FEBRUARY 15, 1915 



105 



Heads dDf Gram froim Differeelt Fields 



The Backlot Buzzer 



The kind-hearted lady whose gardener borrowed a 

 hive to save a swarm of bees that lit on her rose 

 :/nrden last summer came over here all excited this 

 iiioniiuij. She found a dead bee on the running- 

 hi,nrd. 



Is It Disastrous to Disturb Bees in Winter ? 



Some time a?o I noticed that one beekeeper said 

 he had lost all his bees by disturbing them in the 

 winter; but I am of the opinion that, unless he was 

 very careless, the loss of the bees was due to some 

 other cause. Several times I have had occasion to 

 disturb bees in winter, but so far have never had 

 any bad result follow it. Of course I took care to 

 sro at it with as much care as possible. 



One winter I wished to transfer about a dozen 

 colonies from box hives to frame hives, and- 1 suc- 

 ceeded in doin? so without any loss. I wishe'd to 

 get them in shape before brood-rearing commenced, 

 !is I do not like the idea of transferring when there 

 is much brood in the hives. I waited till the tem- 

 perature rose to 45 or 50 degrees. Then I moved the 

 hives to one side, and set the new hive in its place. 

 Then I pried the old hive apart and took the straight- 

 est combs, tied them in frames, and when I got 

 three or four frames fixed and placed in the new 

 hives I shook all the bees out of the old liivcs, and 

 filled out the remaining frames. The bees would 

 cluster again before night; and even if it grew cold- 

 er there was no bad result. 



As a rule it is not safe to handle bees when it is 

 too cold for' them to fly; but I have done so without 

 losing more than a few which flew nut and got chilled. 

 -V few times I have had either to feed in cold weath- 

 er or lose some bees; and when the weather did not 

 happen to warm up soon enough I would open the 

 hive and remove some of the frames till I got to the 



( lu.ster. Then if possible I would put in a frame of 

 honey or take one of the empty combs and pour in 

 as much syrup as I could. I would place it next to 

 the bees and close the hive as soon as possible. I 

 even introduced a queen to a queenless colony in the 

 middle of winter, and it worked all right. 



Stonecoal, W. Va., Jan. 18. W. C. Mollett. 



Death of Prominent Massachusetts Beekeeper 



In the -Tan. 1st issue one more name should have 

 been added to the list of prominent beekeepers who 

 passed away during 1914. Franklin .Fames, of New 

 Bedford, Mass., met an untimely death Sept. 28, at 

 4 5 years of age. He was a carpenter and builder by 

 trade. While working upon the roof of his own 

 house, by some misstep or loss of balance be fell 35 

 feet to the ground, striking on his head and breaking 

 one rib which punctured his lung. He lived 39 

 hours, and died without regaining consciousness. 



Mr. James left a wife and three children — a 

 daughter about 17 years of age, and two younger 

 sons. He was an enthusiastic l.eekeeper, and a 

 member of the Worcester Co. Beekeepers' Association. 

 At the time of his death he had about 75 colonie.s 

 of bees, most of which he kept in an outyard at 

 Middleboro. A few colonies he kept at his city resi- 

 dence in New Bedford. He had planned to make 

 increase to about 100 colonies. 



Only two weeks before his death he had a large 

 and fine exhibition of honey and wax at the South- 

 ern New England fair held at Lincoln Park. He 

 often came to my home — the last time about a week 

 before his sad and untimely death. 



North Westport, Mass., Jan. 14. .J. M. Lewis. 



Natural vs. Artificial Passageways 



Upon the question of cutting horizontal openings 

 through the tops of frames I quite agree with the 

 editor, page 1000, Dec. 15. Now, the first thing I 

 have to say against this method is, I should think 

 the bees in the fall would fill up these crevices with 

 propolis tO' such an extent that it would be practi- 

 i-ally impossible for bees to pass through them. 



Tliose using the super covers, sucli as are sold 

 regularly with the Porter bee-escapes, know that 

 there is a half-inch space between the frames and 

 board. These covers can be furnished by dealers 

 with no space cut out for the escape at no additional 

 cost. Those who wish to try Mr. Borden's method 

 can do so in this way without mutilating their 

 frames, and I would advise them to do so before 

 cutting holes in the top-bars. .Vnother advantase of 

 using these boards is that a half-inch space is left, 

 as I said before, between the tops of the frames 

 and the board; and this space, being clear, cannot 

 le filled with propolis. 



Why not be content to let the bees cut their own 

 Ijassagcways through the comlj, as they will do in 

 spite of fate? You can rest assured that by this 

 method they will cut no more than they want. 



Lewis L. Wixship. 



Enthusiastic Praise for Biennial Yellow 

 Sweet Clover 



Keferrinc to the article liy V. W. Van de Mark, 

 I>age 937, Dec. 1, I should like to say that I got first 

 prizes on biennial yellow sweet clover, butter, and 

 lioney at the fairs hereabouts, and against all odds, 

 and will receive a diploma for yellow-sweet-clover 

 hay. I have cultivated yellow sweet clover 33 years 

 now. 



Bees will not touch any thing else wlieii my clover 

 is in bloom. German and Austrian experts have 



