294 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1 



walled hive'.' We thiak uot, for it is very 

 difficult to make packing around the hive, 

 as we'l as on top, hold its place while the 

 paper cap is being folded around. 



We shall have to conclude, for a climate 

 as severe as that of Canada, in view of your 

 experience and that of others whom you do 

 not mention, that a paper cap is not satisfac- 

 tory; that nothing less than a good double- 

 walled hive with plenty of packing between 

 the walls and a powerful colony is suitable 

 for wintering outdoors. Mr. E. D. Townsend 

 (although not an advocate of paper protec- 

 tion for wintering) has used paper success- 

 fully for spring protection for a number of 

 years He has found, however, that the 

 black color of tarred paper is detrimental, 

 and so he advises the use of light-colored 

 paper. An article from him on this subject 

 will appear in our next issue. — Ed.] 



MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY OF BEE-KEEPERS. 



The fourth meeting of the Massachusetts 

 Society of Bee keepers was held February 1, 

 1908. in the Ford Building, Boston. The 

 topic for the evening was "Spring Manage- 

 ment of Bees." by Mr. Allen Latham, presi- 

 dent of the Connecticut society. His long ex- 

 perience had convinced him that, if fall 

 management had been of the proper kind, 

 there would be no need of spring manage- 

 ment; and he expressed disapproval of open- 

 ing up the hives and exposing the bees to 

 cold before May or June. He gave several 

 directions by means of which we could tell 

 by outside observations if the colonies were 

 in good condition or not. Only those that 

 were not in good condition should be manip- 

 ulated. He was plied with questions, all of 

 which he easily answered. Last he gave a 

 description of his large twenty-frame hives 

 — those that he has at the Cape, which can 

 be examined by him only in June and Sep- 

 tember, and from which he takes honey in 

 the large frames instead of sections. After 

 a most profitable meeting we adjourned to 

 meet again on the afternoon of the first Sat- 

 urday in March at 2 o'clock at the Ford 

 Building; and we hope the weather will be 

 pleasant so that all old members can attend. 

 Considering it was such a stormy day and 

 evening it was the best-attended meeting we 

 have had. Nearly 40 were present, and quite 

 a number of bee-keepers joined our society. 

 Others promised to do so at the March meet- 

 ing. As these meetings are fast drawing to 

 a close we hope to see a good number of the 

 old members who find it inconvenient to at- 

 tend the evening meetings. 



Belmont, Mass. X. A. Reed. 



STARTING WITH THREK-FRAME NUCLKI; A 

 GOOD RECORD. 



I wish to report my experience with bees 

 in this new country, the Shoshone Reserva- 

 tion, which was opened last spring, 1907 

 On May 20, 1908, I sent for 35 three-frame 

 nuclei with untested queen. The bees were 

 five days on the road, even though they came 

 by express. When they came I put each 

 nucleus in a ten-frame Simplicity hive and put 

 in seven frames with just finch starters, ex- 

 pecting the bees to fill the hive or about that. 

 I was not prepared for what followed, for in 

 a short time the hives were full to overflow- 

 ing. I put on another ten-frame body, and 

 this they filled. I then put on the third ten- 

 frame body, and this they also filled. At 

 this time there was a prospect of three weeks 

 of good honey-flow ahead, and I had no more 

 hives nor sections. Every thing was full; so 

 when fall came I found 1 had, from these 35 

 nuclei, 71 stands of bees in ten-frame hives 

 and 600 lbs. of the finest honey I ever ate. I 

 also took 20 colonies on shares and got 800 

 lbs. of tine comb honey which I sold with the 

 600 at 12^ cts. just to my neighbors, and did 

 not solicit for the sale of one pound of it. It 

 was ftll sold. Three weeks after, the bees 

 stopped working. Orders kept coming in as 

 far as 60 miles, long after I had sold out. 



Hudson, Wyo. Geo. Burch. 



BEE-SHEDS FOR WINTER; THEIR ADVANTAGE 



IN PREVENTING THE FLIGHT OF BEES 



ON UNKAVORABLE DAYS. 



I can agree with the editor, p. 96, Jan. 1st 

 issue, in thinking that a great many bees are 

 enticed out when it is too cold for them to 

 fly, and therefore perish I always let down 

 the doors to the bee-sheds in cold weather, 

 shutting out the light as well as the weather. 

 I let the light in only when the bees should 



I must, however, differ from friend La- 

 tham that it is necessary to have the entrance 

 directly in front of the cluster. For many 

 years I have left a •;;x2-ineh entrance at each 

 side of the front of the hive. If the cluster 

 is on the east side of thehive the east entrance 

 is found many times completely stopped up 

 with dead bees ancf ice, while* the west en- 

 trance is clear. I would not think for one 

 minute of having the entrance in the middle, 

 and depending on that for air, and I have 

 wintered from 30 to 50 colonies for 20 years 

 and never lost one in the winter. 



I should think Halter's storm-door very 

 nice for outdoor colonies. Still, bee-sheds 

 are far ahead, I think, if rightly managed. 

 There can be no spring dwindling in them if 

 bees are not enticed out as the editor says I 

 have never had any spring dwindling of col- 

 onies in sheds, but have had colonies badly 

 alTected when wintered outside. 



Marceline, Mo. Irving Long. 



[Your scheme of having a door or lid to 

 your shed that can be let down in unfavor- 

 able or bad weather, shutting in the bees 

 and closing out daylight from the entrances, 

 is a good one. Your report on how it keeps 



