262 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



disfigure the combs, but it is diffi- 

 cult, without spoiling such combs, 

 to malie these so-called Avinter pas- 

 sages, large enough to be of much 

 use. It is an advantage also, to 

 have ample room for the bees to 

 cluster on tops of frames. 



ANSWERS BY DR. TINKER. 



Yes, but simply a passage — no 

 large space as is provided by the 

 " Hill device." In out-door winter- 

 ing I use what I term an " under- 

 cover." It is made the same size as 

 the section super and used to cover 

 the same when in use. When the 

 supers are taken off it is placed over 

 the brood frames for winter. It is 

 made as follows : A thin board or a 

 number of pieces of the proper length 

 and width are cleated on top with 

 three cleats one inch square, and 

 cleated beneath at the outer edges 

 with one-fourth inch strips to form a 

 bee space. With this " under cover," 

 no cushion is needed, as the chaff or 

 other packing may be placed upon 

 it to the depth of four or six inches. 



In cellar wintering, no bee space 

 over the brood frames is at all nec- 

 essary. I prefer to lay stout muslin 

 directly on the frames and over it a 

 frame of chaff, /. <?., a frame of the 

 proper size with muslin tacked on 

 the bottom and filled with chatT. If 

 two thicknesses of cloth do not inter- 

 vene, the bees will often eat through 

 and let the chaff down among the 

 conibs. 



The difference in these modes 

 is that free upward ventilation in a 

 cellar of proper temperature is desi- 

 rable, but in out-door wintering, free 

 upward ventilation allows the ready 

 escape of enough heat to endanger 

 the life of the colony in a long, cold 

 winter, as the coming winter promises 

 to be. 



2. If tlie combs will hold but twenty pounds 

 of I'ood outside those used for brood, and 

 there are bees enough in the colony to con- 

 sume twenty-five pounds of honey, is tliere 

 not danjrer of the colony starving before 

 spring? 3. How would it do to divide tliose 

 strong colonies about October 1, and place 

 them on six L. frames ? would they not winter 

 well if properly prepared ? 



Apis. 



ANSWER BY C. C. MILLER. 



1. Yes, unless a good fall flow of 

 honey. 



2. Hardly, for there will be con- 

 sideral^le honey in the frames of 

 brood. Something, however, de- 

 pends on plan of wintering. 



3. I would not divide, but take 

 away, as they are emptied, some of 

 the frames, leaving six full ones.. 



ANSWERS BY R. L. TAYLOR. 



1. Y^es. 



2. Yes. 



3. It would be best to give the 

 colonies additional stores without 

 dividing ; but, if increase is very 

 much desired, colonies as strong as 

 tliose described could be success- 

 fully divided and wintered by a 

 person of experience. Of course 

 queens and additional stores would 

 have to be supplied. 



ANSWERS BY PROF. COOK. 



1 . Despite the general tendency 

 of modern beekeeping thought, I 

 like good large colonies for winter. 



2. Then I would see that they 

 have at least thirty-eight pounds of 

 stores ; of course, if we have but 

 limited stores, we better use a divi- 

 sion-board and then it were better 

 to have smaller colonies. 



3. I have wintered nuclei, but 

 there is more risk. 



TOO MANY BEES FOR WINTER. 



Query No. 35. I find that many of my 

 colonies liave eiglit and ten L. frames almost 

 solid with brood, and very little honey. 

 Is tlieie any danger tliat the hive will have 

 more bees tlian the combs have honey for? 



ANSWERS BY JAMES HEDDON. 



1. That depends upon how much 

 honey the bees will gather during 

 the time they wind up breeding. 



2. In my experience twenty 

 pounds of honey is enough for any 

 colon}', and half that if wintered 

 in doors, and the whole ten pound 

 is accessible. 



