GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



OCTOliKR, 1918 



HEADS OF GRAINl I?|™l^fl J DIFFERENT FIELDS" 



on an average to winter these bees. Twen- 

 ty of these colonies were from two-pound 

 packages bought from M. C. Berry, Hains- 

 ville, Ala., May 27, 1917. So no one need 

 be afraid to buy bees from the South — if 

 they can get them. They are all Italians in 

 10-frame Langstroth hives. Bees did not 

 winter very well in cellars in this part of 

 the country. N. Summers. 



Winchester, Ont., Can. 



Which Direction Last spring I purchas- 



to Face the Hives. ed an apiary that had 

 not wintered well. 

 About 55 per cent of the colonies had died, 

 tho there were plenty of stores left in the 

 hives. The apiary was on a southeast slope, 

 which gave the hives some protection, but 

 one-half of the hives faced northeast and 

 one-half southwest, both directions being 

 bad in this section of the country. All hives 

 here should face south and be on a southern 

 slope with a windbreak of some kind west 

 or northwest. Four miles from this apiary, 

 I had 35 colonies all on a southern slope, 

 all hives facing due south and well protected 

 on the north and west by woods, while the 



south is wide open. Of these colonies 32 

 came out all right. 



In my locality I would not be bothered 

 with cases of any kind, if they were put on 

 free of cost. Now, don 't understand 

 that I am applying this to the whole of Vir- 

 ginia, for I refer only to Henry County. . 

 In the State of Virginia, we have all kinds 

 of climate, but here we seldom see 10 de- 

 grees above zero, and not more than once 

 in 15 years does it go as low as zero. 



In the apiary that I purchased the hives 

 were not in winter cases, but were placed 

 in groups of four. Not a single colony lived 

 that stood in a northeast corner of a group. 

 Fourteen of the nineteen that withstood the 

 winter faced the southwest (not the proper 

 direction, but the best in this yard). 



Besides suitable windbreaks and proper 

 facing, I believe it is important that plenty 

 of honey be left in the hives. If 10 pounds 

 more honey is left than is needed, it will 

 be there for the following winter. Ten 

 pounds extra at 20 cents would be worth 

 two dollars, which at six per cent would 

 amount to 12 cents per colony, and this 

 seems to me a cheap enough insurance. 



Axton, Va. D. F. Dunlop. 



THE BACKLOT BUZZER. 

 That hacillvs of European foul brood has a yelloiv streak and a progeny that don't fight faii 

 " Better change it from bacillu.'i pluton to Bccillvs Teuton." 



Rni' sags. 



