H10 



GLEANINGS IN BEE Cl T LTl T KE. 



A rn 



In all strong- colonies, the full size of the entrance. 

 Contract the entrance to weak colonies only, and in 

 proportion to their strength at all times. 



H. R. Boardman. 



1 use the same entrance all the year round — %x32, 

 and in summer I have to raise the cap, for top ven- 

 tilation, otherwise bees cluster too much outside. 



P. L. VlALLON. 



I vary it according to the strength of the colony, 

 and enlarge it as the season advances. During the 

 best of the season I prefer them to have abundant 

 entrance. The whole width of the front of the 

 hive is desirable for the best stocks. L. C. Root. 



a If the colony is weak, I put up both triangular 

 blocks, leaving about two inches of space, and if 

 the weather is cold and windy I do the same by the 

 strong ones, to prevent the wind from chilling the 

 young brood, b. As the season advances and the 

 weather gets warm. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



a. Theoretically, just as small as they can use 

 without being crowded, but frequently )t happens 

 to be much larger. An opening two inches by one- 

 half is likely to be large enough for a strong colo- 

 ny, b. When the entrance appears crowded it is 

 enlarged perhaps once to double size, and when this 

 becomes crowded they are allowed full width. 



C. C. Miller. 



I use an entrance from % to l A inch high, and 

 clear across one' end of the brood-chamber. Icon- 

 tract with L. blocks, according to strength of colo- 

 nies; strength, not in relation to heat, however, 

 but to defense against robbers. As the tendency 

 toward robbing decreases and the colony becomes 

 strong, I give them the whole entrance. 



James Heddon. 



My hives have six J 8 holes at the bottom of hive, 

 and a hole one and one-half inches half way up, 

 with a |-inch hole cut into the side of the large hole. 

 In the winter we leave all six of the lower holes 

 open and the small '^-inch hole up the side open. 

 When the weather gets warm, and the bees strong, 

 then we open the l'/Hnch hole, which is covered 

 with a button during the winter. E. France. 



a. %x-'e for the very weakest, and from there up 

 to 3 inches by J i for the strongest, b. Along as 

 they need it, which is told by their being crowded 

 for room to go in and out at the entrance, or when 

 they are crowded out in hot weather. In summer I 

 give the whole length of entrance, which is 13 inch- 

 es long by f high. With very large colonies, and at 

 times of extreme heat, I sometimes raise the front 

 of the hive an inch or more from the bottom-board. 



G. M. DOOLLTTLE. 



Sometimes I let a strong colony have the whole 

 doorway of %xW inches. Others are all the way 

 down from this to a little hole scarcely large enough 

 for two bees to pass each other. It is not absolute 

 time, but the weather, and the growth of the colo- 

 ny, that determine when to give more entrance. A 

 safe rule is to give the working bees room to pass 

 without delaying, and beyond that widen the door 

 only when you see some inclination on the part of 

 the indoor bees to remain outside. Sometimes a 

 colony gets weak in old bees just before a big batch 

 of brood comes out, and needs a decided closing-up 

 for a few days, if a cold spell comes. E. E. Hasty. 



I watched the answers to the above, to 

 see if there were not somebody who had 

 come to the same conclusion we have, that, 



unless the colony becomes weakened, the 

 entrance should be full size the year round, 

 especially for a protected hive like the chaff 

 hive. We once practiced contracting en- 

 trances in winter ; but by keeping a careful 

 record we proved unmistakably that colo- 

 nies with the entrance wide open fx8 win- 

 tered better than where we fussed to con- 

 tract them when the weather was severe. 

 Of late years we have not tried to winter a 

 colony so weak that it could not have full 

 entrance the year round, and I think losses 

 from wintering, and robbing too, would be 

 greatly lessened if something of the kind 

 were adopted ; namely, wintering none but 

 strong colonies, and these with entrances 

 full width the year round. 



Question 119.— a. When bees ar< storing surplus, 

 do you give any ventilation besides at the entrance? l>. 

 If so, where ami how much? 



No. 

 No. 

 a. Yes; raise the covers. 



P. H. Elwood. 



O. O. Poppleton. 



Mrs. L. Harrison. 



No. I do not wish any other. I believe it is a 

 damage. A. J. Cook. 



No. A good shade-board besides the entrance is 

 ventilation enough. A. B. Mason. 



No, unless I raise the hive in front, as spoken of 

 in No. 118. G. M. Doolittle. 



I do not. I have tried it, and found more disad- 

 vantages than advantages by so doing. 



James Heddon. 



As stated in question 118, 1 use the same entrance, 

 but raise the cap about Y 2 inch for top ventilation. 



P. L. VlALLON. 



In very hot weather 1 give ventilation around the 

 surplus arrangement, but the bees can get out only 

 at the entrance of the hive. Geo. Grimm. 



In tiering up my hives I ventilate at the upper 

 entrance, as well as the lower. I secure comb hon- 

 ey in wide frames, in full hives, mostly. 



H. R. Boardman. 



a. Usually, b. At the top of the hive, back end- 

 about J4 inch the width of the hive. I think it helps 

 to keep down swarming, but it hinders work in the 

 back end of super. C. C. Miller. 



We give no ventilation except our regular en- 

 trance. We have a H-inch hole half way up the side, 

 open in the summer, and the bees usually Hy right 

 into the hole; sometimes they catch on the side of 

 the hive, and then run in. E. France. 



I consider no hive satisfactory without a good- 

 sized ventilator in the bottom - board. In the 

 warmest weather a ventilator 6x12 inches may be 

 left entirely drawn. I also consider upward venti- 

 lation advantageous at times. L. C. Root. 



Not as a rule. If a colony seems to be sutfering 

 from the heat I raise the cover a little, the amount 

 of ventilation given being according to circum- 

 stances. Usuajly, though, when 1 give any I give 

 an abundance, often removing the whole cover. 



Jamks A. Green. 



When more air is necessary or desirable than bot- 

 tom ventilation gives, I break loose the covers of 

 the surplus boxes, scrape the bee-glue off, and put 



