Corvesponrteuce. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Preparation for Winter. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Having our honey all disposed of, as 

 given last month, and our nuclei united, 

 we are ready this month to fix our bees 

 for winter." In some localities, where 

 fall flowers are abundant, it may be 

 well enough to defer getting the bees 

 ready for winter till next month, but 

 with us we rarely ever get any honey 

 after the 10th of September. We con- 

 sider that the earlier bees are prepared 

 for winter after honey gathering is over 

 the better they will winter. The first 

 thing to be done is to see that all have 

 honey enough for their use during win- 

 ter and spring, until flowers open again 

 and this should not be less than 25 lbs., 

 and 30 would be better. If we wish to 

 feed in the spring, 20 will do. To ascer- 

 tain the amount of honey, lift the 

 frames from the hive and count off the 

 number of pounds, or weigh a hive con- 

 taining empty combs and add 5 lbs. to 

 it for pollen and bees, then have your 

 bees all weigh from 25 to 30 lbs. more 

 than this. There probably is no better 

 way to winter bees than to put them in 

 a good under-ground cellar. Still, we 

 prefer to winter about % in the cellar 

 and y 2 out on their summer stands, so 

 as to be sure of being right somewhere, 

 like the farmer who puts in a variety of 

 crops, as all are not likely to fail the 

 same season. Some years bees winter 

 best in cellars, and again out-doors. To 

 this end we built a cellar to hold about 

 100 colonies in a bank close by, and have 

 had good success therein. The mercury 

 in it has not been above 46°, nor below 

 41° since we built it, during the time 

 the bees were in it. 



Bees should be put in the cellar dur- 

 ing the first half of November, and 

 when the hives are dry and free from 

 frost, if we wish them to winter well, 

 for we cannot expect them to winter 

 well if they are made damp from any 

 cause whatsoever. Carry them in so as 

 to disturb them as little as possible, and 

 after they are in leave them quiet as 

 you can until the pollen is plenty in the 

 spring. Those on summer stands have 

 all the boxes removed and the places 

 used for the side boxes packed with 

 chaff or fine straw. It should be well 

 pressed in so as to fill into all the cor- 

 ners. Fill the caps also and press it in 

 thoroughly, or use chaff cushions if you 

 have them; yet I hardly think them 



enough better to pay for the cost in 

 making them. During winter keep the 

 snow away from them so the cap is al- 

 ways in sight. After our experience of 

 last winter, we believe that bees should 

 not remain out of sight in snow for a 

 great length of time. Give them a 

 chance to fly every time it is warm 

 enough, remembering that a bee can 

 get off melting snow as easily as any- 

 thing else, providing it is warm enough 

 to raise the mercury to 45° in the shade 

 with it still and t^e sun shining ; other- 

 wise the mercury should mark 50° or 

 above. 



As to the safety of wintering we 

 would say that if the bees have a chance 

 to fly once in 5 or 6 weeks they will 

 usually winter well ; while if they have 

 to contain their feces for 4 or 5 months 

 there will be great mortality throughout 

 the country. This constant eating with 

 no chance to void the feces for 5 months 

 in succession, during a cold winter on 

 the summer stands, seems to destroy 

 the vitality of the bees, and makes 

 spring dwindling a necessity. Some 

 feel disposed to call this a disease or 

 the dysentery, but we can hardly see 

 things in that light. 



Now, we have given you in short how 

 we conduct an apiary during the year, 

 and with this comes the conclusion of 

 our series of articles. Our next will be 

 our report for 1879. 



Berodino, N. Y., August, 1879. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Comb Foundation 



JAS. HEDDON. 



I have been using some few hundred 

 pounds of the above, this season. I be- 

 lieve I have this year, for the flrst 

 time, used pure beeswax foundation. 

 If the 150 lbs. I had made up for me 

 last year was pure, then there is a great 

 difference in wax. 



Now, I will tell you what my experi- 

 ence has been up to date during 1879, 

 and state that the conclusions I have 

 formed are about these : Whereas full 

 sheets of foundation in every frame, for 

 new colonies, will secure straight work- 

 er comb, I will advocate its use at 50c. 

 per lb., whenever Ave can invent some 

 practical and off-hand method of hold- 

 ing it in a true position all the time the 

 bees are drawing it out, so that we can 

 prepare our hives, run in the swarm 

 and know that all will go straight, true 

 and right in all kinds of weather. Until 

 such method is discovered, I cannot ad- 

 vise the use of a piece over 3 inches 

 wide in a frame, unless the apiarist has 



