194 



TUB AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



[For tbe American Bee Journal.] 



Various Things. 



One great want here, in northern Illinois, is 

 protection — summer and winter. I have made 

 a hive of Mr. Langstroth's common form — 

 18£ x 14 £ x 10 inches deep in the clear, inside 

 dimensions. This hive is double. The inner 

 is half an inch in thickness, and the outer 

 seven-eighths, separated by quarter inch cleats, 

 so as to make air space ends, sides, and bottom. 

 The top I have fixed for wintering as Mr. Lang- 

 stroth proposed in the October number of the 

 Bee Journal, except that I prefer a board 

 nailed on to the strips across the tops of the 

 frames, instead of carpeting, &c.,befoie adding 

 the protection in the top of the hives. 



I made the entrance of the hive as Mr. L. 

 says, except that it is only nine nches long cen- 

 trally, which I think is long enough for hiving 

 and ventilation in summer, and affords better 

 protection in winter. Against this passage I 

 put, in winter, a piece ot board which closes it, 

 except that an opening is made centrally, H 

 inch by f. The floors of outer and inner hive 

 are matched, and the hive painted outside and 

 inside with two coat's. 



I like this hive very much, and intend to 

 make a good many like it, or similar, for the 

 coming season; and what I want to ask is — 



1st. Will it pay to expend this much on them 

 for one's own use ? 



2d. How may it be improved ? Is \ inch suf- 

 ficient air space between the outer and inner 

 hives ? Is ten inches depth, in the clear, suffi- 

 cient in this cold northern climate? 



Now, Mr. Editor, you can put the above in 

 the Journal or not, as you think best, but I 

 w T ould like to know through the Journal, or 

 otherwise, the proper answers to the above 

 questions. 



On the sticks across the frames, I said I pre- 

 fer a board ("some £ inch thick) to carpet, &c. 

 I do for two reasons — first, it makes a more per- 

 fect chamber ; and, secondly, it gives less draft 

 through the bees. I fear Mr. Langstroth's 

 method of wintering is too open. My experi- 

 ments on this point for nearly twenty years 

 show that a very small entrance below, and a 

 little circulation through the bees, are sufficient 

 to keep the bees dry and healthy. The objec- 

 tions to so much openness are, first, the bees 

 eat more ; secondly, they breed less, and third- 

 ly, they feel the changes of the weather more. 



In one instance I cut a hole, 5 by 5 inches, 

 and put glass over. In rolling up their clothing 

 I learn their habits under various circumstances. 

 They ordinarily fill the shoal chamber, hanging 

 on the board, but not on the glass — thus making 

 a hollow square almost to the depth of the 

 chamber. 



In another instance, I have, instead of board, 

 slats far enough apart to put honey comb or 

 candy between them. Over the form I put glass. 

 The object is, first, to use it as a feeder ; sec- 

 ondly, to discover the habits of the bees. They 

 fill this chamber, and hang on the slats like a 

 swarm in summer. When I close the front en- 

 trance for a few hours, they are less dense. 



When I open the honey-box cover about half 

 an inch and leave it so some three or four days, 

 to dry the upper part of the clothing, the bees 

 recede from the chamber and draw together 

 among the combs — showing that they are sen- 

 sitive to the weather, though I fill the chamber 

 with clothes to within an inch of the top. 



I have transferred a good many swarms from 

 the common and united them in the Langstroth 

 hive, in December. It works to a charm. 

 There is no brood in the way, and the bees be- 

 have admirably. They make the best of stocks. 

 In one instance I put five into one. There was 

 an array of slaughtered queens at the entrance 

 next morning. I put the choice worker comb, 

 that is true and cuts to advantage, in the cen- 

 tre of the hive ; and as much as I want to of 

 the rest, I put outside, to be rejected or used for 

 something else next May. 



You can wing the bees to where you want 

 them from each piece of comb as it is cut out ; 

 or drive them with the smokepipe from one hive 

 to the other. They never quarrel under such 

 circumstances. 



In fastening the comb, I use strips \ inch 

 broad by | inch thick, and a little more than 

 the width of the comb-frames in length, and 

 fasten by tying the ends together. 



Levi Wheaton. 



Poplar Grove, (Ills.) Jan. 1, 1869. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bee Hives. 



Mr. Editor :— I am much pleased with the 

 Journal since I have become a subscriber to 

 it. I have several works on bees, but still see 

 something new in every number of tbe Jour*- 

 nal. And as it seems to be a sheet of free 

 speech, I send you a few lines for publication. 



In the first place I agree with Mr. Davis in 

 desiring diagrams and explanations of all 

 hives. I w r ill send you mine with full descrip- 

 tions, as soon as I receive my cut. 



On wintering bees there s'eem to be a great 

 many different opinions. I think some of" the 

 writers, in the way they propose for wintering, 

 require a great deal of work. As simple a plan 

 as any I have seen (and no doubt a good one) 

 is Mr. A.'s, on page 108 of the December num- 

 ber. My own plan, I think, is fully as simple. 

 I have my summer stands with good roofs od, 

 to shade my hives in summer. When winter 

 comes, I board it down to the ground, except 

 the front, a part of which is open. I do noth- 

 ing to the hives, only when the weather gets 

 frosty I open the ventilation, to keep the bees 

 from sweating, which it docs like a charm. 



I have wintered bees for three years with 

 success, not losing a swarm; and all my friends 

 that are using my hive, winter in the same way, 

 and I am safe to say with the same success. 



There will be a great many of my hives in 

 use the coming season. I have both the mova- 

 ble and stationary comb. Patented February 

 25, 1868, No. 74,810. I receive just as much 

 benefit from the stationary comb bar, as the 

 movable frame, and with as little trouble. 



Alpha, Ohio, Dec. 2, 1868. B. 



