1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



61 



specting the records on the hives, I could sit in 

 the shade and turn the leaves over; and when 

 the desired queen was found, or queen-cells of 

 the right age, we will say, I go direct to the 

 hive bt'aring the number designated. And 

 then, again, it is interesting to go over the 

 record book quietly in the house. Sonaetimes 

 we would tinii something seriously needing at- 

 tention: and, again, we run across some inter- 

 esting facts, as shown by the record routine 

 work. This was forcibly brought to my mind 

 when Dr. Miller read over to me page after 

 page of his record- book one evening at his 

 house. — Ed.] 



ABOUT CEE-CAVES. 



Question. — I wish to build a winter repository 

 for ray bees. There is a clay bank or hill near 

 my bee-yard. If I build a house, wailed with 

 stone, in that bank, 24 to 30 feet long, 10 feet 

 wide and 7 feet high, the front end of which 

 will be out of ground considerably, will it be 

 too damp for the bees? 



Ansiver.—i^o, not if well drained, and prob- 

 ably it would not be too damp if not drained at 

 all, only so that the water might not come up 

 about the hives, should a sudden freshet occur 

 during the winter. If I am right, none of the 

 bee fraternity have positively proven that 

 dampness is injurious to bees. Let me ask a 

 question. Is not a damp cellar the best to win- 

 ter bees in ? A moist air is promotive of health 

 in our houses — why not in bee-cellars? I be- 

 lieve dampness in winter respositories is one of 

 the agencies in causing bee-diarrhea, only 

 when the temperature is so low as to con- 

 dense the vapor on the inside of the hives and 

 combs. It would be well to consider the differ- 

 ence in effect on animal life, between a warm 

 damp atmosphere and a cool damp one, in all 

 our talk in the matter of cellar wintering. But, 

 unless that front end of the cellar is well cover- 

 ed with earth I should fear too low a tempera- 

 ture during cold spells in winter. I should be 

 much more concerned to have the temperature 

 entirely in my control, than about dampness. 

 Give me a cellar that will not vary from 45°, 

 and good stores, and I have little fear as to 

 how the bees will come out in the spring. This 

 I say after many years of successful cellar win- 

 tering, and after watching others who have in- 

 variably wintered their bees well also. After 

 you have your cellar built, cover the front end 

 over with from three to four feet of earth, and 

 over the whole put a roof so that the dirt may 

 be kept dry at all times of the year, and I think 

 you will find you have something that will be 

 a joy to you for years to come, no matter 

 whether you have two hundred colonies, or 

 twenty to winter therein. The deeper you go 

 into the ground, the more even will the temper- 



ature be likely to keep; and the more even the 

 temperature, if it is as high as 4.5° or above, the 

 more successfuly will the bees winter. I have 

 used successfully a cellar very similar to what 

 you speak of, for :iO years, with the exception of 

 one winter when I used an oil-stove in it, when 

 I lost heavily through the poisonous vapor given 

 off into the room by this stove. 



HOW MANY QUEENS FROM A NUCLEUS. 



Question. — I am thinking some of going into 

 the queen-rearing business next year, and 

 should like to have you tell us in Gleanings 

 how many queens can be sold from one nucleus 

 colony in one month. By doing so you will 

 help me to decide how many nucleus hives to 

 make this winier. 



Answer.— Yery much depends on the weather, 

 the loss of queens when going out to meet the 

 drones (more being lost some seasons than 

 others), and whether you hatch your queens 

 in a lamp-nursery, or insert nearly mature 

 queen cells in your nucleus. If you practice 

 the latter method, and are successful with it 

 you might succeed in sending off three queens a 

 month from each nucleus. But introducing 

 queens two or three days old from an incubator 

 has proven an unsafe method with me, and one 

 that causes more labor and worry than the 

 time gained would compensate for; although 

 some are still claiming that they have good 

 success with this plan. By using the cell-plan, 

 and having a system perfect enough so that the 

 queen may emerge from the cell within twelve 

 hours after being given to the nucleus, you will 

 usually have a laying queen in said nucleus in 

 ten days from time of giving the cell. Then in 

 order to have your nucleus hold its own as to 

 bees, this queen should be allowed to lay four 

 or live days before sending her off; for if the 

 queen is taken away when the combs contain 

 only her eggs, the bees will often devour the 

 most of them; when if a part have hatched in- 

 to larvne. all will be preserved; and in this case 

 our nucleus is strengthened in bees according as 

 the queen lays eggs. Again, as hinted at above, 

 some seasons many queens are lost ofi their 

 wedding-trip, and others balled after returning 

 therefrom, till they die, or are valueless, either 

 for sending off or for home use; any or all of 

 which makes the matter of any certain number 

 of queens, from any nucleus, in any certain 

 time, very uncertain. My average number 

 from a nucleus, during the past ten years, has 

 been about two a month. Some nuclei do bet- 

 ter, others not as well, so that it is always well 

 to calculate on having a few more nuclei than 

 you really expect you will need to fill all orders; 

 and even then, if your case proves any thing 

 like mine you will be obliged to return money 

 for some unfilled orders at the end of the season. 



BLACK AND ITALIAN BEES. 



QuestUjn. — Last summer I had a colony that 

 gave well-marked Italian bees in the same hive 



