•X^HE aMERICS.r« BEE JQURMfSI^. 



85 



«»^«^AJ 



Extending; the Brood.C'liaiiibcr 

 to Siccure 9Iore Bees. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



«luery 611.— Is it necfeeary, or advisable, 

 to again expand the brood-chamber to secure 

 bees enough for the colony to winter well, 

 havlDK '" en contracted too or 6 Langetroth 

 combs thrunerh the white honey season, or 

 from about July 1 to Aug. 10 ?— New York. 



Yes, — H. D. Cutting. 



Yes, sir. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



I tliink not. — A. J. Cook. 



I am afraid that it is C. C. Miller. 



I should say that it is desirable. — A. 

 B, Mason. 



It is not necessary, but in my opin- 

 ion it is desirable. — R. L. Taylor. 



No : 6 frames are sufficient both for 

 brood and stores. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Yes. /do not practice "contract- 

 ing" during the hone}' season. " Keep 

 your colonies strong." — W.M.Barnum. 



I would certainly use more frames 

 in the brood-chamber, if there was a 

 good flow of honey, and the season 

 was favorable. — J. P. H. Browt*. 



We never would contract to 5 or 6 

 Langstroth frames. It is more dam- 

 aging than useful. — Dadant & Son. 



The more bees, the better. I prefer 

 to contract for winter, than during the 

 summer. — P. L. Viallon. 



If I had contracted the hives to 5 or 

 6 Langstroth frames, I think that I 

 should again expand them to about 8 

 frames, to make sure of getting plent}' 

 of bees for winter. — C. H. Dibbekn. 



No, not in this locality ; nor do I be- 

 lieve that it is necessary in an}- similar 

 locality in the United States. — James 

 Heddon. 



Much depends upon locality and 

 seaSon. In some seasons it would be 

 advisable, and in others it would not, 

 I would not contract at all, unless I 

 expected to feed for winter stores. — 

 M. Mahin. 



Not to secure bees, but it is often 

 advisable to so do, tliat the dark or 

 fall honey may be stored in the brood- 

 comb for food for the bees to winter 



on. — G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



The contracting and expanding 

 question is as yet wholly theoretical, 

 and no rule can be laid down to gov- 

 ern it. The only rule I know of in 

 the matter is, to expand as the colony 

 seems to demand. My bees winter 

 well on from 3 to 8 or 9 Langstroth 

 frames, — J, E. Pond. 



Do you refer to out-door wintering 

 when, you sa}-, " bees enough for the 

 colony to winter well ?" If so, perhaps 



it would be desirable, still I think that 

 even 5 or 6 frames well tilled with 

 brood would make a strong colony — 

 certainly strong enough if wintered in 

 a proper repository. More bees than 

 are necessary to winter well are a 

 positive damage to the bee-keeper 

 after the honey How. — Eugene Secok. 



In the first place, I think that it is a 

 mistake to contract at all, if your hives 

 are no larger than an 8 or 10 frame 

 Langstroth hive ; but if you must waste 

 your time and injure your bees in that 

 way, it will be necessary to build up 

 3our wasted and impoverished colonies 

 if you would have them in good trim 

 for wintering, — G, W. Demaree. 



I think that the 8-frame Langstroth 

 brood-chamber is just right. This 

 chamber is 12 inches wide, inside. I 

 contract by slipping in an extra brood- 

 frame, making 9 ; this lessens the spare 

 space, and gives more room for brood, 

 thus crowding the bees into the supers. 

 I consider horizontal, and vertical 

 contraction, and the checking of the 

 queen's disposition to lay, the cheapest 

 kind of "twaddle." — J. M. Shuck. 



Though it is not necessary, it may 

 be desirable to do so under certain 

 circumstances ; but as a general rule it 

 is not advisable to do so. — The Editor. 



» A * _ »* X^ * » «»»<>••« 



Keeping Bees in a 

 Slicd. 



