1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



83 



on being removed to their summer stands, and 

 especially in strong colonies, will come down to 

 the bottom boards. Later, in from 8 to 10 days, 

 murt the cleaning of the bottom boards be at- 

 tended to, as the bees cannot remove their offal 

 any further than their combs extend. IFofle; 

 1614, in Schroth's True Bee-culture, 1660, p. 

 110. 



At the back part of the hive, where at this 

 season the honey now is, "offal will again accu- 

 mulate, which the bees will allow to remain, 

 since they do not protect the combs thus far. 

 Here moths breed too easily and quickly, and 

 soon ascend to the combs." Martin John, Ein 

 Neu Bienen Rachel, 1691, p. 9. 



This offal must not be thrown away, but placed 

 in a vessel, allowed to dry in the sun and then 

 sieved. The white or yellow particles are from 

 the caps of the cells, and is pure wax. Spitzner, 

 Basket Bee-culture, 1823, p. 113. 



6. If the bees have been kept in a winter- 

 house, the bee-keeper must be careful to place 

 them as near as possible upon their old stands, as 

 the bees, no matter how long confined during the 

 winter, will not forget their summer place ; and 

 should they not be placed there, a sad loss of 

 bees may follow. 



7. Spitzner says : When the bees make their 

 first purification flight, if you see few or no bees at 

 the entrance, it is to be depended upon that the 

 hive is in a bad condition. Such a stock must be 

 immediately examined. 



8. After the purification flight has taken place, 

 the bee-keeper should carefully inspect his hives, 

 to guard in time against queenlessness and de- 

 fective queens. 



Should the unrest continue in any stocks till 

 towards evening; after their flight should the 

 bees still continue to come out of the entrance 

 and crawl around the hive, fly off and return ab- 

 ruptly back, are almost sure signs of queenless- 

 ness. A more urgent sign is when the swarm 

 begins to buzz or hum. The difference in these 

 tones are not to be described to a beginner, he 

 must learn them from actual observation at the 

 hive. * . * * * * * Yes, a careful bee- 

 keeper will always visit his bees in the evening 

 after the purification flight. That is the time 

 that he will discover queenlessness and other 

 misfortunes, and be able to remove threatened 

 dangers. 



9. So soon as the l>3es have purified them- 

 selves, sometimes on the same day, but especi- 

 ally on the next flying day, they will search for 

 water, in order to thin and prepare the honey 

 for the brood. In getting water many bees are 

 lost. It is therefore most advantageous to place 

 water for t e bees in a convenient place, pro- 

 tected from the wind. Nichol Jacob, Grindlicher 



Unterrichl, 1601, p. 58. 



In order that the bees will icadily find it, and 

 become accustomed to the place, it is well to en- 

 tice them by putting, in the beginning, honey in 

 the water, which should be slightly warmed and 

 covered with small pieces of straw. 



The water might be sweetened even later, but 

 it is not so necessary, and in fact it is better not to 

 do it, owing to the temptation it affords robbers. 

 * * * When the bees have become accus- 



tomed to this place they will visit no other in 

 search of water. It is best to put the water in 

 long and flat dishes, than deep ones, and throw 

 over moss, etc., to protect the bees from falling 

 into the water and being drowned. * * * * 

 A hive getting out of honey in spring will per- 

 ish. Usually the bees are found dead, but not 

 always; because, before they perish they become 

 numb, and if they have not been in this state for 

 more than 36-48 hours, they may be restored to 

 life, if they be removed to a room, the tempera- 

 ture of which is from 15° to 17° Raumer, above 

 zero. The hive is inverted and the almost life- 

 less bees are thrown from the bottom boards be- 

 tween the combs. When some of the bees be- 

 gin to move, it is only necessary to sprinkle di- 

 luted honey over them, and they will speedily 

 revive. As some of the bees become more ac- 

 tive, the room must be darkened, so that they 

 may not fly away and be lost. It is not judi- 

 cious to close the entrance. When a hearly 

 buzz is heard in the hive, the room must be 

 gradually cooled off, till the bees are brought to 

 their normal winter state. "When there is no 

 honey, the bees will first be unable to fly, then 

 they will move around with difficulty, their move- 

 ments becoming more anymore difficult ; at last 

 they cease to move, and are dead." Donhoff, 

 Bztg., 1857, p. 77. 



Sometimes in spring, hives are found, having 

 lost from various causes, a portion of their popu- 

 lation, and from this cause the habitation has 

 ! econie too large, and it is absolutely necessary 

 to strengthen them. The superfluous combs are 

 removed from such hives, and the empty space 

 stopped with some heat-retaining material. For 

 should a weak stock winter in so large a room, 

 it will be too cold, and will be so injured, while 

 it will speedily regain its strength when the 

 room is lessened and the proper warmth re- 

 tained. Later, as the swarm strengthens, can 

 the combs be returned, one by one. As I have be- 

 fore stated, it is really advantageous, in spring, 

 temporarily to remove the superfluous combs. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



A Hint from the Old Country. 



Dear Sir : — Allow me to suggest to my 

 American brethren, that in the manufacture of 

 double or triple walled hives for wintering bees 

 on their summer stands, all the front walls, ex- 

 cept the internal one, should be of glass. It makes 

 very little difference in the cost, but the advan- 

 tage is in the fact that the inner skin of the hive 

 gets all the benefit of every gleam of sunshine in 

 winter, while the advantages of dead air spaces 

 is preserved. 



In summer the other or back end of the hive is 

 turned to the sun, so that the dead air spaces 

 may keep out the heat. My hives are made on 

 this principle, and answer admirably ; they are 

 of the shape of square gable fronted cottages, and 

 the top stories which are the super rooms, are 

 also furnished with glass windows at the one 

 end, so that in winter the sun may shine dead 



