514 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



4 GEORGE V., A. 1914 



;!jnii pounds; per hive, spring count. There were 750 pounds of extracted honey, 

 the rest being comb honey. Basswood yielded honey for the first time in several 

 years. Traces of European Foul Brood were found in two colonies in June, and the 

 presence of this disease in the Ottawa district necessitated constant vigilance. A 

 demonstration was given by the Provincial Apiarist, .Mr. Morley Pettit, in June, and 

 throughout the summer visits were paid to the apiary by farmers and others seeking 

 practical ad -ice. 



As a basis for the future breeding work, arrangements were made for Mr. Sladcu 

 to bring with him six pure Italian queens from Bologna, belonging to a strain which 

 had been found to be resistant to European Foul Brood in England. Five of these 

 were successfully introduced at the end of September. Further queens are being 

 imported from Italy. Italian Switzerland and the Southern States. 



WINTERING OUT-OF-DOORS. 



An experiment in wintering bees out-of-doors in special wintering cases was 

 commenced. Three large winter cases, each capable of holding four hives, with a 

 space of 2 to 5 inches around the sides, I inches underneath and 10 inches on top, 

 for packing material, were constructed out of 1-inch pine. Owing to the fact that 

 bees consume more food when wintered out-of-doors than they do when wintered in 

 the cellar, especially heavy colonies were selected for the out door wintering, their 

 average weight being 81-5 pounds. Four of the colonies were packed in shavings, 

 four in cut straw and four in clover chaff. Each hive had its cover removed, the 

 frames being covered with a quilt. The winter cases were raised well above the 

 ground and supported on four wooden hive stands. 



The placing of the hives in the winter cases and the packing were completed 

 during the second week in November. The bees had a good flight on November 5, 

 a still and sunny day, with temperature 55° F. A fair number flew on November 21, 

 another still and sunny day, with temperature 50° F. On December 9 the flight holes 

 of the winter cases were reduced on the outside to an L-shaped aperture 1£ inches 

 high, and 4 inches long, each arm being from * to i inches wide. Such an entrance, 

 while protecting the bees as much as possible from cold winds, cannot easily be 

 choked by dead bees. The winter was unusually mild. A few bees were seen flying 

 from some of the hives on 14th and 18th February, some of them dropping and dying 

 in the snow. On 11th and 12th March, the bees were flying rather freely, especially 

 from the entrances facing the sun; they returned well, very few being lost, though 

 the ground was covered with snow. Up to the time of writing, March 31, the colonies 

 have not been examined, but indications point to the probability that the bees have 

 wintered well. 



The thirty-five remaining colonies were put into the cellar on November 8. 

 Their average weight was then 51 pounds. On March 15 the bees appeared to be 

 wintering well, and all the colonies were found to be alive except one, which had no 

 food in its combs, its weight having dropped from 47 pounds on November 8, to 28 

 pounds, a loss of 19 pounds. No queen could be found among the dead bees. 



APICULTURE ON THE BRANCH EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



Apiculture has been continued on certain of the chief farms of this branch, and 

 the following observations are made in the reports received from Nappan. N.S., and 

 Agassiz, B.C., respectively: — 



Nappan,, N.S. — Fifteen colonies were taken out of the cellar and put on 

 their summer stands on April 2, 1912. Brood rearing had begun. Until July 

 22 there was promise of a good season, and some fine clover honey was secured; 



