134 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



September 



trance to dovetailed hives to an inch, 

 and in very cold weather I think one- 

 half inch will be sufficient. I have 

 no doubt but. that it would be a great 

 benefit and advantage to the bees, 

 particularly in the spring when the 

 wheather is so changable, to contract 

 and open the entrance to suit the 

 change of temperature, for as late as 

 apple bloom we have cold and chilly 

 spells of windy weather and rain 

 blowing into the entrances of the 

 hives. Alley, of the Apiculturist, 

 speaks I think of this regulating of 

 the entrances to suit the change in 

 temperature, and I have no doubt but 

 that it will become a general practice 

 among bee-keepers. 



1 had 29 hives of bees last fall to 

 winter in my way. as above describ- 

 ed, and I have 29 now in good work- 

 ing order with brood chambers full of 

 bees. The inside of the hives 

 kept dry all the time. The heat of 

 the bees drove the moisture up 

 through the vent hole and it was 

 found on top of the packing. Last 

 winter was a mild one here, 

 but the one previous was not. 

 I had some with outside cases on, 

 but those without cases wintered the 

 best and were stronger in the spring, 

 and they were the first to swarm. 

 There was no packing between the 

 outside case and the hive, excepting 

 a lot at the bottom to make it more 

 air tight. 



Winchester, Pa., Aug. 14, 1894. 



We wdl send the Bee-Keeper un- 

 til January 1896 to new subscribers 

 only for 50c. — 15 months. 



Editor American Bee-Keeper, 

 Dear Sir : — I think that bee-keepers 

 learn a great deal from one another 

 by taking bee papers, and especially 

 the American Bee Keeper. 



I notice in the August number how 

 T. L. D. managed to get the bees to 

 work in the sections. His plan is a 

 good one, but the plan I have fol- 

 lowed is as follows : 



When a swarm comes off, I hive 

 them right in the upper story of sec- 

 tions, then cut out all queen cells in 

 the old hive and put a flat cover on 

 it. That will answer for a bottom 

 board for the new swarm, which I set 

 right on top of the old swarm, and in 

 about four days I take the bottom 

 board out and let both swarms to- 

 gether. They all start to work in the 

 sections nicely. This does not leave 

 the queen too loug above, otherwise 

 she would start brood. I like this 

 plan quite well, although perhaps it is 

 not new to some of your readers. 



The honey flow is going to be very 

 large here this season My plan is to 

 feed in the spring for increasing, and 

 to have all swarms strong by the time 

 the clover is in bloom, so as to get as 

 much section honey as possible. 



Yours truly, E. H. Hutchins. 

 Westville Centre, N. Y., Aug. 20, '94. 



Editor American Bee Keeper, 

 Dear Sir : — A straw in gleanings, 

 page 403 , tells us how to loosen supers 

 from the brood next by lifting the 



