THE AMERICA* BEE-KEEPER. 



entrance is clogged with snow they do 

 not get it. I have heard of eases 

 where the bees in a hive have winter- 

 ed nicely where the hive was covered 

 with snow all winter, but this is an 

 exception and not by any means the 

 rule. I also know of bees who have 

 all died from the entrance being 

 blocked with snow ; this I think the 

 rule and not the exception. If bees 

 are wintered on the summer stands, 

 there is nothing cau be done to help 

 them, unless you have some stocks 

 who went in without a full supply of 

 winser stores ; if this be the case, ou 

 the first pleasant day, raise the cover 

 and place some cream candy on top of 

 the frames directly over the cluster 

 and under the cushions. 



If you are wintering inside, be very 

 careful to keep the room at an even 

 temperature ; do not allow it to get 

 too warm or too cold, and above all do 

 not allow any dampness ; bees can 

 stand a long siege of cold weather, but 

 they cannot stand dampness; it is sure 

 to prove fatal. If you go in the rooms 

 where they are, move very quietly so 

 as not to disturb the bees, as perfect 

 quiet is one of the principal featun s 

 of successful indoor wintering. 



I cannot close without again calling 

 your attention to the numerous works 

 on bee lore that are now in circulation 

 and if you do not avail yourself of 

 these long winter evenings, you are 

 losing valuable titne; study them well; 

 read everything that any of the writ- 

 ers have to say, and then you will be 

 competent to draw your own conclu- 

 sions. Map out your next season's 

 work and send your orders for supplies 

 early ; then should you have spare 

 time, you can best occupy it by get- 

 ting subscribers for this magazine — W. 

 B. T. 



IMPORTATION OF BEES. 



There has been a marked disposi- 

 tion ou the part of a number of api- 

 cultural writers to oppose all importa- 

 tion of bees. There certainly can be 

 no good reasons given for such unpro- 

 gressive ideas. 



It may be well enough to say that 

 there is no further use of importing 

 the Italian and Caruiolan races that 

 have been improved and made better 

 by having been carefully bred from 

 selected specimens under the superior 

 skill and patience of American api- 

 arists until our selected American bees 

 are superior to any bees in Italy. A 

 little good sense and judgment is as 

 useful, along this line, as in any other 

 department of business. The man 

 who would not engage in importing 

 Italian queens and breeding from 

 them because he imagined that im- 

 ported stock was no improvement, 

 would be thought badly behind the 

 times. 



But progressive apiarists will con- 

 tinue to import new races of bees and 

 give them a fair trial, as long as there 

 are new races brought to light in the 

 darkest corners of the earth. 



When Italian bees were first im- 

 ported to this country it was an ex- 

 periment pure and simple, and they 

 were denounced as "humbugs ' by 

 many people without knowing any- 

 thing practically concerning them. 

 The first of these bees I ever saw were 

 about fourth-class hybrids and cost 

 $25 per colony. I then and there set 

 down Italian bees as an unmitigated 

 "humbug." But after that I met with 

 the race in its best estate, and I chang- 

 ed my mind toward them sufficiently 

 to give $10 for a queen and a handful 



