THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



117 



run throusli tlie wall aiul were closed on 

 each side by disks. Fuf>itive swarms seem 

 to prefer these loilginKs to any others. 



In winter these difl\'reiit hives were cov-r 

 ered with straw mats. Jn the XVII cen- 

 tury the straw hives with their straw mats 

 cost four or five sols each. 



The apiaries decreased at an epoch which 

 it would be ditticult to determine. Let us 

 say. however, that the extreme cold winters 

 of "the seventeenth and eii;liteenth centuries 

 must have destroyed many, as did the past 

 wilder. Besides.* the collectors of taxes, 

 contributed sreatly to this (lecreas^ by their 

 liabit of takiuij the hives, when they could 

 find nothing else in the houses of the poor 

 l)easauts. 



"Will you give us your opinion through 

 the JouRXAL, whether Mr. Dadant or Mr. 

 King is right in the matter of tliere being 

 black bees iu Italy." 



Ax Old Subsckiber. 



We do not see any disagreement upon this 

 point, between Mr. King and Mr. Dadant. 

 The only point discussed seems to be, what 

 they were carried to Italy for. Mr. King 

 merely says he saw them there, and Mr. 

 Dadant does not deny it. He only says Mr. 

 Ilruskahad received black bees to experi- 

 ment on the pathenogensis, and these stocks 

 or their offspring, were those Mr. King saw. 

 He also offers a reward for the name of any 

 one who has hybrid bees, unless they were 

 imported there, from outside of Italy. 



It is conceded that black bees and hybrids 

 are there, and are raised there; "black bees 

 and their offspring." 



Therefore the point to be discussed seems 

 to be "For what were they brought there." 



We do not care about this point. If any 

 of our readers dn, we doubt not Mr. Dadant 

 or Mr. King will answer letters willingly. 



Are bees likely to remember robbing six 

 months after committing very successful 

 depredations upon each other. How can we 

 prevent their robbing in the spring, be- 

 lore the flowers begin to yield their honey ? 

 We have wintered them on their summer 

 stands, in movable frame hives and so far 

 successfully— as a recent exanunation, made 

 while giving them a "fly" in the house has 

 proven. Mns. L. B. Baker. 



Lansing, Mich. 



We do not think the bees will remember — 

 there will be very few bees left in the col- 

 onies, that were there last summer. 



Close all the openings to every hive— be- 

 fore they fly this spring, except space for 

 one or two bees at a time to enter. 



If they are in proper condition, and each 



hive has a fertile queen there will be little 

 danger that they will not defend themselves. 

 Notice our seasonable hints. 



I wish you woiUd answer the following 

 questions" in the JoruNAL : 



1st. Can quilts be used on hive.s with 

 only 34 to % inches space between frame 

 and lioney-board ? Can sameiiuilts be used 

 on hives when from % to ^/i inches ditl'er- 

 ence in width or length ? 



M. Which is best for quilts, cotton or 

 woolen cloth and how do you nuike them. 



3d. lias C. Muth a iiatent on his straw 

 mats, and how are they made. I have used 

 mats for year's, made with straw in wooden 

 frames, that leaves a space of about % inches 

 between mat and honey-frames for bees to 

 cluster iu, winch they always do. Don't 

 you think that is an injury to the bees when 

 they are put on late in "the fall ? 



Jas. E. Fehr. 



1st. We would remove the honey-board 

 entirely and let the quilt take its place, un- 

 til very warm weather ; then you can put 

 the honey-board on again if you wish, The 

 size of the quilt.is not particular—}^ or K 

 inch is of little consequence. 



2d. We have used both woolen and cot- 

 ton, and do not see that one is better than 

 the other. If we were making out of new 

 cloth should use cotton, because it is cheap- 

 est. Two thicknesses of cloth with cotton 

 batting between them, made the size of the 

 top of hive you wish to use it on, is all that 

 is necessary— quilt^it or_not, just as yon 

 islease. 



We never heard that Muth claims a patent 

 on his mats. We do not like any quilt or 

 mat that does not lie directly on the frames. 

 We prefer the bees should cluster in the 

 comb. 



What is the matter, when bees plant them- 

 selves on all sixes at the entrance of the 

 hive, and with hind legs spread out and tail 

 stuck up, they make a noise like a distant 

 spinning wheel, and there seems to be a 

 crack on top of the tails ? I thought at first 

 they were, robbers, but I watched them, and 

 some of them did it, when los.ded with pol- 

 len. Mrs. M. B. Cuaddock. 



We think that in this case the bees were 

 not perfectly familiar with their locations, 

 and were a little in doubt if it was safe to 

 epter. Or it may be they discovered bees 

 about. It seems to be a movement of fear 

 and caution. 



How is Rye prepared to feed bees ? How 

 many frames would you put in a hive. 

 Would you put bees in a hot bed ? 



W. M. Moore. 



We feed Rye to bees ground, but not bolt- 

 ed. Put it in a shady place near the hives. 

 It is »o use to put it on top of the frame. We 

 would put nine 12x12 frames in a common 

 hive ; for extra large, non-swarming hives, 

 twice as many. Let older bee-keepers than 

 yourself try the hot bed. 



