their hive was, so I took the comb with the
bees on it, carried it outdoors and sat down
to look for the tiny white eggs.

‘*‘ After the bees get acquainted with you,
they will not scold and tell youto go away,
but will alightright on your hand or face, and
sometimes they alight right on my nose. I
suppose it is because my nose is rather large,
but it does not make me feel bad at all, if it
is large, for I know that God made it so,
When we come to die, I suppose he will ask
all about our lives, whether we have been
good or bad, and whether we have talked
bad, and told lies, or stolen things, but I do
not believe he will ever say one word about
our noses.

‘*T almost forgot to tell you, that our ‘ Blue
Eyes —her name is Constance, and we call
her ‘ Conny’ for short — always comes up to
the shop to tell me when the bees are swarm-
ing. Some days when Iam writing with my
type-writer, just as Iam now, all at once
somebody will say,‘ Papa! bees is swam’in’,’
and I tell you I ‘ hustle,’ for I do not want
my nice queens to go off and get lost. When
I get home [ usually find that my wife has
hunted out the queen, and has got her in a
cage. We tie the cage on the rake, witha
green bush, and pretty soon the bees clus-
ter all round her. One Sunday I had to go
off to teach Sabbath-school, and I was afraid
some of the bees would swarm, so I told
Ernest (he is our boy, 14 years old), that I
would give him a dollar for every swarm he
would hive while I was gone. When I got
home I found a ‘great big swarm’ had come
out of Connie’s hive, and he had hiyed it
just as nicely as I could have done,

‘* Do you go to Sunday-school ?”’

‘*T am too little, and it is too far.”

‘* Do father and mother go ?”

‘*They go to meeting.”

‘* Does brother go ?”

‘“T guess he doesn’t think very much about
1t,2”

‘* Do any bad boys live around here ?”’

‘*Oh yes! there is some that is ‘awful’ bad.
They fire guns on Sunday, and sometimes
they steal our bee-hives in the night.”

‘* We would be really glad to have these
boys become good, and stop doing these
wicked things, would we not ?”

‘* But, they won’t never go to Sunday-
school.”

‘*T know they are not very apt to go; but
sometimes very wicked boys feel badly and
are sorry, and if somebody would talk with
them,and help them a little, they would
make really good men. Sometimes they
have no kind father and mother to take care
of them, as you and I have, and perhaps
nobody has been kind to them.

‘* Now I think it is just as nice to havea
good Sabbath-school, as it is to have a nice
apiary, and I am not sure but that one helps
the other. You go to school, do you not ?”

‘“Yes, and we have just the nicest
school ma’am.”’

‘* Well, that is very fortunate, for I am sure
she will be glad to help you start a Sabbath-
school. Youcan talk to her about it, and
get her to ask permission of the trustees to
hold it in the schoolhouse every Sunday aft-
ernoon. If you can get the minister to
come and help start it, it will be a very good
plan ; but if not, get the best man you know
of, to come and ask God to help you all to
goto work right. We must work in the
Sunday-school exactly as the bees do in the
hive. We must work all together. Do you
suppose the bees in the hives ever scold or
get mad at each other? Sometimes their
honey is all gone, and they have to starve to
death ; but from what I have seen of their
actions, I do not believe they ever blame
each other and say, ‘ It was all your fault, you
might have worked better when honey was
plentiful, as we did.’ On the contrary, they
seem to work together just as your right
hand works with your left. Did you ever
have your right hand get mad at your other
and strike it ?”’

‘* Why, no; one of my hands could not get
mad at the other.”

‘* Did you ever get mad, and strike your
brother ?”

“Yes, but that is different,”

CONCLUSION.

“Tt is different, that is true; but why can | and pleasant to every one, and to ask them
you not feel toward your own brother, just | all to come and help the school along. God
as you do toward your left hand? Do you | will tell you when you are working in the
not think we would all be much happier? right way, by making you feel more happy
Don’t you think our mothers would be pleas- | and joyous than you ever did before in life.
ed if we did that way 2? We would all stop You willlike your bees better than you ever
finding fault, and what a happy world it did before; the flowers will seem prettier,
would be !”’ the grass greener, and all the world more

‘But, folks don’t do that way. We can’t beautiful, just because you have been trying
always be good.” _to help the world to be good, instead of be-

“True, true; we can not always be good, ing altogether selfish. Whenever you help
but can we not always keep trying ?”’ _anybody to do right, you have helped God,

““T guess we could, if God would waita and he always pays folks for doing such
little sometimes when we are real ugly.” | work, by making them very happy.

‘“‘ Well, I think he will, if we do the very ‘‘ There, now I must go; remember the
best we can. Now itis almost time for me bees; do not let them starve: and,O my
to go home; but J hope you will get your friends! do remember the Sabbath-school; do
teacher, your parents, and everybody else, not let it drop nor dwindle down, but show
from the baby clear up to grandpa and | God that you can be depended upon, even
grandma, to help start that Sabbath school. if it does storm and blow. He that is faith-
God will take care of you all, and tell you ful in a few things, shall be made ruler over
what to do, if you only ask him, and the bad | many.”’
boys will all come too, after a while, if you

3 : | I have several times found colonies of bees s
are all kind and pleasant, just as I told you "

; | nearly dead from starvation that a great part of
the bees were. You will need some of the them were down on the bottom of the hive, and so
Gospel Hymns to sing from, and you will) weak as to be but just able to move. When honey

need lesson papers, and some little cards, for Was given them, the first ones would take a good
the children who learn the Golden Texts, | 1027: 204 just as soon as strength returned they

2 S, | would hasten to feed the rest; they too would re-
and some of the pretty Sunday-school papers | yiye, and very soon all hands were as busy as they
that are printed nowadays. Do you wonder | possibly could be, passing it round and helping the
where all these are to come from? Well, if | others, until all were ready to join in one grand ju-

you ask God to send them, and keep work- | bilee of thankfulness for the timely succor. Can

ing asthe bees do, they will all come pret- not we learn of them, two lessons. First, to spread
ty soon. Do you ask how you shall work ?

every thing that is good, freely and unselfishly, and
then to unite in a joyous thanksgiving for the peace

Well I guess the first thing will be to be kind | and plenty that we enjoy as'a people?

i ee
ca J

Ore, Oe

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(QUINCE IEINGES Ca Su oenasssodeds 2
se ee SeveraltUimites (see 2
PARE = Seni TA DS = 8 a Fes acct crsieralereie evepeter one usiaicscteisesinve 3-5
se a PAC Mami ass Sones pare e a aetna eieiete 233
re £8 Camtions abouts. sere. qeeacs- cs oa 4
ee He MEMO OL ss eo ee eee 3
ao ee Prevention of, One Plan with Its
Objections........ 4
ie “ He ‘“* Other Methods..... 4
os oe ob ‘* With Box Hives. ..4
After- Swarms 56 ete ko Aine BE Hoo eats aan Gaia Beenie tora 4
AGI VALS eSiOhsscnaccerecin ceases ot 4
ee me Amusing) Heatures Of..:. :........-... 4
ee a May, be Builblipreraas eee ses serene 4
He oe INIT OYE) XO) Peers Rene eno cons rome <o550)
of ig SVD Citas Sasendsowe ose eee. ie Nets ae eee 4
Age OVE TEYEGIS ee ees 9 Rte Oi Ieee a ee ee 5
“Affected by Brood- Jexety iat eee meee ae 5
me “ Cut Short by Wearing out ‘of Wings.5, 280
an bo MELO W LOVASCELGAIM: ooic25 = wecmcit ac es -ele)e12 = 5 |
$f Ce SCE SE HES) sais since sien eavecesn eas oe eevee 39
PANT OGIO OAROSS ae oicraue ss eens scree ces Wee deleares.« sled —T
ze a Best Kin diOleaeenck sete cse meen 6
5s eG WMetaChaDlesc. wee ses Sine ores Pee 6
£ ie Directions for Making............. 6
xe gS HOESHOUSE-ADIALYE epee ceeeoeene 6
ne £6 Unt portance Ole sa-aese eee ees 6
Alsike Clover Sees dee ate ate CODE eo tise cette terees 7-8, 25
Amount of Seed to the Acre........... 7
Pe Ho ereparavion of Ground for... j.4----4- 7
+ Pe nOtit from Seed: Oh serie seeee ose. 8
rst joekank Of. aS, Honey-Plante. aces. 5-20. "i
st COA SCCU: O biycansta casein letersi stusensiele fe 8
4 “<“ Sown with Other Crops..............-- fi
re eine Of os LOSSOMM OMe eee aloe 7
it SERINE IOL SOWIE «acer eases deseo ape
‘ “ Value of, for Hay and Pasture........7
be “ Weight of seed pen Bushel’aes sss eeees 8
BAWET NG Ted Oa MES COS nicteie tora a)cicvule is/= lave =) = hava ecg seVeeial ccs teas teteed 8-10
Be “Can Generally be Avoided by Care..8
ee “From Colonies Having a Habit of
ROD OUN Gs 5.2: cc seeernue eee sess ere
oF ieee OWSEKGIGCO asa usiiac nae eee ener 8!
ae ‘« Indicated by High Key Note......... 9
ay UAL ETISE § Sah Se PAs sure dese svomisioesierscie 221
es ‘“ Ocecasioned by Feeding Sweets in
ihe Open Airs 5 sages se ee tioeeeness 10
PMT GS Pysyaryrceisisidl ciate asia sie ee eiale dig hike Sacaerce ema dieraiste 10-11
‘* How Disposed of by One of my Swarms....... 10
“* ‘How to Get Rid of, Pleasantly and Easily..... 11
“ Keeping them from Barrels of Honey, Su-
UT OG Cheeta eo etsttoD co tanaiataiel aioe sae wis Oavaie ais oars 10
Seka Woun ly Plants amd MneCeSe.. 2 sccnes Ge cee ses 11
““ Meeting of Males and Females................. 71
““ Not Troublesome to Strong Stocks............. 10
PANTSIVEG CSS Peta asec ta fapatee arate cu iatehayntevaicie slaictale iors aleve eaveleress 23
“ Agency in Producing Dysentery............ 77
PM MAE UN CLEMLETIOL Ole tec sik iene aisintiacinoe.< siesetem aeweine 23
Apiarist, DE TITMTCLOMR OF aay eteie oe, Asierol Sores ce ole) nlaletareisreis's 1l
OTTO GAs carsie las ctatsiotsice soe slersioeicie stoeie eeiseeis 31
PANED LUT Vater Cate oteyoon cote vio. ci os aiste lai tial, ctvalel wjotetsialavarsieats a 11-18
dp Tigitiic Mag eps karcvelaealar weve aia) aloes diav ate erst aie sieves 18

