THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



99 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Wintering Reserve Queens. 



In a former number of the Bee Journal, it 

 was asked whether, and how, supernumerary- 

 queens in nucleus hives could be wintered. As 

 the time is now at hand when colonies should 

 be arranged for wintering, I will endeavor to 

 reply to the inquiry, in so far as my experience 

 warrants. For many years past I have tried to 

 winter nucleus hives of various sizes, but never 

 with a satisfactory result. After spending much 

 time, and wasting a considerable amount of 

 honey on these small colonies, they would die, 

 sooner or later, according to the number of bees 

 they contained. Last year, as a final effort, I 

 concluded to unite all these small nuclei in a 

 larger hive, just half the size of those I com- 

 monly use — that is, nine inches broad by twelve 

 inches deep, and twelve inehes high. This 

 small colony was healthy and lively when I 

 brought out my bees from their winter reposi- 

 tory in the month of March, containing then 

 still about a quart of bees, but no brood. Two 

 other full colonies were in not much better con- 

 dition, having only a small quantity of brood. 

 As we had still a frequent recurrence of cold 

 clays, and of cold nights especially, I replaced 

 these three weak stocks in the cellar, after hav- 

 ing allowed the bees to fly; but two weeks later 

 found the smallest of the three dead. In April, 

 the other two were continually growing weaker, 

 till finally I had to break them up, in order to 

 save the queens, which were pure Italians. I 

 have always found this to be thecondition of all 

 weak colonies. After bringing them through 

 the winter, with great trouble and no small sac- 

 rifice of honey, they would commonly swarm 

 out and decamp in the spring; and if I attempted 

 to reinforce them with brood or bees taken from 

 some strong stock, the latter was much more 

 injured by the operation than the former was 

 benefitted, for in the early spring no colony can 

 Avell be too strong. Hence I have invariably 

 found it most advantageous to unite all the 

 weak stocks with stronger ones in the fall, and 

 have often repeated this in the cellar, towards 

 spring, on finding that others have become 

 greatly enfeebled. 



After the experience I have thus had, I can- 

 not but advise beginners in no case to undertake 

 to winter weak colonies, as the winters, at least 

 in this latitude, are too greatly protracted, ana 

 all weak colonies are sure to lose twice as many 

 bees, in proportion, as strong ones, and are 

 not strengthened through the winter, like the 

 latter, by accessions from maturing brood. 



As regards the ventilation of hives, I will only 

 remark that I aim in this, as in all besides, to 

 maintain a judicious medium. Four one-inch 

 holes in the cover or honey-board have always 

 been found sufficient for my strongest stocks. 

 For the weaker, I open only'two holes, on the 

 side most distant from Hie clustered bees. Cov- 

 ering these holes with wire gauze is not only 

 unnecessary, but maybe injurious, as a single 

 bee endeavoring to work its way out there may 

 disturb and excite the whole colony. 



The main matter is, that the cellar or clamp 



in which stocks are deposited be dry and dark, 

 and that the hives are carried there only in dry 

 weather. If the place be a little too cold, it will 

 do less harm than if too warm. 



Disposed of in this manner, I carried my 

 bees — sixty-four colonies — successfully through 

 the last winter, not losing one while they re- 

 mained there, nor did the combs suffer from 

 dampness and mould. Afterwards, indeed, I 

 lost several colonies from various causes, but 

 even of these the comb and the honey they still 

 contained remained available for early spring 

 swarms. I propose to winter all my stocks, 

 comprising one hundred choice Italian colonies, 

 in my detached clamp cellar the coming season, 

 and will report the result in the spring. 



Unfavorable as the season was on the whole, 

 I doubled the number of stocks iu my apiary, 

 and have obtained, besides, one thousand pounds 

 of honey, and about fifty pounds of wax. The 

 last five years ' have not been as propitious to 

 bee-culture here as the previous ones, and all 

 those who did not keep themselves well posted 

 during this period have fallen back, instead of 

 advancing; some, indeed, have gradually retro- 

 graded till they have lost their entire stock. 



W. Wolff. 



Jefferson, Wis. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bee-Feeder. 



The following is a description of a bee-feeder 

 of which I claim to be the inventor. It is sim- 

 ply a wooden box, open at bottom and top. A 

 piece of cotton cloth is tacked over the bottom 

 edge of the box, and it is then treated to a coat 

 of pitch all around the edge of the box, over the 

 muslin. This sticks it fast, find makes it per- 

 fectly waterproof. A little of the pitch should 

 be put in the corners of the box. A strip should 

 be tacked on to two opposite sides of the box, so 

 as to raise it high enough to keep the bees from 

 waxing or gumming the cloth. It may be cov- 

 ered with a thin piece of board. 



The pitch is made by melting rosin and bees- 

 wax together ; the large portion should be 

 rosin. This pitch will be found very useful to 

 bee-raisers, particularly for fastening combs in 

 movable frames, or for sticking pieces of comb 

 anywhere you wish. It is used hot, with a small 

 painter's brush. 



The cloth should be wetted before the feed is 

 poured into the box. 



Although I have no doubt that this is the best 

 bee-feeder that ever has been or ever will he in- 

 vented, I do not intend to take out a patent on 

 it, and wish this published to prevent any other 

 person from doing so. W. T. Singleton. 



Springfield, III. 



An individual may be so full of the virus of 

 one or both of the two inseets, the bee and the 

 mosquito, that the sting of the one and the pro- 

 boscis of theother will produce neither irritating 

 nor harmful effects. — B. F. J. 



