THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



49 



of a bee keeper with several apiaries 

 trying to add to his income by running a 

 farm. Better start another apiary or 

 two. A whole lot of one kind of work is 

 so much better than a little bit of each 

 of a whole lot of kinds of work. 



1 would not expect any bad results 



from passing to and fro in the part of 

 the cellar where the bees are located. 

 It would do no harm to hang up some- 

 thing in front of them to keep out the 

 light. 1 rather think 1 should do it; 

 although 1 don't know as it would make 

 any difference.— Editor.] 



B 



EDITORIAL 



-m » m » — «D- 



A Bee Convention is something I have 

 not attended in a year and a half, but 1 

 expect to be present at the coming 

 Lansing meeting. Bro. York also ex- 

 pects to be present. 



The Odor in a bee cellar is one indica- 

 tion of how the bees are wintering. In 

 a cellar where the bees are suffering from 

 dysentery, or bees in large numbers are 

 leaving the hives and dying on the cellar 

 bottom, the stench is decidedly unpleas- 

 ant and characteristic. The air in the 

 cellar here at Flint is on the damp order, 

 but is kept dry with lime. The bees are 

 wintering perfectly; scarcely any are 

 leaving the hives, and the air is as sweet 

 and wholesome as a June morning. 



Some Moisture Needed in a Bee Cellar. 



While we are discussing temperature, 

 ventilation and moisture, and their rela- 

 tion to the successful wintering of bees, 

 let us not forget that some moisture may 

 be needed, in some instances, to insure 

 the wintering of the bees in the best con- 

 dition. As I said last month, I would 

 prefer a moist atmosphere, provided the 

 temperature can be sufficiently high. I 

 believe that the late E. W. Alexander 

 held similar views. This point is brought 

 more forcibly to my mind by a letter just 

 received from Dr. James W. Cowan, of 

 Geneseo N. Y. It read something as 

 follows: 



1 have about thirty colonies in my 

 cellar, which is well-ventilated, totally 

 dark, and dry as dust. The temperature 

 is 46 degrees, yet, about Dec. 20th, the 

 bees began to buzz; and, as the days 

 passed the buzz became more insistent. 

 I couldn't imagine what was the trouble 

 unless there was a lack of moisture— 

 that they were thirsty — so I took a 

 chance on that. I took a large kettle 

 full of boiling water, and set it up on two 

 bricks in the room occupied by the bees. 

 I then set an alcohol lamp under the 

 kettle, and kept it burning for about six 

 hours. It was surprising to see the 

 amount of water that was evaporated, 

 and the buzz in the hives stopped, and 

 stayed stopped. It was very dry last 

 fall, and the honey probably contained 

 very little water. 



The cellar here at Flint is rather on 

 the damp order, but the temperature 

 keeps close to 45 degrees, and I have 

 never seen bees in a more ideal condi- 

 tion in the winter. Keep the cellar warm 

 enough, and there is little occasion to 

 worry about the excess of moisture. 



Preventing Foundation from Stretching. 



At the last convention of the National 

 Association of bee keepers, several 

 members mentioned the use of a new, or 

 not very well-known, method of treating 

 foundation in brood frames, so that it 

 will not sag, and that without the use of 

 wires. The process is simplicity itself, 

 and consists in painting the upper half 

 of the sheet, on both sides, with a thin 

 coating of wax. The wax is put on hot 

 with a wide, flat, paint brush. Just dip 

 the brush into melted wax and apply it 



