86 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



April 



The W. T. Falconer M'p'g Co., 

 Gentlemen : Since you have asked for 

 some experiences of bee keeping I 

 have concluded to write you some of 

 my own with those of others. Last 

 winter I put all my bees into the cel- 

 lar, but did not give them an airing 

 on any of the warm days as T should 

 have done sometime during the winter. 

 The result was that two colonies died, 

 the dampness having caused diarrhea. 

 I could not have any fire in the cellar 

 and the Aveather was at one time very 

 cold. The bees were in box hives, and 

 it was impracticable to use a Hill's 

 device. Of course as soon as I found 

 that they were not doing well I took 

 them out. This year the bees so far 

 are all right. 



One of my neighbors who has kept 

 bees for a longtime, mostly in old box 

 hives, always winters them upon the 

 summer stands without any protection, 

 but last wiuter he told me he lost 

 about fifteen, and that he has become 

 disgusted with the business, as he has 

 but five colonies left. He said that 

 in several of the boxes there was 

 plenty of honey, and he supposed 

 there was some disease that was the 

 cause of the death of the bees. I 

 think that could he have used the 

 Hill's device over the combs and had 

 the device covered, he might have 

 saved some at least of the swarms. It 

 seems that some of them were not 

 provided with sufficient food, and so 

 would have died anyway as the weath- 

 er was so cold and seyere that the bees 

 could not break cluster to get food 

 outside. 



I tried feeding a small swarm by 

 placing a small box of honey directly 

 above the cluster, the entrance to the 



honey being through a two inch hole. 

 It did not work satisfactorily. The 

 result was that all the bees died. 

 Yours respectfully, T. V. S. 

 March 18, 1896. 



The W. T. Falconer M'f'g Co., 

 Gentlemen : Please accept thanks for 

 quick reply and shipment of goods. I 

 cannot praise your hives too highly. 

 If I have already told you this, just 

 accept this also. Yours truly, 



A. L. Smith. 



Rahway, N. J., Mch. 14, 1896. 



Editor American Bee-Keeper : 

 In a recent number of the American 

 Bee-Keeper Mr. G. M. Doolittle writes 

 in regard to painting hives and I will 

 admit that I am somewhat puzzled. 

 Now I believe it is admitted on all 

 sides that the bees plaster the sides of 

 their hives with propolis. This looks 

 to me as if they wanted a smoother 

 surface to travel over and also to ex- 

 clude the moisture. The same process 

 would prevent the moisture from es- 

 caping through the hive. Now to help 

 in that direction I use the best white 

 paint, for without paint or propolis I 

 think the moisture from outside would 

 more than counterbalance that from 

 within. His test may decide the mat- 

 ter for him, but as I look at it leaves 

 me in doubt. Amateur. 



The W. T. Falconer M'f'g Co., 

 Gentlemen : Your goods came to hand 

 in good order, and I am very well 

 pleased with them in all respects. 

 Please accept my thanks for your 

 promptness. Yours truly, 



Sol. Harpst. 



Kremis, Pa„ March 14, 1896. 



