POULTRY AND BEES. 513 



near the lop of the hive the lower entrance can be nearly closed. 

 The honey board should be removed and a straw top put in its 

 place, over which put the regular top. Drive stakes around 

 the hives and pack in straw. All but the front of the hive 

 should be thickly covered, with straw. The entrance should 

 face the southeast. We have seen colonies thus packed buried 

 in a snow bank half the winter and come out in good 

 shape in the spring. In January^ breeding is again commenced. 

 In November and Decemher there is no breeding, and but little 

 activity in the hive, but now active preparations are com- 

 menced. Supposing the bees to have been closed up on the 

 first of December, about the middle of January the bottom of 

 the hives should be cleaned of all dead bees and the bees that 

 are housed supplied with water. Eemove the wire cloth from 

 one of the centre holes in the honey board and put in its 

 place a sponge filled with sweetened water. Cover the sponge 

 with a tumbler. Again in about a month the hive should be 

 cleaned, and if any of the stocks have exhausted their stores 

 they must be fed. 



We have thus far spoken only of management in the mova- 

 ble comb hives, and have recommended only Langstroth's. It 

 is the only one with which we are perbonally familiar, but \(e 

 are assured on good authority that che '■^American Hivc^^ is 

 equally meritorious. 



Box Hives will still be largely used, at least until th« great 

 superiority of the movable comb hives is felt, and we will give 

 a few directions for managing them. The shape of the hive 

 should be long from front to rear, fifteen inches deep, twelve 

 inches wide, and twelve inches high. About these proportions 

 will be found to be the best. Inch boards unplaned are betier 

 than planed. The timber should be thoroughly seasoned and 

 \rwy carefully put togethei. The hive should set into a 



