42 



GLEANINGS IN BEE OULTUiiii. 



Jan. 



appearance of the bee's eye, a cut of which appears 

 below, showing the form of each simple ej'e, or 

 "ocellus;" their combined surface resembles, 

 somewhat, sealed comb lioney (or brood). In the 

 drawing-, the simple eyes are ex- 

 aggerated; for if given in their 

 exact proportion they would be 

 hardly visible. Thi-ough the mi- 

 croscope, however, these simple 

 eyes appear like a lot of little 

 beads nicely imbedded over the 

 surface of the large eye, and I 

 do not know of any part of the 

 bee that is more beautiful under 

 the microscope than this. 

 EYE OF A BEE. You noticciuthe engraving, 



that part of the eye looks as if the central portion 

 had been torn out. This is to show the shape of 

 each little eye when dissected. You observe that 

 the outer surface of each is hexagonal (having six 

 sides like honey-cells), and tapers down to a point. 

 To this is attached the optic nerve, communicating 

 with the brain. Perhaps you would liken the whole 

 to a sunflower head tilled with ripened seed, the 

 whole head answering for the compound ej'e, and 

 the separate seeds the simjjle eye. 



When we reflect that each one of the simple eyes 

 is so small and yet so perfect, having nearly all the 

 parts belonging to our eyes, are we not again led to 

 say," How wonderful are thy works, O Lord I"? Yes, 

 he has made great worlds, millions of miles away, 

 and yet even the little insects have not been neg- 

 lected, so perfect are they. Ernest R. Root. 



UPPER ABSORBENTS. 



CAN BEES WINTER IN OPEN-MOITTHED ISOTTLES.' 



fHERE is no business or occupation in exist- 

 ence, that 1 am aware of, in which there are 

 so many prominent, vital questions unset- 

 tled, as in bee-keeping. There are numerous 

 points, important to all and doubly so to the 

 beginner, on which we will find leading and suc- 

 cessful apiarists holding diametrically opposite 

 views. We see this at every bee-keepers' conven- 

 tion and in nearly every bee-journal we read. 



To the experienced bee-keeper this want of unity 

 in thought with the argument which it brings, is 

 not only of no injury, but often of decided benefit, 

 by leading him to question more closelj^his reasons 

 for his own line of action, and thereby detect any 

 possible flaws therein. To beginners, though, 

 Avhose ideas ai-e not yet matured by experience, 

 this variety of oj)inion is, to say the least, some- 

 what bewildering. Still there is no help for it. By 

 discussion we shall the sooner arrive at truth; and it 

 is but justice to the beginner to present both sides 

 of the question, in order that he may decide for 

 himself on those points where "doctors disagree." 

 Very often what is right for one locality or system 

 of management is all wrong for another, and so 

 both sides may be right, and no doubt frequently 

 are. We are apt to get so deep into our own groove 

 that we do not see ourjneighbor in liis groove, al- 

 though it may run almost alongside of our own, and 

 coming out at just the same place. 



I am led to write this by the article which appear- 

 ed on page 824 of Dec. Gi>eanings. The writer 

 takes alarm at the statement by Mr. Heddon, that 

 he is "becoming of the opinion that our upper 



absorbents are usually useless and ofttimes 

 worse," and expects the editor, as a matter of 

 course, to join him in attacking the heresy. I 

 have read Mr. Heddon's reply with interest; but as 

 he is probably'busy with his new book and reversi- 

 ble hive, he does not go into the subject with his 

 usual thoroughness. 



Several years ago, in giving in Gleanings the 

 results of some extensive wintering experiments, I 

 said that, while it seemed to make little difference 

 during the winter whether an enameled cloth or a 

 porous covering were used over the bees, a porous 

 covering was a decided detriment during the spring 

 months. Further experiments since then have con- 

 vinced me that, if other conditions are observed, 

 there is never any real advantage to be derived 

 from upper absorbents, while with a small swarm 

 or a large hive, or at any time when brood is being 

 raised before warm weather comes, there is a 

 great disadvantage from their use. I find, too, that 

 many of those most successful In wintering have 

 come to the same conclusion. Moreover, 1 have no 

 doubt that the reason why bees in box hives, with- 

 out care, often winter better than those that have 

 the advantage of all the modern improvements is 

 that the latter are frequently ventilated to death, 

 while the former are more often allowed to her- 

 metically seal the top of the hive, and absorbents 

 are never thought of. 



I consider that the essential points in outdoor 

 wintering are, 1. Plenty of good honey, or its equiv- 

 alent, with but little pollen; 3. Strong colonies; 

 ;{. A contracted hive, a covering impervious to 

 moisture, and a large entrance; 4. A protection 

 from the cold (on top, and, if possible, on all sides) 

 of chatf or other non - conducting material, the 

 thicker the better. 



To carry out this system, as soon as spring comes 

 the bees should be crowded on still fewer combs, 

 and the entrance made quite small, until the size of 

 the colony and the heat of the season make enlarge- 

 ment necessary. 



WHY ABSORBENTS ARE IN.JURIOUS. 



Bees at all times exhale a certain amount of wa- 

 tery vapor. In cold weather this must pass out of 

 the hive, or be condensed on its combs or walls as 

 water or frost. To prevent this condensation many 

 place porous materials inside the hive, which are 

 supposed to keep the hive dry by absorbing the 

 moisture. Very often they do this very well for a 

 time; but if no provision is made for drying them 

 they become damper and damper as the winter 

 continues, until finally they can hold no more mois- 

 ture. Any thing wet is, under such circumstances, 

 necessarily cold, and this damp cushion often 

 proves a veritable " wet blanket " on the prosperity 

 of the unfortunate colony, extending its malign in- 

 fluence long after cold weather is past, compelling 

 the bees to dry this soaked and often frozen cushion 

 bj' the heat of their bodies befoi-e they can be com- 

 fortable. 



Instead of absorbents some employ upper venti- 

 lation, carrying the moisture out of the hive along 

 with an upward current of air through the top. 

 There are but few who advocate that this current 

 should be unrestrained, as when an opening in the 

 top of the hive communicates directly with the out^ 

 er air, because the folly of this course is usually 

 easily seen after a hard winter or with weak colo- 

 nies. The heat of the colony is carried off so rapid- 

 ly that eitherall die during some cold snap, or they 