House, Objections to and Advantages of....15

ObiECtlOnS OR ees. shen eee 14
ee MEU ROG co's cw Ae ionic Seen os Seite eer ole 18
“Vineyard, Directions.for Starting........ 12-14
cee WMRIGHIS ty lestOPA Op Usecme acces eee 18
So! WHNG=BreakS fOr seas seesc eines sae cere eee 11
Artificial Comb, Attempts to, Produce. (See_COMB
PEDING) 255 Sop eeeranioe co aaiereeree nate e ce neers 23
se Rerbilazationn xeset oe cnonoaccec elt eee 23
3 16 (ee Ree eer Sine VAeC more nar cece 5 185, 24
ee “© Much Risk, Experiments............ 24
ee “© Often Proves a Failure............-. 24
sf Pasturage, Little Encouragement to
Su/chylmnivesunlents eyes sees eee 24
wD Swarming aeaiaraty arsacctesem cleveuatetate 2 Wake, <teleerensteneees 25
oa Caution sees seee asec ee 27
oe ee Changing Position of Hives...25
af uP Fdn. in Place of Empty Combs.27
ee ee Preventing Death of Queen...25
me e RearingjQueens for............ 26
ee Suggestions to New Hand..... 25
us gs With Combs of Hatching
Brood..... Hod cee seee 25, 27
IASterS DW eSCrIphiOniO fesse erteeree eee reer eee cere 20
ef Large class of Autumn Flowers Under
CHILES INANE). Searles cle asec ee ge eae ne ay ep rarer eee 27
Automatic Swarmer, JONES# sss ae see ete 258
Howto WSet: ohncn-aeceeneer 258
te9 S Wee MT es ee ne eee 258
Ballimey Omeensi ee eon oases ener ese Lee a ce 156
Barnes Bros.; Criticisms, Suggestions, &¢., on
THEIRAWORKs base crs cieenreene ae 134
Se e Foot-Power. Saws............. 114, 134
Barrels, Coating. with Paraffine...................... 29
Cost OE. ane eee 29
ue RoriCombrehoneyen---eeee eee eee eee oeeree 2¢
a HavinosReturmnedesestrcesa-ec rete oer 29
ee Leaky. aes Sieasia tater apatetsyavete bal sepa te esede eacree rare ee One eee 29
Oe Material £On rss aes 52h eee ene
ee Profitables Sizes aee-«, snk cise eee eee 29
ie Removing Candied Honey from........... 30
Basswood Gk DAT ere pc oy cs, Stee ma 30)
Compared with White Clover............. 30
te C@altivatiom: 55 42 do cercasccisnene eee ere BL
ss Description of Tree and Blossom......... 31
Se Of Greatavialuey: |. opisccee ine oe eee an
ee Our Plantation of 4000................30, 280
ce IHOne yn RaASte Ofssjan-..t cece toon ee eee eee 3l
ee ec Yield of, from One Hive ina
Single’ Daye os. -c cacy eee 3l
Bee-Breade(See POLLEN) f- ccs e eee eereee cee aes bl
Bee-Dress SE ERT eB OR CHCH oo a boolean ccon 31
re TNOr Wagies ys. tees ase oeske sce eater eee 32
eS SED NGIOV ES.) GIGS se yas ores ase Seine ee eee 32
ge Sie NEGUS arac styervairse se ectealeniesa siniemetersls 31, 32, 274
BeeeMothas sia sé sicnssa.s ao arctornios o celoeie camden eee ee eeeso
be ‘© How to Keep Combs Secure From... .37, 306
ee ‘* How the Eggs are Deposited.............. Bye
Be 2 In BOX HONEY. ascess cee scinenoeace teen ame 7
a Sonam prNuUrseryeccsccs ace eres .38,: 170
st Sc MUU SCCULOM BOXES. n.cac ccc icine teen 191
He FS) Dr the ELiy Gav ccoe a sisrois aperarerars Rae ome ee 37
oe “oo italians aePrevenglyeiOfescss. sce ener 37
ss ‘* Removing Worms of from the Comb..... 38
LC $2 SUM MINS ip ses cease oe one eee 38
se OPE EMD SOLS SLCsK ints cai sissies Se spa cee oe ee eee 37
ct “ST EBees! WiorstsBMemy..-. csc neeeee noes 36
Bee-Journals) last pare)e.s sc neces ace ce ee eee
Bee-Keepers (S€C@: APLARIST) o>... ove scneeen et seen 11
° TENOLANG 3. seis’ ces Goon eee eee 36
Bee-Keeping, A Hazardous Business.............. 304
Bee Stings: (SeeiSTENGS)). voc. cciewaniseoansak eee cceen 239
fe RS a CH ODADAS MECnE OR eie cae sees Hoe aha ne 39-41
BS Advantages to_Fruit-Raising .............186, 188
SS AIDING: Brice cscs cee cost eae eee Orne 39, 159
‘* Attachment to Home.. Pet. : Se |

INDEX.

Bees Attracted by Color of Flowers................. 185
Breede in Wanberiis carncje se seas ie eiee ein siete 185
CUANDO si. boessscteustersinucs seme Setets 5 desea ree Te 188
Se ERY GHP OUT Gin tre eer ccras selsinels saretiomaeisin sme 288
EEE NCNY POV EAED terre eiars wis, estate aimalo eld eeecis eigenen ERIS ee ree: 39
Ke DLETeN Ge 11 COLOR) Mies henncs celevc.os ease eet 39
fe DIB DORTUIOMMTOUROD Es wrieteci 25.2 nn /c/r nite nape erate 9
Fee ADULTS LOL OE YS EOCK y (5 crcrchsicus oo csarerelefete sha /s enue is anol ehels 41
EOP EAU PY GMANN 2 hy poetcte weve oo 1a my cuafecalal cia atetote, Siscayer aan oe gee 39
Se RES ANG OL xis ttevacvaei ects asstaic ss sae otal tems ee 40
Se eHOOO Of st auGDiNe. f.5< eon stack ee ence eee ae 40
“ Following Their Owner to the Grave .........192
How Chey BuilgiComiby ic .ccce ccc «eee cilecieeee 143
ey How They GOW eases Sis ete are tiaiey ne meted ae a9
Fe ‘* From the Egg to the Time of
aber: 7 aoks cineteos uc sega pare ceeenmet 39
= (How-to Dispose of ANNOYING. 1. a.dseess sks seein 10
era ERUNN EN TIO Sf, vttala ica tro, cysnargene tat letersi ere ers crete eran ete 2,
oy IMStINGD Of, VS. MECASOM: Claweccdaccure coarser 189
** In Upper Roonis or Garrets...................257
eae Ubalian (See SWAT UAINS) ss denise nein see ee ecient 1d57
‘* Kept with Profit in Large Cities............... 11
or UAC Of COMPBSSION. «ness .ncenetate teeaeatt nes 198
Suen eth OT Mighh<.ccekuce es ae aer ctem ee eee nneion 172
** Manner of Ventilating the Hives............. 276
‘“* Mixing in Different Hives, 2. Ake Dean 160
LSI OCGLOL WV ULCK. |. os cee oe cle en teea emanate Ce one 2719
~o INUMLDEL IN ta, OUArt.. o2)cs coches a ere eta: 177
ee POUUSHANGH eek amok te wera tone tre te er eS eee 41
ee are std Disadvantaces Obs. sakes pean es 41
= Om the Rampage. oiitcn smosmeeccee tee eee 221
(Play Spellrot Younger: oes secon cen oean ono nneee
“" Scent I Re Re. I aime ig
Fr SAS OLAV LOLI OL. nt cma ee cere ato eee ne ace ae
oe See cok UPTON ioc he eee OR nae eevee eles aloes ace 146
“ Stepping on.. Sonne ng eG Gee Oren EL.
“* Study of the Haina pte t feo treks eS
fey LEBIESCODIC WASIOM Ole: Gusts ssence ead eins Melee 189
reap sf Biba oe} Coy gpl & Eire) Tabak eh ay cy ee Oe Balers 39, 168, 195
EAL O nV APIO LION Ohare ae. shee snk cook ORO arroee ore 39
- WWHOD in THEI Primes. trite scl en amen oine 41
‘“ “What Age to Have (See AGE OF BEES)..........41
“ “Wonderful Instinct in Building Comb.. .. 1438
EGS Wax (SCC WAR) coc: eke ee eee 283
Bee-House (See REPOSITORIES)....................300
BUTS 5., oe rleinn melsorom nee ore Rides a ee ne i
4 ** Reasons for Keeping Clean................
gd ‘** Poultry, Dogs, &c., to be Excluded from. it
- “ Prep: RPHHIOUTDE... (522s so, se ea
Bellows Smokers (Se@ SMOKERS).................00- 553
Benzine to Remove Wax from Utensils............ 287
Birds, Matins Bees: 22.2 ca. cook e kee ene eee 165
Black Bees Infe rior to Italians. ee
“Longevity of ¢ ‘ompared with Italians. .
SS i Mixing with ltaliams) ss! ue eee 1: Pe
vf <:| SHNG UNG sce eciss ce cern dd cee ee eee ner 127
Us = “DWo'WariehiestOfiin nese eee ieee eee 39
ee “© Will not Work on Red Clover........... 52
i “Work on Buckwheat Better than Ital-
LAM EEL ieee antares 42
Bleaching Wax! ees re ee eee ed 283, 288
“Blessed Bees,’’ an Experience He Didn’t Tell of. oe
Blue Thistle, Value as a Honey Plant...............
= SAVIN TUSAICO St oe eee Ce ete ieee se ce ata ee aie rc
Books on Bee-Cultire (last page). .................
Bottom-BoOard sis 532 c ase eae ee, 120
Breeding in aid Wii ee eee ee eee 72
Brood, Difference Between Drone and Worker.40, al
' “Bor Artificial Swarms eecase cs tee eee 25
= Neediot Pollentforsycwoss acters sean ee eee 184
ia MI MGCOVELEE \ on. Us ns eee een he nae coe 40
>. (SCOBEEG)US Cee nace ee teen eee eee 39
Buckwheat Sometimes Pays for Sowing............ 2
Better for Blacks and Hybrids than
TOr CaaS ae ches ees ete ee 42
ae Cultiyahion Ob se oreo eee se tae 42
es Phreoe Varieties OL e's. eons eeeecee eee 42
» Honey of, Taste and Value............. 42
ty Valuable as a Honey Producer.......... 2
Buildingipinisprinevey. een ee eee 305
Bumble Bees, Fertilization of Queens.............. yal
“Use of in Fertilizing Red Clover
BLOSSOMS AN oq ooretinn ane oe cee 188
Cares for Queens/"TheiriUsels).ce.csc wean cme eee Fy
cs Candy LOD Sse te oe ae eae hee <u Roane ees eee 47
“f ~ _ Difficulties in Using. .:o5)) =e ff
Ss be ‘“* Manufacture of..... djs o wineiciae eeren ate 47
ie Me > | REQUISITES Vine Swansea 47
Se 92). EURO DINU Uma S Se cee oe fem eee aera a 48
~ | Hor Introducing.n.ccn eee ee eae 47
Cages for Introd’g, Need of Plenty of Food in...... 47
‘** How to Put Bees and Queen in...........)...
s- 1. Metal’s..25\5.05-.statonen mee ceee eds ee 217
‘‘ Number of Bees to yen nucee in....48
“ Putting Wire Cloth on....,.:,; RARE:

Cages, Supplying with Water by Means of Vial....48

SIZE: OF oy 5 Sashes «ni wtin’s ole ee eis. « He 48
“ Ventilating During Shipment................ 276
Candied- -Honey Confectionery
a Extracted ..\.5.0..02:..+> cseese eee
ee ‘

