1910 



GLEAXING&- IN BEE CULTURE 



579 



Sittings 



By J. E. Crane, Middlebury, Vt. 



Virgil Weaver's prediction of the honey 

 crop for 1910 makes interesting reading be- 

 side the crop reports that have of late been 

 coming in. 



■^ 



One of the minor advantages of a steam- 

 heated honey-knife is that it shaves off the 

 cappings and does not break the comb down 

 as much as a colder knife. 



While it is desirable to let our honey 

 ri])en, I believe there is much in what Mr. 

 Greiner says, page 342, June 1, in the value 

 of extracting during the flow to secure a 

 large yield. 



4>- 



That steam uncapping-knife is a decided 

 success. The only fault we find with it is, 

 it is a little heavy at first to one unaccus- 

 tomed to its use. It certainly slices off the 

 cappings nicely, though. 



Fred Wulf's experience in selling honey is 

 of value, page o49, .June 1. He says he tries 

 to get the storekeepers started, and get 

 them to place the honey where it will be 

 seen. This is often half the battle. 



We have used this season an automobile 

 for out'/ards, and find it a great conven- 

 ience. I believe we can take care of one or 

 two more yards of bees in the same time as 

 before, when we depended altogether on 

 horses. 



Dr. Miller, page 338, June 1, says he uses, 

 in introducing a queen, a double wire cloth 

 between the colony and the super that has 

 his queen. Is this cloth simply folded dou- 

 ble, or is there a space between each layer 

 of cloth? [We understood that there was a 

 space between. — Ed.] 



Mr. Dadant page 336, June 1, gives in a 

 nutshell the whole truth in regard to the 

 use of new and old foundation. The new is 

 better than the old until the weather or the 

 bees can warm up the old, when there ap- 

 pef rs to be no diflfererence. 



Wesley's remarks concerning the retailer, 

 page 340, June 1, are worth remembering. 

 Surely the more retailers we have the larger 

 profits they must have to live. Suppose 

 there were half as many retail grocers as 

 farmers; we can readily see what enormous 

 prices they would have to charge in order to 

 live. 



Reference is made by the editor page 401, 

 •July 1, to an editorial by Mr. Hutchinson, 



of the Review, on the loss of honey by run- 

 ning an extractor by hand rather than by 

 power. Estimating the loss at one pound 

 lier ten-frame super, i.. a crop of 20,000 lbs. 

 the loss would amount to 500 lbs. I believe 

 our own loss has been much greater than 

 that, and another year we mean to use pow- 

 er. Where bee-escapes are used, the honey 

 cools to some extent and the loss is much 

 greater. 



The discussion on pages 72 and 73, Feb. 

 1, on absorbents vs. sealed covers, is one of 

 much interest, showing, it seems to me, 

 that both parties are at least partly right, 

 or that both methods are practical. I have 

 been in the habit, when this subject is dis- 

 cussed, of taking pains to look and see 

 where the opposing parties are located, and, 

 so far as I remember, those who prefer seal- 

 ed covers live much further south than 

 those who prefer absorbing cushions, with 

 colder winters. Now, it is quite certain that 

 we can wdnter bees very well, even in this 

 climate, with sealed covers; but my own ex- 

 perience is that we can do better without 

 them. Under sealed covers, I have found 

 the brood-chamber quite too wet in spring 

 to suit me; while with absorbing cushions 

 above, the brood-chamber is dry and clean. 

 In early spring we always find the cushions 

 damp on top, but never on the under side 

 unless from a leaky cover, and this damp- 

 ness all dries out long before we take the 

 cushions ofT in May. I much prefer my 

 surplus moisture to be in the cushion rather 

 than in the brood-chamber. 



I have no doubt that too much upward 

 ventilation has been given through absorb- 

 ent cushions. With the mercury at 20° be- 

 low, there is a strong tendency for the cold 

 air at the entrance of a hive to drive the 

 lighter warm air above the cluster of bt es 

 up through the porous cushion. I used to 

 think that clean burlap was the best thing 

 to lay over the frames before putting on 

 cushions, and have made my hands sore 

 rubbing propolis from old cloth before using 

 it, but of late years have found it unnecessary 

 to remove all the propolis. A board laid 

 over part of the brood-chamber before the 

 cushion is laid on works well, or two boards 

 laid on top loosely will allow enough up- 

 ward ventilation to keep the brood-chamber 

 dry. Where upward ventilation is given 

 through cushions, only a very small en- 

 trance is needed. Two inches long by % 

 high is ample, or a ^^-inch hole alone. 



Of quite as much importance as warm 

 cushions is a small brood-chamber for small 

 colonies. We are successfully wintering 

 small colonies on four Langstroth frames. 



From what you say, Mr. Editor, in foot- 

 note, page 121, Feb. 15, I infer that your 

 hive-covers come down close upon the cush- 

 ion. This may make quite a difference, as 

 in our hives there is quite a chamber above 

 the cushion, and some circulation of air; 

 and as soon as the sun warms up in spring 

 the cushions lose all their moisture without 

 taking them off the hives. 



