116 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the 



weather. The bees cluster up against 

 honey board as if it were a warm brick. 



I consider the double rim, with or without 

 triple walls or packed sides, the greatest im- 

 provement ever applied to flat hives, and su. 

 perior to the plan of Mr. Langstrotb, in so much 

 that it is cheaper and warmer when packed 

 several inches deep with chaff or shavings, than 

 it would be possible to make a large apiary as 

 Mr. L. directs. 



Allow me here to say to those who have 

 written to me without enclosing a postage 

 stamp, that I am a watchmaker, and have no 

 time to write letters which do not at least pay 

 their own postage. It is true my inventions were 

 patented, to pi event others from getting patents 

 on them. But as I can make more money at 

 my business and keeping bees, than by selling 

 patents, I do not propose to go into the busi- 

 ness as a business. Yet I will gladly answer 

 any business letters in a business way. 



F. F. Bingham. 



Allegan, Mich. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Dividing Stocks— Straight Combs. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Wintering Bees. 



I have just been reading Mr. Baldridge's 

 article on page 90 of the November number of 

 the Bee Journal, in which he explains his 

 "one exception" to not having to look up the 

 queen in artificial swarming, as when one has 

 not more than one hive of bees on his premises. 

 The following plan, communicated to me by 

 Mr. Wedge, of Fon-du-lac, (Wis.,) subject only 

 to that same "one exception," I think a good 

 one : 



One hive is taken from its stand, and an 

 empty one placed on it; then each comb is taken 

 from the hive removed, and the bees shaken 

 off in front of the empty hive. Then one of the 

 cards of brood is placed in this hive, which 

 now contains the bees, and the artificial swarm 

 is made and contains the queen, which insures 

 the building of worker in place of drone comb. 

 Next, into the hive removed, now containing 

 only combs and brood, an empty frame is put 

 to fill up the vacancy arising from taking the 

 said card of brood out ; and a second swarm is 

 removed from its stand and this hive placed in 

 its stead. This hive, having no queen, the bees 

 secured to it from the swarm now removed, will 

 proceed to raise one for itself — during which 

 time the only empty frame in it will be liable to 

 be filled with honey or drone comb. 



As to devices for securing uniformly straight 

 comb, Mr. A. H. Hart, of Stockbridge, in this 

 State, has one, included in the making of the 

 frames, which I think accomplishes it fully. But, 

 as Mr. Hart will probably describe it for the 

 benefit of the readers of the Bee Journal, I 

 shall not do so at present 



L. C. Fairbanks. 

 Appleton, Wis. 



In November, 1867, I put one hundred and 

 three stocks of bees in the basement of my dou- 

 ble walled, brick, sweet potato house; the walls 

 of which were sixteen inches thick, with a four 

 inch dead-air space between; and the floor filled 

 up one foot with dry sand, to prevent moisture 

 arising from the earth. 



Some of the stocks were in box hives, and 

 others in movable combs. The larger propor- 

 tion were well filled with honey ; but some 

 eight or ten that came off late in August, (some 

 swarms having issued as late as the 25th), were 

 only half supplied. All these were inverted, 

 and flat pieces of sugar candy laid on the combs, 

 to save the honey for spring consumption, when 

 first set out of the house — that being the most 

 dangerous time to feed, from the interference of 

 robbers. 



I removed them from the house about the 

 middle of March — all being in very fine condi- 

 tion ; and after they were done flyine, the hives 

 were fr^e from specks of faeces, showing the 

 bees to be perfectly healthy. 



On the 15th of May they commenced sending 

 out natural swarms. (They were Italians, of 

 course). But as the season turned out to be a 

 very poor one, I got only about fifty new 

 swarms ; as I feared to divide them, under the 

 circumstances. 



I make my frames only seven inches high, in 

 the clear ; intending to winter in my house. 



In addition to the one hundred and three 

 stocks, I winteied some queens in nucleus hives, 

 with frames only four inches deep. 



I did not lose a swarm after setting them out 

 March. 



During the winter the mercury did not fall 

 below 40° F. in my room, when it was 10° be- 

 low zero out of doors. 



I do not admit a ray of light in the room, ex- 

 cept when I go in with a lantern. 



I gave no water to facilitate brooding. Brood 



was very scarce when the stocks were taken out. 



I shall put one hundred and ihrty stocks in 



the same room this winter ; and will probably 



gtve the results in the Journal next season. 



Camargo, Ills. A. Salisbury. 



m 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Renewing Queens. 



In Hampshire, England, there is said to be a 

 superstition prevalent that bees are idle, or un- 

 productive and unfortunate in their work, when- 

 ever there are wars. 



In thirty cases of changing old queens for 

 queen cells, none were lost. It may be that the 

 success was in the management. Or it may 

 have been owing to their being Italians. If the 

 latter, it is another good point in their favor. 



The bees were smoked with rotten wood, and 

 then fed with honey highly scented with pepper- 

 mint. The old queens were at once cru;hed 

 and thrown back into the hive with the bees ; 

 and the queen cell inserted at the same time — 

 the nearer ready to hatch the better. 



In some cases the young queens hatched so 

 s on that the bees did not start any queen cells 

 of their own. In two instances the queens 

 hatched in my hand, and were allowed to run 

 in the hives on top of the frames. 



St. Charles, Ills. J. S. Marvin. 



