THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



299 



©uv i£i'chaniiC5, 



GLF.ANING!« IN BKK-CIlLTirRE. 



In our last issue we stated tliat Novice in- 

 tended to winter iiis bees out of doors. 

 "ChalT" is liis hobby now. lie gives the 

 following as Ins method of 



PKKPARING FOli WINTEK. 



"A frosty morning is an excellent time to 

 remove a set of section boxes and put on 

 the clialf cushions. Ajiproach the hive 

 quietly,and get your screw-driver under the 

 case of sections." or the upper story contain- 

 ing them, and with a quick movement you 

 can snap all attachments, and get the boxes 

 off before a bee has waked up; but now 

 comes the time for action. Have your 

 sheet of duck in readiness, and before a bee 

 can get to the side of the hive, have the 

 cloth tucked closely down all round; put on 

 yonr cushion, then the cover, and you are 

 all right. If it is an uitper story, you can 

 put it back, or another, before you put in 

 the cushion, be sure that you get it all fixed 

 before the bees have time' to boil out. They 

 will very likely gather out at the entrance, 

 but don't insult their dignity by walking 

 before them, and all will be well. If you 

 are clumsy, and do not get things fixed ex- 

 peditiously, you inav find hybrids rather 

 worse in frosty weather than at any other 

 time. In fixing our old standard or long 

 hive, we took too nuich time, and all hands 

 waked up to such an extent that they took 

 entire possession of the corn-popper 

 smoker, and came at us like a very young 

 hail storm. jNIany of the yellow stocks, will 

 hardly stir, when we raise otf a whole set of 

 section boxes." 



Novice also gives the following as his 

 method of 



PREPAKING BEES FOB SHIPMENT. 



Be sure the colony has old, strong combs, 

 not too heavy with honey; the great bulk 

 of stores should be near the top bars. If 

 the combs are all right without breaking 

 the fastenings made by the bees, all the 

 better, and you have then only to make the 

 frames secure as they are. We prefer push- 

 ing sticks, sawed to the right length and 

 thickness, between the end bars of the 

 frames; this makes all solid and secure, and 

 yet the sticks can be pulled out without re- 

 moving the combs. Lay another piece 

 across the frames at each end, and fasten it 

 with screws, and the hive will be safe, even 

 if it should be thrown upside down. If the 

 hive has a ])ortieo, cover it with wire cloth 

 and let the bees get out in it if they wish; 

 if it has none, cover the frames with wire- 

 cloth, and fasten the cover a little open. If 

 the weather is warm, and the colony very 

 strong, it will be safer to allow them to 

 leave their comljs and cluster in an upper 

 story, but ordiiuiry colonies in cool weather 

 may be simply confined with wire cloth. 

 The surface of wire cloth umst be large 

 enough so they cannot pack densely over it, 

 or they will be ruined. We have many 

 times seen them, when released, crawl out 

 of their hives in every direction in the dirt, 

 completely demoralized; from insufticient 

 ventilation." 



I.AIUJK AND GOOD CltOP OF HONEY. 



.1. S. llill, M(nint Healthy, O., has a honey 

 cro]) this year of l(),(io(i It.s. He connnenced 

 in tlu' spring with, 1 believe, .S4 stands. He 

 raised also (),0(M) tlis. of machine extracted 

 lioney, as nice as anybody has, and you 

 know we feel a little jjioud of the (piality of 

 the honey raised in this part of the country. 

 I bought all of his honey, and I am sure I 

 have never before seen as ni(!e a lot of comb 

 honey as Hill's. There was about 3,8(K) tt)S, 

 in combs weighing from ]}4 to 1% tbs. each. 

 Every comb in the lot was perfect and sep- 

 arate from the rest; it is a model lot of 

 comb lioney, and it would do you goo(4 to 

 look at it.— C. F. 3Iutfi, Cincinnati. 0. 



MOO]>>i' UEK WOKLII. 



CARNIOLIAN BEES. 



Ch. Hadant says he received his expected 

 shipment of Carniolian bees, but only three 

 were received alive. He describes them as 

 follows: 



"These queens are as dark as common 

 queens, with some narrow strips of dark 

 leather color. But they are very large. 

 Generally after a long journey the queens 

 are small. The Carniolian are as big as 

 good laying queens, of course it is to be pre- 

 sumed that they will enlarge when rested / 

 and laying. The si/.e explains the great 

 fecundity attributed to these queens. Yet 

 it is to be regretted that they are so dark, 

 for their color will prevent their introduc- 

 tion among the lovers of yellow bees. These 

 bees are received for experiments and not 

 introduced for sale." 



IIEG-KEEPERN' .^lAUAZIXE. 



The November number has among other 

 things the following advice, by the Rev. J. 

 W. Shearer, for 



STAP.TING AN APIARY. 



"A novice in the business should never 

 attempt to start on a large scale. He should 

 begin with not more than three hives, and 

 increase these as his knowledge and experi- 

 ence increases, by swarming and by pro- 

 curing from abroad, if thought desiraole. 

 after two years experience. The easiest 

 way to get a start is to secure a swarm from 

 some neighbor. 



A first swarm is always to be jtrcferred, 

 and if possible from a hive which was 

 known to have swarmed the last year, for 

 then the old queen will be in her second 

 year, vigorous and at her best. A small, 

 late second swarm should be passed by in 

 l)urchasiiig. Arrange the frames 1'*k inch 

 trom centre to centre, tilt the hive forward 

 at an angle of 20 or 2.") deg., and they will be 

 almost certain to build straight on the 

 comb-guides, if an old hive is purchased 

 let it be a heavy one in the spring with 

 straight comb coming entirely down to the 

 bottom of the hive. Carry it home in your 

 arms or in a spring wagon. Removi' it very 

 early in the niorniiigor late in the evening 

 when all the bees have returned home, that 

 none be lost. Blow a little smoke under it, 

 reverse, cover with a i)iece of cloth which 

 may be fastened by tacking a string around 

 it or strips on the ends, place it on straw iu 

 a wagon with the comb running lengthwise 

 the vehicle, drive slowly home and there is 



