PUBLISHRD MONTHLY BY THE W T FALCONER MANFG CO. 



VOL. I. 



OCTOBBR, 1891. 



NO. IO. 



Wintering Bees. 



BY A N. DRAPKR. 



It would seem that this* subject has 

 been pretty thoroughly discussed from 

 every standpoint, and yet it seems as 

 interesting- as ever. 



In this locality the wintering prob- 

 lem lias never been difficult. A fair 

 sized colony, with plenty of stores, will 

 live through the winter almost any- 

 where, in the cellar or on the summer 

 stands. 



The only thing then is to determine 

 in what way to winter so as to have 

 them in the best possible shape for the 

 early spring crop of honey, with the 

 least expense of labor and honey and 

 cost of protection. 



The plan of hauling bees home from 

 out-apiaries for the purpose of placing 

 in the cellar for winter, is too labori- 

 ous for one moments consideration. 



The idea of an outsine winter case 

 is usually too expensive. 



My winter cases cost mebut2cenls 

 per hive for my large, improved Da- 

 dant-Quinby hives. 'The 8-frame Sim- 

 plicity case cost but H cents per hive. 

 This looks unreasonable, but it is a 

 fact all the same. 



1 found a lot of lath that had been 

 used in an old pressed brick factory, 



almost new. They were 2 feet S ins. 

 long. There were six laths nailed to- 

 gether with four cross-pieces nailed 

 and clinched to them. I simply cut 

 these apart in the middle, making two 

 solid pieces, 17 inches long by 10 ins. 

 wide, composed of pieces of laths, 

 with two pieces of lath clinched to 

 them at right angles. There is a crack 

 of from \ to ^ inch between each two 

 lath. 



I use six of these around an 8-frame 

 Simplicity hive, and eight around a 

 large Dadant hive. They are held in 

 position by coarse tarred twine such 

 as is used to hold box lumber together, 

 or such as coopers use to hold barrel 

 hoops and staves, etc. 



My hives are placed on bricks or 

 stakes from three to six inches from 

 the ground. I pack my bees just 

 about the time leaves have fallen from 

 the forest trees, and use the leaves to 

 pack with. I use a wagon box with 

 extra high side boards and end gates 

 to haul the leaves in. One man tramps 

 the leaves in the box while another 

 tosses them in with a large two bushel 

 basket. It takes about one load to 20 

 hives. It is but a short job if done 

 at the right time. We first stuff the 

 leaves under the hive tight, then fill 



