1873.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



S9 



made 75 pounds box honey. Thus I brought 

 through 38 out of 42 hives. 



Very happy at my success I went to work 

 ■with a will. "Weighed each hive and placed 

 them upon their summer stands. The difference 

 in weight was 276 pounds, making an average 

 of 6% to the hive for 120 days ; the highest 

 consumption per hive was 11 pounds, the lowest 

 43^ pounds. The weather for two weeks fol- 

 lowing was very bad. Two heavy snow storms, 

 and one heavy northeast rain storm, so they did 

 Bot have a fly until April 3d, 134 days from the 

 20th of Nov. Now why did they during this 

 long confinement not die, as did those kept on 

 summer stands ? My answer is, they were in a 

 low equable temperature, 7" above the freezing 

 point. Their consumption of honey was small, 

 they did not become gorged with their fiaces 

 as did those on summer stands compelled to 

 feed largely to sustain existence, and again they 

 were in Egyptian darkness, and therefore quiet. 

 Novice has propounded what may be considered 

 an axiom when he says, "unless bees can be 

 kept where water does not freeze, they had 

 better be in the sun as much as possible." 



Some modifications of the clamp are suggested 

 by my experience. Put the roof boards 2 in. 

 apart and lay on 12 in. of straw and 6 in. ot 

 earth. Put a 4x4 vent in center. I had none 

 at that point. This would avoid condensation 

 of moisture on the inside of clamp. 



The cost of such a clamp is slight. $10 for 

 upright, ridge pole, and roof boards covered all, 

 but the building and digging, which was done 

 odd spells by my hired man and self By renew- 

 ing the earth in the spring it will last many 

 years. 



The small consumption of honey, low equable 

 temperature, fine condition of bees in the 

 spring is ample compensation for the outlay, 

 and is as satisfying as it would be to a good 

 farmer to know that his stock is well housed 

 from the biting blasts of winter. 



There is no trouble in propagating bees, the 

 great problem is to winter them successfully. 

 This article looks formidable on paper, but I 

 trust I have been as terse as possible with the 

 proper elucidation of the subject. 



Chas. D. Hibbard. 



Auburn, N. Y. 



t * 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Hiving Italians. 



I had been expecting for several days that my 

 beautiful Italian queen purchased of A. Benedict 

 would lead out a swarm. I was working some 

 distance from my apiary, when upon looking up 

 I saw they were swarming. Would they light 

 or would they go off ? ah, that is the question. 

 I started toward the hive, upon the run you may 

 bet, and commenced looking for the queen. 

 Half the swarm had come out. I stood watch- 

 ing, wondering and trembling, I should think 



about a minute, when behold ! I saw her on the 

 board in front of the hive. I just picked her 

 up and put her in a queen cage, went and got a 

 hive, set the old hive away several feet and set 

 the new one in its place. Took off the cover, 

 laid the queen on the frames, and stood back to 

 see what the result would be. 



After circling around, roaring, buzzing, and 

 whirring for about ten minutes, back they 

 began to come, and upon discovering their 

 queen, in they went. Then I set my new 

 hive away and returned the old hive to its 

 place. 



"Well, that was pretty well done; but how 

 was it with your next swarm? 



"Well, I'll tell you. I was fixing to go away 

 from home, when the cry was made, " bees 

 swarming !" Around the house I went, and sure 

 enough, my mammoth 18-frame hive was send- 

 ing out a tremendous big swarm. I looked for 

 my queen, but she escaped my notice, and they 

 lit high on a large apple tree. I got my hive 

 arranged with table cloth in front to shake the 

 bees upon. Took a box, went up the ladder, 

 shook the bees into the box and down I went. 

 (Thought I to myself, I've got you now !) I 

 shook them upon the table cloth in front of the 

 hive, and sir, would you believe it, not a bee 

 could I get to go into that hive. They immedi- 

 ately began to rise. " Go it boots," says I. 

 About half the swarm had arose, when to my 

 joyful satisfaction, I discovered the queen. She 

 was attempting to fly. but I knocked her back 

 with my hand, and picked her up and caged 

 her. I then proceeded the same as I did with 

 my flrst swarm and hived them successfully, or 

 rather let them hive themselves. 



Had you any further trouble with any of your 

 swarms ? 



Yes sir, I had about the same difl&culty with 

 others, but managed to get them hived ; and so 

 far as my experience goes, large swarms of Ital- 

 ians are harder to manage in hiving than black 

 swarms. Hereafter, I think I shall divide my 

 bees, and not let them swarm, for I cannot see 

 but they do just as well when properly divided. 

 Ira J. Manville. 



Sparta, Ohio. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Our Second Swarming. 



I told you, I think, that I was quite satisfied 

 with my first experience in " natural " swarming ; 

 so well satisfied was I, indeed, as to resolve never 

 to have another. 



But I could not make up my mind to at once 

 destroy all queen-cells but one, in the old hive. 

 There were divers reasons for this. 



How should I select the right one ? Nature — 

 if Darwin be right — would see to it that the fittest 

 of those embryo princesses should be preserved 

 for queenly rule. For her unerring law should 

 I venture to substitute the mere blind chance 