How Formed....
Prevention of
Candy for Bees and Queens (See CAGES FOR QUEENS). tee

oe oe

Burnt. 25 oie. s coed. ccs ba eee eee
* Caution About... 0.0. 5)..20 = once e eee een 51
£8 COSE OF Seis adise siatalese «alc se oe ee 51
8) Peed ing. ..6550') Meena 2k pee 50
ae) ore Little FolkS 2.5.52 sea Che eee 44
‘Jn Brood-Frames:..)) . 12:03... eee 50
“e Maing i Flour Used in... ...57.. 4a 51
a What Sugar to Use fors3s5500. eee fl
me To Promote Brood- Reari ing in Springs. 0p: 99
ae * Wintertneae 301
* Use of, to Prevent Spring Dwindling........ 68
SSO, hen to WOCG ess scien os slow eis eee 99
or “* ‘Kte. (See: FEEDENG)E.-- eee 99
Careful, Work:e: 5.03 2532... pode ge nee 129
Cary’s Letter Descriptive of Wax-Press........... 286
S| Weage-Press).. oc. bs J arteratzefe aisle hile eae ee 286
Catnip, Tts'V alin ic:...2%. so «ne coe ee cie aee eeeee 51
Re Seed and Cultivation) Of,)..)..o se eeeeeeeee
Cellars for Wintering®...... 2: )4ss:stociaae eee
Advantages of Wintering in
Ee Dampness TDD osin:aisa's 0,0: ove ae etc tha a eee eee a
ee ‘* How to Avoid
es Dead Bees-in.. )e.0e0 f.22 eee
‘© Number of Colonies... eeu eee 303
“+ Preparing’ Stocks for ..))....-2 eee eee 301
* Removing from, to Old Stands............. 802
* Memperaturejof uc: <lcciae oon see 302
rs When to Put im ic: jcc..cee see eee 302
ge “Dake LOM ives ecte eee e eee 302-303
Cells, Different Kands of... lacus. ssene ee eee 144
“* Structuretiotis. | ch lk 6. oeele eee 144, 146
** (See QUBEN-CELLS))); .... i¢5....: sence eee 197
Chaff, A Remedy for Spring Dwindling............. 68
be oe oe ee oe ee not Posi-
PVG oes vic sae sled Linaeale are, ee ee 305
fe Packing for Spring. ......)...a:nae see eee 301
E so Winters. eee 292, 295, 296
¥ What Kind to Use...) >. 2 20ee eee eee 294
Chaff Cushions, Kor Wintering. 52. ea eee 63, 295
How to, Make .«...).<:,.2. ape 295
ES fe Qn Surplus’ Boxes: ese eee 276
ne es To Prevent Disease. J...) eee vue
Chatt- Cushion Div ision- “Boards })..:142seeana eee 7
| for Nucletese een 70
2 $8 ae a ‘“ ‘Wintering..) 2) 70
es se ze “To Prevent Disease.70
Chaff- Hive Apiary be ee ldle the blew thlelelecaierele ee heaters teeta 18
SS Clark’'6..3 022.000 2a eee 179
2 “ .Kntrances to...... jodie sida ale eee
ce ‘* For Wintering, the Best........... 200, 302
# ** How to Make).....:... Sois\aceeeee eee 121
ce ‘* Its Advantages)... /od:.sceeee eee 113
Changing Position of Colonies to Stop Robbing... .218
Chemical Paint....503.0 5 33.05. 1. eee 129
Cider Unsealed in’ cells:.....\..... Seen eee 51
rt Mills, ia Detriment..’...-)20-0 eset eee 5
EE ‘* How to Keep Bees from access to..... Bi
Clamps for Making Section Boxes................. 131
ue (See Repositories for Wintering).......... 300
Clipping Queens’ Wings... :ih oi oe 2, 3, 186, 298
* (‘Caution abowt. woeee eee 208
hd We “« When Swarming aes 253
Clov er, Alfalfa. .). «acess cies ic are cosets Bre ee eee 52
Alsike (See ALSIKH OLOVER))” >) 7
“* Hsparcette. .).\...<..cs/ cdcie oes eee ee 52
OO ROG. os. oasis ko ele Sethe sleet die ete 52
oe ‘“*“ Bumble Bees Required to Fertilize
Seed Of: |.....5.,.. osclasatleleciaaeeee aera 188
“Color of Pollen) from 2.25.0 -20 eee 52
“* Sweet or Melilot; [ts/Value:.-..oeeseeeeeee 52
“ Trefoil, White and Yellow......0: aaa 52
BE Wintec hk eek On ee ‘eee
vis Duteh sss. eih.ds sasleds bie ee 52
sé “in the South. »:\:..0ag42 ene 18
a ‘“* the Best Honey-Producer........... 52
e ‘* Superiority of Honey from.......... 52
Clustering, Duration Of) .):4'....i:ic/lee ce ee ene 1
Ms of Successive Swarms in Same Place. 258
TeERSOM Ofs. 05322... eee 258
Clustering, Outside the Hive, ies of Swarm-
a re Be ue Never Allow sv... 22 ser
‘ 2 © To Prevent... 58, 251
Cold-Blast Smoker, Corey’s and Clark’s,...........232

How to Make. «\..\..<csesenesensneau
Cold Weather, Handling Bees inserreerspeoege epee 1 QOT

INDEX.
Dyce ae
: bling up Colonies to Cure Spring i 133
Comb, Artificial (See COMB FOUNDATION)......... : 3 Dovetaiting Wide Frames for Sacra 5 SL ae 127
Bee CORE OF aggre sere egestas eB ss Fe eR nai iris tsi 1B
Smo Madeondtimicec ic! oN e REUed BA oe ae) Saami ees
Es VOT Ee Ree es ES ae pede eae Sieh mice Gen aemate 32
Rec: oe emily Soiled, Moldy and filled with Aaa eS Giicewe. Canker Nm aT eA Wis ee
WeadBBeespa-eecciges eee syle eiateis es, Age {iy RRA I TALE eS 40. val
“Heavy, Hikely to Sag the Bottom-Bar 13, 243 ms i Brood eHbguisied from Worker... .40 in
*e ener ants nears nerngagatcrey esac Mgse : or COTS Ole eas eae Tago Okay BINA Ce 1
ue Tn Bee-Trees Sef Rs cud Aue aE Se ctesleraaaten aie ey Description of. sees sees op
(, Melting in Hive............ 0... sees tees 143 p BSSNSOUE GE TEE B a ccec osc occnace a. g
“(See HONEY COMB) ................-..--200.- 107 ‘© From the Egg to Hatching.............. ware
‘« Starting in Fruit-Bloom............... ..... ue fein Wa a Uagase ren cu 73
“Straight, How to Secure.................. eee Sein has but One Parentestige lees er ate
tee eee ee eee eee eee SBE Cloo BCS (2) Cb “ No ANG... oe ee ee ee eee eee ee eee ee ira
Comb oA pococinioa TiO) CHRON wd nee ano o ‘« How to Rear and How to be Rid of...... He
An + Cutter, Carlin’s................... a ‘© Larvee of. in Queen-Cells............. gay ok val
a nis oe8e Re a Hy anaes is eee ea 23 “ Mating with Queens ae = Cee
‘ i ention treet eee eens 0 isp L c =
Fe i Hist for aeaanns: nUcaeateaeed 5D ‘““ Not Affected by Fertilization of Queen.. Be
a2 Its Great Value................... ro) SOTSANSN OL Wo Ae iaetrs ce) a Heron naan
a tc be ee in Obtaining Straight 53 be Peculiarity ORAM OSE eee acacia .
SS ae cece emma oer i FE OEE UA RATIO
te “ Mushines anes davenuon, need “ Tontine Out of Season tee
ing Wax Sheets for : CSM VANITS OFe Con ees ane eee een
ze 8 Rolling the Wax Sheets 56 ue To preserve for Late Queen-Rearing 55
‘ oe Sagging Of........... called Se h56) protien Gao oo ue nm ee CRO aL one oa
vi ve Testimony for, Favorable........ Be Drouth .. e Oni eine ata
6c 3 Mi Mish coach ake a ey Seen te eine ere Ie Drumming S ng (See Spring Foy eiudling)
“ te Used in Rearing Workers and ui Dwindling in Brine) Gee Sore Dw indins) ae
Dronesss 2.6 een er oe ee 13 Dysentery sich urelevelatsys Pa aeeae peadG cing
de f Paraffine for.......... 53, 280 SL Ne eee eS RE roduc Ine cha
nv : Use OE SWiIGSeATe si eine aan 56 oe cause sot nes no ere.
ob 6 To 6 TRON ORS aoe Goon Done so rices Sooo
a ee eae :
Oe oa ace aay Be a Spams OF
Ne rios se oi gaye ce er sree 2 Fi AOL ry wont eeseracians cacti aces
Comb Hon van Gling eee ao ae Be noes Ses 59 Economy of Lab ain IbTRTSELOIR OS IEER@. 1, 2
“ ‘« How to Market (See cRAT "29° ¢9 | Hess From Fertile WoT Rer sere on ity of, in Cells. 108
TW )oocenoansoooasneconasnogcoonsd.
ts “ In Section-Frames........:........ 59, 6 CAS TRSIDEOHEe GornbcUniiprccniate 16s eee aanee 30
oe ‘ Keep Clean. ae sos a Saono90000 Oe “% In Queen-Cells, How Deposited @)ele ele ele) n sie ena of ls
be ‘“* Removing Filled Sections......... 60, Bt ‘« In Unfinished Cells...... soup EDUsc oR Aasso0NosS 45
es to Work on.......... ! With Eges of Queen...72
zs : ON poals Neatest Possible Form.. at Of Poultry Compared rr coonicC ts a
a: «When to Remove Oe eave fee Ne Phenomenon HOG ALCING: geoiices ag teresene
Concord Grape Vines, Culture ¢ ete ee B ‘Sau OP OCULEE Aen: freee aene eran cee eee eo
INEM oo o> oc popes bane 1 Ce ae came eee eaeg crc on
‘4 ve re How ug Propagate...........13 Te Cloth for ONCE ulames: Sch eae 81
“ te te preatmentol webct ee ee tee eee Ae Enemies of Bees, yore Biss see Teen aE OR i6s
aieduElone : ; OS ee ee 3
Contectionery Made of Can ie Wine CoM ota) Presncnta: MANE ee iy Re anere
pouauement By aves bile indoors During ondbno0es 30 “ OO 9 ete PanASILCs Hoconeoatocnbnanapacado cos af
EE Soop pagans ondcabgane ONS tp Saba! 9 ties Ps CO eH RETT 1 Se Uc ee Ieee a et
ergo ae Ranh eastern - tose GS VS eters Lon aie Nie aa
Bede mioves cite tie <4 Spiders. Patontiighi Ven
Why it Contains no Honey a dere tet amenen Bad teen Tone _
ee PIV OR pat ent sence see ne coer trances to the Hives, Auger-Holes for......... ns
eT AMES). e ciiccmeresainipeneraeae an ee Entr: ClOeeINeT GE. (Ts Wie aces 2
“ “Hives, How to Make “ mite ted to Prevent Robbing......... 218
eee eS eage oe Genpact noe dup adoeSECoIVaDOO OSG ad See ne
OU eee cee panna bic y batt «tio acecnalce 61 uc Number Of 52.52 2.6 Sa acsarene sete eerie 80
« Lo Hold 48 Sea ease ae in Cities. .61 ee ae
be eo Le 0G nr ESN TOyMaIeY Ao. he rae 1 be Size of Oo0/ad0 : + Cees aa eae ieee 8
te 3 CC 6G Sizer Ober ese e eine a 6 ry in Winter........ ah :
POCO _. suggestions About...... 71 | Expense of Sugar Compared wD EES 8H; 185 B0L
Cross-Breeding of aus =ofesh eter ioyaretieaie ace) ee ua nS rasaanee ts aT Pxporimionis nh eens: Iain concede Ree
ee SEO OFEOG CCL) SSO CLOD On Inn -nehcEs = xtracte Nee CAGE OF) EEL a a
Cultivation of Honey-Producing Plants........... a Extra fe Candying Cr iia 6 eka Se
CONUS Cue as ce jaera eteouamtatere tise eee “ OlOTIOR Ss Sicrcacee stems ee aoe Q
Cutter-Head, ze oneto Y ONde riche tyjreeeiNs sakes sues 13 fe a First Ton OlmeSbomaetaooee aiwheates
OS eae rereteiate S sisiase SAME Mlaceiasch tevaleteoatcs m i We SOD at ee be ae 87
Dandelion as a Honey and Pollen Producer... = ae . How to as eAo a ee 86, 91
«©. Honey Of......0-20.+s Pea uals etal fit : rr kb Sell alate lsvefohers cteseterereaietereie ats 89
Oe Be tare 306 2 «| | Pails for retailing...) meee 89
Dead] Bees, What to Do with ee ernie Fp om “ Pails for Rae fjantoluse) 89
ee ee ete neat teense: 258 es “ Looks vs. Taste 85
Destruction of Bees by Milkweed. 1200000000000700 LRN aaa eager REE Lee ECS ee ®
Destruction of Bec (See ENEMIES OF BEES)........ a - M3 \wenthne Of opine: i pe
ey paenoaes eo Ball Og TT A ON 2g . “ Yield of, Compared with Comb
SE GEA ee ee ae tia 67 Heaney fon ee ence a4
ee Opreeet tales diets ts +3 67 AVanieed GE ME ee St
“ Mostilim portamtererwacicte seitel sales eccre ante 69 Extractor, Honey, cpr ueude Ce O4
T EMER ears ctsiacia dle shnraveanigieintootday ctesaitieinis o'er’ ae 67 : Cost Of. ee ees tetas ees ned "92
“Prevention ir, FOU BROOD, and Spring “ a ON: Malet Cea ee 7
(See enter FOUL BROOD, 105, oi : uae ora ie SA Ie Omen 87
Dwindling)...........-....0- clo Rect "9 ‘ f. tneh. ee m3
i Ate Cled DYGRCES tat an echicnsen fess «~+ <1 2 Extractor, Honey * Size or een ae Waihi:
Divide aise see ARTIFICIAL Buy eRTENG) teen. eB To secu ey ee Wats: &
Di ision-Boards, Made of Lath and Chaff....... 70, aoe ee we Wood a Teauawaae. Sau
iv. ry For Nuclei........... op monocode 70 Extractor, War conc wcitidercenemecisevteime ssoocer ei
A ‘+ or Wintering........... causa cage ad “” Gerster ae We
te ‘ Of Wire Cloth.. ee een s+ de it tt Report of, from A, @ MM....++/-28
WOU EGBG! shcr<cerneanieaevensmacusttede ree ek