House or 



Writtai for the American Bee Journal 



Query 612.— I have abee-ehed64 feet long, 

 extending east and west ; it is 8 feet wide, and 

 the north side has sbulters, so that I can ra.ee 

 them in hot weather, and close them in the 

 time of swarms. On the west end of it I have 

 a house for keeping honey and bee-fixtures. 

 The sun does not shine on the hives at all In 

 hot weather. 1, Is this a good place to keep 

 bees ? 2. Is a house a good place to keep bees 

 in, and let them pass ttirough openings in the 

 wall ?— Ind. 



1. No. 2. I think not— A. J. Cook. 



1. Yes. 2. Not so good as a lawn, 

 in my opinion. — Will M. Barnum. 



I have never used a "bee-house." I 

 prefer the open ground. — H. D. Cut- 

 ting. 



1. I would not like it. 2. I would 

 not like a house, either. — C. C. Miller. 



I prefer to have my hives out-of- 

 doors. — J. P. H. Brown. 



1. Yes. 2. The shed is far better 

 than a house. — Dadant & Son. 



1. It is, both for winter and summer. 

 2. I have never used a house, but I 

 would not consider it desirable. — Mrs. 

 L. Harrison. 



I prefer to have bees in the open air, 

 and, if possible, partially shaded from 

 the evening sun by trees. — P. L. Vial- 

 lon. 



1. You ought to be able to answer 

 this question better than I can, for I 



never tried it (and I never shall). I 

 have never heard of a bee-liou.se (or 

 house apiary) lliat paid the interest on 

 the investment. — Eugene Secor. 



1. In this climate I prefer that bees 

 stand out, with only a little .shade in 

 the summer. Your shed is all right 

 for winter. 2. I doubt it. — M. Mahin. 



1. Your description is too indefinite. 

 Does the sun shine on the bees in cool 

 weather ? Is the shed an open one, 

 or is it closed on all sides ? If it is 

 cool in hot weather, and warm in cool 

 weather, it would do. 2. That de- 

 pends. See answer to 1. It would 

 generally be a very inconvenient place. 

 — R, L, Taylor, 



1. A shed like you describe has been 

 often used, but I think with poor satis- 

 faction. It requires a great deal more 

 labor to manipulate bees in a pcnned- 

 up place like a shed. 2. No. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



I. The shed has its advantages and 

 disadvantages, all things considered. 

 I would prefer open territory, with 

 large sun shades, and wind-breaks on 

 the north and west. 2. NO ! — J. M. 

 Hambaugh. 



1. I prefer to have the hives where 

 the sun can shine on them in the 

 morning and evening, and be shaded 

 in the hotter part of the day. 2. Hav- 

 ing never tried it, I do not know. 

 Some prefer a house. — A. B. Mason. 



After keeping bees for many years, 

 in all sorts of places, I prefer at last 

 the full glare of the summer sun. Let 

 the hives have a good shade-board for 

 the hottest weather. I do not think 

 that a house or a shed, or a shady 

 place, is a good place to keep bees. — 

 J. M. Shuck, 



I. I know a bee-keeper who has just 

 such a shed, and his bees do well, and 

 it is a comfortable place for bees and 

 bee-keeper. 2. A house where the 

 bees pass out through the wall is a 

 very good place for bees, but the ex- 

 pense of such a place is out of propor- 

 tion to all the advantages. A good 

 hive and a little shade is all that is 

 required. — C. H. Dibbern. 



1. With proper care and attention 

 I should say that it would, although I 

 prefer the open air. 2. From my own 

 experience, I should say no. Some 

 claim to have been successful with 

 such houses. They demand too much 

 care and attention to suit my time or 

 convenience. — .1, E. Pond. 



1. It is very good in some respects, 

 and very bad in others. I prefer the 

 entirely out-doors system. 2, I aban- 

 doned the house apiary, where the bees 

 flew through the wail. It has both 

 advantages and disadvantages, but 

 more of the latter, I think, consider- 

 ing expense and all. — James Heddon. 



