1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



the strongest colonies for business and 

 the tested queens by their progeny. 

 I have some as pretty yellow bees as 

 you ever saw, but those dark, three- 

 banded ones are the bees for all pur- 

 poses. It pleases me to see them so 

 lively this month. I believe they will 

 winter well." 



" If any of ray bees live through 

 the winter I have a mind to sell them 

 off in the spring. Bee-keeping does 

 not pay late years." 



" Did you look them over to see if 

 they had honey enough to winter on, 

 or do you double up the weak colo- 

 nies, if any ?" 



" No, if they cannot take care of 

 themselves they may die . I have too 

 much work on my farm, and they 

 never pay me for any extra work. I 

 am about discouraged with them. 

 What have you been doing with your 

 bees today ? " 



" I have been taking off a few feed- 

 ers which were left on until now. I 

 feed some with sugar syrup ; those 

 that did not have enough stores for 

 winter. I have been putting on some 

 Hill devices over the frames." 



"What is that for?" 



" It gives the bees a winter passage 

 over the frames to full combs of hon- 

 ey. They move to the honey over the 

 frames when they cannot go down 

 around in cold weather." 



" I would never pull that sealed 

 covering off of the bees to put that 

 frame or " device " as you call it, over 

 them. It is not natural to do so. 

 They seal down their covering very 

 closely , and what is nature I let alone." 



" I have had doubts myself about 

 this being the best way. I have 

 thought as you do, yet I believe that 

 the majority of bee-keepers hx their 



bees in this way for winter. I think 

 if we could cut two or three passages 

 through the combs in some way it 

 would be better. Many believe in 

 ventilation above the bees. They 

 would not get much through the wax. 

 ed down covering. To carry out this 

 theory I put a clean piece of burlap 

 over the frames ; then I put a very 

 thick cushion of oat chaff over all and 

 tuck down the corners well so the heat 

 cannot escape. The chaff cushion 

 will absorb moisture, if any, and keep 

 the combs from molding, for bees can- 

 not live on damp, moldy combs." 



"Well! the bees will die anyway, 

 fix them up as you will, I do not 

 want much to do with the pesky 

 things. They are too uncertain. You 

 never know when you are going to 

 have a good year for honey or wheth- 

 er it will pay to fuss with them." 



" I think you are looking all on the 

 dark side of bee-keeping. We must 

 look on all sides for a little profit. I 

 get a great deal of pleasure from my 

 bees, as well as considerable profit 

 some seasons. Bee-keeping is a good 

 schoolteacher. It teaches one patience 

 and perseverance." 



"We farmers must work at some- 

 thing that will pay." 



"That is very true, but do you 

 know when you plow and drag your 

 ground for potatoes that you will get 

 a crop? You must mark the ground, 

 plant and fertilize, cultivate, hoe, put 

 on Paris green three or four times, 

 hill them up, dig them, carry them in- 

 to the cellar and then sell them for 

 only 15c a bushel, if you sell them 

 just now. Very soon you may hear 

 they ai'e 20c, and thinking they will 

 be no higher in price you will carry 

 them out of the cellar, load them into 



