1882 



GLEANINGS IK BEE CULTURE. 



117 



connecting- with the outer air by passing under- 

 neath a building (feed store) having grates in the 

 wall along the east sido of this building, and in this 

 way creating a gentle draft overhead in the cellar, 

 if wanted; if not, they can be shut ofT also. The 

 back, or north side of the cellar, is ventilated by 

 holes connecting with openings imderncath and 

 around the dining-room, where there is a stove also; 

 this ventilation makes me think and feel that when 

 the outer air is overcharged with dampness that the 

 air in the cellar is not nearly as damp as it is nut- 

 side. Now, in the north-east corner is 



A CELLAR ATITHIN THE CELLAH. 



about 14x20 ft., originally partitioned off up to the 

 .ioists lor my wife to keep her preserves, etc., in, 

 with a glass door and window in it: and as it was 

 rather large for the purpose, my wife gave mo per- 

 mission to use it to put the bees in. By putting a 

 curtain on the glass door and window I can make it 

 as dark as I want it without shutting the air out, as 

 it comes in from under the feed store, and connects 

 from between the joists, above the partition, with 

 the main cellar. There is not a particle of damp- 

 ness on the floor, and the drj' dust can be found 

 thereon when we neglect to sweep it off. In the 

 summer we have to shutotf ventilation, and sprinkle 

 the floor pretty often to keep it cool and cellar-like. 



After all, and with a cellar like this, don't let me 

 be understood that I am ready to shout Eureka! as 

 I have cases of dysenterj*, without being fatal, in 

 this very cellar; but I think I brought it about by 

 experimenting with different ways of preparing the 

 bees for the cellar. It is a small study of itself; but 

 I think the time is not far off when cellar wintering 

 vs. outdoor will be what the Langstroth frame vs. 

 the other frames is to-day; viz., it will bo adopted 

 by the majoi'ity of the bee-keepers as soon as the 

 requirements to success are known. I have also 

 tried my hand at outdoor wintering; but as my let- 

 ter is too long already, I will close and promise to 

 give you further particulars in the future, if you 

 think they can be of anj' benefit to the bee-keeping 

 fraternity. I can not but admire the similarity with 

 which friend Geo. Grimm and myself prepare our 

 bees for winter. A. Scheidxer. 



Louisville, Ky., Feb. U, ]SS2. 



DO BEKS VOID THEIR EXCKEMENT IIV 

 A DR¥ STATE ? 



OBSERVATIONS OF A NOVICE. 



JUNE 28, 1880, I put a very small swarm of black 

 bees into a new hive, filled with new frames. 

 An old bee-keeper remarked to me, on my in- 

 forming him of the fact, that it would be useless 

 for me to attempt to winter them, as they would 

 not gather honey enough to support themselves un- 

 til the next spring. My answer was, that I should 

 try and see what I could do with them. After they 

 had built comb in several of the frames, and com- 

 menced brood-rearing, I began feeding them, and 

 continued to do so, moderately, until cold weather. 

 On preparing them for winter, I found they had not 

 increased much in numbers, and were apparently 

 deficient in stores. After removing all the empty 

 frames, and those containing comb without honej-, 

 I put a frame filled with granulated-sugar cand.v by 

 the side of the cluster, closed up the space with the 

 division-board, packed them in chaff, and left them. 



They ceased flying about the 10th of Nov., and did 

 not fly again until the 7th of March. At that time 

 there A^as about a dozen dead bees on the bottom- 

 bt)ard, covered with cappings niix''d with a flue 

 dust-like powder, of a dark-graj' color, nearly hhiek. 

 My opportunitj' for observation was good, as I re- 

 moved the bottom-hoard, then under the hive, and 

 replaced it with a clean one; the moisture in the 

 hive having dripped from the frame of candy, and 

 formed a sticky mass on the bottom-board. I feared 

 the bees might get daubed and killed by it. April 

 Tth thej' commenced flying regularly, and on open- 

 ing the hive I found the same dark-colored powder, 

 mixed with particles of cappings, and a few dead 

 bees. This dust, cappings, etc., after a transient ex- 

 amination, [ brushed olf, lea\ ing the liottom as 

 bright and clean as when it was put under in March 

 previous. What was the du^t? It dues not appear 

 that it could have been composed entirely of cap- 

 pings. as the particles of wax were distinctly per- 

 ceptible— coarse, of a yellowish color, and more in 

 quantity than the other matter. No foundation 

 was used in forming the combs; and when exam- 

 ined in spring they were as clean and transparent 

 as when left the fall before. Nor does it iippear 

 probable that they had been cleaned, thus eaily, by 

 the bees, preparatory to ct>mmencing their sum- 

 mer's work. The frames were covered with a thick 

 quilt, made from factory chjtb, inclosiriar a thick- 

 ness of batting, which was snugly propolized down, 

 not evfn permitting "upward ventilation," — the 

 cmptj- space at the side of the frames serving the 

 purpose. The bees, though not in large numbers, 

 were perfectly healthy, and, with the aid of fdn., 

 increased rapidly, so that, by the first of June, they 

 had filled 14 frames with broid and honey, and made 

 a good display of comb, with some honey in 2-1: one- 

 pound sections over the frames — a fair beginning 

 for this climate. J. F. Latft.a.m. 



Cumberland, Maine, Feb., ISS.:. 



FKIE^JD EOOMHOAVER'S IDEAS ON 

 ^VINTERING. 



WILL BEES BREED IN A CELLAR WHEN THE TEM- 

 PERATURE IS KEPT AT ib° AND UNDEIiV 



r 



N one of your back numbers I think that George 

 Grimm made the statement, that bees will not 

 rear brood in the cellar when the temperature 

 is kept at 15°. If Mr. Grimm did not make the above 

 statement, some one else did, for I have read it in 

 one of your back numbers. Now, friend Root, what 

 is your experience in this case':? I want you to tell 

 just exactly what you know about it. 



To-day is the 11th of February. The sun is shining 

 brightly. I have just carried out two colonies of 

 bees from the cellar — one black colony, and one 

 pure Italian. The first one carried out is a colony 

 that was made late last fall by uniting two not very 

 strong nuclei of old bees. One of the nuclei had a 

 drone-laying queen from the middle of August un- 

 til the day that they were united, which was about 

 the last of Oct., and of course the bees were of good 

 age. At the time they were united, a black queen 

 was given them, and November 2Tth they were car- 

 ried into the cellar. To-day this colony is strong 

 with bees, and has, by actual measurement, about 

 12,t00 cells of brood, from the egfi to the hatching 

 bee; young bees were crawling out by the dozen, 



