AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



533 



pan of sugar syrup, placed on top of the 

 frames. I found they worked harmoni- 

 ously together. 



When putting on the supers, I ar- 

 ranged them as one super, fixing them 

 so that both colonies could work to- 

 gether, thinking that by so doing the 

 strong colony might help build up the 

 weaker one. This, I believe, they did, 

 although I could not spare time to watch 

 them closely. The result was that the 

 weaker colony built up very fast, and 

 the supers over both hives were filled at 

 or about the same time. Neither colony 

 cast a swarm. 



Now, I should like to ask if any of the 

 old bee-keepers have experimented along 

 this line. I should like to hear if any 

 one has tried working two or more colo- 

 nies together, thus making the strong 

 colonies help build up the weak ones, 

 and what effect it had, if any, on swarm- 

 ing. 



I put away 39 colonies last fall. The 

 winter has been very severe. Bees have 

 not had a flight in about four months. 



Storm Lake, Iowa, March 4, 1893. 



Some Que8tion§ About the Re- 

 Ter§ing of Fraine§. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY F. L. THOMPSON. 



I wish to ask for information on some 

 points about reversing, which are not 

 clear to me, though I have six bee-books 

 and have had the Bee Joubnal for the 

 last year. My case is this : 



I have reversible hives which are hor- 

 izontally divisible into three brood apart- 

 ments, each apartment having a capacity 

 of 3}i Langstroth frames, consequently 

 the whole has a capacity of 10 Lang- 

 stroth frames. Now, I have carefully 

 considered the subject of contraction, 

 with reference to this locality, and it 

 does not seem to me suitable to it. There 

 are 600 or 700 acres of alfalfa near by, 

 which cannot be cut all at once, conse- 

 quently there may be, and probably will 

 be, a honey-flow sufficient at all times 

 before Aug. 1st to enable the bees to 

 store honey besides what they need 

 themselves. After Aug. 1st, and until 

 Sept. 1st. or after, there will be a honey- 

 flow from cleome ; and After Sept. 1st 

 it is still desirable to have plenty of 

 bees, in order to have them in good 

 shape for wintering. Now, if I do not 

 practice contraction, and still keep the 

 honey above those 10 frames, so as to 

 give plenty of room to the queen, it 



would seem as if reversing was the only 

 thing left. 



Although Mr. Heddon has said in the 

 Bee Journal, " I have found no ill ef- 

 fects whatever from a large experience 

 in reversing," Mr. Dadant quotes, in 

 his book, page 414, "As far as bee- 

 reproduction is concerned, the reversing 

 apiarist reaches the same result as the 

 brirastoning apiarist ;" and below he 

 says: 



" In the present state of progress in 

 bee-culture, reversing is less damaging, 

 but its disadvantages cannot overbalance 

 its advantages, unless It is practiced 

 very cautiously and sparingly." It 

 seems strange that in all the time revers- 

 ing has been before the public, the ama- 

 teur can find such conflicting opinions 

 in two good authorities. 



But the points I wish to ask about 

 especially, are. How does Mr. Heddon 

 reverse ? Does he leave a reversed 

 brood apartment alone an indefinite 

 period, trusting that egg-laying and 

 brood-rearing will go on in reversed 

 combs with the same ease and safety as 

 in the normal position ? or does he re- 

 verse just long enough for the bees to 

 get the honey out, and carry it upstairs, 

 then restore the apartment to its origi- 

 nal position ? If the former is true, 

 why should not a reversed brood-comb 

 stay reversed all the time ? How can 

 honey stay in it, if reversing is what 

 makes it run out? 



Mr. Shuck speaks of " practicing in- 

 version weekly, when the whole gather 

 is likely to be in the supers." This 

 would suit my case, if I knew what he 

 meant — single or double inversion. But 

 " weekly " inversion would be very dam- 

 aging, indeed, according to what Mr. 

 Dadant implies. 



I will be very much obliged for a solu- 

 tion of these questions, as well as an 

 opinion as to whether I am right or not 

 in not practicing contraction under the 

 circumstances. 



Denver, Colo. 



[Will some one who has the experi- 

 ence, please reply to the foregoing 

 questions ? — Ed.] 



The IVinter in loMra, Honey 

 Prophecies, Etc. 



Written for the American Bee Jour?ial 

 BY THOS. JOHNSON. 



The past winter has been one of the 

 steadiest and coldest we have had for 

 several years. Bees have perished in 



