146 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



the cap, which should have some vent- 

 ilation near the top. I use two divis- 

 ion-boards in the large Dadant hives, 

 and place seven or eight frames of 

 honey in the center with the division 

 boards up next to the honey, then it 

 leaves about four inches to till with 

 leaves between the division boards and 

 outer wall of the hive on each side of 

 the cluster. As my caps are different 

 from anything I have read of, I will 

 describe them. They are composed of 

 a rim 8 inches wide without bottom 

 or top. With the bottom and top 

 edges cut ship lap so the lower <-,\ 

 tits over the top of the body of the 

 hive and the shallow roof fits over the 

 top edge of the rim. After removing 

 this; shallow roof this chamber 8 ins. 

 in depth can be tilled with leaves and 

 packed right where wanted a great 

 deal quicker and better than the old- 

 fashioned roof. In the summer time 

 it is left right on the hive and the 

 case containing the combs for. ex- 

 tracting fits right inside of it and rests 

 on the division-boards and end.- of the 

 body. The top-bars of the division- 

 boards are § inch thick and the should- 

 ers of the top-bars of the frames only 

 | inch, thus leaving a bee space of \ 

 inch between the brood-chambei and 

 brood case. 



But to return to the outer-case : 

 After tilling the roof and stuffing un- 

 derneath. We take 8 of the pieces !7 

 inches long and 10 inches wide, Cost- 

 ing just exactly j! cents for the 8, and 

 thread them with twine at the top and 

 bottom. Draw this around the hive 

 with the bottom end resting on the 

 ground. Now tie the bottom ends of 

 the strings together and the top ends 

 ; her, .leaving about one-third of 



the south side of the entrance end un- 

 covered. (I have the entrance of most 

 of my hives facing east) Now crowd 

 leaves between the lath andoutsideof 

 the hive beginning first at the back 

 corner.- of the hive. Crowd them in 

 pretty tightly and they will shed 

 water almost equal to a duck's hack, 

 except right at the top, and they will 

 dry readily even in winter, as they 

 are up where the wind and sun can 

 strike them. I have to hear id' a bet- 

 ter wav for wintering bees. It is well 

 to have this packing cover most of the 

 entrance loosely and crowd the leaves 

 tight about the entrance, so as to shade 

 it on sun shining days, as the bees 

 should he kept from flying as much as 

 possible on chilly days during the 

 winter, even though the sun does 

 shine out warm. Straw, chaff, saw- 

 dust, planer shavings, etc., are not to 

 be compared to leaves. I have tried 

 lining hives with building paper but 

 it makes the hives too damp, in fact 

 wet The Dadants, in their "Langstroth 

 Revised," say that they have for years, 

 with success, wintered as above. 

 Upper Alton, 111. 



Ventilating Bee Hives. 



BY H. M. DE WITT. 



Ventilation. — Bees get it, ordina'- 

 rily,th rough the entrance, and through 

 the cracks and crevices which are gen- 

 erally found in even the best made 

 hives, providing the hive is properly 

 constructed in other respects consid- 

 ered under the head of wintering bees, 

 I do not believe in holes made in dif- 

 ferent portions of the hive and cover- 

 ed with wire cloth, because the bees 

 persistently wax tin- wire cloth over, 

 just as soon a.- they get strong enough 



