1894. 



THE .1 WERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



:: 



are presenl in a cellar, their presence 

 is more quickly detected in this way 

 than with a light, for they often make 

 a clattering among the hives, easily 



heard in [he deep darkness and still- 

 ness that reign. If you have only a 

 few colonies of bees in yourcellar you 

 may be obliged to place the ear near 

 the hives to hear their low hum, and 

 stay an hour to hear a bee fly out; 

 where if there are 200 colonies the hum 

 will be louder, and bees fly out ofteu- 

 er. If the bees are in the house-cel- 

 lar you must get up before the family 

 in the morning, when all is still, in 

 order to test this part of the matter. 

 I next strike a match and light a sper- 

 maceti candle. With such a candle 

 you can get a much more satisfactory 

 result, without annoyance to the bees, 

 than with a lantern or a lamp; and 

 as they can be obtained at any 

 country store, I would advise their 

 use in the bee-cellar. Having the 

 light I proceed carefully along the 

 rows of hives, looking closely for any 

 traces of mice; for, do the best I can, 

 I have more or less trouble with these 

 pests. The presence of mice is detect- 

 ed by finding heads and abdomens 

 of bees, with the thorax gone or eaten 

 up, aud by fragments of comb under 

 the hives. If these are found, set a 

 trap for the mice — a common choker 

 trap is as good as any; and for bait I 

 find a squash or pumpkin seed ahead 

 of any thing else. 



Having the mouse question settled, 

 I next look at the bees at the bottom 

 of the combs. Where wintering 

 well only rows of abdomens will be 

 seen, the points all standing outward, 

 and nearly or unite motionless. Be 

 careful not to breath on the bees or 

 hold the light too near, as they are 



easily aroused in this way. Few 

 sights give me so much real pleasure 

 as to look on those hundreds of motion- 

 abdomens of In'''-, especially 

 when they come down evenly between 

 the ranges of coml>~ so as to make 

 them appear like soldiers drawn up 

 in column for battle. I sometimes 

 raise the cover of a few of the hives 

 and look in at the top of the frames, 

 but as this can rarely be done with- 

 out disturbing the bees, it is better not 

 to do it. 



Lastly I look at the temperature, 

 and I find it today to be 45°, which 1 

 consider just right, although should 

 it fall to 40°, the bees would show 

 little defference, except that the mur- 

 mur heard in the cellar would be 

 louder. If warmer, the rows of abdo- 

 mens would not be as compact, and 

 they would be easily disturbed by the 

 light. As it approaches spring, the 

 hum will become louder, and the 

 waste of bees flying out and dying on 

 the cellar- bottom will be greater, even 

 when wintering perfectly. — Doolittle 

 in Gleanings. 



Clubbing List. 



We will send the American Bee-Keeper with 



the — PUB. PRCE. BOTH. 



American Bee Journal, ($1 00) 81 35 



American Apiculturist, ( 75) 1 15 



Bee-Keeper's Review, il 00) 1 35 



Canadian Bee Journal, 1 OOj 1 25 



Gleanings in Bee Culture, (1 00) 1 35 



f\LL-f\ME,RIGf\N LINE. 



The popular Nickel Plate fast ex- 

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 from Boston and New York to Chicago, 

 elegant dining cars, low rates, and 

 polite attention, make this the most 

 popular line between the Bast and 

 West. For all information call on 

 nearest ticket agent : or address F. J. 

 Moore, General Agent. Buffalo, N. Y. 



