1879 



GLEANIKGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



253 



In the past 20 years, we have sometimes lost a few 

 swarms, but never lost a swarm except where the 

 top was entirely closed, and never lost one that had 

 ventilation at the top in some shape. 



A. C. Kendel. 



Cleveland, O., June 2, 1879. 



After receiving the above, we wrote for 

 further particulars in regard to time of feed- 

 ing, etc., and received the following: 



As nearly as I can remember, 1 commenced feed 

 ing about the middle of Sept., and kept it up until 

 too cold to feed outside. Brood rearing- went on un- 

 interruptedly until the cold weather stopped it. 



This spring, there were some cells with hardened 

 grape sugar in them, but all disappeared in due 

 course. We had chaff division boards made for all, 

 but had no time to put them in last autumn, except 

 in two chaff hives, neither of which are quite as 

 strong- now as the others, which probably is rather 

 owing- to the fact that these particular colonies 

 were the weakest last fall, being- third swarms. 



It is our opinion, that what is called the bee dis- 

 ease, spring dwindling, etc., is nothing- more than 

 dying- of old ag-e. When a few run out, void their 

 excrement, and then fall helpless into the snow or 

 in front of the hive, it is called dysentery; but 

 would not the same bees die in the hive, and be car- 

 ried out by one of the living-? 



About upper ventilation, it seems to us positively 

 necessary; not, indeed, a draft through the hive or 

 a hole just over the cluster; but openings at the 

 ends of the bars, or, as in the chaff hives, four small 

 openings of % of an inch square, at the corners, will 

 be quite sufficient to permit a change or circulation 

 of air. In warm weather, bees will furnish their own 

 ventilation. When they lie perfectly still, however, 

 with no fans at work, their own warmer atmos- 

 phere being- unable to descend to the entrance be- 

 low on account of its being- lighter, and they still 

 needing- pure air to breathe, does it not seem rea- 

 sonable that they require assistance in this direc- 

 tion? 



You will say, it is their instinct to close up every 

 crevice, consequently we must aid them to follow 

 their instinct. But you do not always follow their 

 natural instinct in other matters; for instance, 

 their instinct prompts them to build abund- 

 ance of drone comb, but you rudely and persistently 

 cut it out, and, by fdn., compel them either to raise 

 drones in worker cells or go entirely without. It is 

 their instinct to go into the woods, but you advise 

 all kinds of devices to keep them at home in your 

 own hives. Of course, our theory of the necessity 

 of pure, unbreathed air needs no argument, when 

 every bee-keeper has had more or less experience j 

 in smothering-. If they, then, need so great a sup- 

 ply of pure air in warm weather, why should they | 

 not need some in a cold temperature? 



As we wrote you in a former letter, great care 

 was taken that all our bees should have some ven- I 

 tilation at the top; all were covered with enameled 

 cloth and chaff cushions on top. During the win- 

 ter, we found all tin- cushions wet, at the outer edges, 

 with moisture from these air escapes, but the cen- 

 tre was invariably dry and warm. Having- only one 

 extra cushion, we exchanged one after another, 

 drying them by the stove. 



We notice in Gleanings that many bees were 

 wintered successfully in cellars but were lost by 

 "spring dwindling-." Was this anything but the old 



bees dying, and the cold spring effectually stopping- 

 brood rearing? A. C. Kendel. 

 Cleveland, O., June 13, 1879. 



kdi(& §^)avhiimi. 



SO* T is about 3 years since I determined to study 

 the bee, and 1 have learned considerable. My 

 i time is very much occupied, as I have 5 children, 

 but still I am going- to devote some time to bee-cul- 

 ture. My bees are in good order; I did not lose any 

 this winter, which is not the casein our neighbor- 

 hood generally. Last winter was hard on them. 

 Indiana, Pa., May 9, '79. Mrs. J. B. Adair. 



Oh, dear ! Oh, dear ! and after I've been bragging 

 too! It is really too humiliating to admit that I 

 know anything- about spring dwindling; but truth 

 compels me to acknowledge that I know all about it. 

 If I was the only, or almost the only, one who knew 

 about it this spring, I should truly feel chagrined. 

 ' But, as it is, there is a feeling almost of kinship for 

 I the whole bee-keeping fraternity, and a sympathy 

 for their losses nearly as great as' though they were 

 in my own apiary. From the 20th until the'27th or 

 28th of March the bees seemed all right. Then there 

 came a second edition of winter, and this really 

 proved too much for their endurance, for they began 

 to drop off, one after another, until, on May 1st, 

 i only 26 out of the 36 before reported were left, and 

 two of those were queenless; 12 or 14 rousing- 

 swarms, however, were not so docile but that the 

 smoker was needed every time the cover was raised. 

 Now, I think there are good lessons to be learned 

 from such looses, by the thoughtful student of api- 

 culture, and 1 don't think I am so dull as not to have 

 learned something- protitable from it all, though but 

 an A B C scholar. 



Mrs. Axtel's bee-dress I find just the thing, with 

 the addition of a bloomer costume. One cau get 

 about so handily with no long skirts dragging around 

 after them. Try it, ladies. Iain handling- my lues 

 this summer without a bee veil, and it is just fun to 

 stand quietly, smoker in hand, till those vicious hy- 

 brids have got their eyes so full of smoke that they 

 are ready to cry, "Enough, enough," and then gb 

 inside and attend to business. 



June 12.— It is just one month since the above was 

 written; I could hardly believe it true, when I read 

 the date, but think I can report fair progress since 

 that time. I lost 3 more queens after writing- up 

 my losses, but have them all replaced again but one. 

 I am saving one queenless stock for a queen from 

 E. W. Hale. It was ordered some time ago, but 

 guess I wont "growl" yet, for there may be a rush 

 just now, at Wirt C. H. 



That stairway of yours must be immense, and you 

 must do a good deal of walking; for you seem to 

 get at almost every thing in those walks. The to- 

 mato question had been revolving- in my mind for 

 some time; 1 have seen them trained on frames, on 

 a terraced hill, from one terrace to another, and I 

 never saw a more beautiful sight than they were 

 when ripening. I think I shall try some around the 

 hives in my own apiary. 



Mrs. Rose Thomson. 

 Cowlesville, N. v., May 12, 1879. 



Bloomers may he convenient, hut . 



Mrs. T., can you not devise a comfortable 

 ilrcss that will not make you conspicuous? 



KA<;<»IN<i OF THE TOP BARS TO 



FK.VMES. 



A COMPLETE REMEDY, EVEN WITH VERY 

 LIGHT TOP BARS. 



OlOMK of you may remember that our 

 jjQ/ lirst metal cornered frames were made 

 "^ of stuff only I of an inch in thickness, 

 t<>]) bars and all, depending on the comb 

 guide to prevent the cop bar from sagging. 

 These combs were beautifully light and nice 

 to handle, and did very well until they lie- 

 came heavy with honey. If we were sure to 



