42'2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



FROM THE A B C CHILD THAT <iRFW 

 SO FAST. 



HOW HE WINTERED HIS BEES, AND HOW HE IS GROW- 

 ING NOW. 



M S nearly one year has elapsed since I wrote 

 jgj^_ you, I thought I would drop you a line to let 



— ' you know how I get along. I went into win- 

 ter quarters with 27 swarms of bees. I weighed 

 every hive, and no one had less than 45 lbs. by 

 weight of honey. Some had 75 lbs. I put them in a 

 a dry, dark cellar, after placing over each a chafE 

 cushion, 4 in. thick, pressed down on the frames in 

 the upper story. I put sticks across the frames for 

 the bees to cross over. The temperature was about 

 45° all the time. I set them in, very quietly, at 

 night, Oct. 31st, 1879. All was well until Feb. 15th. 

 First I would say that there was not one day all win- 

 ter when I could set them out. Feb. 15th, 5 had dys- 

 entery badly, and soon died. Later (in March) all, 

 except 2, took the dysentery, and, Apr. 1st, 13 had 

 died. I set out 14 good swarms, but they were badly 

 bloated, and could not fly. These dwindled down to 

 2 frames, and every queen died but 3. The 2 swarms 

 which did not have dysentery built up rapidly. New 

 queens were reared for the others, and new hives 

 furnished them, with cards of June honey which I 

 had saved. Division boards and mats were used un- 

 til May 15th, when all filled their hives. I had not 

 one colony that consumed less than 42 lbs. of honey, 

 and several consumed 75 lbs., while in the cellar. 

 The weather during Nov., Dec, Jan., and Feb. 

 ranged from zero down to 40° below; but I shall 

 never put a bee in a cellar again. It was not damp, 

 as I placed gun powder on chips lying on the bottom 

 of the cellar, in the 4 corners, and, on Apr. 1st, 

 touched it off, and it burnt as well as ever. The in- 

 sides of hives were daubed and black, and emitted a 

 foul odor which killed the bees, I think. One of my 

 neighbors lost 85 and another 65 in the same way. 

 We will hereafter risk them outdoors. All bees win- 

 tered in box hives outdoors did well. 



I now have 26 swarms, every one with a young 

 queen, bred in June, from the imported queen I got 

 of you, which I saved. The season has been one 

 continual flow of honey since May 1st. I keep all 

 stocks strong by dropping a laying queen into each 

 old stock, as soon as the swarm is out, first cutting 

 out all queen cells, with which 1 restock the nuclei. 

 Thus I have no second swarms, and no hive is with- 

 out a laying queen over night. I have done this 

 with 23 stocks, and it has been a success in every 

 case. I never had a swarm come out of a hive after 

 being hived. Mine are under apple trees, and cov- 

 ered with green shade. I think the hive needs to be 

 shaded before swarming, the bees disliking the 

 stand in the sun. Being contented before swarming, 

 they cluster near, and stay in any hive. Clipping 

 queens' wings insures their being superseded at 

 once with me. 



I cannot use the Langstroth hive here. It may do 

 down in Ohio, but here we have 6 months winter 

 and 3 of them average 20° below zero throughout. I 

 use the Modest hive. In the Quinby, combs break 

 down during every heavy yield. My stocks are all 

 immensely strong, and storing about 12 lbs. per 

 stock each day, and from red clover too, and the 

 Mammoth at that. Let those who never saw bees 

 work on red clover come here, and I will show them 

 50 acres with the whole working force of 26 strong 

 swarms of bees spread out upon it, nearly one to 



each blossom; and I have this day seen bees sip 

 their fill from one tube, and leave for home. I ex- 

 amined some and found them full, and over a drop 

 can be pushed out on the hand. 



I use Dunham fdn., full sheets, made one year ago, 

 about 5 feet to the lb. I have had strong stocks 

 draw out a full sheet into comb one inch thick, and 

 store 2 lbs. of honey in it in just 8 hours from the 

 minute of insertion. This I discovered by going to 

 an upper story to get a frame for a new swarm, and 

 was so surprised that I weighed them. New swarms 

 drew out combs and filled them, so quick that eggs 

 were found in only one comb in the hive at the end 

 of a week. I have been obliged to extract from the 

 brood chamber each night, at sundown, to give the 

 queen the start of the bees, and then they would dip 

 up so much that by morning some were blocked up 

 again. I have raised a good number of queens and 

 shipped away, besides many sold here. Every one 

 has proved to be extra proline, and worth $5.00 for 

 business. I think this is due in part to the cells be- 

 ing made under the natural swarming impulse, and 

 only the slim long ones saved, and in part to the 

 great honey yield, making the workers and drones 

 fly with such great vigor and hurry. I have several 

 queens which have just commenced laying, which I 

 will sell at $1.00 each. If I had bees enough, I 

 should employ my whole time with them, as they 

 have paid me $26.00 per colony so far. 



Arcadia, Wis., Aug. 5. 1880. E. A. Morgan. 



I fear, friend M., that your bees were so 

 strong they were too warm. Had they been 

 out of doors, they probably would have been 

 about right. I have come pretty much to 

 the same conclusion with yourself, in regard 

 to putting bees in cellars. I am very glad 

 indeed to hear you have such an excellent 

 flow of honey; with the flood of Blasted 

 Hopes, because the season has been so poor, 

 your letter — the latter part of it— seems re- 

 freshing. I think you are a little mistaken 

 about the L. frame. You know one of your 

 besetting sins, friend M., is jumping hastily 

 at conclusions. Two lbs. of honey in a 

 sheet of fdn., in only 8 hours, is the "tallest" 

 report for fdn. on record, friend M. Cali- 

 fornia will have to "take a back seat," if all 

 your neighbors are having the luck you do. 

 At least a few of us remember your reports 

 of a year or two ago, and I assure you we 

 have felt interested to know how you were 

 prospering by this time. 



CALIFORNIA. 



Our season is about closed. Wo only have y 2 a 

 crop,— 12,060 lbs. of extracted honey from 100 weak 

 hives to start with. M. C. Woodson. 



Atkinson, San Diego Co., Cal., Aug. 12, 1880. 



Father and myself are located one half mile apart. 

 We have about 270 swarms between us. I have not 

 as yet put on a box for surplus. I have kept bees 

 about 20 years, and this is the poorest season I have 

 had. My bees have not, on an average, 8 lbs. to the 

 hive. We have been sowing buckwheat. My enjoy- 

 ment is not confined to the amount of honey or gold 

 that I may posess. I expect to greet you some day 

 with a happy greeting. William Troyek. 



Annawan, Henry Co., 111., Aug. 3, 1880. 



[Thanks, friend F., for concluding words.] 



