352 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CQLTURE- 



May 1. 



which is about j^xln- Then the frame is set 

 away, starter side up. till the starch dries. 



We liked this way so well that we used it in 

 putting starters in several hundred frames 

 since. Any one who has put starters into a 

 large number of frames by mashing the foun- 

 dation on, can appreciate a quicker and easier 

 way. We intend to use it until we find some- 

 thing better yet. C. G. Looft. 



Cochranton, O., April 1. 



NO WINTER LOSSES. 



I was astonished when I read the report in 

 Gleaning.s, of your winter losses of bees. I 

 have just been examining my bees in the indoor 

 repository, where I put .50 of my weakest colo- 

 nies on the 19th of Novemljer last, and I found 

 them all living, and, I think, in very good con- 

 dition. I have .55 packed outdoors, and they 

 are all alive and in good order. What I want 

 to say is, that I put 105 colonies into winter 

 quarters, and they are all alive to-day. 



I did not know any thing about bees until I 

 read your ABC book three years ago this win- 

 ter. I can't understand how you old bee- 

 keepers lose so many in the winter. I have lost 

 only two during these three winters. One 

 starved, and the other smothered in a packing- 

 box outside, in January, 1892. They melted 

 four combs, and there was about a pint of bees 

 alive when I found them in that state. Per- 

 haps when I feel inclined I will tell how I use 

 my pets in winter. R. A. Makkison. 



Inverary, Ont., Can., March 28. 



[You just wait. When you get to be an old 

 veteran you will find there will come along 

 times, say once in ten years, when you will lose 

 heavily. We have had no losses worth men- 

 tioning, since the winter of 1880-81. till last 

 winter, and we do not expect to have any great 

 losses again for another decade. There was 

 something in the winter, or in the locality, that 

 made all bees wintered outside, in our vicinity, 

 winter about alike; at least, our neighbors for 

 miles around report about the same percentage 

 of loss that we have had.] 



WINTERING IN MICHIGAN ; A GOOD WORD FOR 

 GOLDEN ITALIANS. 



I went into winter quarters with four colo- 

 nies. One died with at least 35 lbs. of sealed 

 stores; two reduced to three frames; the other is 

 fully as strong as it was last August. They are 

 occupying the whole of the eight frames: brood 

 in four frames the 8th. They were all in the 

 same kind of hive — four-inch wall of chaff, 

 sides and bottom. Tops of frames were covered 

 with eight-inch cushions made of burlap filled 

 with wheat chaff. Three had a single thicl<- 

 ness of burlap placed directly on the top of the 

 frames, and a cushion on the top of the burlap. 

 The other and the heavy one had two thick- 

 nesses of burlap (of a finer texture) over frames 

 and cushion on the top of the burlap. 



The one that died was a hybrid ; the other two, 

 leather-colored. The strong ones are yellow 

 bees, or golden -colored, queen small and dark; 

 bees large, gentle, and nicely colored. So. now. 

 I admire the golden bees. The frames are 1714 

 xl2, outside measure. One queen was from 

 Texas, three from Kentucky — the hybrid, the 

 best one, and the darkest leather-colored. One 

 of our bee-men lost all of his — two dozen or 

 more stocks. Another with .56 lost all but 5. 

 They do not take Gleanings, nor read the A B 

 C either. I might say I had not read the ABC 

 enough when winter set in, or I might have 

 done better. I searched around in it for some 

 knowledge as best to winter. I thought I had 



just struck the thing. Perhaps it was as good 

 as any way for this extremely cold winter. 

 Ought not the A B C to give at the close, for 

 instance, of wintering, a recapitulation, for 

 outdoor and indoor — in just as few words as 

 possible? If you issue one in that way, I want 

 it. Let it be ttie same as we used to have in 

 our school text-books. 

 Northville, Mich., Mar. 16. Chas. Biery. 



[A recapitulation in a few words would be un- 

 satisfactory and misleading. The subject is 

 somewhat complicated, and therefore can not 

 well be abbreviated.] 



FIXED DISTANCES, AND THE PRACTICABILITY 

 OF HOFFMAN FRAMES. 



In view of what has been written about fixed 

 distances, closed-end frames, etc., and with my 

 limited experience, I have become convinced 

 that it is a convenience in handling, and a good 

 help to get combs built straight, to hold the 

 frames firmly in place. In order to do so I've 

 placed blocks, 4 in. long, ^x^g", on one side of 

 the end-bars, by which means I can press the 

 frames or combs together, and they will hang 

 Ifg" inches from center to center, as Manum ad- 

 vises; but Mr. Manum said, "Nail the frames 

 to the brood-box with 10-penny nails, and then 

 they would be fixed; try it." I wish you would 

 scold at Mr. Manum for writing any such thing 

 to me, for, if I were to nail my frames down I 

 would use only a wire nail, not more than one 

 inch long. It seems to me those blocks will 

 keep the frames from being jostled together or 

 getting too far apart; will enable the apiarist 

 to hold the frames firmly in place while moving 

 without nailing with either 10-penny or one- 

 inch nails; will serve somewhat the purpose of 

 closed ends; will hold the frames at suitable 

 distances apart, and not prevent the spreading 

 of frames further apart for winter; will not 

 interfere with putting foundation into frames; 

 in fine, will be a good thing, and I believe you 

 summed up, at the close of the discussion, that 

 fixed distances were necessary. I've also pre- 

 pared one hive for holding about 24 frames, 

 ((. la Doolittle, where he says he had one hive 

 with brood in .32 frames, from which swarm, he 

 says in American Farmer, he obtained 566 lbs. 

 of extracted honey in one season, on the spread- 

 ing-of-brood plan, I've also prepared one hive 

 with %-inch top-bars. With the thin top-bars, 

 tV, the bees attach the surplus boxes to the top- 

 bars, with brace-combs, etc. Two years ago 1 

 obtained nearly 9(5 one-pound boxes of honey 

 from one swarm, to which I gave two empty 

 frames of comb twice in the middle of the 

 brood-nest, at intervals of two weeks. I think 

 they did not swarm; but they, being three 

 miles away, I did not know nor care. I will 

 call that long hive my "pallus." 



Ludlow, Vt. A. P. Fletcher. 



CHAMPION robbers; POLLEN- PICKING ; THE 

 WAY BEES USE UP MICE. 



I have some bees — black, hybrid, and Italian, 

 that are the champion robbers. Not only will 

 they rob a hive with " neatness and despatch," 

 if they get a chance, but will try to rob their 

 sisters of pollen, I fed them some meal a few 

 days ago, which they took eagerly. Noticing 

 some bees that seemed to be fighting, I looked 

 closely and saw that a good many bees were 

 alighting on the backs of those which had se- 

 cured loads of pollen, and were biting or trying 

 to bite off pieces of the load. 



Winter loss in this section of Connecticut is 

 light. I have lost but 6 per cent so far. 



While working with my bees last week I 

 saw a mouse run from a hive, covered with 



