GlH 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



again that, if any colonies ^died during the winter, 

 it was almost certain to be one'whieh had had quite 

 a quantity of white honey when going into winter 

 quarters; and when I found any combs in the 

 spring containing white honey, even if fully sealed, 

 it was very apt to be more or less fermented, while 

 fermented dark or fall honey was rarely if ever 

 seen. This occurred so often that I finally adopted 

 the rule of management, never to leave any light 

 honey at all in the combs during winter. I stated, 

 at one or more conventions, that I had adopted 

 such a rule, but I didn't understand the reason for 

 doing so as well then as I do now. As 1 have al- 

 ready said, some five or si.x years agOj the relative 

 yields of early and late honey radically changed, 

 and with it came a corresponding change in quali- 

 ties, and the immediate result was a serious loss in 

 wintering— not so disastrous a loss as I suffered 

 before using chaff hives, but yet too serious to be 

 at all funny— some 40 per cent one winter. This 

 set me to studying on what was the cause of such a 

 complete change, and I am now satisfied that the 

 whole story can be told in the words, " A change in 

 the quality of the winter stores." 



I noticed, while extracting, that the fall honey 

 was different from what I usually obtained. Had 

 samples of these later crops and of former ones 

 been submitted to experts, I have no doubt that 

 each would have unhesitatingly pronounced one 

 sample as having been taken from unsealed, the 

 other from sealed combs, even when no such differ- 

 ence was the case. The truth is, the samples would 

 have been entirely different when first taken from 

 the flowers; and no amount of curing, either in or 

 out of the hive, could have made them equal. 



I have also noticed for a long time past, 

 that the first yield from any particular 

 flower, such as clover, basswood, buck- 

 wheat, etc., was almost invariably of poor- 

 er quality than the later yield from the 

 same source would be. This is particu 

 larly true if the yield continues for some 

 time, say from two to six weeks. It has 

 been not at all uncommon to obtain a bet- 

 ter quality of honey, both in body and 

 flavor, from unsealed combs, filled two 

 to four weeks after the commencement 

 of clover harvest, than from sealed combs 

 filled at the oommeneeraent of the same 

 harvest. This fact wants keeping in mind 

 when selecting winter stores. 



The following is a brief summing-up of 

 the opinions 1 have arrived at: 



That there is no essential difference in the value 

 of the different kinds of honey for winter stores; 

 that the relative value of the different kinds of 

 honey varies in localities and seasons; that the par- 

 ticular source which gives us the best yield of hon- 

 ey each season is usually of the best quality ; also, 

 that, where honey is used as a winter food, much 

 better success will be attained when these facts 

 are observed and acted on. 



There are, of course, many other considerations 

 to be taken into account in connection with winter 

 food for bees, but I have confined myself closely to 

 the point of what is the best honey for winter 

 stores, and I hope others will give their views and 

 see if we can not come nearer to an agreement on 

 this point, which is so vital 'a one In connection 

 with successful wintering. O. O. Poppleton. 



Hawks Park, Fla., Aug. 1, 1887. 



This is an important as well as an inter- 

 I esting question, and we should be glad to 

 I hear from others in regard to the subject. 



ANOTHEB PLAN FOR A BEE-HOUSE 

 AND \^^OBKSHOP. 



SUGGESTIONS FROM .T. H. MARTIN. 



fAVING in view the enlargement of my build- 

 ings, and the addition of a shop, I have 

 drawn up diagrams as below. My buildings 

 now are nearly like the diagram, with the 

 exception of the shop. The extracting-room 

 is provided with a double door, through which a 

 load of honey for extracting can be wheeled up 

 close to the extractor. In this room I have a stove 

 for rendering wax, etc. Near by should be a closet, 

 or what I call a pantry, in which to set kettles, boil- 

 ers, pans, and such utensils. When extracting I 

 have all of the windows in the extracting-room 

 darkened, except the one near the extractor. This 

 is let down at the top, and a board 6 inches wide, 

 having two holes five inches in diameter, into which 

 are inserted two double cones of wire cloth, with a 

 small aperture at the points, just large enough for 

 a bee to pass out. I have found that bees would 

 cluster upon the point of a single cone, and work 

 through, while the double cone is effective. A cur- 

 tain of thin cotton cloth hangs down from the cones 

 over the window-sash, allowing all bees to easily 

 crawl up and escape. Our room is kept very free 

 from bees, even when bees are troublesome. Ordi- 

 narily we work with the doors wide open. 

 I now have a drop of 3 feet from the extracting- 



1^^/ X 15 



\^ STORE ROOM qI- 



ENUNE Q 



%5-x 15 

 SHOP 



j VE NTILMOR 



\A/\NTERINQ 

 CELLAR 

 /g"X12. 



DDUB LC WAL L 



L J CISTERN 



MARTIN S PLiAN Of A UJit-IluU »i!i. 



room to the store-room below. This drop should be 

 5 or 6 ft. down, instead of three, to allow us to place 

 a 300 or 400 lb. tank, to connect with the extractor 

 in the next room. This tank is not so much for cur- 

 ing honey as to allow any particles to rise that may 

 get through our double strainers. A half-barrel is 

 placed upon a balance under a honey-gate of the 

 tank. The barrel is connected with the arm of the 

 honey-gate, which closes the gate automatically 

 when the barrel is nearly full. You thus save time. 

 If you are called to dinner, and forget that the hon- 

 ey is running, it will not run out all over the floor. 

 I now have to roll all of my honey in barrels up out 

 of the store-room. A door is to be cut, and so ar- 

 ranged that a wagon can be backed up to it, and 

 barrels loaded in with no lifting. Our stoi-e-room 

 has been full of barrels, and such a door is neces- 

 sary. 



