342 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



manageineiit for Winteriug Bees 

 in the Cellar. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY GEO. T. GUNN. 



Two weeks ago, when looking over 

 my bees in the cellar, I found one colony 

 that showed signs of diarrhea. There 

 were 30 or 40 spots on the alighting- 

 board and front of the hive that were 

 unmistakably fresh voidings. 



They were pulling dead bees out of 

 the entrance, and making some noise 

 (not roaring). Those ,they dragged out 

 were large, and when pressed with the 

 finger, would burst. 



I knew that a cleansing flight would 

 cure them, but that was out of the ques- 

 tion with the mercury below zero. But 

 something had to be done, so I took 

 them out of the, pile and pried the cover 

 off — it was an inch board, and was glued 

 down tight. It came off with a snap, 

 that brought quite a number of bees up 

 to see what was the trouble. The combs 

 were clean, and smelled sweet, so I put 

 the cover on again, with a piece of sec- 

 tion under each corner. 



The mercury was at 40° in the cellar 

 then — a few days before it had been 

 down to 33°. I put a kerosene-oil lamp 

 on the floor near the hive, with a piece 

 of building-paper around it, to keep the 

 light from the bees, and shut up the 

 cellar. 



The next day I found the mercury at 

 52°, and the colony quieter, so I re- 

 moved the lamp. One week later I ex- 

 amined them, and found no fresh void- 

 ings, and the dead bees at the entrance 

 were dry and shrunken, and they were 

 very quiet. To-day they are still quiet, 

 and I think they are all right. 



I am a iirm believer in cellar winter- 

 ing. I have yet to lose my first colony 

 in wintering, but I lost one by mice get- 

 ting in and eating them ; ^ey gnawed a 

 rather too large entrance larger. 



My bee-cellar is under my dwelling- 

 house, and is also my house-cellar. In 

 it are kept potatoes, beets, etc. My 

 wife also keeps lots of flowers there. It 

 has two doors, one of wire screen inside, 

 which is covered with building-paper in 

 the winter; the outer doors are slanting 

 to shed rain. These doors are opened 

 several times a day to get things out of 

 the cellar, but I do not see that it does 

 any harm, if they are not left open more 

 than a minute or two, until towards 

 spring, when they must be kept closed 

 to keep the light out, or the bees will 

 leave the hives. 



I put the bees into the cellar soon 

 after Thanksgiving Day, or just before, 

 if there is snow. I like to haul them to 

 the cellar on a hand sled, and then the 

 snow comes handy to cover the entrance 

 with while handling them. Entrances 

 are open full width of the hive. The 

 hives are piled three or four deep around 

 the cellar, with the backs to the wall. 

 The lower tier is on scantlings. 



Towards spring the doors are opened 

 at night, and the bees are watered by 

 throwing snow on the alighting-boards. 

 They are put out for a flight as soon as 

 the weather is warm enough, then put 

 back until settled warm weather comes. 



Wall Lake, Iowa, Jan. 31, 1893. 



fxxxxxxxxxxx 



xxxxrxxxxxxi 



Do not write anything for publication 



on the same sheet of paper witn business 

 matters, unless It can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



Looking^ for a Good Season. 



Bees have done well so far. I have 

 lost one colony out of 38, all on the 

 summer stands. I hope the Amebican 

 Bee Joubnal may prosper the coming 

 year, and that I may share in prosperity 

 also. I look for a good season. 



ThOS. C. KJELLY. 



Slippery Rock, Feb. 2, 1893. 



Fine Honey Season Expected. 



I have kept a few colonies of bees for 

 the last 16 years. I make my own hives 

 12x16 inches in the clear, and 12 inches 

 deep, with 8 frames. I never bothered 

 with the bees on the summer stands be- 

 fore, but this winter caught me ; I lost 

 15 colonies, which leaves me 30, all in 

 good condition. Most of them died with 

 plenty of honey. 



I got but little surplus honey last 

 summer, but I think we are going to 

 have a fine honey season this year. My 

 bees have been working a little for 

 three or four days, and carried the first 

 pollen to day from the maple. 



F. W. Wiedemann. 



Equality, Ills., Feb. 26, 1893. 



