THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



187 



[For the American Beo Journal.] 



Ventilating Bee-Hives. 



In the February, 1807, number of the Bee 

 Journal, is an article from me on this subject, 

 wliich has been severely criticised in several 

 papers, because contrary to the statements of 

 authors of established authority. 



In the July number, a correspondent who 

 sigus himself "J. Wolderine Bi'e-Keeper,'''' re- 

 lates '■'Two MisJiaps,'''' and says that until he 

 read my statement he had always supposed the 

 bees were smothered, and adds : "If Mr. Adair, 

 or any of the numerous readers of the Journal, 

 can give me any other satisfactory reason for 

 the loss, I shall be glad to hear from them. 



As soon as I received the paper containing 

 the communication, I wrote what I considered 

 an explanation, giving my experience in similar 

 cases. That communication you inform me 

 was never received. 



Mr. Wm. Bruckisch, of Ilortontown, Texas, 

 in an article published in Patent Office Report, 

 18G0, page 170, from which 1 quoted in my 

 tirst article, says : "Another remarkable feature 

 deserves mention. Bees are capable of living 

 for diii/s, and iceeks, and even months, without 

 air — at least without the occasion of fresh air. 

 ***** This fact being of great import- 

 ance on account of the less quantity of food re- 

 quired during winter, (not, however, because 

 of its total stoppage, as supposed by many), the 

 writer made repeated experiments on the sub- 

 ject." His experiments are given in my former 

 article. 



'•A Wolverine Bee-keeper," from his own 

 statement, shows plainly that he did not smoth- 

 er his bees. He says " I closed the entrance, 

 raised the Ai tie a trifle, holes in the tip of the 

 hive open, honey boxes removed, cap covering 

 the boxes on the hive." They were all dead in 

 an hour and-a-half. In the other instance there 

 was "a hole in the top of the box two inches 

 square, covered with wire-cloth. In a half day 

 two-thirds of them were dead. Kow, it is plain 

 that in both these "mishaps" the bees had 

 plenty of air, more, in fact, than is frequently 

 allowed bees that prosper. 



The mishaps were not occasioned by want of 

 air. I have had several "mishaps" of the same 

 kind, which would make this letter too long to 

 relate. But in every instance it happened when 

 "J raised the hive a trifle''' or attempted to leave 

 some opening to admit air, but never when I 

 closed the hive tight. I could not account for 

 it for some time, why the bees would die when 

 air holes were left open, and why not when 

 all was closed tight, until last spring. 



I had a natural swarm which I had just put 

 in a hive, w^hen another swarm issued and was 

 about to go in with them, and I had to close the 

 entrance to prevent it. After hiving the second 

 swarm I returned to the first and they were 

 nearly half of them dead. On looking for the 

 cause I found that the glass which formed the 

 back of the hive did not fit, but left a space of 

 about one-eighth of an inch along its top, and 

 the bees were trying to get out at the opening. 

 I noticed further, that the bees were in a general 



row or fight, and that in contending for which 

 should have precedence at the supposed exit 

 hole, they would sting each other and fall to the 

 bottom. When they became angry they had 

 first to discharge the honey from their sacs be^ 

 fore they could use their stings, which was con- 

 tinually hilling on the bees piled below, besmear- 

 ing them until they were black, and several 

 table spoousl'uU had leaked out of the hive on 

 a board under it. 



I puffed some smoke through the opening 

 until the inside was a perfect fog, and closed up 

 the opening with some paper, and quieted them; 

 thus saving the remaining bees. I repeated it 

 in another similar instance with the same result. 



I transferred a colony, comb, honey, brood 

 and bees to a section hive, and placed them on 

 their stand with two entrance holes open three 

 inches long by one-half inch wide. The glass 

 in the back fitted badly, and left a similar open- 

 ing. Next day I opened the door and found 

 that a pint or more of bees had died and tallea 

 in a pile below the opening, and the contention 

 was still going on. I closed the gap and that 

 prevented another "mishap." 



In the last instance the regular entrance holes 

 were open and most of tlie bees were passing 

 out and in, with no confusion. 



Three or four years ago I hived a swarm of 

 bees in a tight hive. The next day they attempt- 

 ed to swarm out. When about half had passed 

 out, I stopped the hole with a tight-fitting plug. 

 The queen still being in the hive, the bees that 

 were out returned and clustered over the hole. 

 About dusk I opened the hole and they went in. 

 The next day and the next, they repeated the 

 attempt. In each instance 1' closed them up 

 tight. On the fourth day they went to work 

 and prospered. Not a bee met with a "mishap," 

 except a few that I crushed in stopping the 

 holes. 



During the last season I often prevented 

 swarms from issuing, by stopping the entrance 

 holes, and keeping them closed until late in the 

 evening, and i-epeating it the next daj'. In this 

 time, the j'oung queen was disposed of and the 

 swarming fever passed over. In two instances 

 I discovered the swarms coming out, and closed 

 the holes. I kept them confined during that 

 and the next day. In none of these instances 

 did I "smother" a swarm nor any part of one. 

 When I wish to prevent a colony from swarming, 

 I find this a far simpler and easier plan than any 

 laid down in the books. 



Another experiment and I am through with 

 instances. I look from a hive a honey box, 

 fourteen inches long, by seven inches wide and 

 five inches deep. It was filled with honey and 

 bees. Every crack and crevice was made air- 

 tight by the bees, except the passage hole ; that 

 I closed by covering it with a piece of waxed 

 paper, such as is used in grafting. It was thus 

 rendered air-tight. I set it on a smooth board 

 in the shade of a tree, on top of the hive. One 

 end was glass, which admitted light, but not 

 air, / let it remain there two days. I then re- 

 moved it about one hundred yards and opened 

 the hole, supposing the bees would fly out and 

 return to their home. Not a bee left. I suppo- 

 sed they had brood, but on opening the section 