INDEX.

Extracting Honey, Caution Concerning......... 77, 87
Be M From Small Pieces of Comb or
Section BOxeS..0. 0002. ese eee 94
ee ES Practiced for 10 Years.......... 84
“3 i IMC LOL asa pieces sel ee racer ee 84
Exudation Theory (See Aphides)............... 144, 146
Evaporation of Honey by Bees............-sec+-+-- 27
Feeders Bees Seer ech eRe ee eS Souk re lates minister erie ieee rene 97. “400
For Open Air and Water... .-......2.2.)-.0.-+ 281
PS, SET SAIN sale 2 ate cisis,s Qeiatenic lao ee sot paste teens 102, 235
*) jeanvand Cheese Clothiin.26. ie. .ssenccisacaee 101
£58 MP TICR Ob is o..,<s a6 iabieins se ac sists epacitn eres eee mie. 101
33 SUL OW OR tis ase seas ais orate Stak rece os eee ae 249
+ Sunplicity, Description OL wc. -.. ne) step .- 100
beet Pea KeCthle: os uncom acivareenacsioesele aie 98
eve ihe Wind We Wser. ca veceucree: Cece mate enee 98
Feeding at ING FE bi seis asic jalace Pieters a mccleieteye =) asefee Nate sole 102
CANDY .0)5 esto =<) ns yaar amuses 7, 50, 51, 100, 302
a Caittion Concerming s.. 42cnr atc Heo ee 102
ed 43 In Using Brown Sugar and Burnt
Honey. darth Danie Soeeh pla aitiioe Se meen 98
ss During Aster-BlOOW ss coccecs aes cess 20
oF Wast or SlOwlyos..o. wk saci cke eee eee 99
as Hrom Hilled\Compbs:. 0 s.ce eee eee 97
i Grape Buran. -siscvitens sence ue epicore 88, 281
oe Kinds of Feeders to"Use fOr. .0. cee. seeae 98
id o “ * (See Feeders)
fe GAGS QUANTILICS | .\5..<0n0n- ocleseen area 98, 101
ve MBthOG OE 2. <i astesreeiee paeeh ities Geer 98
et Needs Ota. 1b ese AEC Se Re eee ne 97
a IMUIGIBIt on eh os eis Bee eee lente eee 100
Ke Outside or Inside of Hive ............. COS
a SUCAr ON HOMEY. 2Pai see ens cece Soest 97
BS Tourrocure (Drones aussie ene 73
of To Produce Comb Honey i) 22a... >. 101
ae Wiha tose forse Ae se eacues eens eercaee ces vi
Fertile Workers; Carise of 2h tes ee let ee 103
ry BEES LOM ash. cee Soe eee 1B
a % ‘To Detect’ Presence: Of... ...2. 1. 103
sf i To Get Rid! Of. een ae te ee See 103
EE ig Undeveloped Females...........102
Fertilization, A Second Time... ..2..20.0.0..2...... 204
a In Confinement. ... Bod Sete GEE Ttetlc a ce
Ee a Doubtful Benefit if
Succeeded in.........2 23
as is es DM Pailwreve ese ocniee 23
a Sf. *Opem Aur 5). 3 Res dee he 23, 204
Be - + * a Benefitvmettk Se. cases
Le OE Amitses 22 ....6(essc. ye eee eee val
og (SeeQUWHNS) ccc tin ck See ee cote 195 |
Figwort or Simpson Honey-Plant).< ac82. ts ae 165, 105
Filing SAWS; CTOSSCUL SL ie Sesiptaies =o. eee sree 136
+e Waste in, How to) Avoid... 5..0..250- 135
its ANAS tarts.32 34 Was ochitend sae oa eee ete 120 |
Hightiof Bees. Distance Of sosik tes bbe ahee ee eke 172
Floating Apiary, C. O. Perrine’s on the Mississippil8
ss s Loss of Bees in Moving........... 18
4g 7 On the Nilesh ee eee oy naente eke 18
he Pe the Broiect of we eb ee 18
Mowers, Colors. Of¢.¢.co3< +2552: Seep E eet eee ee 189
Folding Tent, for Transferivg, ete ......... ..... 223
Hood tor baryseat cache eee eee oe ees 209 |
Me SS. J QUICONIS Ps. 25 eionoeeee ae Same ee aleinttoee 196 |
Of Voune: Bees. 225.025 Ne GRU oeee phenol Se 40
Foot-Power Saws, Barnes’, How to Use....... 114, 184
Boul Brood: Canse. is: meee Hae dee cee 106
or ie Communicated to Other Colonies....105
4 w DescriphiOni als s.cves- co acae ae eee 105 |
mn Me Localities where Found..............105
ct ie ReMmeHes TO tin. occ teekartoe cee eG 106
“e Se Symptoms OR esc es coe ee ase cae 105
sd aS WHat UWS? ce a. cae tack tee cae cea 105
Foundation (See COMB FOUNDATION).............. 53
Fountain for Watering REGS ie 5 sees. aiehins seers 281
*Y How to: Make’, ...33. 281
oy Pump for Bringing down Swarms....... 259
Frames, ATT Wood for Eves! a2. accscacce ence cebene 127
Covers for k Sem, ats itd wic/avaarsiate calaio Ritate Glste Seam etene 127
* Distance from Center to Center........... 127
“ Billed with S€ctions: «oo... see been clo ceence 1383
se Grooves in, to Hold the Comb Guide.....127
Ny PA ATVI | Steins cotesv are eretcihs Navsie arab ienete mene 242
iy HOlGBrs TORS cote uss tg. noe eee element 243, 244
= How Many ina) TI Vee oss no. ooee ate eee 127
yy “* ‘To Dovetail the Corners of.......... 127
Frames, Length of Top Bar culos eee ee eee 126
Langstroth, SIZCIOf hua ened nines 125
sf nmiber to JSertors =. ws eeskasatesceene 126
Ny Mat for COVeriIn esc). weticwide coe teeoor cone 128
<e Metal Bearings Ofte ccecn ns ae oer ones 126
bs Space Between, and Body of Hive...,.... 126
x Tall and Shallow. senesteecie veces eters us eiee 243
ae LE WO'SiZOS IN A PIaLy acess carteuaeisee nie L al
: Wide, How to Make...) 40. ieroceeren ‘ ee

How to vse with Sec. Boxes.. 1128 |

Fr ruit-Blossoms, Honey from, Inferior..... a 107
Importance of...) .. ase es eee 107

Fruit, Color: Of; io os se. cesses) os nal eee eee 189
‘ Injured'’by Bees or noti?... i... aeons 107, 189

GIOVES: 22. ccrskice eect os a> ccaweciae eee ne ee 32
Goldenr od, Fifty-Three Varieties vest
Howto Identify 2. 3.7 3c eee

se ‘“* Its Importance..... oleae Gee eRe eee eit

Ge ‘* Localities where Found.............. 111

23 “ “Quality of Honey... 225-2 0se eee 11

Grapes, Crossing Varieties of.............. serewis eee 188

Grape Sugar, Effect on Spring Dwindling. ....... 308

ETaEe Vines, Concord, Growth and Valse
OF oe cis 2 tee eis oe aioe artic tim atin Cr ne at ee

Groovi ing or Dov etailing Frames. i<..sepes 126, 131, 132
Se Sections 131
Ground Clean Around Entrances 2 oe
Gauge for Frame Making MEAP SAAR MARRR DI osts 25 126
Hive «6 ee ed Sale cee 116
“Steel Track, for Grooving Sections and
Brames.. 2024 eee 126, 133
Handling BEG8! 222. 82 ).2t Meba. boee cue 174, 242) 244
* In Cold Weather?. .. 22 -teneeusneeeeee 297
&$ Italians)... i). 4.6. Joes oe eee 244
Me Queens oii... oe eee ete eee 155
HS Sections... 0.228 JJ) Je Solselelnie eer eee 58
Hanging Outs. 3.02.5 cc. SRR eee 58, 191, 251
“ Jndication of Swarming........ wares "251
Jig Never Allow .2t2.. 5 «cs cwenseateniae eee 251
«© To Prévent:..: 2... 4. ce cba eel arene 251
Hatching, Time Required for............... 39, 168, 196
Hilt’s Device for Wintering 2... 7.5 -ne-e eee 294
Hive-Making, All About it....................- 113-140
Hiv es, Chaff... 05. 40 e SOAS, ase eee 113
* Clark's: 200s pk 32 eee is
a *. How to Make. }2:0/55. tage eee ee 121
a Concliidine. Remarks 7st osee ene 129
ee Distance from Center to Center..... ....... 14
os Feonomy of Labor in Making.............. 103
ote Entrances: t0../7 3.4.22 42 3 ee 82
Be How They Become Da:np.. .2.....5...020-08 293
s “ To ‘Make Moth-Proofse.22..2. 92. eee 37
ee “" Po Opens! 0) 257). See 242
oe PARE O? eee ea eeee JPET Salas a a aco ah 2s
se Poor, Cause of Dysentery. 220" a. eee eee
Se (See “Frames)i.)02.. 1 ee ‘
se Simplicity, How to’ Make.) : 23322200
“2 wt Why Most Used). seeee eee
ee To Keep Boards from Warping............
| Hiv ‘ing Swarms, mtd stoi for’. [2.2 0 eee ;
ES Implements for.. ae
“ ss Method of?...).(. 45. 2.3
Floney, Basswoodi.. 20:2. oe 2 eee 30, 31 85
Honey’ Cc om, Absolute Perfection of.............. 114
A Famous Problent!: 22 221-) eee 144
oh Fe Agassiz’ s Expl miattion.. .. 147
ee tt Disputed .. .. 148
ae +e Bott 1m of Cells: . 7292220 144
te “2 Different Kinds of Cells............. 144
ts et Differently Worked in Diferent Col-
onies..... 3 Soe eee
Ee o Fostering the Right Teaitli if see 144
=H ed FR ow Bults:...:.05.. < a0:3 0: eke eee 144
rs st Mathematical Accuracy of.......... 144
bs ee Mathematics of.. «gas lee
ge ts Rhombie Dodecahedron, +a) Petes 145
fs Economy of
Shapewe: . 2527205. 0 eae d
ve Ee Science of the Structure............ 146
& a Shape, Why 6-Sided.. Z ... 144
o ae Size of Cells, Drone and Worker. ey
Be 4 To Keep Propolis From
ig a True Method'of Work = ivele2-e eee
Re $s Ty ndall’ 8 Theory... ). T2eeeeeenee
Le te ES Disputed
te ck Wonderful Instinct of Bees in
Building......././0 th .25) eee eee 127
Honey -Dew Emitted by Aphides.............. .-23, 149
6 Manna... oo. 5.5 25/208 ts ce nee 149
se **’ On Basswood Leaves -.. 5. /esses eee 149
ue ‘** Produced'by Bark=bice. =), eee eeeeeeee 149
fs * Remarks. s. 2% ss... 0s o- ocge ec erenee nee 149
es “ The Exudation Theory.... .:.... ....149
Honey Candied (See CANDIED HONEY)............. 49
es Clover, ‘Whit. .52\...5 +: «+. sae eemte wen eeeeren
se Confectionery ..
Evaporation of ¢
rE Extracted (See EXTRACTED eras aaeineees 84
on Flavored with Onion: >...) 3000s eee 85
‘“« For Wintering (See WINTERING)...... eee 92
My In. Barrels...... b shee satel cieeete idigodisc 3. eaten,
s in: Win i@gnseiesees eee elolvgep aeisie' yp oly Cee ane
ee NOW nos tae es due bist woe ep oae eee eam

