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TALKS TO 



By the 



LJ 



October, 1918 



IT is to be hop- 

 ed that by 

 this time the 

 bees have all 

 been supplied 

 with their win- 

 t e r stores, f o r 

 feeding often 

 starts brood- 

 rearing; and 



breeding in OctobtM- may result in bees too 

 young to withstand the winter, such bees 

 being sometimes pulled out at the entrance 

 during chilly November weather. If Sep- 

 tember brood-rearing has been so excessive 

 that feeding has been delayed, the stores 

 should now be given as soon as possible. 

 Extreme care should be taken that no rob- 

 bing be started; for undue excitement at 

 this time may seriously affect good winter- 

 ing. As soon as the colonies are fed they 

 should be packed for winter. 



Wintering in Packing Cases. 



There are several good methods of winter- 

 ing (see pages 588-596); but we shall here 

 describe only two, both of which have prov- 

 ed easy, safe, and well suited to the begin- 

 ner. 



The hive which in our April Talk we rec- 

 ommended to the beginner may be used for 

 wintering, if it is placed inside of a winter 

 packing case, which may be easily construct- 

 ed of any cheap lumber available. The 

 packing case should be made of such a size 

 as to allow five or six inches of packing on 

 the sides and top; and a wooden tunnel 

 should connect the entrances of the inner 

 "liive and inner packing case. For packing 

 dry forest leaves tightly packed are to be 

 preferred, altho shavings or chaff or also 

 satisfactory. 



Wintering in Double-walled Hives. 

 Rather than go to the extra trouble of 

 making a packing case many will prefer to 

 purchase clouble-walled hives and save the 

 single-walled hives for the swarms that will 

 issue the following summer. It is quite 

 handy to have a few single-walled hives for 

 this purpose; and after the swarming season 

 such colonies may easily be changed to 

 double-walled hives. Those wintering in 

 double-walled hives usually keep their bees 

 in these hives the entire year, since they 

 are warmer in winter and cooler in summer. 



Contracted Brood-nests. 



If the directions of our last issue have 

 been followed, the brood-nest is already con- 

 tracted to seven or eight frames which are 

 crowded over to the warmer side of the hive. 

 At the side of these frames is placed a tight- 

 fitting division-board, and the space filled 

 in with tightly packed forest leaves or shav- 

 ings or chaff division-boards. 



Upward Ventilation. 



Over the top of the hive is spread a good 

 mat of carpet or cMtiv.is which is held uji 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



BEGINNERS 



Editor 



1 



^=^^^^^^^^ 



LJ 



G23 



from the frames 

 by four or five 

 small sticks, 

 four or five 

 inches in length, 

 placed crosswise 

 of the frames in 

 order to provide 

 the bees with 

 passageways 

 from one frame to another. The top of t^ie 

 hive is warmer than the low-er part, and 

 bees will, therefore, cross over just under 

 the mat when it would be too cold to do so 

 at the bottom of the hive. 



Tray of Leaves on Top. 



Above the mat should be a four- or five- 

 inch tray of leaves. This tray is made 

 slightly smaller than the telescope cover so 

 that the cover will slip over easily. The 

 ends of the tray are not quite level with the 

 sides, thus leaving a better chance for ven- 

 tilation and escape of moisture. On the 

 bottom of the tray is burlap secured to the 

 sides by wooden strips nailed on the lower 

 inside edges. Fastening the burlap in this 

 way allows the tray to fit tightly to the top 

 of the hive, and prevents the wind from 

 whistling in under the tray. 



Size of Entrance. 



The entrance should be contracted to two 

 or three inches by % inch, and should face 

 away from the prevailing winds, which are 

 usually from the north and west. 



Need of Windbreaks. 



On the windward sides of the colonies 

 there should be shrubbery, trees, buildings, 

 or even a high board fence with two-inch 

 spaces between the boards so that the winds 

 will be more or less broken up before reach- 

 ing the hives. 



A Tew Last Suggestions. 



Before leaving the colonies for winter all 

 leaky covers should be mended and all 

 hives given a good foundation up a few 

 inches from the ground. They should also 

 be left with a slightly forward tilt so that 

 no water may collect inside. 



From this time on thruout the winter, and 

 until May in the Northern States, the colo- 

 nies should not be disturbed in any manner, 

 but left entirely alone; and if our directions 

 have been carefully followed, the beginner 

 need waste no time in worrying, but may 

 rest assured that his colonies are in good 

 condition. 



The End of Beginners' Talks. 



With this issue we complete our series of 

 "Beginners' Talks." We shall, however, 

 continue to publish articles that we consider 

 especially helpful to those just beginning 

 the work of beekeeping; and if any such 

 have questions which our "Talks" have 

 not cleared up, we shall take pleasure in an- 

 swering these thru Gleanings or bv personal 

 letter. 



