364 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



handy. 1 will make the cover out of boards 

 in 12-ft sections, covered with some kind of 

 roofing. In summer, when I don't need the 

 cover, I can remove it. 



But such a shed will cost about as much as 

 good pine winter cases. I bought pine floor- 

 ing for $3.00 per 100 ft., and made some win- 

 ter cases. If bottom-boards, covers, and all 

 are made, it takes about 20 feet of lumber 

 per case. According to these figures, 100 

 ft. will make five cases. The lumber in these 

 five cases will cost $3 00, which is 40 cts. per 

 case. There is a little more to add to this — 

 that is, the roofing. Either paper or metal 

 roofing can be used; but my advice is to use 

 the best roofing that can be had. Such cov- 

 ers can be used for shade-boards in summer. 

 For this locality I don't think this size of 

 winter case for eight-frame hives would cost 

 over 50 or 60 cts. per case for material, and 

 I believe that they would last a lifetime. I 

 can pack my bees for winter right on their 

 summer stands, and not move them enough 

 to disturb them. In extremely cold climates 

 the cases can be made larger. The case has 

 a bottom-board and cover and a body all 

 separate. Put the bottom-board under the 

 hive; set the body down over the hive; put on 

 your packing; put on the cover, and your 

 bees are ready for winter. 



These winter cases cost a little money and 

 labor t J begin with; but while you are look- 

 ing at the cost of the winter cases you must 

 count the cost of wrapping the hives with 

 paper, and that you will have to buy new 

 paper every year. I do not believe that 

 the paper wrapper is half as good as a win- 

 ter case. After you fold old newspapers un- 

 der the wrapper, count the cost for fifteen 

 years on the paper wrapping and you will 

 begin to see a winter case made like some I 

 have, and painted, should last more than 30 

 years. It is hard for me to decide which is 

 better — a good shed or a good winter case. 

 Right now I am in favor of the winter case. 

 It is not what a thing costs, but what it is 

 worth. 



Velpen, Ind. 



t«t» 



RENDERING COLONIES NORMAL. 



Some Strong Colonies Saved, and a Weak 

 One 3Iade Good. 



BY A. J. BURNS. 



Some time ago I found several colonies 

 whose queens were laying drone eggs, and 

 several more with laying workers, all strong 

 in bees, and with an abund^nnce of honey — 

 too good to break up if I could save them, so 

 I sent for some new queens, not having any 

 extra ones in the yard. I at once set about 

 preparing a place forthem by selecting strong 

 colonies with vigorous queens by putting the 

 queen below an excluder, and as much of the 

 sealed brood above as practicable. The 

 queens came in about two weeks. I had 

 then an upper story of strong young bees 

 which I set off on a close-fitting frame cov- 

 ered with a fine wire screen as a bottom- 



board, thus confining the bees, but giving 

 them good ventilation. I carried them into 

 the honey-house, where, within an hour, I 

 placed a cage containing a new queen between 

 the frames just as they came, and left them 

 until the next morning, when I removed the 

 hive containing the old queen on to the old 

 stand a short distance away, and placed these 

 upper stories with the new queens on the old 

 stand on a regular bottom. At the end of 

 24 hours I gave the bees access to the candy, 

 where they had not already reached it. At 

 the end of three or four days many of the 

 bees had gone back to the old stand. I then 

 went around and pinched out the drone-lay- 

 ers, shaved off the heads of what brood was 

 capped, and sprinkled sulphur over the un- 

 sealed brood, and treated the brood of the 

 fertile workers in the same manner. The 

 following day I put them temporarily aside 

 and placed the hive and queen, displaced 

 by the new queen, on their stand ; covered 

 it with a paper through which I had punch- 

 ed a hole with a leadpencil, and on top of 

 these their hives that I had put aside, making 

 the hives three-story, and the mutilated brood 

 in the third story— no honey except what 

 might be in the frames containing this brood. 

 In a few days all the bees were down with 

 the queen, the mutilated brood above desert- 

 ed. 



At another place I noticed a colony that 

 seemed very light: and on uncovering it a 

 score or two of robbers came tumbling out, 

 although I did not notice any on the outside 

 as I came up. Upon examining I found the 

 honey all gone except the least bit in one 

 corner of a frame covered by about a table- 

 spoonful of bees, and in their midst a queen, 

 all apparently about to expire. I put in 

 three or four frames of honey from elsewhere, 

 closed up the entrance bee-tight, and cover- 

 ed up the hive. The next day, between nine 

 and ten o'clock, I set an empty hive on top, 

 covering it with a tight-fitting frame cover- 

 ed with screen wire, and laid the cover on 

 top; then with a nucleus box and large fun- 

 nel I went around where the bees could be 

 spared and took out a few bees at a place, 

 being careful not to get a queen until I had 

 in my box bees enough to make a good fair 

 colony, which I carried to the honey-house, 

 and put them in a darkened corner for be- 

 tween six and eight hours, and at sundown 

 I took them to this queen and her bees, un- 

 covered the hive, unhooked the cover to the 

 nucleus-box, took it between my hands, hold- 

 ing the cover shut while I jarred it on the 

 ground to settle the bees to the side opposite 

 the cover; and before they had time to recov- 

 er themselves I dumped them into the empty 

 hive and covered it with the screen frame 

 and placed the hive-cover on top. The 

 next morning they were all down among the 

 frames. I left the hive shut up for three full 

 days, and at sundown of the third day I 

 opened the entrance. I did n<>t look at them 

 until the second day after, when I found the 

 bees spread over the combs, some of them 

 industriously cleaning and polishing cells, 

 and the queen hustling around among them, 