Of Hywel hoe

Gill-Over-The-Ground, As a Honey Producer..... 110.

INDEX.

See EOISONOUS.... 1. casas Re reae ies felais HS aOR ASAE 182
oe SEMIN STUDS seu acs wean cris ceeiiene sei soo kbe 49
bed (SCC] COMBIHONEYA seein eices coc e eleie cece 58
ee To Tell When the Yield Ceases............. 0)
sf IWiky; Secretediin Mlowerse: oho ass..06 2. 187
Honey-Plants; a Garden Of... 6c.c6secs ches cece cess 228
House-Apiary BREN eiaatava-ci a 5) apayaheravermatclerad eiseranle ayes 15
(Achvanta te sro tence easier cmaciee ily
se ee Arranged Hexagonally Around a
Large Central Apiary............... 17
Be * Description of Our Own.............. 16
r PP EETAN GES He Sak ts ater notin ESE cea &3
Wy PHI NGnAC TING. IM. a2) cereuanccsin ats esos toe 17
aS “Help for Spring Dwindling.......... 303
ta panne AT CS TTR rR es ye 2h bs Gi pleaal Ricsccete aiels 83
oe OD ICCHOMS LOMA. snc kas a jelsais eee 15, 18
.S * Protection from Thieves.......... 17,18
e CO “SG SUR OOO As soe Be ae Opa nEE ane aera rae 16
oe “Should Have few Corners........ ... 16
sy Sete WP PETISLOLY: Olaeras)-c oleae siesig = Sopa lil
aS ae LY: Old Wd Cala hats supe te ns wales 15
se PVC C TUN Oye re 5 Wie ris banks ca sos 8 300
EMO wSeE Sp eTIM Mts 721.5 Ne ths ae ee ee ds Us eee 197
Hunting Bees, aOR sashiscre ce oe tae eke oe eee 33
Box, How to Use...:.......... En baat rs, 33
ff oy Brimstoning Ue Epaceeaeints SR eins ance ed 35
Be ‘““ Capturing the Swarm............. 34
ae Soe Olin Ker ESS Sao eme anos ae Gee ceeomacee 35
sb San limipine Trees. sac Mien der cet 35
e Daw KORO) hiliessanemonsnosoodosbed smnonrs 34
ee oy EE DOCSU BAY: sats cet eaoaeeeasetaes 36
“a “Tn Vicinity of Large Apiaries.. .32, 36
a “Never Quarrel About Bee-Trees. .. .36
oe OT OneAMISe tases PUA aes ees tonsie aeale 34
aS HO, SMO CS. WES OM ee conpcoqasnocuosobaoe 34
ef VES Y= GrlUSSeh Ol .eyugs coy iseie oe een eae 34
rs co = Sirhan aveneery Waves § Be ee eos c 33
os “To Determine Distance from Swarm.33
oe ee LOOISRLORE ee: ciSorerteste eran berst sel atere, © 35
ss PULP S AS SIM O tec ninls acicfe ace teisteialei crest oe 36
HAITI OPLOVA@ WECM a .n.ce sec cise. ovcelStiaead ste a tek 155
Humbugs and Swindles............ 2. .......00ee- 233
Hybrids, Cross Between Blacks and Italians...... 134
sr Equal to Italians as Honey Gatherers....134
ve Sometimes Best to Keep................. 16)
fe SLOTINGPADOVE Asser or een eehs eaten ee cece na cs 45
ae MND Cure VEALULO Secu Fs ereas oiek eaccloetecoe sities cveretes 153
se Vindictive Temper of, Extraordinary. ..153
EUAN LEMIS TONE WO oe: eo aniels ae Sad ci ciciansg ote Face 227
Imagination, Its Relation to Stings................ 239
Implements for Cutting Foundation................55
ae Hiving Swalnmseeeeeeeee see 252, 258
os oot. “« Repository for. ..252
Paetlunbino IB CCSeeneen-s ceceeeniace 33, 35
ag SONTS(0) Ke) BUSI e OmmnAt Toman cmdin cceenre oC 284
ee Ham DRANSTERMIM Gye. . vanes uns ston sisi 267
Introducing Queens, Ballin gre gecesi srase sae tecee 157
ADDI Pe aerators ach sfite im cee ratekor sieve 157
ny a Cation ieee oor oo llse
by sf Daubing with Honey........ 157
oe ss How tojzHandle the Queen. ..155
oe os Spraying with Scented Wa-
iS) ed Cae Sen ae en ee as 157
ae oe SWS \NGhe Ole onaoaudedbocodes 157
SS st IClEASIN Dees etna nec eet 156
ny se Removing Old Queen........ 155
vee ry RV NOUN eran sinvetes nines 157, 168
Italians, ColomorMmporbedns eon saces scenes oe cisnc 158
Cool MemperiOl eee ne reece cease ee a= 153
fe Courage of in Attacking Robbers........ 153
te Discussion of Their Superiority at an End.157
re Disputed GrOuUNMG esas. ees ke ee ss cece = 157
se DOCU Y.OR sos Se cilel aed sok puactesteisie ec lslavsle cies 244
en Importance of Pure Stock................ 157
ne Longevity of Compared with Blacks....... 1
a Mooksiand! Color. Wakes a sels se ls sce 1E8
ve Migr lst sO hearers. Oss nus ec teeiieisiec.e chee ee 159
ne Three Yellow IBANnGS!f ihsseingeatbiantaes eee 159
Me SLOVINO PB ClO WA asi ceils see eblelsiels Sacee « 42
C3 Superiority Compared with Hybrids..... ie
3 Why they Dwindle More than the Blacks.2
Keeping Bees in Upper Rooms or Gurrets........- oT
Keeping Bees in Upper Rooms or Garrets, Objec-
TIOTISHOM ee eae ents Se EO eo esa 257
Killing Bees while Handling.................. Baines)
King- 1231.00 RS ERGO uid ee See CrURe ach CROC te cit Soe eirs ree 165
Se DL AvIMNOWBECS ret oss eekidesitprelep loc: oils 165
= i Squeezing Out the Honey. eon conoemeree 165
AGAMA AN LINES SLY rae ee sa Several eb ol sia ftolelsreisveessiecete 167
s ee Constructed First by F. R. Shaw...167
ne ce VOW: CO) UISCs os eerie a allele clans. ois 167
* ef Keeping up an Even Temperature. 167
tf £S WIG TIC YM einecenobe par ou Ob Ar Reba Oaoae 38
- Sea lM PLO VEMLCM Geass) telslaclessl-)- 167

* Queens Tearing Down Cells........ 168

“ ge Removing Queens from, at Even-
ing and Morning................. 168
se te To Avoid Having Any Worker-
IBCes sin. 240s ep eee es tie ever 168
Ee Ke Tol Get Celiswoxryy yates ase 167
Langstroth Hrame (See Glossary—Hives) rahaiehaeanne 1738
BV eR Sian 9 RR Bers neers )
ce £2) SEOLGLCO) Ole: 208heasc sateen ee mene Eee 6
te FS OLM PGi ee wae tee neentns 120
| Hants oy enn Goes ence on Ea SORA ae ones 39
“© “Comb Containing, in Hive with Virgin
i QUEER ea aeeokeiae oaloe ie wan nee eee 199

Comb Containing, in Hive with Virgin
Queen Answering a ‘Three-fold Pur-

IOS Cae eA R Ey aoa ar i Re a tN 19)
“Immature, Why Found at the Entrance..... 38
“Of Drones, When Exposed, an Incentive to

ATI OT casas se icteh acted ies pase ratevae Ries 2
st Queens LPOMMBWOLKECi sep seycsiccchoniaeheeeice 195

