frame hives, with caps on, but openings in 

 the honey boards, all wintered with like re- 

 sults. But 21 colonies of one lot, and 20 of 

 Mr. Wilcex, for another man, examined 

 every hive and know whereof I speak, and 

 as I have wintered for three winters, prior 

 to last, in a dry cellar, I come to the conclu- 

 sion that there is no better plan, or better 

 way than a good dry cellar. Bees are now 

 doing well. I hope we may have a good 

 season. Wm. Dyer. 



Tyre, Mich., April 28, 1879. 

 We had bad luck the past winter with our 

 black bees, losing about 130 colonies. We 

 commenced Italianizing our apiary last sum- 

 mer, and the changed breed survived through 

 our long winter without any loss, under ex- 

 actly the same circumstances. We have 

 been keeping bees about 10 years, and have 

 held mostly to the same stock. Our last 

 winter's experience seem to show that a 

 change of blood (as we would say in cattle- 

 breeding) is of paramount importance. We 

 commence this spring rather low — 16 colo- 

 nies, 7 of which are hybrids. We have used 

 heretofoi'e a hive after the Langstroth pat- 

 tern, made from a description in "Quinby's 

 Mysteries of Bee-Keeping." We like it, but 

 think there might be a better one for win- 

 tering in. We have experimented with bee- 

 houses, with but poor satisfaction, and have 

 generally wintered on summer stands, with 

 good success until last winter. The trouble 

 with our black bees was dysentery, or, more 

 properly speaking, bee cholera. The hy- 

 brids, in their midst, escaped the disease 

 entirely. We shall continue to keep some 

 black bees for comparative experiments, 

 bat are convinced of their inferiority. 



1. V. Shepherd & Son. 



Theresa, Wis., April 4, 1879. 

 The following is my plan for suaeessful 

 wintering, and keeping the colonies strong 

 in the spring. My hives have two stories; 

 the lower one has 9 brood frames 12x12 or 

 10x14, and the upper story has frames also, 

 for comb honey will not pay as well at 14 or 

 15 cents as extracted does at 10 cents. I ex- 

 tract from the upper frames only till the 

 latter part of July. By that time the brood 

 frames will be filled with brood. I leave 

 the upper frames on until the honey season 

 is over in order to keep up brood-rearing till 

 October, when the honey in these frames 

 will also be capped. The queens should be 

 superseded before the third winter. Last 

 fall I put them into my cellar Nov. 1st, after 

 putting quilts over the frames. I leave the 

 lower entrances open, keep the cellar dark, 

 and then leave them alone till time to take 

 them out. If mice are troublesome I poison 

 them. If they get uneasy early in March, 

 they need water, and 1 fill a saucer with 

 fresh water, putting a little salt in it; put a 

 few rags in the saucer and place it under 

 the quilts, so that the bees can get it easily. 

 About March 15th, on a warm day, I give 

 them a chance for a fly for a day or two. If 

 necessary I feed them, and then return them 

 to the cellar till about April 10th; then, if 

 not too cold, I take them out and feed them 

 a little on top the quilt, and put on the upper 

 story; then they will be strong by May. 

 John H. Guenther. 



Waterloo, Ky., April 22, 1879. 

 This has been a very trying winter and 

 spring on bees with us. More than one-half 

 died last winter. Some persons who had 

 from 12 to 20 colonies in the fall have lost 

 them all. Starvation, cholera, and spring 

 dwindling were the principal causes. The 

 season has been very unfavorable until now. 

 A few bright, warm days have started vege- 

 tation very fast, and our little pets are im- 

 proving every moment, yet many colonies 

 are so weak that I am fearful they will make 

 no surplus honey this season. A few of us 

 who read and followed the American Bee 

 Journal have done well. I began the win- 

 ter with 27 colonies and lost 6. I have sold 

 6, and now have 15, all Italians. Bees win- 

 tered better in Langstroth hives than any 

 other. My hives are similar to the one re- 

 commended by Professor A. J. Cook, with 

 frames 10%xl2 in. L. Johnson. 



Bairdstown, Texas, May 8, 1879. 

 Yesterday I found one young queen with 

 the old mother in the same hive; she was 

 concealed in a festoon of comb-builders, who 

 I suppose were guarding her. A neighbor 

 claims that he frequently finds four or five 

 at one time in a hive. This is a digression 

 from the theory of authors on the subject. 

 What do you think of it, Mr. Editor ? 



W. A. Milling. 



[Usually only one queen is tolerated in a 

 hive, still this rule is sometimes exceptional. 

 We have often published reports of more 

 than one fertile queen being found in a 

 hive. You are evidently in error in deciding 

 that it is opposed to the theory of our au- 

 thors. Vogel says: "It is nothing uncom- 

 mon for two fruitful queens to be allowed 

 to live together," " The exceptions prove 

 the rule." A queen more than 2 years of 

 age is quite frequently assisted by her 

 royal daughter.— Ed.] 



DeKalb.Junction, N. Y., May 17, 1879. 

 I finished setting out the bees April 28, 

 rather earlier in the season than common. I 

 found one starved and one queenless, and in 

 about 10 days after all were out one de- 

 serted. This is my loss up to date, out of 

 121 colonies that I put into winter quarters 

 Nov. 14 and 15. I think I never saw so fine 

 a lot of bees at this season of the year. 



Ira Barber. 



Mt. Clemens, Mich, March 5, 1879. 

 I unearthed the bees in Davis apiary 

 April 22 and found 31 colonies living and 22 

 dead. I think they used considerable honey. 

 This lot of bees were buried without venti- 

 lation. A portion of this pit was protected 

 by a building on the west which I think was 

 a damage, as the ground w«s more damp 

 than it was where it lay out in the open air. 

 I think that the pit should be in the open 

 air, and the bees buried in a good depth. 

 Fruit trees are in full bloom now. If the 

 weather continues tine the bees will likely 

 store considerable honey from the present 

 bloom. Wm. P. Evritt. 



