OCTOBEK, 1919 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



I 



N our last is- 



c 



TALKS TO 



By lona 



plained how 

 the bees should 

 be supplied with 

 plenty of good 

 stores for win- 

 ter; but in the 

 mean time many 

 letters have ar- 

 rived in Gleanings ' office, saying the requis- 

 ite amount of sugar cannot be obtained. 

 Two have asked if they can use foul-brood 

 honey, and others have suggested using 

 brown sugar. 



Now, altho we know bees have been win- 

 tered successfully on a good grade of brown 

 sugar we certainly do not recommend it 

 except as a last resort. It is possible that 

 damaged sugar may be purchased from the 

 grocer, baker, or freight agent. This can 

 usually be obtained at a low price; and, if 

 it contains no foreign matter that could 

 harm the bees, there is no reason why it 

 should not be used. 



But in case no sugar can be obtained we 

 advise feeding honey. This, of course, means 

 honey that is free from the germs of foul 

 brood. If there is any doubt about the hon- 

 ey, the beginner should not feed it, but 

 should purchase from a beekeeper whose 

 bees are absolutely free of disease. It 

 seems rather expensive to buy honey to 

 feed bees, but we believe they are worth it. 

 Wintering in the Cellar, 



After feeding, the colonies should be pre- 

 pared for winter. If one has a good cellar 

 that can be kept dark, and at an even tem- 

 I^erature between 40 and 50 degrees, he can 

 probably winter safely in the cellar. Good 

 vegetable-cellars are usually quite satisfac- 

 tory for wintering bees. If wintered in the 

 cellar the entrances of the hives should be 

 made small enough so that mice can not 

 enter, but should not be entirely closed. 

 According to the Government bulletin on 

 wintering, where the average temperature 

 is 25 degrees F., or slightly lower, the bees 

 are wintered preferably in the cellar if the 

 stores are good. Bees should be put in the 

 cellar immediately after the last good flight, 

 and taken out when the first natural pollen 

 may be gathered, when it is warm enough 

 so that they may have frequent flights. 

 Now, these times are plainly quite indefi- 

 nite, and hard to determine accurately; and 

 for this reason it is probably safer for the 

 beginner to winter outdoors. 



Wintering in Packing-cases. 



Those who have single-walled hives, and 

 wish to winter outdoors, will need to pro- 

 vide good packing-cases. These may be 

 made to hold from one to four colonies, and 

 may be of any cheap lumber available. 

 There should be from five to six inches of 

 packing on the sides and top, and many pre- 

 fer at least four underneath. A bridge 

 should extend from the entrance of the hive 

 to the outside entrance of the packing-case, 

 so that no packing may shut the entrance, 



BEGINNERS 



Fowls 



1 



07 J 



preventing the 

 flight of bees on 

 any possible 

 warm days. If 

 prepared in this 

 way with bot- 

 tom packing, but 

 little entrance 

 will be needed. 

 Five %-inch 

 holes, and in cold weather two or three, will 

 bo sufficient. 



Wintering in Double-walled Hives. 

 Among the different ways of wintering 

 outdoors, the beginner will find the double- 

 walled hive quite easy and satisfactory if 

 he takes the precaution to contract his 

 brood-chamber to seven or eight frames 

 (the number depending upon the size of 

 the colony), crowding over the combs to 

 the warmer side of the hive, and at the side 

 of the frames placing a tight-fitting divi- 

 sion-board, filling the space with tightly 

 packed forest leaves. When contracting in 

 this way one should take care to leave the 

 colony with at least 30 pounds of stores. 

 Tho this manner of packing is less trouble- 

 some than the preceding plan and brings the 

 bees out in the spring in good condition, some 

 object to it because of the necessity of 

 opening them in the spring to give more 

 room and possibly more stores. However, 

 the beginner who is really interested in his 

 bees will find this no drawback. 



The tops of the frames may be covered 

 with a mat or canvas or burlap held up from 

 the frames by a few small sticks placed 

 crosswise of the frames in order to provide 

 the bees with passageways from one frame 

 to another. Next to the mat is the warm- 

 est part of the hive, so the bees will readi- 

 ly pass from one frame to another when 

 they need more honey. 



A four- or five-inch tray, slightly smaller 

 than the telescope cover, and filled with 

 well-packed forest leaves, should be placed 

 over the mat. The burlap attached to the 

 bottom of the tray should be left baggy, 

 and secured to the sides of the tray by 

 wooden strips nailed on the lower inside 

 edges. This allows the tray to fit tightly 

 to the top of the hive, and prevents the 

 wind from blowing under the tray. The 

 hive should be left facing away from the 

 prevailing winds with an entrance % inch 

 by two or three inches. 



All colonies wintered outdoors, regard- 

 less of the style of packing, ought to be pro- 

 tected by windbreaks of shrubbery, trees, 

 buildings, or a high board fence with two- 

 inch spaces between the boards to break the 

 wind somewhat before reaching the hives. 

 Before leaving the hives for winter they 

 should be given a firm foundation uj) a 

 few inches from the ground, and given a 

 slightly forward tilt so that the inside of 

 the hives may keep dry. During winter, 

 and until May in the Northern States, the 

 best care one can give his bees is to leave 

 them quite undisturbed. 



