190') 



GLEANIN(JS IN BEE CULTURE. 



181 



On p'ge 157 of the ABC book you advocate 

 a plurality of hive entrances. How is it to be 

 arranged in the ordinary Dovetailed hive? 



Windom, Pa. Enos H. Hess. 



[The usual method of making entrances in the 

 extra stories is to bore a '4 -inch hole through 

 ihe hi\e end near the top This should be capa- 

 ble of being closed by means of a wooden button 

 whenever desired. Where there are only two 

 stories it is sometimes customary to lift up the 

 cover in the rear by about '4 or '2 inch, depend- 

 ing upon the size of the colony. If you me'ely 

 desire to try it for experimental purposes, pry 

 apart the rear of contiguous stories by about '4 

 inch. This wide opening should be reduced by 

 putting in wedge-shaped strips on the side, and 

 short cleats at the ends. While the bees will 

 build a surplus of burr-combs made by this in- 

 creased gap at the back end, it will do no harm, 

 and yet enable you to determine whether the 

 plan is a success with you or not. — Ed.] 



PROVIIMNG PERMANENT MEANS FOR COMMUNI- 

 CATION THROUGH THE CENTER OF COMBS. 



The article on page 1381, Nov. 15, on outdoor 

 wintering, is one that I wish to indorse, for I have 

 followed for a great many years the plan recom- 

 mended, and have always been entirely success- 

 ful. However, I am not satisfied with a mere 

 hole cut in the comb, for I go a step further and 

 insert in every comb a round wooden plug with 

 a half-inch hole bored in the center. In this way 

 a permanent passage is afforded, and I do not 

 have to repeat the cutting every fall, as Mr. Flu- 

 harty does, for the bees do not till up this hole in 

 the spring. 



The engraving represents a frame of wired 

 foundation with the plug inserted in the center. 

 The diameter of the plug is one inch, and it is 

 one inch thick. To make these plugs I put a 

 mop-handle in a vise and bore a half-inch hole 

 through it lengthwise for four or five inches, and 



then cut it up as far as the hole extends, in pieces 

 an inch long. When 1 first used this plan 1 tried 

 a larger hole, but the bees generally filled it up 

 with comb in the spring; and since I adopted the 

 half-inch size I have met with entire success, and 

 have never found one closed up. 



Some may say that the bees will gnaw these 

 plugs and try to tear them out. This is true in 

 some instances; but if the hole that is cut in the 

 foundation or in the comb, as the case may be, 

 to receive the plug, is just the right size, and then 

 if the edges of the comb close to the plug are 



painted with melted wax, the comb will be per- 

 fectly attacht d 'O the plug all around, during 

 comb-building time. I would not advise any 

 one to try putting in plugs at any other time. 



This method comes very near providing the 

 easy access from comb to comb that is found in 

 the old box hives. Those who are familiar with 

 the uniformly good results from box hives realize 

 that they provide conditions that are the very 

 best for bees during the winter. With this plan, 

 brood will often be found in almost every comb 

 if the queen is prolific; and for early spring breed- 

 ing such a passageway from comb to comb is just 

 what the queen requires to enable her to pass 

 freely from one comb to another without leaving 

 the cluster. Wm. J. Hayes. 



New York. 



VENTILATION NEEDED AT THE TOP OF HIVES IN 

 WINTER; WIDE SPACING. 



On p. 35, Jan. 1, Mr. Crane, in his first para- 

 graph, seems to think that straight combs are the 

 cause of bad wintering. I don't think so, for 

 bees winter in our modern hives just as well as in 

 old boxes or logs if the proper ventilation is pro- 

 vided. Moistuie rises with the air; and if there 

 \i a place for it to get out the cluster is always 

 dry. Diy bees and dry combs are sure to winter 

 well. In almost every tree there is more or less 

 decayed wood above the cluster, and the ants 

 make holes to the outside, through which the 

 moistuie escapes. Give the bees less ventilation 

 at the entrance, and a litt'e above, and they will 

 winter better Put on an escape-board early in 

 the fall so the bees can have time to seal it down. 

 Leave out the escape and put the roof on loose- 

 ly, and see how much better the bees winter. If 

 packing is u ed on top, put some wire cloth over 

 the hole in the board. 



Our frames are spaced too close, as Mr. Crane 

 says They ought to be 1/i from center to cen- 

 ter. Bees can not cluster thick enough between 

 closely spaced combs, and that means that they 

 must spread out. In such a condition it takes 

 more honey 10 keep up the heat; and the more 

 honey they use in the winter, the shorter-lived 

 they are in the spring. My bees wintered out- 

 doors last winter, and the greatest loss in stores 

 was 8 lbs. , and the least was 4^ lbs. This was 

 from Dec. 1 to April 1, and my hives were just 

 boiling with bees when alsike bloomed. May 20. 

 Raleigh Thompso''. 



Underwood, Ind. 



IThere is no doubt that upward ventilation 

 through dry absorbents furnishes an ideal condi- 

 tion for outdoor winterine; but the difficulty lies 

 in the fact that it is almost impossible to keep 

 these absorbents from becoming very damp, and 

 freezing in winter. Ex( erience shows that, in 

 the average case, it is better to have the top of the 

 hive sealed tight, with a generous amount of 

 packing o\er and around the hive. It goes with- 

 out saying, that this packing must be kept dry 

 by a storm-proof covering. — Ed.] 



COMB HONEY TWENTY YEARS OLD IV GOOD CON- 

 DITION AND OF GOOD FLAVOR. 



In the Dec. 1st issue, page 1437, you give cuts 

 of comb htmey said to be twelve years old. Some 

 twenty years ago I concluded to see how long I 



