564 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Three Essentials for Wintering Outdoors 



Last season the bees all over this part of the 

 country got practically no nectar after June 20. 

 In order to stand some show of wintering them 

 I fed each colony about 25 lbs. of granulated 

 sugar, commencing with a little stimulating feed 

 for the purpose of keeping the queen laying as 

 long as possible; and in October I gave them 

 about all they would take from the Alexander 

 feeder in one hour; and by November 24 I had 

 them in fairly good condition, with plenty of young 

 bees and good pure sugar syrup. 



I then put them in a row several inches above 

 the ground, packed leaves under between and 

 on top of them until they were completely buried. 

 Then I made a frame around them, well covered, 

 and contracted the entrances to about %x4, and 

 bade them goodby until April 2, when I un- 

 packed them, found one dead, seven fairly strong, 

 four rather weak, and one queenless. 



The fact that I lost just two out of 13 colonies, 

 and in a winter when there was a lot of zero 

 weather at that, makes me feel like promising 

 that I will not lose that many any more. There 

 are three things essential to perfect wintering of 

 bees on the summer stands — namely, a young, 

 vigorous queen ; plenty of good food, and a good 

 packing of leaves. 



Indianapolis, Ind. J. F. Right. 



Cellar vs. Outside Wintering 



AVhat are your reasons, Mr. Editor, for saying 

 you know that it takes much less skill and time 

 to winter outside? In this locality it is quite the 

 reverse, as it requires an expert to prepare properly 

 a lot of bees for successful outside wintering; and 

 a lot of time and work, aside from a large ex- 

 pense for outside cases. But anybody can carry 

 a swarm of bees into the cellar, remove the cover 

 and oilcloth, and spread a piece of burlap over 

 the top of the hive. The bees, too, will winter 

 just as well as those outdoors, if not better, and 

 on about half the amount of stores. I am 58 

 years of age. This fall I put 131 colonics in the 

 cellar alone in four hours. I am of the opinion 

 that it would require a week to prepare them 

 pioperly for outside wintering. 



Union Center, Wis. Elias Fox. 



[You undoubtedly have a cellar that is ideal. If 

 one has but little experience we think he would 

 have better success in wintering out of doors than 

 if he attempted to create ideal conditions in a 

 cellar where the ventilation or temperature is not 

 right. Perhaps we did not properly explain our 

 farmer statement to which you refer. — Ed. 



An Empty Super Placed Over the Brood-chamber 

 for Packing Material 



I have a way of packing bees for winter that 

 I think is worth telling. I place an empty super 

 over the brood-chamber, and in it put three or 

 more section-holders spaced several inches apart. 

 I then spread burlap sack, or any other cloth, over 

 the bottom of the super inside, and pack dry 

 autumn leaves until it is filled. This plan keeps 

 the bees warm, yet allows ventilation through the 

 leaves. At the same time, the bees have room to 

 pass over the top-bars from one comb to another. 

 We use no packing around the sides of the Drood- 

 chamber in this vicinity. 



Arkansas City, Kansas. W. L. Powell. 



No Loss Last Winter 



My bees have always wintered on their summer 

 stands. Some hives are packed in chaff and some 

 in ground cork. The stores are mostly goldenrod 

 and aster. Last winter was a record one for cold 

 in this locality, but my bees wintered better than 

 in any previous season for twenty-six years. There 

 were no losses, and less than six quarts of dead 

 bees and sweepings from 35 colonies. 



Bowdoin, Me., May 7. W. L. Maloon. 



Inverted Butter-plate Makes a Good Clustering- 

 place 



As my plan of packing bees for winter, given 

 in Gleanings, p. 664, Nov. 1, in which I advised 

 placing an inverted wooden butter-dish, holding 

 about a quart, over the frames, as a clustering- 



place for the bees in cold weather, was criticised 

 by some beekeepers, I will now report that, out of 

 78 colonies so packed, 75 came through our un- 

 usually long and severe winter in first-class con- 

 dition, and the three that perished were found to 

 be short in stores — pure neglect on my part. I 

 have never before had stronger colonies at this 

 season of the year. 



Isaac F. Tillingiiast. 

 Factoryville, Pa., April 25. 



Wintering Bees in the Cellar 



I set my hives faced to the wall of the cellar, 

 give full-sized entrances, and turn the covers bot- 

 tom side up ; detach the cloth cover from the frames 

 near the back part of hive in order to give good 

 ventilation, and never have any loss, with the 

 exception of a few from dysenterv one winter. I 

 attributed this to poor quality of stores or lack of 

 stores. 



Madison, Me., Feb. 28. W. G. Sawyer. 



Cheap Concrete Blocks for Hive Foundations 



For making hive foundations of concrete I use 

 empty quart cans, such as old tomato-cans, etc., for 

 forms. I use one quart of cement, two parts of 

 clean sand, and five parts of gravel. When all are 

 thoroughly mixed dry I add water while stirring 

 constantly until it is quite soft. I fill the cans 

 partly full of the mixture, and then put in any 

 pieces of rocks that will go into the can, and pour 

 in more concrete until the can is level full. After 

 shaking them so that all air bubbles come to the top 

 I set them in a level place for a day and a night ; 

 then take four to each hive, turn them bottom side 

 up for the hive to rest on. When the tin rusts off 

 the round cylinder of concrete is left. 



Fremont, Mo. Mrs. Almeda Ellis. 



[It is very important to mix thoroughly the con- 

 crete material dry, then wet it . to the consistency 

 desired. Your scheme of old fruit-cans to make the 

 forms is excellent. — Ed.] 



Is there any Advantage in Placing Supers Below 

 rather than on Top of the Brood-chamber ? 



Can bees be induced more readily to work in 

 the super by placing the super below the brood- 

 chamber for a short time ? Is any bad effect 

 brought about by such method ? When an after- 

 swarm is led off by a virgin queen, does the queen 

 mate while the swarm is in the air, or will she, 

 after the swarm is hived, leave her new home to 

 make her wedding-flight ? 



Deerwood, Minn., July 27. Walter G. Wetzel. 



[There is no advantage in placing a super below 

 the brood-chamber — in fact, rather a disadvantage. 

 It should be placed on top the hive, where it is 

 the warmest, because bees, in order to do good 

 work, should have the temperature right for comb- 

 building. The lower part of the hive, or next the 

 entrance, is comparatively cool, and we doubt if 

 comb-building could progress as it should, except 

 in extremely hot weather. Putting a super beneath 

 the hive might have a tendency to check swarm- 

 ing; but we believe that is all it would accomplish. 



A virgin queen, when she goes out with an 

 after-swarm, does "not meet the drone unless the 

 bees follow her on her mating trip, which they 

 will do sometimes. Ordinarily the swarm seeks 

 its new quarters ; and after they are comfortably 

 settled, the virgin queen goes out on her mating- 

 trip. — Ed.] _ 



The Difference Between Golden and Five-banded 

 Bees 



What is the difference between golden bees and 

 the five-banded Italians? What is the difference 

 in the color? Do you think there are differences 

 in the working qualities ? Do you think the golden 

 bees would suit where I live ? 



Meadow Creek, W. Va. Ale.k. Bennett. 



[The golden Italian refers to extra-yellow bees, 

 without reference to any number of yellow bands. 

 The five-banded Italians refer to bees that have 

 five yellow bands, and such are supposed to be 

 extra yellow. Our own preference is, however, 

 for the leather-colored Italians, because in our 

 experience the extra-yellow bees are short-lived 

 and inclined to be cross. — Ed.] 



