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PICULTURIST, 



A Journal Devoted to Practical Beekeeping. 



VOL. IX. 



NOVEMBER, 1891. 



No. II. 



CONTRACTING THE BEOOD-CIIAM- 

 11 EK FOR WIXIER. 



Mks. a. L. IIollenbeck. 



Henry Alley- : Tlic Api Tor Oct. 

 just received and as usual it is good 

 an(] contains inlorniation on several 

 sid)jects tliat was just what 1 wislie<l to 

 know ; hut ahout one suhject on which 

 I would like to have a little advice I 

 can find nothing. My bees are all in 

 ten Iranie L. hives. The old swarm 

 have lilled all ten frames full, but 

 some of the new swarms have only 

 eight frames full. Now, what I want 

 to know is this : " AVill the}' not be 

 more likely to winter well if I remove 

 the two outside frames from each hive 

 and put in their place tight fitting di- 

 vision-boards, thus making them the 

 same as eight-frame hives?" I have 

 noticed that the bees seldom use an}' 

 honey from the outside frames during 

 the winter, and the question is. Would 

 they not be better off with a smaller 

 place to keep warm? I winter on 

 summer stands. 



Now for a bee slory which I would 

 liUe to have some one explain if pos- 

 sible. 



Al)out September 5th, a swarm of 

 bees having a fine young Italian queen 

 (hatched in the hive) and five frames 

 of her own brood in all stages, left 

 the hive, queen and all, e.\-cept bees 

 too young to fly, and went to a hive 

 containing the strongest colony in 

 the yard. The pile of dead bees in 

 front of the hive of the strong colony 

 attracted ni}' attention, and a little 



ball of bees on the alighting board 

 showed me where to look for the 

 queen which was dead. 



I lost a nucleus swarm in July in 

 exactly the same w-ay, but as they 

 were in a small hive, supposed it was 

 the heat made them swarm out. 

 These last, however, were in a large 

 hive, in the shade, had some honey in 

 the f-ombs and plenty of golden-rod in 

 the fields. Now, what do you sup- 

 pose [)ossessed them to make them 

 act in such a manner? 



GOOD QUEEXS. 



If all of those 1200 queens 3-011 

 have sent out this year are as good 

 as the Italians 3'ou sent me, there 

 must have been a pile of honey gath- 

 ered for somebody this year. Three 

 frames of hatching brood, one of 

 honey, and a little feed till they got 

 started and the bees were old enough 

 to work in the field, was all I did for 

 them. The one received June 20 

 has her ten-frame hive packed full 

 and enough surplus to pay for herself 

 and her hive beside. The one re- 

 ceived about July 2o has nine frames 

 full. Now, do you honestly believe 

 the Funics could do any better? If 

 they can I shall have to try one next 

 jear sure. 



Millard, Nehraslca. 



By all means remove the two out- 

 side cond)s. Not only would this be 

 a great benefit to the colony in 

 winter, but the real advantage by 

 such a plan would be better appreci- 

 ated in the spring. The bees will 



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