MayinewElow, LOsMdnCe sen eee ene eee eeceee 10)
Mindenk(SCEsBASSWOOD) haste een eciee eon Geer ee aes 31
Location, Choice of for Apiary....................-- 11
Locust, A Well-Known Tree...................+-005 170
oe Not to be Depended Upon as a Honey Pro-
(ClbKler Rem semind oon aSh ae te Goa oor One aerOe & 170
Loss of Queen, WAISCS i Eisen i cins a pooner acne 207
LopMetermineH re peEtmen yee
‘* of Wings Causes Death of Workers... 289)
Lumber For ‘Hives, VE QUISICES -ries metieerciscee sete 114
UO AN) TRTREN TINIE, \N/EN PONDERS 5 nooo coos 115
| se re Soe White wOOGhr rs peeeaccebereee 290
Manna, Pollen from Some Tree.................... 133
Marketing Comb Honey (See Crates for Honey)....61
Wieietaboyey one IheMleya IBC. kA soss nods beaossaocumAonc 159
Matetori@overinoshiramesea.: = sscecaeiieecneeee siete 128
Mathematics ot the Etoney-Comp renee eeee eee ace 144
AX IA IMAO MS ERO OE, esooacnnecspacecs 144
fe Angles of Structure..........>......4 144
Ze Koenig and Maclaurin’s Problem....144
Metal Corners, Their Use........ LSfetaye re Lieder ae 127, 192
ss) (Ra bbetahtss WS ei sis sscereinectne soe tires oe 127, 192
MVE COs etre Se ate ist he ooais auc niedtvle gra Sate erie roe 81
rie, ULV CS irre ns ce ease RAs 5) ay er Ana OE ee $3
Scars EOUS CSAIDIALYacn re tor ecto cise ee ner 83
MTS TIONME HES ee oa ote Seevar teak Goeeeee te Pt ncloustoter seared 171
Milkweed Destructive to Bees.............. ....... 171
WihyCelebrateditzes asst eee eee val
Mitchell, N. U., (See Adair Hive in Glossary)
Mixing of Bees in Ditfterent Hives................. 1€0
Moth and Moth-Worms (See BEE-MOTH) ..........-- 36
IM OEHEE WOLD .iiee i visis sas seen aa aa ces aioe eee wee 171
Movi ing Bees, Caution Against Smothering........ 73
During Working- SCAsSOlEeeeteeee nes 172
£e “Getting, Allin’ the, Hive: +222. 2.-..- i+
2 “In Artificial SWARM TN Oana ee aeeeeeeee 25
Se £2) Tra SEIN hac operates tiei- ecioreaaee eae 173
te ‘“« In Wagon or Buggy atayernvave Gey speyaiciecievavers 173
se coe KG Meat) ep late 5 ee ae sang 174
3 <s Mone Distances n--ceckcreeen cere 173
a ‘“* Loss by, in Floating Apiary........... 18
ie ‘“* Near Together in Winter............ 1i2
De “ Northward to strike Basswood or
Glover-Bloomy ee eee eee eee
ee oo -elacing ine POSibiOnes..-osee sees eee 174
oY A eunnuayp ain Orvlene Ss eee oonoonsaasenc 173
ee ‘* Results in Many Mishaps............ 172
ie cee SECULIN G:C OMS na er ee aise eee eerie 156
s 2 fplelpoMaS s 56554 doosdaacosssceoasesesoes 173
se ‘* Success in Moving Whole Apiaries. .172
te . SUppLyZOf STOLESsaasscaeee sien 17 3
‘* To New Location, One Hive at_First.27
BS “NUNN CCCSSAEU VM ace cies specter ve secretes 157
ie +S ts Vita tLOMS <j eracia/espaiereyacrs dele onsets 156
IMENTS Canes scl ae lier ey aaa tee tte tsar gua care arena teatro 25,17
oe CHINES Gis. aie ie es crue shee Rane a eC ereeieee 174
& Cultivation OB Ssiwcssceecaeen seeenine ears 174
He Qualityior Honey. once ssmce teens aes 174
NaiMide TVR Coo © ee ae ies arin 129
Nectar Imp WaldeNowGhsmMe-nOlwes seca eee 187
aS Not Secreted till Pollenis LRipe............ 187
ce Why Secreted in Flowers................... 187
Neighbors’ -Beesiscs sclccastsicijetye cot wn soe oltre emacs 155
New Idea Hive (See Hives in Glossary)
New Swarms (See Swarms and Swarming)......... 249
Nuclei, De HMITLOM). J o.15 cays ke yas chatde ta yaielene etre anon te li7
Division-BoOards TOREs 2 .cem ose ees cee 179
Nuclei For Queen-Hearing..................... 209-209
ee How Small They May BGs oc ocncseeeeeen i7
ue or Gallip) Rranmieit senses see eeeeeatenes ris
os NUmMberOHCOMDpS, Ineevces cases tee eee li7
‘ Queens Meavine acca ausecmeuteeemasen cee 1i7
We Shape oMHiver. cso. cess aanee meee sone i7
=f ShIPDIN GS cc cci wc cls eae EEE REE ee 179, 191
ue Three-Frame Hive for Shipping........... 1i9
Number‘of Beesin's Quart... osteo em ensee coos 7

INDEX.
Odor of Laying Queene. -5 sete acn oe 207, 258 Queens, Eggs of, Fertilized and Unfertilized.......42
Oilin es Machinery< Joh. cess oooh cnc eeereate 116, 122 ** Phenomenon Regarding.......... 72
Packing Sections inthe Flat.............:...-..... 132 be Fertilization Of see wccisinces shee eee 203
PAINE MORE MTC aly. ease cts cok se eee sine alata Mere eel 129 be ‘* Bumble: Bees. veaeee sees 1
Se! Oolor OY AVES! 400 2.8 Seem atieteronyecsioleiwtelsievaerer 129 re Pe ‘* In Confinement ........... val
= Rrequent Applications: 3.2. ss2----05s ore 129 st From Hives that Have Spring Dwindling
irra A SAUL (sul bet: 5 Leia ne a aceon we eae tA 8 128 as Good as Any...... oak dolce One 305
a SUE eee eee Ae kee Sine cance teiieietsiesaaete 129 od From) Ttaly).c se o5 esis seeds eee ee Ea
IPSN LIN STV ON 2 canis icie'sicve cteusle a oe tetera vaca ae ners eke 128 s amp Nursery. oo anece eee
ee Preparing Hives fOr. acne. tsssscemeeene 129 al Handling’. 0. eee -\ss cee eee eee 49, 165, at
Parafline LOTMA Gee = 5 ho ob le neces cose 54, 287 Oe Having an Assistant...............0c00cse8:
COW axe Barrels ac oct vc. « aclemeren ener 29 < How Produced from Worker-Eggs.. a
IPARASIEER ose rome ae ok Eos mag kiad ens tase wee cle serene 81 gs Impertectly Developed)... . seuss eaeeee
IPARtTUNACE VATUNCIAL. 5 .:\cekcstk ese e aceon am apis 24 “ Importance OF 05sec es Ue oe
We (G06 URS Coens eee 208 Nemes BO eet E eS 36 a ** Pure Stock invasseseeenees
Patent-Right Venders... 22... ....0...+. 37, 81, 82, 217, 272 x Introduction of, Different Methods
IRCMMYTOV alaten \anccaes Sescce fice bin steele erie tenes 228 es Of Virgin’. <i. c: Senate
Peet’s Introducing-Cage .................-...-- 47, 195 ee Loss Of: 360. 00sec hi. ee
Plank Used for Section HOXes. 5... = ete ever ee «le 133 c “ “To Det ermine...) 22cm eee
Planer, Cigar-Box,}for SeCehons. ene oeeee eee 131 es Longevity Of: .....5.¢ 3 )isoe epee ie arate
GOI si Soden ares gece oe ee eee trains 131 + Meeting Drones On the Wines Osha canes
Play-Spell of WiOUuns NSCS rick cele eee cere eee 223 ‘ft Memory of: 0.2.55 '.4.. ).¢ 1-5 eee eee
Pleasure Resulting from Work Well Done........ 130 ¥ Mutilation of Drones on Meeting.........
Poisonous Honey, Statement from Dr. Grammer.182 oe Occupation of, While Sealed up..........
Pollen, Agency of Bees in phere Plants......186 Hf Od OF OF «2.5. njsiaa’ Dare sae ene een
Animal Food Used for......2.00s.<005 185, 1&6 Be On Leaving ‘Cells. 2). 0). -a. ea ecu eee
Artificial) Substitutes so 2. -cneeee > eee 185 cs Produced from Drone- -Larve, A Failure.196
s Bee’s Adaptations for Collecting........... 182 a oh Distinction
we Effect of, on Confined Bees................ 184 Of Cells... cciiocs SOE eee 196
ie from Maple and Corn ss Query concerning..............
‘ ES SHS WOUISE COC cc. a deitalss wie cielo erica re Rearing (See Rearing Queens)........ ...
ne How carried from Plant to Plant ae Rivalry Of 0.52) )05.0 040 eee
rhe in Comb, Attracts Moths mi Several in One Swarm): .. 22.2 4-4esser meee
de SOSCCHOM BOMESi: cc se nce o ontatre neler oe ete ty Tendency of Bees to Rear...............-.
ae Method of Gathering ka to Find and Remove Old...................
ae INGCESSIDY: OL race cacti pean eile se aie’ st ** Prevent Death Of). 20. 2 eee eee
is a Provision OL INAOMLCL. wre nssteecitesteteste cine 187 st Transposition Process) !-2..4.0nee sees
es Remarks pO: +. sccs see eats woke dalctable 182 oe Two in One Hives Js) 1. eeeee eee eee
ss Setting to Work on Artificial............... 189 Ce ‘on Same Comb :2 2. eee se eee
Me DOPING Soc tse ca cee cc ae ee a tele ciamale lentes 185 Vireinis: . goss fteatcs veces a
Por tico, OSE OBS i revcicts niclo sees ae es Datoaneeieateaysar cate 191 Ke * Introducinge;2l oc eeeees
WMetachaples ook. vwak cee wios oe cee ale wiser 191 sg VOICESOF 1. a0 dale s clu acne eae tee
a EAN Sis sciere eid c.cicsve sta atcte yore tomeaageteanetele 191 Py “Produced By Wings
ee Disadvantages OE sng cs cans cae tne oats Sate re sete 6 ‘e Wedding-Flight, When Taken............ 201
IPreasstor VW ax; Cary 6s ccc ccck ce ene wae tee te ners 226 se What Kind to Rear RTS Are noes wei 129
Prevention of Swar MUN. cGessee oc tanec aes 250, 255 “ ‘to do with when Two Weeks Old
Propolis, PMS Syst hg aubslihes) Ke eb a or econo ep abacoo. 192 and do not Lay s...050).u eee eee 20
Do Bees need it? Theory and Practice.193 Be What to Do with P Wiien Uniting... s
s How Gathered)... 27.252. ods ace geo oseerne 183 ft Wingless a. 2.0) ie a ae 1195
ye Its Source Umeertains ...s. oe cee anaes 191 aS Wings of, Imperfectly Developed, to Test.204
a; SP WIR aed coves 0 4,0 bots rece eee cosets oe Trae 191 Quinby’ s Hive (See Glossary—Hives)...... 296, 297, 298
te Mixed ‘with Wax 0.3%: cccaAcsesecee oe tee 192 Queen= Yard! fis. aso bee cee eee 256
ce Paint'to Keepit OR .ice. see ceet eee 192 | ‘Ras Weed and Corns so. 2)... 23. cee
ee To Keep from Surplus Boxes............ 192 | Rail-Road Apiary, Description of..:..............-+- 18
LP To Remove from ‘Hingers) 5... ...\s'10. » 192'| Raising Seed. 6.25.5 20sec. ei eee
au Value Of... 6 Chee ee coe we aivtoe lovapeiec ears inves 193 Rampage, Bees ON Bs: 64 lie ds. ae Os eee see
Pure Stock, Importancero£s sot vase os sacieiann es ones 5 Ly i 3) 0: re IS SPS pce
Queen- Cages (See CAGES FOR QUEENS).............- 47 **. Cultivation... 0.0)... s« opens lee
How to Put in Care invitees es sane 213 ‘so. Importance of...) ).220..4. 2.0 eae eee
Laying Two Kandsof Heese: ss ces.cc-slce ce 205;|*Raspberrya.nnas ces cee lees POPPE P Tose dn csc
“ Noise Made by, in Swarming............... 259 | Ratan. i050. bi eec dl eisele san sales eels eee ener
‘* Number and Kind of Bees to Accompany Rearing’ Drones: i 3.60.5 aa oklecaceioele dee eee
in Transportarionis co... demeves oaeeesas ee 48 | Rearing Queens... 2. soos. ae ams 4 ace
C+ IROPISCEE 25. cece othe rote mee es caer s 211 ce ee Allfrom One Queen..............
Stands oe ee cs eee Coe eine osersre ise ¥ a Caution
“Sting of fs ef Dollars ...e5 ake eee
eet) Cavcardise,. et ‘“« Feeding for the Purpose.of. oft
Queen-Cells tS Ke Good Wages Made by..............
ct * Caution es es Grape Sugar for..\5). 00. eae eee
ae “ Cutting Out to Prevent Swarming....256 ee ue How to Send Larve for............
hs ‘* Destroyed by Young Queens... .26, 27, 198 nS && Improving: Stock. 22eeeeeaeaeeeaee
ni ‘* Good Ones, How to Procure........... 210 “ae es Preserving Drones for Late........ vi)
es How tol Wnsertie eros ste ance wclioe ae 22, 209 ate of Queen-Cells (See Queen-Cells) ...195
ue S Large Nirmben Of ie cc. os ~ aris nae msaletee 26 | Report on Spring’ Dwindling... . 4... oe. -eeeeeeeeeee 303
ee ‘“* Pleasing Experiment with............. 197 Repositories for Wintering:. .. 2.005. Jscdeeehnaeaene 300
a ‘“* Raised in Strong Colony............... 209 eS Preparing Stocks for. .201
ce ‘“* To Tell When They Will Hatch........ 196 ee eh gd (See WINTERING) .. .291
we “When and How to Cut Out......... 26, 210 ee “e BS Ventilatineast.-.naees 301
Queenless Colonies, Caution. (244%... 45sneseeeee Rhombic.Dodecahedron : +...) 9.2 .eieeceeseee ..145
Gy No Detects .....5.2- Ringing Bells, &c., to Bring Down Swarms. Acs Zale 259
Queens, BNC YS 0) ho See OES era ey ecco eae aaa nr TS eG RARE EA 5 Robbing— Beware! Me aos Class cts A ee
thn Arve LO) POGUCOL seem eG oeclsne tie Breaking Combs. 2./.: \. Jae sapeeniee ene 220
oe eo One Berinnins toWuaycks.. vosseeees 202 Ce Care of Combs Outside of Hive......37, 38, 3805
Md A merchantable Producth.. v.02 cs -caeeces ‘* Cause of the Disposition................... 216
Me An Unproven Theory te CalibiOnehPie Kawns chawes cele nears ssheveeue.
eS Cazing) Moun pes meer cess ier eet on Changing Colonies.............. .220
< Caution in Regard to Killing Fe Closing: Hive: ..\0%.\....0056-seen ees . 219
" Change in Appearance on Beginning to et Colonies that Make no Defense............ 218
Lay wigcalogis able wlsyeeeh ars tates tere leleredeaeea cae temeee a aoe 202 ee During Plentiful Flow of Honey.......... 217
af Clipping Wings Of) sche eae cee 2, 3, 204 M Spring Dwindling.................+. 306
Re ‘** Danger of Loss in....... 2 “ Effect of, ifnot'Stoppeadvik.....)...ceiae 220
ee Daily Number of Eggs Laid by........... 207 se Entrances Contracted..............ss.. s+ 218
Ns DOWar.. 5.5 ..c0cc he eee eee conc eee nee 208 $s Exchange of Combs vine occ: «. «0 caeheeee 220
Mo Drone-Wayin ye sc osAss basen dae ee eee eee 82 Ai Getting Robbers Out of the Hive, Caution.219
A Eggs of, Compared with Those of Poultry.72 ee Great DISCOVEry «3 1)0000).5 tes aces een 222

