THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



vantage to do so ? It is their natural 

 instinct to glue up their hives tight 

 for winter. Then why not also assist 

 them in this respect by furnishing 

 properl)- proportioned hives, causing 

 them as little labor as possible in their 

 preparations for winter, and why not 

 also assist them to keep their hives 

 dry and warm by means of cushions, 

 winter cases, etc., as previously men- 

 tioned ? 



Concord Church, W. Va. 



(To be continued^) 



S§JT 



Editor American Bee-Kekper : 

 I have found that when. bees are win- 

 tering on summer stands the hives 

 should be raised four or five inches 

 from the ground to prevent them 

 drawing moisture. Staves of nail kegs 

 or even light barrels make good strips 

 to put over the frames in winter ; both 

 ends being sawed off and only the 

 middle piece used, as it has the most 

 curve iu it. Split them about 1^ in. 

 wide and nail them to another strip in 

 the center, and put over this a cushion 

 made of burlap filled with chaff or dry 

 leaves. This, of course, makes it neces- 

 sary to put, on a super. 



For fumigating honey or combs, 

 melt some sulphur over the fire in a 

 pan, stir in small rags until all is wip- 

 ed up. These r.igs will bum in a per- 

 fectly tight box or honey house with- 

 out any draft. 



I have just found out that honey 

 dew can be distinguished from dark 



amber honey by holding sections up 

 to the light ; the honey dew being per- 

 fectly dark, while the amber looks 

 yellow. 



I happened to have a few red pine 

 slats in a honey board and found that 

 the bees had not put any propolis on 

 them, while the bassw'ood slats in the 

 same board were badly daubed with 

 both propolis and burr comb. 



I hope some of the points I have 

 given above will be of some benefit to 

 your readers. Ed. Smith. 



Carpenter, III, Nov. 20, 1891. 



Editor American Bee- Keeper : 

 I am afraid the five banded bee is a 

 failure. I am sorry to say that they 

 are not what they are claimed to be. 

 At least that has been my experience 

 with them, and I am going back to 

 my first love, the regular three band- 

 ed Italians. I have had five banded 

 queens from four large breeders. 

 Their bees are all cross. Two are 

 worse than any Hybrids I ever handled 

 They are about equal to the Blacks as 

 honey gatherers. Like some Hybrids, 

 smoke has no effect on them. 



Now, this may sound strange to some 

 to whom I have sold five banded queens 

 as "the gentlest, best, etc.," but I was 

 then telling it as the breeders told it 

 to me. Now, I write from practical 

 experience. Take my advice, stick to 

 the three banded and get the best. 



By the way, who has bees that will 

 work on red clover ''. I can not get 

 them, and it is not because I have not 

 tried either. Yours, etc., 



Harry L. D wight. 



Friendship, A. Y. 



The W. T. Falconer ManfgCo., 

 Gentlemen : As my subscription has 



