772 



I'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



WITH 



REPLIES by Prominent Apiarists. 



Constructing Chaff Hives. 



Qnery, No, 168.— Suppose the outside of a 

 chaffhlveismadeofj^-lnch lumber, then a 1-inch 

 air-space, and then a chaff-space. WdUld it be 

 better with an air-space and a ch;>ff-space than a 

 chaff-space alone ? If so, should the air-space be 

 next to the brood-chamber, or outside? How 

 much of a space should be filled with chaff ?—M. 

 M., Iowa 



I am not sure but a dead-air space 

 is as good as a chaff-space, and two 

 would be better than one.— G. M. 



DOOLITTLE. 



I should have only the one chaff 

 space, and the wider this is the safer, 

 I presume. 1 have yet to see the 

 chaff hives that stand all our winters 

 here in Michigan. I am not a chatf 

 hive bee-lceeper, and so I am not an 

 authority on such hives— A. J. Cook. 



Yes, so far as retaining the heat is 

 concerned. It may not be important, 

 but I should put the chaff next to the 

 bees. If you mean how large a space, 

 I should say 4 inches ot chaff in 

 thickness; the whole space should be 

 filled with chaff.— W. Z.Hutchinson. 



In my own experiments I have 

 found a dead-air space alone fully as 

 safe as where chaff is used. I prefer 

 the inner wall of a double-walled hive 

 to be not over % of an inch thick, 

 whether chaff' or a dead-air space is 

 used. Space forbids my giving an 

 explanation, but I believe the dead- 

 air-space plan is in accordance with 

 correct scientific principles.— J. E. 

 Pond, Jr. 



We think this is rather too much 

 of an expense and an additional 

 weight, although the chaff hive is 

 better than a single-walled hive. We 

 should use either the air space alone 

 or the chaff alone. Make the chaff 2 

 or 3 inches thick.— Dadant & Son. 



In a hive constructed as stated, the 

 air-space will prevent the accumula- 

 tion of frost on the sides and cnvpr of 

 the hive where top ventilation is 

 given. It would therefore be belter, 

 but the air space must be outside of 

 the chaff. Three inches for chaff 

 space closely packed would be suf- 

 ficient. With exclusive bottom ven- 

 tilation I do not think such construc- 

 tion would be an advantage.— G. L. 

 Tinker. 



I do not think that a careful test 

 would show any material difference 

 between dead-air and chaff, and chaff 

 alone. The chaff is used to make the 

 air dead, when the joints are imper- 

 fect. There is no heat in chaff. If 

 I used both in the same hive, I should 

 put the chaff space outside. I would 

 not use any cumbersome double- 

 walled hives. I have tried them 

 thoroughly.— Jajies Heddon. 



Size of Entrance in Winter. 



Query, No. 1 09. —The entrances of ray chaff 

 hives are %x5 inches. Wnuld this be too large for 

 out-door winterin;r, wtien the temperature is from 

 10 to 20 degrees below zero ?— S. J.. Canada. 



No. I use %xl2 inches.— G. M. Doo- 



LITTLE. 



I think not. I believe it is a mis- 

 take to close the entrance to a very 

 small space, as some do,— G. W. 

 Demaree. 



I should say so. — A. J. Cook. 



I have not wintered bees out-doors 

 for years, but from what I have read, 

 I should want the entrances as large, 

 if not larger, than %x5 inches. — C. C. 

 Miller. 



I think not.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



I think not ; at any rate I should 

 prefer them larger rather than 

 smaller. Moisture is the enemy to be 

 dreaded, and can only be guarded 

 against by giving full ventilation. — J. 

 E. Pond, Jr. 



If you give upper absorbents or 

 ventilation. the lower ventilation need 

 not be half as much as you say. If 

 there is no escape for moisture above, 

 the bees will need plenty of bottom 

 ventilation. If you use a chaff cush- 

 ion, an inch of lower ventilation will 

 do, if not clogged up by dead bees. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



No. I should leave a board up 

 against the entrance, and bank all up, 

 over and around it, with snow, if 

 there was any, and if not. with hay or 

 straw. When you see that the bees 

 can fly safely, pull the board forward, 

 and after flight put it back.— James 

 Heddon. 



The entrance should be made large 

 or small according to the plan of ven- 

 tilation. For a full colony in a chaff 

 hive out-of-doors, good upward ven- 

 tilation may be given through an 

 all-wool cushion one inch thick, leav- 

 ing a vacant chamber over it. and 

 suitBble openings through the cover. 

 In this case the entrance should not 

 be over %x.S inches. I want no chaff', 

 leaves or sawdust over the cluster in 

 top ventilation. In a well-packed 

 chaff hive, with no ventilation" at all, 

 I want the entrance not less than 

 J)4x8 inches. In this case the .sniper is 

 filled with chaff, etc.— G. L. Tinker. 



