82 



NOVICE'S " GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



hivee, etc., and one colony persists not 

 enly in cleaning away all loose sticks, 

 gravel, etc, but actually tries to pull up 

 the weeds and grass when we arc so care- 

 less as to permit any to start. 



Well, our cover inverted under the bot- 

 tom board of course closes the entrance. 

 and we hope we are infringing on no one 

 ip considcringlowerventilation unnecessa- 

 ry. Now, so far as this we have had ex- 

 perience, but in confining the bees to 

 '•heir hives entirely by putting a sheet of 

 wire cloth over the frames (under the 

 fjuilt ) we have not ; but still, as we have 

 decided to try our own in that way, we 

 phail describe our method; it we dislike 

 the arrangement we can at any time re- 

 move the wire cloth. In order to have 

 tnese sheets of wire cloth fit nicely and 

 not have their edges rough and incon- 

 venient, we shall have them lined with 

 ^trpfi of folded tin. These will be put 

 close down on the frames and the quilt 

 oyer them about the Inst day the bees can 

 fly before going into winter quarters, thus 

 giving them time to get perfectly quiet 

 hefore their removal. 



, Stocks thai persist in keeping up an 

 excitement can have the quilt turned 

 hack or even removed entirely; but with 

 stores of pure, wholesome food we. have 

 brtle fear but that they will be quiet with 

 the quilt tucked snugly over them, the 

 wire cloth only being required when we 

 are carrying them in or out. when we 

 w>sh to make examinations or when they 

 get restless toward spring and need addi- 

 tional ventilation. 



, Our readers will perceive that we again 

 Yz\e occasion to remove the cover of the 

 hrve -when wintering: in fact, we don't 

 *rani covers on when they are in doors at 

 all; and that reminds us that we have had 

 a% yet no satisfactory solution of Problem 

 10. The combs in the upper story we 

 usually remove just before feeding, at the 

 trme when we. look the colonies all over 

 and select the bast worker combs for the 

 wintering combs, so that when brood- 

 rearing commences in spring we are "all 

 right to go ahead." After feeding, about 

 fFie most convenient place for those sur- 

 plus eombs if in these same upper stories, 

 and when carried away for that purpose 

 the Covert are needed over the lower one; 

 when put out in the spring they are need- 

 ed again until .lune, when we bring out 

 ouj surplus combs once more, lis true 

 thai by having the cover hinged permau- 

 ervtly on the upper story, we may get 

 along very well by shifting the combs in- 

 to that, or the reverse, especially if metal 

 riorneml frames are used; and that is the 

 way we have done, bnt this plan ot using 

 the covers under the hive almost necessi- 

 tates loose covers. It is true "Scientific' 

 givt's us a plan on page 48, .lune No., but 

 nf never quite liked the way it worked, 

 /'. e.; it don't hold the. covers linn, and is 

 fcomewhat in the way. 



We think Novice's solution under the 

 bead of Problems will be found to meet 



every requirement. We have just com- 

 menced using them on the hives now be- 

 ing made. 



If our Langstroth hives are not all sold 

 before going into winter quarters, wk 

 shall prepare them by tacking wire cloth 

 over the portico, leaving the entrance 

 blocks as usual, and covering the frames 

 with the wire cloth and quilt, as above. 



RKFORT FROM ADAM GRIM. 



KJffljHE hard winter, fearful spring and 



K-kj poor summer had almost ruined my 

 stock of bees. By incessant feeding and 

 doctoring, J have with the aid of the 

 splendid fall weather, succeeded, not on- 

 ly in restoring my colonies to good con- 

 dition, but increased them from 485 (I 

 sold 30, and lost 105) to 850, which I will 

 winter. I extracted no honey but secur- 

 ed 3,500 lbs of box honey for which I am 

 offered 28c a pound. A. Fuerbingcr, who 

 lost only :» colonies during winter and 

 spring, out of 98, got from the remaining 

 95, 2:1 young, natural swarms, and 270(1 

 lbs. of box honey which he sold at home 

 at 21 cts a pound and 1400 lbs. of extract- 

 ed, and his bees are in splendid condition. 

 They are mostly good hybrids. This man 

 makes, estimating his young colonies $8 

 per hive, elear $1000 from 95 colonics in 

 this moderate good season. He is a coop- 

 er by trade, but says he will hereafter on- 

 ly make his own barrels, and put all his 

 time into beekeeping. This is very en- 

 couraging, but I will give you another pic- 

 ture. W. Wolf here had, two years ago this 

 autumn, 181 extra good and heavy stocks. 

 He sold in all 17 colonies and had only 

 $50 worth surplus honey last year and on- 

 ly $5.00 worth this year. He now has 39 

 colonies. Of course he laments over the 

 poor season, claims that he has no luck, 

 when in fact it is nearly all due to his care- 

 lessness. If he did not know what to do, 

 I could excuse him for his failure. We 

 460, 233, 850, 

 have in this neighborhood, 45, 35, 134, 



2661. 

 118, 



L',1, 



5!), 



125, 



17, 



tin, 



120. 

 12, 



3500, 



850 



2(10, 

 30, 



224, 

 24, 



500, 



100, lii. 60, 



15, 17, it, colonies of bees, or in all 



1 (2:!, that produced 9078 lbs. of surplus 

 box honey, and 2740 lbs of extracted hon- 

 ey. The above numbers of stocks Include 

 the young colonics, which numbered 550 

 colonies, leaving 873 old colonies which 

 yielded on an average a little over 10 lbs. 

 of box honey, and about 3 lbs extracted. 

 But only three beekeepers extracted honey 

 and a very little at that. This is a very 

 poor show when compared with the sea- 

 son of two years ago, when my average 

 yield was to my recollection, 73 lbs to ev- 

 ery hive I started with in the spring, 



Yours Respectfully, 



Adam Grim, Jefferson, Wis. 



P. S. I forgot to state that 1 took 

 home last Saturday evening, 9 colonies of 

 bee?, in whose neighborhood -a cidermill 



