448 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



WINTERING 8 COLONIES, IN A SHINGLE CHAFF TENE- 

 MENT HIVE. 



I was much interested in Mr. Hutchinson's de- 

 scription of a tenement hive in the last No. of 

 Gleanings. The idea has come into my head, of 

 placing - 4 Simplicity hives in the top story of a hive 

 like the one he describes, thus combining- the 

 warmth of 8 swarms, and saving 4 cushions. I 

 would place the Simplicities in their winter quarters, 

 over the bees in the tenement, in the fall, and leave 

 them there until quite warm weather in the spring, 

 when they should be taken out and gradually moved 

 to their summer stands. We would need a bottom 

 board a little different from that of the Simplicity, 

 and it should be fastened to the hive; yours, 1 think, 

 would raise the hive up too far from the swarm be- 

 low, and not leave room for much of a cushion be- 

 tween the top and the cover of the tenement. I 

 would have the Simplicity cover removed and a 

 cushion over the bees in its place. How do you 

 think the plan will work? Mr. Townley mentions 

 the plan of placing a colony in the top story of a 

 chaff hive to winter, in one of the back numbers of 

 Gleanings. I would like to know how he likes the 

 plan. I do not see why bees should mix or unite in 

 the tenement more than in the house apiary. Are 

 not the entrances to the latter as near together as 

 the entrances to the former? J. B. Colton. 



Waverly, Bremer Co., la., Aug. 11, 1879. 



I have no doubt that the plan would prove 

 a most economical one, so far as wintering 

 is concerned, but to be obliged to get a colo- 

 ny out of the upper story, wbenever you 

 wanted to get into the lower one, would be 

 a pretty big job. If the whole eight were in 

 good full combs, amply provisioned, and 

 full of bees, and both upper and lower stories 

 arranged so the bees could fly whenever a 

 warm day occurs, I cannot see but they 

 might do very well, and give little trouble. 

 Eight stocks thus coupled together, ought 

 to assist each other very materially, in pass- 

 ing through zero seiges. Who will try it ? 



THE CASE OF ONE TIER OF SECTIONS VERSUS THE 

 BROAD FRAMES. 



Tell us, in Gleanings, how you like the cases to 

 use on the hives, if you have tried them. I think 

 the separators are indispensable; otherwise I should 

 like two cases on a hive much better than a set of 

 broad frames. Our strongest colonies had the 

 frames, and weaker ones, cases; and I think every 

 one of the latter have done as well as the best of the 

 stronger ones. Mary Simons. 



Brocton, N. Y., Oct., 1879. 



To tell the truth, friend Mary, I have 

 never used the case of sections, though many 

 of our neighbors have. We have been oblig- 

 ed to turn our whole attention to queen 

 rearing, so that what little honey we have 

 secured was in brood frames in the lower 

 story. There is such a difference of opinion, 

 I am not now prepared to decide, but we 

 shall, for the present, continue to furnish 

 both kinds. On page 401, of our Oct. No., 

 we have a report that is directly the opposite 

 of yours, as you will see. Circumstances 

 and the season, as well as the disposition of 

 the bees, have much to do with it. 



H VBRIDS VERSUS FULL BLOODS FOR SWARMING, COLD 

 BLAST SMOKER, &C 



Please send me another )i doz. cold blast, Simplic- 

 ity smokers. I have sold out again, and still they 

 ask for more. We hardly get any honey here at all. 

 I extracted about 16 gallons from 4 stands which 

 had two stories of comb. The others I wanted to 

 run for comb honey and failed, except in one, strong, 

 box hive of pure Italians. I did not get a single 

 natural swarm from 14 pure Italian stands, but the 

 15th, a good hybrid cast two swarms ; they had, how- 

 ever, in the spring, a box of 7 small frames of honey 

 left; now they have none. All bee-keepers who 

 don't watch their bees closely this fall and prevent 

 robbing will lose, probably, more colonies this winter 



than last. My bees don't seem to breed up as strong 

 this summer as they did last either. Our grocers 

 sell all the honev they get, as fast as it comes in, 

 and cannot supply the demand. 



