692 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



were, in cellar wintering, a disadvan- 

 tage, and a large number of hives with 

 such covers, as well as of those with 

 loose covers, were set apart and care- 

 fully examined, with the result that 

 where the colonies were of fairly normal 

 strength, there was no apparent differ- 

 ence — almost every one of that class 

 wintering very satisfactorily. About the 

 only advantage of the loose covers was 

 that the combs were preserved dry and 

 clean. It was also observed that the 

 entire removal of the bottom-board, 

 leaving the bottom of the hive entirely 

 open, served largely the same purpose 

 as a loose cover, though not to quite the 

 same extent. 



In some of the larger hives, having a 

 bottom-board as well as sealed covers, 

 the combs outside the cluster were very 

 wet and moldy. In the ease of the 

 weaker colonies sealed covers were com- 

 paratively derimental. 



Of course, all this is in a cellar where 

 the temperature was maintained during 

 the entire winter at 45° and over, and 

 it can readily be believed that the class 

 of colonies that would fail to cope with 

 the conditions induced by sealed covers 

 out-of-doors would be very considerably 

 enlarged ; not, I think, because the 

 moisture would induce the disease 

 known as diarrhea, but because it would 

 require stronger colonies to ward off the 

 encroaching chilliness caused by con- 

 stant excessive evaporation, so that the 

 health and vigor of a large number 

 would be undermined and finally de- 

 stroyed. 



Of course, so far it does not appear 

 that sealed covers have any advantage 

 in any case, but inasmuch as they cause 

 wet and moldy combs, it would be well 

 worth the while to loosen all covers 

 when the bees are put "into the cellar, 

 and certainly so unless the bottom- 

 boards are entirely removed. 



The losses I have incurred speak 

 plainly of the importance of giving 

 strict heed to the old rule : " Keep all 

 colonies strong." By doubling up about 

 one-third of my colonies in September, I 

 should have escaped with practically no 

 loss. 



Lapeer, Mich., April 23. 



Honey as Food and Medieine is 



just the thing to help sell honey, as it shows 

 the various ways in which honey may be 

 used as a food and as a medicine. Try 100 

 copies of it, and see what good 'sales- 

 men " they are. See the second page of this 

 number of the Bee Journal for description 

 and prices. 



Soutliern Oiieens— Mailini (Jueen-Bees. 



Written for the American Bee Joumal 



BY H. F. COLEMAN. 



Since the question as to whether 

 queens reared in the South are as de- 

 sirable as queens reared in the North, 

 is being discussed, I will give my experi- 

 ence on that line. I have had queens 

 reared in Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylva- 

 nia, Ohio and Illinois, and have been 

 unable to detect but little difference. 

 Those reared in Texas were somewhat 

 smaller than those of any other State, 

 but being of the five-banded variety, I 

 concluded that their size was due to the 

 variety and not to the climate in which 

 they were reared. 



The Pennsylvania queens were of the 

 dark or leather-colored Italians, and 

 they have proved all I could expect. 

 They are prolific, their bees gentle and 

 splendid honey-gatherers. 



Those reared in Illinois were of the 

 golden Italian variety, and they have 

 proved very fine as regards the qualities 

 of their workers, their prolificness, etc. 



Those reared in Ohio proved to be ill 

 and so cross that I got rid of them with- 

 out giving them a fair test. I tried four 

 reared in Ohio — all evidently sisters — 

 six reared in Texas, four reared in Illi- 

 nois, and 29 reared in Pennsylvania. 



It is due to say of the Texas bees that 

 the queens were reasonably prolific, and 

 that the workers are good honey-gath- 

 erers, but in my opinion the five-banded 

 variety is not so good as either of the 

 other varieties mentioned above, or at 

 least they have not given me the same 

 satisfaction. 



QUEENS INJURED IN MAILING. 



As to its injuring queens to ship them 

 through the mails, I think it is a mis- 

 take. Perhaps once in a great while 

 one will be injured in the mails, but it 

 so seldom occurs that it amounts to 

 scarcely anything, and should not be 

 considered as anything but a rare ex- 

 ception to a general rule. 



The introduction of a queen invaria- 

 bly weakens the colony to which she is 

 introduced, unless it is kept up by brood 

 or bees from some other colony, and we 

 are too ready to think that because the 

 colony falls behind others not tinkered 

 with, the queen is deficient. This I 

 think is the cause of so much being said 

 about queens being injured in the mails. 



At the risk of making this too long, I 



