k" 





fuliUfiht Weekly at 111^ A/icJi*jfori Street. 



^l.OO a Veoi — Sample Copj- Free, 



37th Year. 



CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 20, 1897. 



No. 20. 



#..£!S^^^* 



Winter-Case Arrangement for Bees. 



BY PERCY O. ORTON. 



I forward to-day illustratloas of a winter-case which I 

 made and am using. It works to perfection. It is 13 feet 

 long, '^H feet wide, and 23-^ feet deep, and holds 10 two- 

 super Dovetailed hives (8 frames each). The hives stand 

 one inch apart in the case; the entrance is 7/16x12 inches, 

 and enters a space in the case l%x2xl-l inches. A block 

 1x13^x2 inches is placed between each hive at the entrance, 

 and a strip Kx2 inches by 13 feet is nailed to the top of 

 these blocks, forming the compartment 13^x2xl-i inches; 



" Artificial " Increase, or Dividing Colonies. 



BY- Q. M. DOOLITTLE. 



A mania seems to have siezed many of those keeping bees, 

 for increase of colonies otherwise than by natural swarming, 

 if my correspondence Is any criterion to go by, for, at no time 

 in my bee-keeping life, have I had so many enquiries in this 

 matter as during the past three months ; therefore, to save so 

 much private correspondence I will give some of the plans 

 which I use successfully, in the American Bee Journal, 

 even though it may be, to quite a large extent, matter which I 

 have given before. But before doing so, I wish to say, that 

 for this locality, I prefer natural swarming to any plan of art- 

 ificial increase, where only one swarm is allowed from 

 each old colony, and where said swarm will issue In time to 

 prepare both old and new colonies in good condition for the 

 honey harvest. 



The first plan 1 will give for artificial increase is what is 

 termed by some as the " nucleus plan." To be of the most 

 value, the nucleus should be forced IS or 20 days before the 

 honey-harvest, by having enough bees in it to protect a frame 

 two-thirds full of brood, the larger part of which should hatch 

 during the first four or five days, while said comb should con- 

 tain some eggs just laid, if possible. Besides this frame of 



Fig. 1— Front View of the Orton Winter-Case Arrangement. 



and into each of these 10 a hive is slipt, making the hive- 

 entrance on a direct line with the outside entrance, through 

 the case. 



Chaff or any suitable packing is used. The roof is hinged, 

 and is raised up and held by two slicks. A lock is used on 

 the opposite side of the case to lock the roof down, which does 

 away with any one meddling with the honey or bees. The 

 cost of this arrangement is about .SB. 50, and will give many 

 bee keepers an idea for a good home-made winter-case. The 

 entrances to the hive are covered, and bee-tight. The floor to 

 the portico has the same slant as the roof. Dead bees and 

 water fall away from the entrance. Fulton Co., N. V. 



brood and bees, the nucleus should contain a frame having a 

 pound or two of honey in it, the whole being set in a hive and 

 confined to one side of the same by means of a division-board. 

 The next day after making, a nearly-mature queen-cell 

 should be given, or newly-hatcht queen introduced. In about 

 10 days, if all proves favorable, the young queen will be lay- 

 ing, when I go to the hive from which I formed the nucleus 

 and select a frame of brood, nearly all of which are gnawing 

 out of the cells, and add this to the nucleus, always putting a 

 frame of comb or comb foundation into the old colony to take 

 the place of the one taken out, otherwise too much drone- 

 comb would be built ; for colonies that are allowed to build 



