834 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



vise keeping the cellar as warm as pos- 

 sible, or from 40^ to 45°, which is aboiit 

 10° above freezing. 



Mr. Dayton referred to Mr. Muth, of 

 Cincinnati, Ohio. Is it possible that Mr. 

 Dayton has tried to follow southern 

 Ohio and Kentucky in wintering bees '? 

 If so, I would say that I am further 

 south than Mr. D., who wintered his 

 bees in Wisconsin ; but the advice ap- 

 plicable to southern Ohio for wintering 

 bees will not answer for central Iowa, 

 but will only do in that latitude and 

 further south. For my guidance in such 

 matters, I follow the directions of such 

 bee-keepers as Dr. Miller, Mr. Doolittle, 

 Mrs. Harrison and G. R. Pierce — people 

 of my latitude, and further north. 



I would like to ask Mr. D. why it is 

 that water will gather on the windows 

 and walls while the ceilings of the house 

 are dry ; and at the head of a nail frost 

 will accumulate, and not on the ceiling, 

 when the thermometer registers below 

 zero. Furthermore, if any apiarist 

 wishes to experiment in regard to the 

 evaporation of bees, take a strong col- 

 ony, remove the cover, and replace it 

 with a glass, and watch the results. Try 

 setting them on a level, then place the 

 hive so the back will be about 4 inches 

 higher than the front. You can then 

 see the results as you cannot see them 

 through a clapboard. 



Suppose Mr. D. should employ a car- 

 penter to build a house, and he should 

 make the roof so that it would turn the 

 water inside of the house instead of out- 

 side, and all over the occupants. Would 

 there not be a commotion somewhere 

 about Mr. D.'s premises ? Most assur- 

 edly. Well, Mr. D. has done that very 

 thing ; and fixed the roof of the hives so 

 that nature did the rest. 



Coon Rapids, Iowa. 



Some Apiciiltural Holes. 



C. H. DIBBKRN. 



Never since we commenced bee-keep- 

 ing, more than 27 years ago, have we 

 had such an unfavorable spring for bees. 

 When they came out of winter quarters 

 they were In a poor condition, and 

 greatly needed bright, sunny days to in- 

 duce them to build up into normal colo- 

 nies, but inst(uid we had cold rains, and 

 stormy weather for weeks at a time, 

 wlien not a bee could wander out in 

 sciarch of new pollen, or even water. 

 Fruit bloom came and wont by, while 

 the bees were kept in the hives by cold. 



rainy weather, and the first of June 

 found many colonies with but pints and 

 quarts of bees. Then to make matters 

 still worse, more bees have died during 

 the spring, than were lost in winter. 

 More than 40 per cent, of the number 

 of colonies we had last fall are now dead. 



SUGAR SYKUP A SAFE WINTER FOOD. 



We are more than ever convinced that 

 the quality of the food has more to do 

 with wintering bees successfully than 

 any other one thing. Wherever bees 

 gathered great quantities of the so-called 

 honey-dew last year, and it was left for 

 winter stores, there the bees have died 

 in the greatest proportion. The past 

 winter has also shown that sugar syrup, 

 or syrup mixed with good honey, fed in 

 September or early October, is a safe 

 winter food. The past winter has taught 

 us a lesson that we will not soon forget. 



PUTTING ON SURPLUS-CASES, 



The time has now come when we must 

 begin to look after the surplus honey. 

 Wherever there is a hive, that is becom- 

 ing crowded on warm days, there is the 

 place to first put on the surplus-cases. 

 It would be more than useless to give 

 more room, where the bees do not half 

 occupy what they already have. The 

 point is to economize all the heat in the 

 brood-chamber until it becomes filled 

 with bees. If cases are only given 

 where and only as fast as actually 

 needed, it gives more time to have our 

 sections filled just right with foundation 

 or comb, so that the honey will be nice 

 when we do get it. All soiled sections 

 and propolized foundation or comb 

 should be carefully cut out, and replaced 

 with new foundation. 



SWARM-CATCHERS AND THEIR USE. 



After carefully considering all the 

 Various devices so far presented, we 

 have come to the conclusion, that for 

 running an out-apiary, that can be 

 visited but one day in four or five, there 

 is nothing that suits us so well as the 

 plan we used so successfully last year. 

 Wo shall change it somewhat, using but 

 two rows of perforations at the bottom, 

 and wiro-cloth for balance of frame. 

 The lower part will be made large 

 enough to cover the front of the hive 

 and one case. There will also be a 

 double rcw of perforations at the top of 

 the frame, so that some bees will work 

 through the upper part of the s warmer, 

 before the swarm occupies the upper 

 hive. The object gained is this : 



