THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



73 



quietly united with the colony already located 

 there. Next day the hees flew briskly, using 

 the liole in the window as a comniou pass.ige. 

 On the Utli of Auaust, I found tliat they had 

 built downward live fine combs, twenty-one 

 inclies long and ten inches broad. I now left 

 the door of the garden-house constantly open 

 for their accommodation, and they at once gave 

 the new passage-way the preference — contiuu 

 ing to labor wiih great assiduity. Judging from 

 appearances that they had not a pound of lioney 

 in store in the combs, I gave them, on the 20th 

 and 21st of September, seven pouuds of granu- 

 lated sugar dissolved, which they eagerly and 

 speedily carried up. On the 10th of October, I 

 covered the cluster in the room willi three folds 

 of woolen blanl-Let, and protected it on the out- 

 side with a stout sack nailed against the win- 

 dow ; and thus left it. 



On the 17th of Jauu.ary and the 17th of Feb- 

 ruary, when bees from my other hives were fly- 

 ing, none made their appearance from this col- 

 ony, though tliey always responded promptly 

 Willi a buzz, when I tapped on their domic ile to 

 ascertain whether tliey were living. On the 

 33d of February, they first began to fly, and re- 

 peated this with a general "turnout" on the 

 29th. No dead bees were carried out; and from 

 the 9th of March on, they flew regularly and 

 briskly, showing that the coiony was then 

 alri-ady populous — being actually the most lively 

 and vigoious colony in the apiary, forwheie 

 any sweet was to be appropriated they were 

 sure to be first on hand. I now resolved, in the 

 first place, that tliey should build no drone 

 comb, and Avith this view^ I attached to one 

 side eight woiker combs built on bars — thus the 

 entire window, thirty imhes long, was filled 

 out. I resolved, in the second place, that the 

 colony should not &warm, if it could be pre- 

 vented ; and to that end I removed the woolen 

 blanketing on the 23d of April, thus leaving 

 them and their location open and exposed, as 

 in the previous summer. Nevertheless, they 

 increased so rapiuly in numbers, that, on the 

 24th of May, all the combs were densely cover- 

 ed, and a large cluster was suspended below, 

 busily building drone combs. I now again left 

 the door of the garden-house constant'y open, 

 and they soon passed in that direction in main 

 force. It miiiht now'be tru'y called a colossal 

 colony. But to my great regret, and in spile of 

 all my precautions, a strong swarm left oa the 

 22d of June. I then determined to direct all 

 my efforts to prevent after swarming. As soon 

 as I hiard tlie flist young queen teeting and 

 others responding, I shut the hdle in the win- 

 dow and closed the door of the house, prevent- 

 ing yll egress. After keeping them in confine- 

 ment four days, I concluded to let them fly for 

 an hour or two ; and at noon, on the 4th of 

 July, I opened the hole and the door ; and in 

 eight minutes after swarming began. I closed 

 the hole and door again, darkening the chamber, 

 but nothing could now restrain them. In the 

 darkness they pitched down on the table at the 

 window and lolled so wildly about on it in 

 dense nr-isses that I was glad to set them free 

 once more. Hastily attaching a swarming net 

 to the window, I arrested the swarm as it was 



making its exit tliere, and transferred it to a 

 hive. I feared that the parent stock was now 

 so greatly reduced in numbers as to be worth- 

 less ; yet in October f- llowing it again hung 

 there as before, in colossal strength. At the end 

 of October, I once more applied the protecting 

 woolen blankets. In the course of tiie winter, 

 the bees flew out repeatedly, and to-day (April 

 30ih) they are vigorous and active. 



Now, what have I learned from all this ? 



1. In wiut&riiig hees, it is neediest to be so exceed- 

 ingly careful and anxious, if they are Avell sup- 

 plied with stores, and their hive can shield them 

 from the severiiy of the weather. Placing them 

 in some wintering repository, is a useless and 

 superfluous labor; and is less conducive to their 

 health and comfort, than when wintered out of 

 doors. For twelve years past, I have wintered 

 my bees alternately in a cool, dark, dry, and 

 quiet cellar, and in the open air. When housed 

 many died, dysen'ery prevailed among them, 

 and the stocks weie weak in the spring. When 

 left in the open air, on the other hand, none of 

 these evils weie experienced. 



2. Water dearth is a mere imaginary trouble, 

 for the colony liad overhead no covering on 

 which vaf or or moisture could condense. The 

 window recess is only four inches broad, and 

 all the rest was covered with woolen blanketing, 

 which certainly absorbed all moisture. During 

 the last fourteen years I have kept my bees in 

 top-opening hives. In the first four years, I did 

 not close the interstices between the slats form- 

 ing the honey board, leaving open sucii of ihem 

 as the bees themselves had not closed ; merely 

 placing thereon a sheet of Ihii k paper and a 

 cushion filled with hay : — and they wintered 

 well. Then the idea occurred to me that it 

 might be better to close all these interstices 

 thoroughly. Adopting the notion, I plastered 

 them shut; with clay. But the bees did not win- 

 ter any better than before. As this plastering 

 in the bee-house was attended with much incon- 

 venience, I omitted it during the last four 

 years on the six colonies wintered there ; and 

 these not only passed the winter as well as any 

 of the others, but came out last spring as true 

 colossal colonies. I had merely, as in former 

 years, placed a sheet of thick paper on the hon- 

 ey board, laid an old coffee bag on that, and 

 covered this with a layer (f about four inches of 

 liay . There teas no trace of water dearth f Only 

 be careful that your bees are not restricted to old 

 candled honey for winter food. 



3. Bees icill sicarm when so dispised, in spite 

 ot all the preventions the hee-keeper may use. 

 Give them -is mueh room as you please, and 

 ventilation to reduce the temperature ; yet go 

 they will, if the swarming mania seizes them. 

 This colony had the entire garden-house as 

 room for expansion ; and that it is a cool place, 

 I am very certain ; still the swarm left. Only 

 by removing combs of maturing brood, and in- 

 serting empty combs, can swarming be pre- 

 vented. 



4. That a colony may be well wintered on seven 

 pounds of granulated sugar. In the first year 

 my small colony had not one pound of honey 

 in store. Ignve it seven pounds of granulated 

 sugar in solution , and it was in a splendid con- 



