1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTl RK. 



319 



taken along my camera, I was prepared to Stationing myself at the end door I), I 



take some views, and I herewith present poised the camera and took the view shown 



you an outside view of the building, looking below, 

 from the southeast. 



BOARDMAN S HOME WINTER -REPOSITORY. 



This is double- walled, 50 x 12 feet, one 

 story, with walls 14 inches thick. It is di- 

 vided into two compartments, each of which 

 is connected with an entryway 10x10 in the 

 center of the building ; consequently to en- 

 ter the building we enter by a door at C in 

 the diagram, not shown in cut. If desirable 

 the door can be closed after us, and we can 

 then enter the doors from the small entry- 

 way. The diagram below is my recollection 



I w w 



J_w_w_wJ 



GROUND PLAN OF BUILDING. 



of the plan of the building. A is the entry- 

 way ; B B the compartments ; C the door- 

 way to the entry ; and D D, etc., are doors 

 to the compartments B B, from each end of 

 the building. W, W, W, etc., are windows, 

 hinged in the middle in such a way that the 

 window can be revolved to a horizontal 

 plane, so as to allow the bees to escape. As 

 we approached the structure, I said, " I no- 

 tice that the door is open." 



" It has been such an open winter that I 

 have been obliged to lower the temperature 

 by letting in the outside air. Besides, there 

 are more colonies in the repository than I 

 should prefer to have for such an open win- 

 ter as the present one." 



" How many colonies have you in there 

 now?" 



" I have 70 in one compartment and 100 in 

 the other. In continuous cold weather the 100 

 would have been about right. But, I find 

 that from 75 to SO colonies in each compart- 

 ment average best, all things considered. 

 During the past winter, the compartment 

 having the 70 did better than the one hav- 

 ing the 100. During a severe winter the re- 

 sults might have been reversed." 



" I suppose, it will not be possible to get a 

 photographic view inside ; that is. it will 

 not be advisable to let in sufficient light to 

 enable me to take a picture." 



"Oh, yes! I think there will be no trou- 

 ble ;" and so saying he opened the end door 

 at I) ; and not only that, he opened the 

 three windows so that it was as light as an 

 ordinary room. 



" But, aren't you afraid that this light is 

 going to disturb your lees?"' 



" For the length of time you require, it 

 will do no harm." 



AN INSIDE VIEW OF BOARDMAN S WINTER 



REPOSITORY, SHOWING FRONT ROW 



OF HIVES. 



As Mr. Boardman has already explained 

 in one of his articles, the bottom-boards are 

 left on their permanent stands, and the 

 hives, as you will notice by the engraving, 

 are piled up in such a way that the bottom 

 of one hive comes directly over the opening 

 between the two below. Instead of giving 

 full-width entrance, as most bee keepers do 

 who winter in repositories, he gives them 

 the benefit of a large portion of the bottom 

 of the hive. To the stronger colonies he 

 gives more bottom space ; to the weaker he 

 gives less. On the average there is an open- 

 ing at the bottom of each hive, 4 inches 

 wide, and the full length or width of the 

 hive. He does not then give them the full 

 bottom, as I had formerly supposed, and as 

 perhaps some of the rest of the readers like- 

 wise understood. 



You will notice that friend Boardman dis- 

 penses with all stringers, shelving, or any 

 other support to hold the colonies in the re- 

 pository. They are simply piled up about 4 

 inches apart, one upon the other, break- 

 joint fashion. 



"Now, then, friend Boardman, Mr. New- 

 man said he did not see how you could car- 

 ry hives about without bottom-boards, and 

 yet not have the bees dropping out and fly- 

 ing out to make the job any thing but pleas- 

 ant ; and, what is more, I do not see how 

 you do it myself." 



" "Why, easy enough," said my friend. Go- 

 ing to one of the hives (they are cleated 

 clear around at the top, you will notice, the 

 cover resting telescopic fashion on this 

 cleat) he grasped its diagonally opposite cor- 

 ners. Leaning backward a little he let the 

 edge of the hive bear against his person, 

 carried the hive to the other end of the re- 

 pository, set it down, took it up and put it 

 back. He did likewise with a number of 

 other colonies. Each one he held up, turn- 

 ing it up so that I could see for myself the 

 condition of the bees, and how they appar* 

 ently regarded such kind of handling, 



