384 



November, 1916. 



American Hee JoutuslJ) 



large numbers of beekeepers. By ad- 

 vertising such a demonstration in ad- 

 vance, it is possible to instruct a num- 

 ber of people in the detection of dis- 

 ease and its treatment by going through 

 the apiary and giving each colony the 

 exact attention that its condition de- 

 mands. Last year the average attend- 

 ance at these demonstrations was 32 

 persons, a total of 1800 attending the 

 demonstrations during the season. In 



no other way could such a large num- 

 ber of persons be given proper instruc- 

 tion in the care of diseased apiaries. 



The provincial apiarist is also secre- 

 tary of the beekeepers' association. 

 While the association elects its own 

 officers they have the advantage of the 

 college organization wiiich can do 

 many things not otherwise possible, 



°3SU3dX3 UI SUIAES }E9j3 E )E pUB 



Bee-I&eping ^ FbR Women 



Conducted b; Miss Emma M. Wilson, MareoEo, 111. 



building was erected in the excavation' 

 the sand was filled in to the level of the 

 eaves all around. 



About 100 colonies were stacked in 

 the cellar and wintered fairly well ; but 

 the black roof absorbed too much heat 

 from the sun during the latter part of 

 winter, and it was difficult to regulate 

 the cellar temperature. 



My part of the experience consisted 

 in making regular visits to the cellar 

 during the winter, regulating tempera- 

 ture and reporting on general condi- 

 tions to the beekeeper who was away 

 for the winter. The first few trips are 

 a well remembered experience. To 

 descend into the black depths of the 

 cellar by the dim light of a candle, to 

 move cautiously up and down the nar- 

 row aisles, observe the condition of 

 the clusters, the number of bees on 



Wintering in Ontario 



BY MISS R. B. PETTIT. 



MY first experience in wintering 

 bees took place several years be- 

 fore I was a practical beekeeper. 

 It was with a cellar constructed in a 

 sand-hill. The owner of the bees had 

 secured a number of discarded freight 

 car doors, and after an excavation was 

 made in the sand-hill with team and 

 scraper the doors were set up to form 

 the walls of the cellar. Over this 2 by 11 

 inch hemlock planks set on edge 

 formed joists for the ceiling. This was 

 boarded on the underside and the 11- 

 inch space filled with dry sawdust. A 

 roof was placed immediately over that, 

 covered with sheeiing and felt roofing. 

 An opening in the center of the ceiling 

 provided for ventilation and for a ver- 

 tical ladder for gitting Jown into the 

 cellar when the outside door was closed 

 in winter. The west end of the gable 

 roof opened out on the upper side of 

 the hill, and the door tu the cellar 

 opened at the east end on a level with 

 the ground below the hill. After the 



FOUR HIVES ARE LIFTED FROM THEIR SUMMER PLACES ONTO THE STAND 



THE QUADRUPLE CASES ARE MADE COLLAPSIBLE 

 In summer the hives are placed in double rows with just room for the winter cases 



between the rows 



floor, and to listen carefully to the 

 language of the bees, who were telling 

 me as best they could that they were 

 either too warm or too cold ; to dodge 

 an occasional bee that shot out at the 

 too close approach of the candle and 

 the curious interloper prying into the 

 privacy of their little bee world, was an 

 experience to be remembered. 



When taken out in the spring the 

 bees were placed on the low ground to 

 the east and south of the hill, that they 

 might be protected from cold north and 

 west winds. This hill, though it was at 

 the time sodded over, with a young or- 

 chard on it, had been formed by drift- 

 ing sand and proved to be just the right 

 shape for the wind to come sailing 

 over the top and scoop in on the lower 

 side. Consequently, it did not form a 

 satisfactory wind-break. On the whole, 

 then, the results of wintering in a cellar 

 of this kind were not as good as one 

 could wish. 



My next experience was at the close 

 of my first summer in a bee-yard. It 

 consisted in packing about 110 colo- 

 nies in quadruple cases with hives 

 packed in planer shavings. These quad- 

 ruple cases are made collapsible. In 

 summer the hives are placed in double 



