THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



27 



absence of those attractive odors •which arc 

 fonstauUy issuing from the mouths of common 

 hives. Whatever odor was here generated 

 became instantly dissipated. The insects, 

 moreover, found no inviting cracks or crevices 

 here, into which they might instinctively seek 

 to enter for oviposition or metamorphosis. 



5. It was evident beyond all question that, 

 during the prevalence of excessively hot wea- 

 ther, this colony was more comfortable and in 

 better condition, every way, than any other in 

 my ai)iary. When, in summer, the thermome- 

 ter at noon was at from 90° to 100^ F. in the 

 shade, labor ceased in common hives, and the 

 bees hung out idly in masses, only a small num- 

 ber of individuals remaining within to attend to 

 the brood. But the bees of this well-ventilated 

 colony, meanwhile, appeared to be just in 

 their true element, Avorking with energy, ex- 

 hibiting none of that irrital)ility which charac- 

 terizes others at such times, and having no 

 crowds of loiterers " hanging round." 



6. At this colony there were neither fanners 

 nor wagglers to be seen at any time ; no bees 

 carrying off dross or droppings, none bringing in 

 propolis or engaged in appljung that substance. 

 Of course there was a corresponding saving of 

 muscular energy and time to be devoted to more 

 profitable labor. 



7. Since the colony was placed in winter 

 quarters, the bees are congregated in the 

 passages between five or six ranges of combs. 

 They are ranged in ray-form with singular reg- 

 ularity, pair by pair dos a dos, with their heads 

 turned inward toward the centre of the general 

 cluster, and remaining perfectly quiet when 

 undisturbed. There is never anj' condensation 

 of moisture perceptible, nor any manifestation 

 of discomfort or unrest. They obviously do 

 not, as yet, suffer from the want of water, and 

 certainly not from the want of ventilation. 



8. This skeleton hive, as I have it arranged, is 

 peculiarly adapted for investigating obscure or 

 doubtfurpoints in the internal economy of bees. 

 The entire population and every part of every 

 comb may at any time be subjected to scrutiny, 

 and every suitable occasion may readily be 

 availed of' to prosecute researches for the eluci- 

 dation of facts or the demonstration of theory. 

 Thus I was able to ascertain that, during the 

 winter, while the entire mass seemed to remain 

 in perfect repose, there was all the while a reg- 

 lar slow movement in progress, by which the 

 bees were regularly transferred from the peri- 

 phery of the cluster to the centre and the con- 

 verse — illustrating the 



"Constant rotation of the unwearied wheel. 

 That Nature rides upon." 



I shall endeavor next spring to place this 

 colony in a swarming condition, and anticipate 

 many pleasant hours in watching the prepara- 

 tions which the bees will make for that interest- 

 ing event. 



y. I must not omit to state how these bees 

 deported themselves during several severe 

 storms to which they were exposed, and we had 

 seme last summer of such violence as to threaten 

 the existence of the little household. One of 

 these, on its approach, struck the western side 

 oi the colony. For their protection, a great 



portion of the bees had clustered there in 

 a mass of four-fold density, so that only the 

 tips of their wings were seen protruding like 

 scales, and thus forming animpenatrable cover 

 to shed tlie rain. The remainder of the popu- 

 lation remained in comparative security, close 

 packed between the combs under shelter of the 

 roof. The second storm was more violent and 

 destructive, uprooting trees, unroofing build- 

 ings, and doing great damage in all directions. 

 When I hastened to the rescue of my colony, I 

 found that the rain had been blown in horizon- 

 tally, and the bees so thoroughly drenched that 

 they could be scarcely recognized. In other re- 

 spects all was still in order, and next morning 

 no traces of the occurrence were visible ; not 

 even the brood had sustained injury. The 

 storm had been accompanied with hail, but as 

 this happened to fall vertically the roof sufficed 

 to ward it off. 



The practicability of preserving, at least in 

 this climate, so small a colony thus circum- 

 stanced, having thus been demonstrated, I 

 shall repeat the experiment next spring ou a 

 larger sca'e, with a view to observe the deport- 

 ment of the bees more minutely during the 

 summer months. I shall place several strong 

 colonies thus arranged in a covered area, in 

 which they may likewise be wintered. Bees 

 remain quiet at a temperature of 42^ or 43° F.; 

 a temperature of 47° or 48° renders them rest- 

 less. 



From what I have observed, I conceive that 

 some practical advantages maj^ be derived here 

 from adopting this substitute for a hive. With 

 us swarms, and even virgin swarms, are of fre- 

 quent occurrence everj^ year, and I shall seek 

 to iirovide for these in this manner, with a view 

 of disposing of them otherwise in the fall. 

 Wintering bees in this manner, though entirely 

 compatible with their own comfort, would not, 

 I fancy, be conducive to the pecuniary interest 

 of their owner, in consequence probably of the 

 increased consumption of honey. Still, as the 

 colony I experimented with was a small one, 

 it would scarcely be fair to draw inferences 

 from the quantity of stores it consumed, and the 

 3'ield of honey was, moreover, not large in this 

 region last summer. 



F. De Hruschka. 



DoLO, NEAR Venice, Feb. 12, 1867. 



[For the American Bee Joarnal.] 



It has been said by some of our best writers 

 on the honey bee, that in swarming season, to 

 put up poles (in front of the stand) with a 

 bunch of dry mullein stocks on each, the size of 

 a swarm of bees, that j^oung swarms would 

 nearly always light on the stocks, and it would 

 be much easier to hive them in this way. 



Now, I think 1 have fully tested it this season, 

 and I could not get one in ten to light on them. 

 The only way that I could induce the bees to 

 light on them was, when they commenced to 

 light on a bush, to carry the mullein stocks 

 close to them, and then a part would light on 

 the stocks. II. W. Cbkasy. 



Light Street, July 11, 18G7. 



