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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



it. A great majority do not bind their periodicals 

 at all. Only a very few even file their journals, and 

 there is perhaps not one in 200 who goes to the 

 trouble to tear out the advertising leaves, and have 

 the journals properly bound in cloth covers. We 

 can tell pretty nearly what this number is, because 

 it is much cheaper for those who want their jour- 

 nals bound properly to send them to us, which 

 they do. In referring, as we are often obliged to 

 do, to old journals, we frequently find the advertis- 

 ing pages of us much importance as the reading 

 pages. In one case, quite an important fraud was 

 exposed and brought to a stop by consulting the 

 advertising pages of old bee-journals. The first 

 bound volume we found had had its advertising 

 pages stripped off before binding. We finally suc- 

 ceeded, however, in finding this same journal, 

 bound, advertisements and all. For files of old 

 magazines or journals, saved for reference, I 

 should by all means prefer to have the advertise- 

 ments left in. 



With Replies from our best Authorities on Bees. 



All queries sent in for this department should he briefly 

 stated, and free from any possible ambiguity. The question 

 or questions should be written upon a separate slip of paper, 

 and marked, " For Our Question-Box." 



Question 133.— Does it pay to make any special 

 provision for shade in an out-apiary, by means of 

 shade-hoards or otherwise, providing that the location 

 does not afford trees or other natural shrubbery? 



No, it does not. Geo. Grimm. 



Yes. I prefer a shade board. A. J. Cook. 



This depends upon the construction of the hive. 

 With our hive it pays. P. H. Elwood. 



Yes. If there is not already satisfactory shade, 

 I would use shade-boards. James A. Green. 



Yes, by all means. We make movable roofs, 

 which improve the looks of the hives. 



Dadant & Son. 

 I think it pays to shade hives from the full glare 

 of the sun, both home and out apiaries. 



O. O. Poppleton. 

 Yes, where single-walled hives are used. With 

 double-walled hives, or chaff, it is not necessary. 



A. E. Manum. 

 Yes, but much depends on location, the way the 

 hives face, and how ventilated. S. I. Freeborn. 



Yes. I have tried the shade of trees, and also the 

 shade-board, and much prefer the latter. 



A. B. Mason. 

 It does. No combs will melt if the roof of the 

 hive is raised only one inch to admit of an air pas- 

 sage over the inside body of the hive. 



C. F. Muth. 



I have no doubt that it pays, as I have always no- 

 ticed that those that were partially shaded did bet- 

 ter than those fully exposed to the sun. 



P. L. VlALLON. 



If the hives are painted white, probably not. If 

 the hives are a dark color, yes. Place the hives in 

 long rows, and have the shade in the shape of a 

 roof high enough for a person to stand erect under 

 it. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



I think this depends somewhat upon latitude and 

 location. For the northern half of Ohio, shade is 



probably more a matter of mercy to the little cattle 

 on sweltering summer days than an actual winner 

 of dollars and cents. I am not quite sure of this, 

 however; but it certainly pay r s to shade newly 

 hived swarms. E. E. Hasty. 



With double-walled hives we prefer to set the 

 hives in the sun. I think shade-trees are an injury. 

 Our hive side walls are three inches thick; honey- 

 board on top, 7 a inch thick. I put a cap over the 

 hives, about 7 inches deep ; roof boards 7 a inch 

 thick. With that much protection from the sun 

 there is no need of shade. E. France. 



No, nor anywhere else, providing the hives are 

 painted white. Mine are all white that are painted 

 at all, and I have never had any combs melt down, 

 nor have the bees appeared inconvenienced by the 

 heat. In one or two instances I have had the 

 combs melt down in the unpainted hives, but not 

 often enough to pay for shading them, in this lo- 

 cality. G. M. Doolittle. 



Yes, by all means use a shade-board about two by 

 three feet. T prefer this kind of shade for either 

 an out-apiary or home apiary. I value it more 

 highly than any other kind of shade. My reasons 

 are given in my contribution to the Review for 

 June, wherein will be found many articles from 

 able writers upon the question of shade for bee- 

 hives. James Heddon. 



I think it does pay to shade hives. It lessens the 

 liability of melting the combs in very hot weather, 

 and diminishes swarming. I use for shade on hives 

 that stand exposed to the sun, about one yard of 

 cheap calico, costing about 3 cents, tacked to two 

 sides of a cover, and place the cover on top of the 

 hive in such a manner as to leave an open space 

 behind the cloth that hangs down on two sides of 

 the hive. It is cheap and convenient. 



H. R. Boardman. 



Owing to the construction of my old hives I never 

 used shade-boards until the last two years on a dif- 

 ferent hive, and I have come to the conclusion that 

 it does not pay to fuss with them. If there is honey 

 in the flowers, the bees will be after it in full force, 

 if the weather is as hot as blazes. If there is no 

 honey, the bees might as well loaf on the shady side 

 of the hive as to loaf inside. If you fear melting 

 combs, don't use that kind of hive. A shade-board, 

 to be of real use, should be made like a large um- 

 brella; and even then every wind would disarrange 

 them. In an out-apiary they would be a positive 

 nuisance from the above cause. Let us let the 

 shade-board go. Rambler. 



Bees, by fanning and partly vacating their hive, 

 have, like the healthy human system by perspira- 

 tion, the power of regulating the internal tempera- 

 ture. I And most danger of melting down combs 

 while extracting or otherwise disturbing the nor- 

 mal condition of the hive. It seems to me the dis- 

 advantages of the shade being in the way, and its 

 shading the bees when they would be better with- 

 out it, overbalance all the good results where the 

 thermometer does not go above 100° in the shade 

 more than five or six days in the season. When the 

 thermometer rises above 95° I should prefer to 

 have some one present to elevate one end of the 

 cover, or in some way assist the bees temporarily 

 to ventilate the hive and save the bother and ex- 

 pense of a cover. R.Wilkin. 



