573 



3 days did not cover 2 frames, while 

 those wintered out, as above described, 

 were strong and healthy, and emitted a 

 sweet odor ; they did not dwindle, and 

 gave the best returns this season of any 

 bees I ever knew. 



Some have success with cellar winter- 

 ing, but I find bees wintered out are 

 stronger, tougher, and breed up earlier 

 than those wintered in-doors. It is said 

 that bees kept in cellars, in a healthy 

 condition, void their feces in a perfectly 

 dry state ; but the conditions under 

 which they must be kept are so particu- 

 lar, that with the majority it is not safe. 



Prof. Cook would leave his bees in the 

 cellar until flowers appear ; this may do 

 in countries where winters are short, 

 but in Wisconsin I have lost several 

 good colonies which were very quiet 

 from Nov. 1st until April 10th, by leav- 

 ing them until flowers appeared, April 

 18th, when all were dead. 



I consider that no upward ventilation 

 is necessary, for impure air caused by 

 exhalation of the bees will escape at the 

 bottom ; being carbonic acid gas, it is 

 heavier than air. Do not molest or jar 

 hives in cold weather, as this disturbs 

 the cluster, causing them to eat, and any 

 excitement produces an undue heat, 

 which rises in moisture and must be ta- 

 ken up. During several weeks of pro- 

 tracted cold, frost will collect on the 

 outer combs if not covered with bees, 

 and when a thaw comes, if the entrance 

 be not opened wide, this dampness will 

 kill the bees. It is my belief that in 

 cellar wintering brood-rearing kills the 

 bees. I shall, therefore, continue ex- 

 periments the coming winter, giving 

 pure honey sealed in June in the upper 

 story, with not a particle of pollen in it. 

 Whatever may be the result, I will re- 

 port it for the benefit of science. 



Arcadia, Wis., Sept., 1880. 



Read at the naCrosse Convention. 



Bee Forage of Western Wisconsin. 



L. H. PAMMEL, JR. 



A man's success in bee-keeping may 

 be traced to the scientific management 

 of the apiary, and the number of honey 

 plants that are in easy reach of the bees 

 from the apiary. Every locality con- 

 tains some honey plants. The fertility 

 and productiveness of these plants de- 

 pend upon the soil and climate. Of 

 course our soil and climate cannot show 

 honey plants that grow so luxuriantly 

 and blossom with such fertility as those 

 of the more tropical regions. Many of 

 the southern plants thrive here, but 

 their blooming season is retarded by 

 our late springs. 



The willow is with us the first plant 

 of the season that contains any pollen 

 or honey. The blossoms of the willow 

 are of two kinds— pistillate and stanii- 

 nate ; the former contains only honey, 

 and the latter only pollen. The red or 

 soft maple is a valuable honey plant, 

 blooming long before its leaves appear. 

 In April many wild flowers bloom, that 

 contain both honey and pollen ; these 

 are nearly all members of the crowfoot 

 family. Early in May the hard maple 

 opens its buds, and is very productive 

 in honey. We can hardly classify it 

 among the honey plants of this region, 

 for the tree is very scarce in our forests. 

 About the 15th of May the apple, cherry 

 and wild plum blossom. They contain 

 considerable nectar of fine flavor, and 

 are thronged with bees from the first 

 opening bud till the last. About the 

 same time the dandelion opens its beau- 

 tiful yellow tints, and where it is found 

 the busy bee may be seen. One of the 

 best honey plants of May is the wild 

 crabapple, the honey being of the finest 

 flavor, and, from a careful observation, 

 I am satisfied that the blossom contains 

 as much honey as the bass wood. So 

 fragrant are the flowers of the crabap- 

 ple, that the air is scented for a great 

 distance. As a honey plant, I would 

 advise its cultivation. There are many 

 wild flowers that bloom in May that are 

 frequently visited by bees, but time and 

 space will not permit me to name them. 



The honey plants of June are more 

 abundant. The white or Dutch clover 

 opens its deep hidden tubes early in 

 June, and is in continual bloom for 

 about six weeks. It is well adapted to 

 the soil of Western Wisconsin, very 

 little having ever been sown; it is at 

 home alike on the alluvial bottom land 

 or on the poorest clay soil. The sumac 

 is a valuable honey plant. The bees 

 can gather honey from it as long as the 

 dew remains on its blossoms. Borage 

 is one of the cultivated honey plants. 

 and is very valuable for the reason that 

 bees work on it in rainy weather, when 

 nearly all other plants have no honey it 

 blooms from June till frost. Alder 

 berry, like sumac, only has honey early 

 in the morning, and t he honey is* not of 

 the finest quality. Ilorehound (Salvia 

 officinalis), is one of the mini family. 

 This is oneof thefewwiid honey plants 

 which have a commercial value. The 

 honey is very fine, but retains slightly 

 the taste of the plant. 



Early in July the basswood opens its 

 first buds: and blossoms continuously 

 for two weeks. The appearance and 

 flavor of the honey certainly cannot be 

 surpassed. The basswood, so greatly 

 admired by the ancients, will still con- 



