1917 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



415 



boards or plain flat covers, and re- 

 versible bottom-boards. I use none 

 but wired Hoffman frames with full, 

 foundation. 



Each colony is permanently housed 

 in two full eight-frame hive-bodies; 

 the two-story, sixtcon-framc home 

 thus provides ample brood space for 

 the most ambitious queens under all 

 circumstances, with plenty of room 

 for stores. I regard this as a matter 

 of importance during the early 

 spring, when it is desirable to create 

 an abundance of young bees for the 

 approaching flow. I do not use 

 queen excluders, and I am never 

 troubled with brood in the supers. 



About this time of year -I look 

 through all my colonies to see that 

 each has abundant stores, and is 

 otherwise normal, and, at my earliest 

 convenience, prepare them for win- 

 ter. 



The packing for winter is for me a 

 simple operation, quickly done in any 

 kind of weather. The operation con- 

 sists first of placing an empty super 

 under each hive, between the bot- 

 tom-board and lower hive-body. I 

 leave all the section-holders and 

 fences in the super. This provides 

 ample circulation of air, space for 

 dead bees, cappings and so forth, and 

 may be used as a feeder. I leave a 

 full five-eighths inch opening to in- 

 sure an abundance of air and circula- 

 tion, as practically no dead bees or 

 cappings fall on the bottom-board, 

 but are caught between the fences, on 

 the section-holders of the super, 

 hence no obstructions can occur to 

 the free circulation of air under the 

 entire hive surface. 



The under super also serves as a 

 sort of windbreak and allows the bees 

 to cluster if they so wish ; the ver- 

 tical fences serve as ladders for the 

 bees to come and go when weather 

 conditions permit. 



Having placed my colonies on these 

 sectionless supers, I proceed to tie 

 on winter overcoats, consisting of 

 slabs made from five layers of cor- 

 rugated strawboard, pasted together 

 with silicate of soda and the edges 

 bound with paper tape. The slabs oi 

 strawboard are about an inch thick 

 and are accurately cut to fit the sides 

 and ends of the hive all around, and 



extending from the floor to three 

 inches above the top edge of the two- 

 story hive. Three strong cords, 

 center, top and bottom, hold these 

 slabs in place. I tie a loop in one end 

 of the cord, which makes it easy to 

 draw it taut and hold it in place, by 

 simply tucking the loose end under. 

 Tliere are then no knots to untie and 

 tic, and the packing can be taken ofl 

 and replaced in one minute. 



For top packing, I sometimes use a 

 honey-board next to the hive, and 

 above that a burlap chaff bag, wel) 

 stuffed and pressed down tight all 

 around between the upward-project- 

 ing sides of the corrugated slabs. 

 Last winter I used some corrugated 

 strawboard slabs on top in place of 

 the chaff bags. These slabs consist 

 of ten or twelve layers of strawboard 

 and are 2J4 inches thick The layers 

 are held together by silicate of soda 

 applied to the surface of each layer 

 for about three-fourths of an inch 

 all around the edges. I prefer not to 

 cover the entire surface of the layers 

 of these top slabs with silicate, be- 

 cause it is more or less impervious to 

 moisture and would reduce the ab- 

 sorbing qualities of the cover. 



With these top slabs I do not use 

 the honey-board under them. I cut 

 up some old carpet to fit the hives, 

 which I place next to the frames, and 

 then press the top slabs down on the 

 carpet. 



This done, I reduce the 3x14 inch 

 opening through the wall of the 

 house, over the alighting-board, to 

 l.x6 inches. This helps to keep out 

 the cold and wind. This opening is 

 about 8 inches away from and 1J4 

 inches below the ^xl2 inch opening 

 of the hive, permitting flight when- 

 ever the weather is suitable. When 

 all is snug for winter I close and 

 darken all doors and windows, of 

 course. This keeps the bees out of 

 the house. 



I am now through with my bees un- 

 til spring. I remove the under super 

 and clean the bottoms about time 

 pollen is coming in, and at this time 

 the outer openings througli the house 

 wall may be enlarged. 



About the time that the fruit bloom 

 comes I enlarge my hives by adding 

 a third full eight-frame super, and 



sometimes two of them. This seems 

 to inspire the colony with a spirit of 

 hustle — "a big task ahead, girls," 

 spirit, as it were. I never cut out 

 queen-cells. The bees do that when 

 they find so much room they cannot 

 spare a swarm, but this extra room 

 must be given early, the earlier the 

 better. Brood rearing now goes on 

 at a maximum rate, and in case of a 

 poor queen, she will generally be 

 promptly superseded. The colony 

 seems to realize the magnitude of the 

 task ahead with so much available 

 space. 



When I find that the bees have be- 

 gun to store honey in the third story 

 of the hive, I lift it off, and replace it 

 with another, in which the bees are 

 working, on top of the others. With 

 work in process in the topmost super, 

 no other coaxer is needed. 



As warm weather prevails and the 

 colony becomes more prolific in 

 young bees, I give them top and mid- 

 dle ventilation by using a honey- 

 board for cover with bee-escape hole 

 open. I also shift the third hive-body 

 or super above the second story, 1^ 

 inches forward, thus creating an 

 opening front and back, which the 

 bees will guard and regulate to suit. 

 This combination of ventilation and 

 big working space given early, I be- 

 lieve to be as near a swarm preven- 

 tive as it is possible to have. I have 

 had no swarming this season. 



Grand Rapids, Mich. 



(This management of bees is as 

 simple and as "snug" as the famous 

 "Wernicke book cases." If you 

 know of a better method for a small 

 apiary, reader, let us hear from you. — 

 Editor.) 



A HOLLOW LOG APIARY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Beekeeping as I Observe it in 

 West Virginia 



By Chas. A. Reese. 



THROUGH neglect and lack of 

 modern equipment beekeeping 

 in sections of West Virginia 

 has been on the decline during the 

 past decade, while in other localities 

 a great deal of interest has been 

 taken toward advancement of the in- 

 dustry. Without doubt the extremely 

 varied situation may be attributed 

 largely to topographical conditions, 

 which to a certain extent have affect- 

 ed the extension of railroads in some 

 counties. The existence of conditions 

 of like nature necessarily means long 

 overland hauls, from twenty to sixty 

 miles in some instances. Some roads 

 in the winter and spring seasons are 

 entirely impassable to wagon traffic. 

 It is during that season of the year 

 that all hives and supers should be 

 obtained and placed in readiness for 

 emergencies which are sure to occur 

 in beekeeping. 



In certain localities bees are kept, 

 not as a source of income, but as a 

 provision, for production of sweets 

 for home consumption. So little or 

 no capital has been invested in equip- 

 ment. Naturally being able to secure 

 equipment only under the existing 

 difficulties, the next best thing is 

 done, and that is to use the materials 

 at hand. The substitution for a hive 

 is generally a hollow log, barrel, keg, 



