1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



399 



the minor points of interests about the 

 bees, so that we may combine them 

 all to bear on that which will produce 

 the most honey in these times of close 

 competition and low prices. 

 Borodino, N. Y. 



Fall Management of Bees. 



BY MRS. OLIVER COLE. 



All work should be finished in the 

 apiary by the 15th of October. If 

 colonies are in need of more stores to 

 carry them through the winter they 

 should be fed as soon as possible ; it 

 is better to feed them late than not at 

 all if stores are needed. 



This season 1 find that the appear- 

 ance of the combs is very deceiving, 

 for as I lift them out many of them 

 prove to be only half full of honey, 

 the season having been a failure and 

 the bees having had to live on their 

 winter stores almost the entire fall. 

 I have been feeding this year since 

 the first of October. After taking off 

 the feeders I use the Hill device over 

 the frames for winter passages ; then 

 I put on a light chaff cushion until 

 the first of December. 



I think bees can be packed for win- 

 ter too early, for if the weather con- 

 tinues warm they are restless. I for- 

 merly used loose chaff over a burlap 

 covering for winter packing ; years 

 ago it was supposed necessary to pack 

 this way. It is very inconvenient, 

 for every time it became necessary to 

 examine the colonies even though very 

 careful, I would scatter some chaff 

 among the bees, which would annoy 

 them, and be the cause of consider- 

 able trouble to clean out later. Aside 

 from the inconvenience in making ex- 

 examinations it is considerable trouble 

 to put this kind of packing on in the 



fall and remove it in the spring. I 

 became tired of such fussy work, and 

 commenced using chaff cushion with 

 much better success some five years 

 ago. 



I now use loose burlaps for cush- 

 ions. I cut two square pieces fully 

 as large as the inside of the hive ; I 

 also cut a strip of burlap from five to 

 ten inches wide and long enough to 

 sew around the square pieces, leaving 

 one side open to turn. Then I fill 

 with oat chaff if it can be procured ; 

 if not, stravv cut fine will do. Then it 

 is sewed up and a nice square cushion 

 is the result, which will fit into the 

 corners of the hive. It is not advis- 

 able to make the cushions too hard 

 and they will pack better where two 

 are used. I make ten inch chaff cush- 

 ions for winter use, and five inch cush- 

 ions for use in the summer and fall 

 when the sections are not in. 



About the first of December, when 

 I say good-bye to my bees, I give 

 them two light cushions or one heavy 

 one. I prefer two light ones. At 

 the first oppearance of snow I contract 

 the entrance to five or six inches, and 

 put up a wide board in front of the 

 hive to keep out snow and sleet in the 

 winter. When the weather is mod- 

 erate I take the opportunity to free 

 the entrance of dead bees with a wire 

 hook and to give fresh air. Chaff 

 cushions give ventilation above. I 

 have found them so wet with mois- 

 ture or steam from the bees that I had 

 to dry them by the fire. It is not ad- 

 visable to use old carpets or rags for 

 cushions. 



WINTERING BEES. 



While many successful bee-keepers 

 winter their bees on summer stands, I 

 think the majority of northern apiar- 



