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(Entered at the Po8t-OfBce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter) 

 Published Weekly at ftl.OO a Tear by George W. York & Co., 334 bearborn St. 



QBORQE W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL, JANUARY 11, 1906 



VoL XLVI-No. 2 



=% 



(gbttortal Hotes 

 anb Comments 



j 



A New Bee-Paper in Russia 



Those of our readers who are familiar with the Russian 

 language may be interested to know that an apicultural and 

 horticultural journal in that language has been launched at 

 Reval Estland, Russia, the name of which is — non-Russians 

 are advised to brace themselves firmly before pronouncing 

 it aloud — the name is, " Wsjeobschtschi Ptschelowod und 

 Sadowcd." No wonder there is trouble in Russia 1 



Entrance-Closers for Hauling Bees 



For hauling bees not too great distances, the owner 

 accompanying them, and with entrances not too deep, here's 

 a bright plan of closing the entrances, given in the Bee- 

 Keepers' Review : 



Cut a piece of wire-cloth 2 inches wide, and as long 

 as the entrance is wide. Fold, or bend, it along the 

 middle of the long way until, in looking at the end, it has 

 the shape of the letter "V," or possibly the letter " U." 

 Introduce the folded edge into the entrance, and crowd the 

 wire-cloth back into the entrance until the outer edges are 

 nearly or quite even, or " flush " with the front of the hive. 

 The elasticity or " spring " of the wire keeps it in place, 

 yet it can be very easily and quickly pulled out with the 

 points of the finger and thumb. 



shipping Only the Younger Bees 



Editor Hutchinson intends next season to ship bees to 

 the raspberry region at the beginning of the harvest, and 

 his plan of sifting out the older bees may be new to some. 

 He says : 



Two or three days before they are to be shipped they 

 will be moved out of the apiary a short distance, and the 

 flying or field bees allowed to return and join the weaker 

 colonies that remain in the apiary. This course will be 

 taken for two reasons. The full colonies that are to be 

 shipped will stand the confinement and shipment much bet- 

 ter for the removal of these old bees. It is these old bees 

 that worry and make a fuss and die in the hive. The young 

 bees that have never flown, bear the confinement exceed- 

 ingly well. The old bees that return and join the weaker 

 colonies will boom them, and they will soon be in a condi- 

 tion for artificial increase, to which purpose they will be 

 devoted. 



Feeding Bees in Winter 



Until lately it has generally been held that liquid feed 

 can not be safely given in winter, but evidence is accumu- 

 lating that although it is a bad practice to allow bees to go 

 into winter quarters lacking sufficient stores, yet with 

 proper precautions syrup may be safely given at any time. 

 On this subject, R. F. Holtermann has the following in the 

 Canadian Bee Journal : 



" If any one has bees with insufficient stores for winter 

 under proper conditions, I feel sure bees can be fed during 

 the winter and yet wintered with success. Now, remember, 

 I do not advocate this. I am sure it would be very undesir- 

 able to practice such bee-keeping, yet it can be done. Bees, 

 however, as far as I know, can not be induced to take feed 

 down, such feed must be put under the cluster, not over it. 

 The hive can be raised from the bottom-board sufficiently 

 to shove under the cluster some feeder open at the top, yet 

 in which the bees will not perish. The feed can be given 

 as occasion requires." 



A question may be raised as to the correctness of the 

 statement that bees can not be induced to take feed down, 

 and that it must always be given from below. Certainly, 

 it is the natural thing for bees when storing to carry from 

 below above, yet it is equally the natural thing in winter 

 for the bees to go upward for stores. Whether, as a rule, 

 bees will in winter take feed much more readily from below 

 than above, is a question upon which it is desirable to have 

 more light. Mr. Holtermanu's suggestion, however, is well 

 worth considering on the score of convenience to the bee- 

 keeper. In many cases it is much more convenient to give 

 feed from below, whether it be in the comb or in a feeder, 

 and especially for those who use bottom-boards of the Miller 

 pattern, giving a 2-inch space under the bottom-bars. A 

 brood-comb of sealed honey, a section of the same, or a 

 shallow dish of syrup furnished with a cloth or other pro- 

 vision against the bees drowning, may be quietly shoved 

 under with little disturbance to the bees. 



It is well, however, to impress thoroughly upon the 

 minds of beginners the fact that generally feed given to 

 bees in winter will not be taken by them at all, no matter 

 whether given above or below. Go to a colony in the open 

 air, with its stores nearly or quite exhausted, and the ther- 

 mometer down to zero, and no amount of stores given will 

 avail to prevent starvation so long as the bees do not leave 

 the cluster. This they will not do till there comes a warmer 

 day. Possibly a good shaking up may stir them up enough 

 to make them take the food — possibly not. At any rate, at 

 such a time it would seem an easier thing to get them to go 

 aloft to a cake of candy warmly covered up than to make 

 their way down to into the much colder air below. But give 