ee

EN D REX.

Robbing, EO WELO StOD senate hs cs ac). Aeelcoise aise 218
HRV LNT CNN ss nema er arayste eis: dace elssicts ciate sia 32
se MAMTA SSS ag etc etnies cGhsnws ae 218, 221
ne Nin aW AYE) XO eee pis oe Gains Gaia eRe eee ea 206
PDNCANIS'OL HSCAPE N13 ceon sei cais-loenanieess as ce 206
ce IETEVCNTIOM OE oa toeemterseieeiocie ries se 221, 306
ee Sense Of SMIEI oa Ne eter ve care aa icicle. e as 216
st Siig ata a PAW ANS) eee os co caaedaGe Be emcee pr: 217
ce To Distinguish Robbers.................-- 218
a WERK S WALTIS cece wekeieee cen icsiscint eieieia 216
Sr Wihere Robbers: Belon pyc. o-s. 2-25-53 218
es Whale Wimitine ss Ato doe cere eoseidee coe 271
te Working by Tamp- -Lightto Prevent...... 222
st ** Moonlig: ht SoS Ceara ee Ne aera fata arate 222
Rocky Mountain Bee-Plant......................-. 224
Royal Cells (See Queen-Cells)...............2 22.202. 196
EMV CMa Gaerne aerate alee ais soak erclevalen Wyse 196
inustic Chatt-Hive, Clark’S:. ..c05.-.. 6. sence egeeees 2179
Rye Flour, a Substitute for Pollen ................. 185
‘“ Setting Bees to Work on................ 189
SIDED. 5 As no C656 BOS SUE ISO BS OOOe CORE CEI Cree stat et mea 224
Ea OAT OTE SVT GE sa oo cic ice isis iare <iavcie s wusicteis “uke wis 227
st ge *- Honey, Large Yields of..... 227
ce ee os se Never Candies...... 227
Be oe os sf Qualitywioka..]....-- 227
Sasso mmesOh (OUNG AMON 2.5 <-ts os -js= ce isieee is wales s areien s 56
Sa be TOT ECCS .. ss sis «(<i <tc, -eie eit + elves e's .. -283
Sieh ANGI ea scaonoanocore qecea oes Foo Se eaoeneae 106
Saws Barnes [BY RO} Hon eee oo Soe Ce bac Oe oes 114, 115
* Hoot Power, How to Usell4, 115, 134
= (Compared with(Cutter’ Head... ...........- 183
SCO OSUMOLE Se eee nao een sae ce ence awe nces 133
« @ross-cut, How Hiled and Set................. 135
bi. (Gun SaaS ego edcoo SOR AC Echos Cn on nea aaans 133
s¢ Oiling 6 SUBS GORANI CHS CURR ORES D Se ee Eee eee 134
ee Putting i in Order, All About It............ 133-186
SP snapeand Aneleot Meeth......--.- o.4--7.- 135
‘ Sharpening TUTTO CTE (SCL Eas 133
eR eISIZe Wie USC.. ..)1-.- - PR ena ne eiemuicie,c) aif de 133
SS Ey feces ay emaaaciala aie aisle Sete sieieve sd 2s 101
SSN OLE RSS BE noe Uida cs URI ae GORE aon oi a iaeaers 216
Section Honey Boxes, All About Making, One
IRONIC Go 45 see es bEse 19-132
fy ve se Clamps for Making........181
ee st Re Completes nasi. «acdsee cess 132
sf ee oe Counting, Mistakes in,
Howto Avoid............ 132
oe M2 ss GrooOvine ws -cusseeeee nee 131
re es st Having Them Filled in the
TN ND eS oe eee een .. 102
et sf Oe Hiome-Madese-i.- 256.5... 137
‘ sf he Howto Handle............. 60
se te + ‘* ** Use With Tin Sep-
ELLA LOLS eee sceveryisoeeicereaee 59
a ee .* In Upper and Lower Sto-
WL CS PP veces eee eens wees 128
se ‘s 3 Machine for Making...137, 141
ee oe 4p Of Berry-Box Veneer aA 186
er oe te One lb., Recommended....60
* Sf x Sit? LAD P soo atiecce 130
st fad of Size of, for L. Frame....... 55
‘f oy he Taking Out of Hive...... 128
us oe sa To Induce Working in....251
me os ce *“\ Keep Propolis Krom... .192
ne oH ss What Boards to Use....... 131
oc oe G Width of Sides, Top and
BOLtTOMeLsfess ieeee eee 132
SE CMM AL ST Ovi eat hones cierto ancitin secoins ieee ee 174, 115
Separators Tin, Always Use with Sections..... .... 59
Setting Saws vAnele Of Teebhen a \-ns2 soko eaten aes 136
ae hilosophysOls a2 5 yess -cise eeciac eas be ase 185
st mR SC LiL OIEE Atte)! Aa, ba Ne myarciale sian necremtente 1386
Shade Better than Holes for Ventilation........... 215
(SECIGTADEWVANES) ju) ihe saree easter aie ces coon ee 12
Shipping Bees, Preparation for................ 173, 209
Simplicity CombrHolder 95. seo. see ees 243, 244
Heederi (See Heeders)): «555 ee ncceccacc: 100
ue ASLO Ne 3s ots fash. a fancia alas a apa an iabshsres olaie 114
Ma *- How To Make (See Hives).......... 114
ss UN TE ERV@SS CY Be ee Set Ono races 120
Me Smoker (See Smokers)................005 230
Simpson Honey TEE iN Fists aE teat ie ye ee a 104
Sieh (SEC PATON OLE) serserccersc rcinnre ees 103
SIZEIOL CONS «5 Sec tine Geter aerators apertioncstins Tai 144, 145
DSS CUTD So asco. cash oa ee el ee oral (5 cle ea eiave si ei yareraia avs 81
Smoke, Not Always a Preventive of Stings........ 246
~ Wseof,in Uniting Bees........0...........85 272
When to SC ey epee td aciheiaasraicee s Osis cae 242
Smokers, BIN Sham7S Haaser espera cecioeie Meteletayoh wale 229
C lark’ s Cold Blast Ae te Le ai i ewe 232
WOLEY.S A en tenn tn i hie cheer arte isi sreiale’s 232
Cold Blast How to Make.................. 230
GOSTHO fei. cinerea oe a sae ea lie ness 233
TDTKEI a0) BME Ariat NG Nias HINA Ok ance 229

Smokers, QUIN DY Siete ieatea aes sat cK ae aie 229
Simplicity Be a ate ae Bako anaes Ota 232
Cold’ Blast. etw sccndssinesceee 232
TEN GIMU/SC Wiss te ee cae eee ene seinen 228
DOWNIE Shee ere ee eters nee neers 229
ne Ris AoXes hufon VISE eee mpmcocouseuHaSoaeder op 242
Smothering iBees'when: MOying ee sose ses e meee s sates 173
Solderi TT OP EL ERIE AR Ue cia cucet aaah epee tear ae te tye eee 233
<0) BUN IGEBOI oon Ae ea Ona tare eile 28
Implements fOr ways sees ee eae 234
SOULWOOG See oie ee See reeteee re 235
7 Description of by J. W.Shearer.......... 235
Spider Flower, Description Of.........-....---.----- 226
SPIGers i.) Se ay. ait tose mere ape icetcie ste create 81
Soba Dano lihae@ 5 ansece cocososonanutacsoode 68, 296, 298
sin oy JEON OTINE Wi Onneeasnecebonesasdnes 305
Care of Combs from Dead
SIWAEDISH eh ethoans sane cea 306
CUReLORe eee a ee eee 68, 305
Mmossiimnrense sect eoee eee aeeee 305
ING NOAM OM iewesodesaceunsape hands 802
What Becomes of the Bees...... 305
IWihati@ases ss hi 2ok se Soe keeice 303
What to Do When Your Bees
Geb tomer Sock dee eee 204
Square, How to Test Accuracy of................... 129
Standing IME TOU hOEIVeSe ean acces nee eee 241
Stinging Caused by Pressure of Clothing....... 32, 244
Fe DoesnesallGhewBee Pees sees ceases seen 246
oe EVO Wien OM City wom eerie emcicccta. 5 set nooner 245
Stings, Compared with Apparatus Used by Other
Insects for Boring into Bark, ete......... 248
eos DEC CUSIO Des Murs reese reer decorates e152), 9/5. sie aterets 241
SN GLOV CS ae CE een Riera aoe nee 32
Oo GCaveennIN(Wyan eOe ib OWMCOos oonaceanecoosnne 241
** Hardened 1othe Effects of .................- 241
SA ELOWACOMVEIMONVG eee ac men eee crc eee 241
fos eMaomitle dehatec ae ate eee ee ene ee 247
** Mechanical Construction of................- 246
est) MivehCenire Giyis Neh 3 Oe ae NLT Rea \ taeat 240
CER ui Yo KO AON tens SACRE MeO ENA DEG Ena Tn BACB HOSES a6 245
nm O MNOS T KE STO ISG nese PAHS ADIannOOROE SbepEadaS SE 208
Sb EP OISOMOn shanna ae ep minor aaa Ate etr as 245
Sy heme gicsmeDISCHSSCUts eas ae Reet erat renee 240
AE VELILYAO btm arora ne see ere raeeere 239, 244
“Smoke not Always a Preventive ...........- 246
SEE SNOPANV OLGES oc a bebe sere nee mere 32, 216, 241
Stock, Importation of, Purity im..........:...-....- 158
5 TMP TONAD Gye Sa eee ee Seas nea ede 129
Stores Needed (S€€ WINTERING) -.............:2- = 292
Straiwakliviesss 02. .cvacemere nee teases etree ener 294
SS Me IVE AIG So) es ee ern aoe a SS UOB AES Bae 294
1 EEK 6) a Oem en ce ok a sla an oe ender 294
Sufhocaviouse. ssnccteccee eee one 173, 219, 275
Sugar, Rory Cand yi. se .o sae eee oe ee eee 54
5? OWAnGerin pesmi aes oe po eee 76
(See CANDY, FEEDING, WINTERING and
GRAPE SUGAR.)
SI DURST KORN ONS he MS iett ye R REE Aares oio Uae Wee Salo a HG eOe 248
Sumbblower ic esos. 5 ose aad eee RCE nee eee 249
SUPPORT LOR VHAMe 52 4 eee ee eee eee 59, 243

Surplus Honey (see COMB HONEY,

EXTRACTED
HONEY and SECTION BOXES.)