Please send me the smokers a^ early as possible. 

 I have been out over a week, and promised one man 

 to send right off one week ago yesterday, but could 

 not well get the time, and neglected to send; to-day 

 another bee-keeper wants one, and I will have to 

 send for more. 1 think half a dozen will be all I can 

 sell this season. That will make two dozen I have 

 sold here this season, besides several single ones I 

 have sent for; also a small number of my bee friends 

 sent for one themselves, because I never thought I 

 could sell many and did not want to trouble myself 

 with them, bi'lt somehow I got myself into the 

 business. I have never heard a single complaint 

 from any one about here that uses your hot blast, 

 or the new cold blast; but, since the introduction of 

 your Simplicity cold blast, none would have a hot 

 blast for half price. Geo. L. Hollenbach. 



Noblesville, Ind., Aug. 14, 1879. 



IMPROVEMENT IN SMOKERS SUGGESTED, TWO QUEENS 

 IN A HIVE, ETC. 



I would like to suggest that, in making your smok- 

 ers, you place the door M farther around from its 

 present position. Now, the heat from the draft hole 

 burns my fingers, and the smoke stains them a nice 

 brown that lasts over Sunday. The finding of more 

 than one queen in a hive is such a common occur- 

 rence, that perhaps you will feel no interest in this 

 case, but, it being our first experience with "dual 

 royalty," we were much interested. The history is 

 as follows. A hive of Italians with a queen 2 years 

 old, the property of Mr. H. L. Lankton, of Wethers- 

 field, sent out a swarm June 30th. The queen being 

 clipped and confined in a queen-yard, the swarm 

 returned, and were divided at once. On July 9th, 

 they sent out a swarm which clustered. They were 

 driven back by reflecting the rays of the sun upon 

 them from a mirror. At this time, the queen, look- 

 ing large and vigorous, was seen in the queen-yard. 

 They were divided again. On July 13th, a new queen 

 was discovered. On July 22d, having shaken the 

 bees upon a sheet we found both the old and the 

 new queen. The old queen was not looking as large 

 as when seen in the queen-vard. 



Hartford, Ct., Aug. 5, 1879. C. A. Lovell. 



Thanks for the suggestion in regard to 

 smokers; the change shall be made. The 2 

 queens in a hive strengthen my opinion of 

 the great probability that we soon shall be 

 able to accomplish what I have suggested on 

 page 441. 



BUCKWHEAT, ETC. 



At first the bees would not touch the buckwheat, 

 but now they are just "going for it; especially the 

 blacks. 



CHAFF HIVES; DO THEY NEED DIVISION BOARDS? 



I wish I were able just now to send for enough 

 chaff hives in the flat to winter all my bees, as I feel 

 confident they are the best thing for wintering, for 

 this latitude, of anything yet discovered, judging- 

 from the one I have, that I got of you last spring. 



Is it necessasy to put division boards in chaff 

 hives for wintering? E. T. Flanigan. 



Belleville, Ills., Sept. 10, 1879. 



I would not use division boards in chaff 

 hives, if they contain full strong colonies ; 

 but, if such is not the case, better use them 

 to contract the space, and have the brood 

 nest full of bees. If there is a space left 

 back of the division board, fill it with a 

 cushion or loose chaff. 



ONE FAVORABLE MENTION OF THE SWEET PEPPER. 



I see you speak of the sweet pepper or Clcthra al- 

 ni folia, in Gleanings. It is quite plentiful here, 

 and, being now in full bloom, the bees are doing- 

 well on it. It comes at a time when there is a scar- 

 city of honey plants, and yields honey as white as 

 white clover, and nearly as nice. 



W O Sweet 



West Mansfield, Mass., Aug. 15, 1879. 