Convention Notices. 



tS" The Tuscarawas County Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold its foui^ti semi-annual 

 meeting at Port Washington, O., on Thurs- 

 day, Dec. 10, 1H8.">. A general invitation is 

 extended. Geo. P. Williams, Sec. 



tS~ The Northeastern Kansas Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association will meet at the Court House 

 at Hiawatha, Kans., on Friday, Dec. 11. 188."), 

 at 10 a.m. All interested in bee-culture are 

 Invited to attend. L. C. Clark, Sec. 



t^' The annual meeting of the Champlain 

 Valley Bee-Keepers' Association will be held 

 In Middlebury, Vt., on Jan. 21. 1886. 



R. H. Holmes, Sec. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1885. Time and place of Meetivo. 



Dec. 8— 10.— MichiBan State, at Detroit, Mich. 



H. D. Cutting, Sec, (Clinton. Mich. 



Deo. 8— in.— North American, at Detroit. Mich. 



W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec, RogerSTille, Mich. 



Dec. 8-10.— Northwestern, at Detroit, Mich, 



W. Z. Hutchinson. Sec. UoKeraviile. Mich. 



Dec. 8— 10.— S. E. Michisan, at Detroit, Mich. 



A. M. Gander. Sec. Adrian, Mich. 



Dec. 10.— Tuscarawas Co.. at Port WashinEton, O, 

 Geo. F. Williams, Sec, New Philadelphia. O. 



Dec 11.— Northeastern Kan., at Hiawatha, Kan. 

 L. C. Clark, Sec, Granada, Kan. 

 Ift8(>. 

 Jan. 21.— Cbamplain Valley, at Middlebury, Vt. 



R. H. Holmes, Sec, Shoreham, Vt. 



Apr. 27.— Des Moines County, at Burlincton, Iowa. 

 Jno. Nau. Sec, Middletown, Iowa. 



^" In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.— KD. 



OUR CLUBBING LIST for 1886. 



We supply the American Bee Journal 



for 1886, and any of the following publica- 

 tions, at the prices quoted in the lastcolunia 

 of figures. The first column gives the regu- 

 lar price of both. All postage prepaid. 



Price of both. Club 

 The American Bee Journal 1 00.. 



and Gleanings in Bee-Cultui-e 2 00.. 1 75 



Bee-Keepers'Magazine 2 00.. 1 75- 



Bee-Keepers' Guide 150.. 140- 



The Apiculturist 2 00.. 1 75 



Canadian Bee Journal 2 00. . 1 75 



Texas Bee Journal 2 00.. 1 75 



The 7 above-named papers 6 50. . 5 50 



and City and Country 2 00 . . 1 50- 



New York Independent 4 00.. 3 30 



American Agriculturist 2 50.. 2 25 



American Poultry Journal ...2 25.. 175 



and Cook's Manual 2 25.. 2 OO 



Bees and Honey (Newman). ..2 00.. 175 

 Binder for Am. Bee Journal.. 1 75.. 1 60 

 Apiary Register— 100 colonies 2 25.. 2 OO 

 Dziorzon's Bee-Book (cloth). . .3 00.. 2 00 

 Dzierzon's Bee-Book (paper).. 2 50.. 2 OO 

 Quinbv's New Bee-Keeping ..2 50.. 2 25 

 Lane-stroth's Standard Work .3 00.. 2 75 

 Koof s A B C of Bee-Culture. .2 25.. 2 10 



Alley's Queen-Rearing 2 50.. 2 25 



Farmer's Account Book 4 00.. 3 OO 



Guide and Hand-Book 1 50.. 1 30 



Honey as Food and Medicine. 



tW To create Honey Markets in every 

 village, town and city, wide-awake honey 

 producers should get the Leaflets " Why Eat 

 Honey" (only 50 cents per 100), or else the 

 pamphlets on "Honey as Food and Medicine,'* 

 and scatter them plentifully, and the result 

 will be a demand for all of their crops at 

 remunerative prices. " Honey as Food and 

 Medicine " are sold at the following prices : 



Single copy, 5 cts. ; per doz., 40 cts. ; per 

 hundred, $^.50. Five hundred will be sent 

 postpaid for $10.00; or 1,000 for $15,00. 



On orders of 100 or more, we will print, if 

 desired, on the cover-page, "Presented by," 

 etc. (giving the name and address of the bee- 

 keeper who scatters them). 



To Klve an'ay a copy of "Honey as Food" 



and Medicine " to every one who buj-s a 

 package of honey, will sell almost any quan- 

 tity of it. 



Preserve your papers for reference. 

 If you have no BINDER we will mail you 

 one tor 75 cents, or you can have one free: 

 if you will send us 4 new yearly subscrip- 

 tions for the Bee Journal. 