Swar ming ype Faie Wate At Eo arb, read Si ees STC a Sane oe PS oTeion arene
SACEG ODE: Sorc aicies bates ore cron eye ere Ee eee
Apparatus PORK ae cone aeons 252,
S ELC POSILOLY sree reeeieeee ee
ATtifiGiall 222i. sa ace masa cee caer eee
AUDOMA LIC once aes cep atnvesinis een eee
Bees Gorged with Honey When......252, 276
Cause olin ca aceon nck oe eo ne oe eee 249
Choice of Location Before................ 257
Does the Queen Start First ee 249
POV Cr aos. sc een ccite coe easier ares nee Nees 2517
From Upper Rooms and Garrets......... 257
Machine for Automatic... 22.222... cee 258
Means Employed for Reproduction...... 232
Natural, and Its Attendant Clustering. ..260
On | Sup@ayecs toe ones conics ae ee eee eee
Preparations LOLs. sscce-s eee e eee 1,251
Prev ention of Bl ae bi cts Nee tie 252, 25D, 2060
“by Cutting out Queen Cells256
Swart ming Prevention of by Use of Extractor...... 2
oS “Season” Ofte oh. ire Pee ee ee 2
oF SYIMPtCOMSvOL as Sess saeco ce eae {
“ Two or More Topethers. coc esce eeees 2
oe os How to Separ ate. 5D
Swar ms, Appar atus for Catching eos esana: 252, "253
* Hiving, ‘Shepard’ Sieec cee eor
gs Bringing Down by Ringing Bells, &c .... .259
KS Carrying on Limbs of (ea Uo Ae 254
st Hiving by Machinery.. lave iarefcts Git Rint rae Oe
‘ HOW: tO BRIvie 22 oe Aenea eee ee 253
rr If Queenless Sometimes Unite with Others.2
A Instinctively Seek the Forest.. UERRSCEE sil

INDEX.

ad Selection of Tree Befor i
* Sele fore Swarming....1, 257 ee achi
: To Sei eee When ‘Tuo Ge More ef oe el a Bleaching SUES lee doh outs tee 284, 288, ce
¢ ‘I'wo or More Uniting in One.......... 255 ss 23 By ase of Actds re
“ eC a a ESE) 271 as i dn the Sun, --s..-2.-..:1sataseas sn
; é : New RET AGEN) iG si ee aes. 2 : 1 ‘ ieee som Utensils: |). )...))))) sae
: aciy Dinsias neon hae eo 242 % 4 rtations from Different Cou itries......
Valent (Pecticals eaving........... git ‘Extract from A. B. J.on........ ntries...... a
Teasel, cultivation Wi see Creer ne a Extractor. ..:...:.0s«.00.) aude 284
Baer tion of by Gann eta ee eee ee ees 26 . “ Described by A.Grimm...........
Testing a Gane. ’ - igs Masaepees omens koe es - es How to Use y wea pes TS an oe
2 Value of ERIE Ee NORMS, coli | Se "A from LA pe WR 239
pence EEE Vo @ besten eee RE fs egetables.....1... 2 ""Dg¢
Mee vender MGHRER (See Patent fr 9 Made ‘by Bees............:-.-- -————n oe
ThreesFrame Nucleig eee rectest*? Eanes ‘i es gabe Of............. 28
Hennes ee ae a . { e ess, Cary’s......0..-1..*.5:5 ae ¢
mee ing with Bees Unne mnewoesny ae tee as ®, 168, er NS ase ie ocd Vessel 1 ere : : Ey
Toads Bating Bees. zone fs = ering in Conical Vessel without Strain-
eae ee ( ce MOB en eee ene eee eee ne ee ee eeoeeenes
enna ee ee 130 ‘: Rendering in Kettle........ {2 By
Touch-Me-Not, Wild................ 189 |. ss Our Way of. 02.1200 seas ea
Transferring, Appliances Toles RRR EES ks a “« Specific Gravity of........0/.1 1 aa 288
; Dr timing tacts een as foe 86 Fs Sate ae Ceylon. » hs donee .289
; Fh ee oY a ate coe 268 pi tea rove the Article of Commeree..... ..
f pe Be 2i6| Use ot Different Kinds... .<./ caes.ane “Bs9
“ in bvitit-Bléom. |...: 2). 17 wah é lod Oe While pea 5 B80
4 Los deb far... |). ee 265 Weak Kelley be Waite; eat ae a
: vi tae ge age 7 ea wee ATMS... 2.02... eeee eee eee Pa 7
: Bees ees goa ee at Bees Sting Worst.........--..... 202 “ae
; What SS Oe Aig es : ere aie You Will Not be Wantedin This World... 388
4 Length of Time Required..... 268 | Ww i Ce ee ae
“ Re eier anak ee oBE hitewood or Tulip or Poplar... 90.
>) Whe Gah BBE TC ae | oe ape ee ‘a
T Woman’s Work........-...0.-.se0ee- O65 STE ra cata ae aa
fee pe eeme PEOCGNR ete Le cs es 197 f Homey Of ee oa oe Bn
passing | Yor Wild Henk. oer See yi | oo hamper ome one tee eee 5 aoe =
Tulip-ree (ee Eee -5@6 | Wicked Hybrids... eae 8 meek ae:
urnip, Attractive to Thee Beppe a Aaa oe Wide Frames for Sections.........-...- : ae
} FEO OL. occ: Bik Non: = 6 , and Raters. eee te
: Cultivation Of.........0.ut iets 269 “ ey ee and) Below?) i ape-ae le eee 128
Se a acomerek Sam: oR) Wedgie Us... 1s
AO Used For Greens eee 569 Wild Bees (see Hunting Bees) stant te 128
TwoFrame Nv us Hive (see next puge)... 309 | Wings, Loss of, Cause of Death... rho 280
padall's ‘Theo ry of the Structure of Comb, Diss : W intering Aumont of Honey Needed...... 97, 292, 302
NC ATRIA SCI si a 45, Chat Cushion for... 25
it In Spring. ose cess seceeceeceseceies 272, 305 s . ear tn Division-Boards.... .. ...64
. Trouble from Robbers.......-..+++++::++.- ae yi o SE cn ot a
; Trouble from Hobbers........ 1. ss zit yi i Packing, SUCCESS Of epee ere . 208
= Pee OT eB rhea -satessads gots zal © af his Ofini.t {. oc oaeees . 295
y alentine = Queen Stand wee rece rose se eee sesses ees SM “ec Cc t c of Different Kinds of Food. 291
Valentine's Queen Stand...0..0.. essere gies 245 ‘ utong Winoter- Fee in the Combs. pa
CUS. oes aec negate aeeeectecsciteteresnsoneseneres 32, 215 S. \GOnenGe eet eae
PG lL Ar arate ok 215 A Se OU SO ee ee 283
‘ Brussels Net. 2.0... see ccc Bld Ai In Cellars or Repositories. . 800
‘ Injurious to Eyes. ye 4 "e3pC OS ae ew ita Ak ae 73 “ec Feel once of... 2
é Obstruction We Vision ee wid 7 ow“ ira umber a One Room... 292
re Marlatan ane 8 ie te COC eh oe Lei oe ee se Removing from.. 282
; Wher tradi. reas mid : both Returning to Summer Stand. ni
hen Transferring.....000000. cae 26 r “See Cellars. ............-+0+005
Wentilati a ee Mam wautie CEA eA ta i, ei. 274 ee ee ee Temperature of. aah!) 292
mee 173, 219, 215 & co) ag > When to Pt ae 30%
«How Promeed by Bees: og) Maron Rae
c rg ne geet Alien cab les oy Pace aah 296 ys On Late Honey... ... ak
‘ pA Peas to Dampness and Frost... “B93 hs Size of Apartment a 2
ee é ce Bs 4) ye .. i
i OF COLTS oan B01 3 Sr MAGOIOMY. «6 a. nae Jee 293
r g uring Shipment 207 Entrance
« When Ready to Swarm .......... 276 4 Size and Shapes of Frames for... oan
a oni AOS 73-4 : a
: fies A Fes sipping... ag en ORES 2 i7 5216 A Spring Te ee oe sya she
i 6 ee es ~ ee r. a
; ter from R. RR Murphy nies, st SAIS 217 i Str io ing on Late Honey........... .... 303
Vineyard Apiary (Geel RE 2 | eagle ae. 2) a i Ventilation, its Relation to Frost and a
ae ce Directions for Starting......... 12-14 Dampness we
irgin Queens on Queens) SAAR RRC! Taig GN TE: 168, 19 if Weak Stocks...-....:..:#4100 =e aemem 24
es o Introduce....................1B%, 16§ i When to Prepare for..:-.,-.:seaam
rT Fen from L. L. ee 8 ; af Why Hives Deonne geome a > iC aes ees
Wabbiing saws, ome tA SErGtl et eee 169 aN at fcr ee oo oe ee 57
abbling § Baste eee enh tee e Ventilati on Cages, etc.) 47,
Wasps. g umber, to Prevent.. i Work canefoly dulestay eae ou bcs Cage etc.) 47, sd
pene Per gee 82 Zconomy Of..... s. <2. +. ssccak eae t
Water ries) iii’ Nei ee a Worker Bees, Fertilization of, PO
: : : ieee abe cee rclaia a e a aying aiaidle ibe Liade's oe! 6 014 cde ee 73, 102
Be OBEYEA DP ey corsa ei i °F Legs OBL Boos Sa Ss vSines ee ee 183
writing ned et aus Tee ee 283 i “« Sizesof Cells...,......<,:ceaemes 1.144
Soe cee reriments Ih stat | TolKeep trom Lamp’ Nursery. 0... 16%
Wax, maha JAX TORS ene aoateetaee tee 280, 281 Worke E P Pinas Ghee ae
u teration OL. ie soetheh ne nce : 268, 290 : IPS ence Sree, Rented st
; gs Ses Be anne 268, 2 i ‘ ee Bees, Eggs, Rearing Queens, etc
Atiacar neon eee aes 268, a | Yield of Honey, Large....... ee aoe “5 298
bebe eather oung’s Easel to Hold Combs.......... eheeeee