18 



7 HE AMERICAN BEE-KEEVER. 



proven a source of trouble and dissat- 

 isfaction in their wintering qualities. 



These experiences have led me to 

 look more on the strain of bees as a 

 remedy to our winter trouble than 

 anything else. 



From the foregoing it will he seen 

 that I do not go much on winter pack- 

 ing. Spring packing may have some 

 merit, at least it is not so objection- 

 able as winter packing, as the ap- 

 proaching warm spring weather tends 

 to keep it dried out, yet I am not so 

 sure that anything more is needful 

 than a single walled, or a thin double 

 walled hive with the cover tightly 

 glued on, either for winter or spring, 

 for I am well convinced that the best 

 winter or spring packing either, is a 

 good, hardy winter strain of bees. 



Waynesburg, Pa. 



My Experience with Bees. 



BY D. B. STORY. 



I was always a great lover of honey. 

 When a small boy about seven years 

 old, I went to my Uncles, who lived 

 near and kept bees, to get honey to 

 eat. He told me to go up stairs in 

 his dry-house and help myself. Among 

 the combs were some containing more 

 or less sealed brood. Of course I se- 

 cured some of these, and came down 

 munching lively, with the "milk," 

 as Uncle said, running out at the 

 cn-ners of my mouth. I was laughed 

 at of course, but it did not dampen my 

 love for honey. 



When about twelve years old father 

 commenced keeping bees in old box 

 hives, and had fair success. I used to 

 help him hive the swarms. After 

 teaching school twelve years 1 started 

 in the nursery business, and followed 



that a few years, when I conceived 

 the idea of keeping bees in conjunc- 

 tion with the nursery. Three years 

 ago. after reading Root's A B. C. 

 carefully, I purchased a good swarm 

 of Italians for $3.50. They increased 

 to tluee stands the next year, and 

 gave me seventy-five pounds surplus 

 honey. The second year they gave 

 me no increase but about one hundred 

 pounds surplus. That fall 1 purchas- 

 ed from a neighbor twenty-seven 

 stands in fair condition, with fixtures 

 consisting of hives, crates, sections, 

 etc., to the amount of $30.00, giving 

 him for bees and fixtures $120. This 

 made my apiary consist of thirty 

 stands. 



I moved them rather late in the fall, 

 and packed them on summer stands 

 except four which I placed in the cel- 

 lar. I removed the outside frames, 

 placing thin dummy boards next the 

 comb, and filled in between dummy 

 and hive on both sides with chaff and 

 sawdust. I prefer the chaff. 



They came out last spring in fair 

 shape, except two, which had became 

 queen less. Those in the cellar were 

 no better than the outside packed 

 ones. True, the winter was mild, but 

 I think, with proper protection, such 

 as your outside winter case, that bees 

 will winter outside as well as in a re- 

 pository and save the trouble of car- 

 rying in and out. 



I used Doolittle'splan of manipulat- 

 ing frames — changing outside frames 

 to inside as fast as they fill the inside 

 ones with brood, and I think tolerably 

 well of the plan. 



I "clipped" all of my queens, but 

 from what experience I have had, and 

 the experience of others, I think 1 shall 



