1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1327 



tion of her after she has been dissected might re- 

 veal the cause. A long journey through the mails 

 sometimes makes a drone-layer out of a good 

 queen. As a general thing, we can only guess at 

 the cause. — Ed.] 



AN ADJUSTABLE STORM-DOOR. 



Air. E. R. Root: — After reading your article, p. 

 353, in regard to storm-doors, I should like to 

 call your attention to my chaff-hive storm-door 

 attachment, which I think is far better than the 

 Halter arrangement. Briefly speaking, I have an 

 inset about 4 inches square and 3 deep in the 

 front of the chaff hive. On the outside of this 

 inset is the adjustable storm-door. This door is 

 cleated and beveled on top. In the center of this 

 door is cut a slot 2 inches long for a big-headed 

 screw, so by shoving the door up or down we 

 may have a space 2 inches by 1 inch by ^ inch, 

 or close up entirely. Just give the screw a turn, 

 and it will hold the door in any place, or turn it 

 bottom up and it is out of the way entirely. My 



hives are mostly packed in winter boxes, but I 

 bridge over the projection of the bottom-board 4 

 inches high, which makes the inset. Two of my 

 hives were closed up all winter. I opened them 

 March 12, and the bees came out with a rush all 

 in good order, and ready for business. I lost no 

 bees last winter. I usually winter about 100 col- 

 onies. E. N. Woodward. 

 Hillsdale, Mich. 



[One objection to your adjustable storm-door 

 is that it provides a square opening through which 

 mice may enter unless it is closed nearly down. 

 It would be much better to have the opening 

 only X inch deep, by a maximum of 8 inches 

 wide, say, but adjustable as to the width. This 

 would prevent the entrance of mice, either when 

 it is wide open or nearly closed. — Ed.] 



SEALED covers PREFERRED. 



On page 369, March 15, L. E. Scherer says 

 that absorbent cushions are better than sealed 

 covers. I agree with the editor. When I pack- 

 ed my bees last fall I packed half with a Hill de- 

 vice on or over the frames, and an absorbent 

 cushion on top, and the other half with a honey- 

 board right over the frames for the bees to seal 

 down, with about eight inches of fine straw or 

 chaff on top. 



When I was out among the hives to-day (Mar. 

 23) I could plainly see the difference. All the 

 colonies that had a sealed honey-board started to 

 work, while the bees with a piece of burlap over 



the Hill device, with the same amount of chaff 

 on top, were not active. 



The reason I wanted to try this experiment was 

 that, the winter before, I found that the chaff on 

 top of the burlap would hold moisture, and freeze. 

 This has a tendency to keep the bees back, even 

 when warm weather does come. With the seal- 

 ed covers the chaff stays dry. 



Could I wire my brood-frames if I use starters 

 only.? Will the bees imbed the combs as they 

 work down.? Walter M. Adema. 



Berlin, Mich. 



[Your experience in regard to sealed covers 

 and absorbing cushions is quite in line with re- 

 ports that we received from many bee-keepers 

 some few years ago when these experiments were 

 being conducted. There are times when the ab- 

 sorbing cushions seem to give a little better re- 

 sults; but taking one year with another, in the 

 average locality, the sealed cover with dry pack- 

 ing on top will give better results. Yes, you can 

 wire frames, using only starters. — Ed.] 



does honey from poisonous plants kill 

 brood.? 



In the fore part of this summer, bees near 

 Joliet, 111., were very badly affected by dead 

 brood. We have some of it here also, commenc- 

 ing about the middle of May and lasting about 

 eight weeks. About one-third of the brood 

 (mostly in colonies of a dark strain) dies when 

 about half grown. Would the honey gathered 

 from a poisonous plant be likely to poison the 

 brood } The plant itself and the fruit are poi- 

 sonous. 



I have devoted five colonies this summer to 

 finding the cause. I have taken their brood- 

 combs away three times, and still one colony is 

 a little affected. Can you give us the cause.? 



Niles, Mich. C. B. Fritts. 



[Honey from a poisonous plant that does not 

 kill the adult bee will often kill brood; in fact, 

 the brood will die in various stages long before 

 the bees are affected. 



Sometimes the liquids that are used to spray 

 fruit-blossoms kill the brood and not the bees; 

 at other times the spraying-liquids kill both bees 

 and brood. 



Next year, when this poisonous plant begins 

 to yield nectar, send us some flowers, stalks, and 

 leaves, and we will investigate. — Ed.] 



introducing queens by placing the cage at 

 the entrance. 



In reply to the first Straw, Aug. 15, I will say 

 that during the last eight years when I intro- 

 duced queens I moved the brood-chamber with 

 all the brood to another stand, and placed the 

 second story at the bottom on the old stand, and 

 put the queen-cage on the bottom-board at the 

 entrance, and set a board leaning against the 

 front of the hive to keep rain off. This gives 

 the bees a chance to get at the candy at once. 



I have never lost a queen in this way. I in- 

 troduced two this year to weak colonies when 

 there was no honey coming in. By every other 

 way I have tried I have lost more or less. I lost 

 as many as five queens at one hive, and then I 

 smoked the bees till four quarts fell on the bot- 



