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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. IS, 1904. 



Send Questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. 



HIve-Ventllatton Outdoors-Chaff-HJves and Open 

 Peedlnsr. 



1. What is the proper amount of ventilation for bees in 

 a cool, wet climate where nights are cool and chilly in the 

 spring-, and the bees fly often in winter and try to rob every- 

 thing- that is open ? I have my bees in 8-frame hives with 

 g-rain-sacks and paper over them, with an entrance 2x}i 

 inches. Is it too small? 



2. Bees need but little protection from the cold here as 

 it seldom freezes, but it is too wet and chilly in the spring 

 for rapid brood-rearing. Do you think the chaff-hive would 

 suit here 7 I feed sugar syrup in the open, and feed at all 

 times in the winter whenever we have a clear day, with 

 good results. I like to feed in the open, as the bees seem to 

 enjoy it so well. Washington. 



Answers.— 1. That's pretty close business ; likely twice 

 as much ventilation would be better. 



2. I don't know, but I'm afraid the chaflF-hive would not 

 be an improvement. It would not allow the sun to warm 

 up the hives on bright days. 



Hive Bottom-Boards in Cellar Wintering. 



1. In wintering bees in the cellar, do you leave the bot- 

 tom-board off the hive for ventilation ? 



2. If so, do you put on anything to keep out the rats 

 and mice, if such enemies should come along, or will the 

 bees take care of their combs and honey in such a case 

 themselves? I think Prof. Cook says that he leaves the 

 bottom-board on and the entrance open wide. * 



Ne-w York. 



Answers.— 1. My bottom-boards are left on ; but that 

 stillleaves abundant ventilation, for the space under bot- 

 tom-bars is 2 inches, and the entrance is 2 inches deep and 

 the whole width of the hive. If I had entrances not more 

 than half an inch deep, I should want the hives blocked up 

 or the bottom-boards taken away entirely. 



2. I have done both ways. You may be sure the bees 

 will not take care of themselves ; rats and mice will make 

 bad work with combs if allowed undisputed possession. If 

 you leave the hive-entrances open in most cellars, you must 

 keep up an unceasing warfare against the rodents with 

 traps and poison. You can bid defiance to the nuisances, 

 -however, by having the entrances closed with very coarse 

 wire-cloth— three meshes to the inch. Even then you will 

 have some trouble, for field-mice will have entered some of 

 the hives before brought into the cellar. It is better, how- 

 ■ever, to have a mouse confine its loving attentions to one 

 •colony than to give it the free run of all. 



Making Candy for Winter Feeding. 



How is candy made for feeding bees in winter ? I 

 should think there are quite a few bee-keepers who would 

 appreciate anything on feeding bees at this time of the 

 year. I read about it some time ago, but can not find the 

 copy just now. Wisconsin. 



Answer.- You can't feed bees in winter in the North. 

 Feeding in winter is bad for bees. Let bees alone in win- 

 ter. Don't think of feeding in winter. Finish up all feed- 

 ing as early as possible in the fall. Winter is no time to 

 feed. " You can't feed in early fall now, for early fall is 

 past, and the bees will starve if let alone "7 Well, that is a 

 bad case, and it's better to feed even in winter than to let 

 the bees starve. So I'll tell you what to do. 



Open the hives quietly, disturbing the bees as little as 

 possible, and put combs of sealed honey up close to the 

 cluster of bees. "Haven't any combs of sealed honey "7 

 Oh, my, that's bad. Well, another time see that you have 

 extra combs of sealed honey on hand. Save "some up 

 through the summer, piling them up on a few colonies, then 

 in the fall you can give thepi wherever you think there is 



any lack, and if you have more than needed you'll no doubt 

 find use for them the following spring. 



But it won't do to let those bees starve, so seeing you 

 have no sealed combs you can feed candy. You'll find 

 directions for it in your bee-book. "Haven't any bee- 

 book "7 Oh, my, my ; what a pity ! If you have only one 

 colony it will pay you to get a bee-book. You see this de- 

 partment is onlj' to fill out some of the things that don't 

 happen to be given in the books. But seeing it's you, I'll 

 tell you how to make candy without waiting for the book to 

 come that you're going to order. 



Heat extracted honey — be sure you don't burn it — stir 

 into it best granulated sugar as long as it will stir in ; then 

 put it on a board or table and knead into it all you can, so 

 as to make a stiff dough. After it stands awhile, if it seems 

 too thin, knead in some more. It will take about four times 

 as much sugar as honey. That's called Scholz or Good 

 candy, the same they use for queen -cages, only they use 

 powdered sugar for queens. If it is dry enough you can 

 lay flat cakes of it on top of the frames, or you can first lay 

 on the frames some kind of open cloth like cheese-cloth. 

 Or, you can put a slice of it in cloth between the frames. 



You can also make candy without the honey, just com- 

 mon candy. The process is simple, but great care must be 

 taken not to burn the candy, for burnt candy in winter is 

 death to bees. In a vessel of hot water on the stove stir 

 slowly granulated sugar, and keep stirring it to prevent 

 burning until a little of it dropped into cold water is brittle 

 to the teeth. Then pour out into pans slightly greased, 

 making cakes an inch thick or less. These cakes can be 

 laid over the frames and covered up. 



That's the way to make candy ; but don't forget the 

 bee-book. 



Moving Bees Par— Texas as a Bee-Country. 



1. I will be moving to Houston, Tex., soon, and would 

 like some information about packing bees in an emigrant 

 car. 



2. Also, any information about that locality relating to 

 the bee-industry would be highly appreciated. 



Nebraska. 



Answers — l. The special points to look after are 

 these : Place the hives in the car with the frames running 

 lengthwise of the car, or parallel with the rails of the rail- 

 road ; have them fastened in the car so they can not move ; 

 and see that the bees have enough air so they won't 

 smother. If there are only a few, they can go on the floor. 

 Put them up against one end of the car ; and on the floor 

 nail pieces so as to hold the hives rigidly in place. If they 

 must be piled more than one high, a board from one side 

 to the other of the car must be solidly nailed. Don't have 

 the board flat against the hives, but with one edge against 

 them, so the board can not bend when the hives push 

 against it. The ventilation will be by wire-cloth, the par- 

 ticular way of using depending upon the hive. If you are 

 fortunate enough to have bottom-boards like mine, 2 inches 

 deep, all the ventilation necessary will be to close the en- 

 trance with wire-cloth. Wire-cloth may also be used over 

 the top, and if one hive rests on another cross strips must 

 be used to prevent the upper hive from shutting off the 

 ventilation below. If the weather is cold, less ventilation 

 will answer. 



2. Many parts of Texas are considered good for bee- 

 keeping. Perhaps some one in the locality mentioned will 

 tell us about it there. 



Some Facts About Honey and Bees.— This is the 



subject of an article written by Mr. J. Iv Johnson, and pub- 

 lished on pages 581-82 of the American Bee Journal for 

 Aug. 25, 1904. We have republished it in 4-page leaflet 

 form fiir general distribution, and fi:iiish it, postpaid, at 

 35 cents per 100 copies. Send all orders to the oSice of the 

 America;] Bee Journal. 



