GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE' 



A WINTER FENCE HAVING REMOVABLE 

 BOARDS FOR SUMMER 



BY W. A. CHRYSLER. 



The illustration shows my home apiary 

 with a winter protection and summer fence. 

 The yard is about 65 or 70 feet square, and 

 holds 130 colonies. The fence is made of 

 7-ft. by 8-in. cull, short lengths, of vai-i- 

 ous kinds of lumber, dressed both sides, 

 and painted to prevent warping, decay, 

 and also for appearance. 



The top rim of the fence is comi3osed 

 of narrow strips nailed on each side of the 

 top ends of the stationary boards to keep 

 them straight and to hold the loose boards 

 in place in winter. The loose boards that 

 are put in place for winter have cleats 

 nailed on them to support them on the 

 lower scantling of the fence, and a button 

 just above it to hold it tightly in place. 

 Buttons are also nailed on each edge. In 

 the photo the removable boards that come 

 opposite posts in the fence have been left 

 as in winter. 



Chatham, Ont., Jan. 30. 



[We are beginning to believe that an 

 open or slatted fence is better than a solid 

 fence for a windbreak around a beeyard. 

 The force of a wintry blast is broken off 

 more by an open fence or slu-ubbery than 

 by a solid windbreak against which the 

 wind glances upward and then downward, 

 striking the hives. The railroad com- 

 panies have evidently discovered the same 

 fact when they make open fences to keep 

 the snow off from their tracks. — Ed.] 



SWEET-CLOVER HONEY GRANULATES IN THE 

 HIVES BEFORE SPRING 



BY LOUIS MACEY. 



Our winters here in Ontario are gen- 

 erally dry and sunny, and hoar frost is very 

 unusual. We seldom have much snow, and 

 a sled is an uncommon sight. About 95 

 per cent of all the bees here are wintered 

 outdoors. I have been packing part of 

 mine every winter for four years and all 

 liave wintered equally well with only one 

 or two per cent of loss. 



We generally have a Avarm sunny day 

 nearly every week; and the unpacked bees 

 will fly while very often the others will 

 not. I took chances too much last year 

 and got caught. As the photo shows, none 

 of the hives are packed. During the three 

 weeks of zero, six colonies died and a good 

 many more were badly weakened. 



The honey flow of 1911 was good here, 



and hives were heavy with honey ; but it 

 stayed too cold for the bees to "move over." 



1 have much trouble every year with our 

 sweet-clover and alfalfa honey granulating- 

 solid in the hives. The bees kick out lots 

 of it (in dry hard granules) nearly every 

 spring. I had one colony starve in early 

 March one year. With solid slabs of granu- 

 lated honey some cells were uncapped and 

 partly emptied, and all were dry and hard. 

 I have reported this before, but never re- 

 ceived any help. Is there any way to over- 

 come or alleviate this condition? Of course, 

 it is understood the critical time with this 

 granulated honey is in cold, cloudy, windy 

 spells in late winter and spring, when the 

 bees can't carry water, and when the hives 

 should not be opened. 



North Platte, Neb. 



[The only way to remedy the condition 

 of candied honey in your hive, thus caus- 

 ing- your bees to starve, would be to ex- 

 tract all this honey early in the fall and 

 feed sugar syrup instead. You would gain j 

 by this, for you could take away the honey I 

 that would bring a larger price than the 

 cost of your sugar. Of course, you would 

 be out your time, but you would be able J 

 to save your bees. — Ed.] ^ 



SOME EXPERIENCE IN OUTDOOR WINTERING 

 IN INDIANA 



All Plans for Packing Hives in Rows Under Tarred 



Felt Abandoned for the Large Winter Case 



Holding Four Hives 



BY F. B. CAVANAGH. 



I well remember reading of the failures 

 and successes in wintering- bees, graphic- 

 ally described by the late W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son. I confess that some of the schemes 

 he tried seemed foolish at that time; but 

 my past four years of outdoor wintering- 

 has cured me of all conceit, so that I 

 willingly confess "I know nothing;" and 

 in order to make a complete confession I 

 will tell of some of the foolish stunts I 

 tried at outdoor wintering in Indiana; also 

 of the wise stunts which did or did not 

 "pan out." 



Several years ago Oliver Foster de- 

 scribed in the Review a method of winter- 

 ing four to six hives back to back and cov- 

 ered with straw and earth — a board leaned 

 against the fronts, also covered with straw 

 and earth, forming a dark anteroom in 

 front of the regular entrances. Near the 

 top of the luve, a small entrance was cut 

 for flight. Now, Colorado has a very dry 

 climate, while at Hebron the atmosphere 

 is usually moist. We had very cold weather 



