886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



Just as soon as the surplus apartment is remov- 

 ed; the quicker the better. James Heddon. 



If you wantaguess from one without experience, 

 1 should say the middle of October or earlier. 



C. C. MiIjLER. 



As soon after the last honey-How as possible. 1 

 should like to have all my bees ready for winter by 

 Oct. 15th. James A. Green. 



Just as soon as it can possibly be done after the 

 fall honey-flow ceases, the earlier the better; it 

 can not be done too early. O. O. Poppi.eton. 



The last half of September and first half of Octo- 

 ber is the time I generally do the last work with my 

 bees, except setting them in the cellar. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



1 think all preparation should be made before the 

 bees have become dormant. I am opposed to dis- 

 turbing them much in cold weather. 



H. R. BOAKDMAN. 



My own mind is not settled on this point, and 

 ranges between very early (when the sections are 

 taken off) and very late, even as late as the first of 

 February. E. E. Hasty. 



Bees need no chaff packing in my locality, but a 

 dry habitation and plenty of stores. The latter 

 part of September is the time when our bees 

 should be prepared for winter. Chas. F. Muth. 



As soon after frost comes as possible. The extra 

 packing will be valuable on cold nights, and, if feed- 

 ing is desirable, or is to be practiced, the sooner the 

 better after the harvest is ended in September. 



A. J. Cook. 



In this part of California I think it best to give 

 the final overhauling just before they cease breed- 

 ing, which usually stops the last of September or 

 fii'St of October. Queenlessness or defective queens 

 can still be readily detected. R. Wilkin. 



OuESTioN 90. --Haye youfounditprofltableor'nec- 

 essarn to make examination of colonies on summer 

 stands during the winter, when an nccasidnul fine day 

 per)iiits! In other words, do yon thi)ik oity iiarmre- 

 sults to a colony from disturliing their irintcr iicstf 



No. Let them alone. 



Mrs. L. Harrison. 



No. Bees should not be disturbed. 



P. H. Elwood. 

 1. I don't winter on summer stands. 3. Yes. 



Dr. a. B. Mason. 

 No harm if the weather is warm enough for them 

 to fly. Dadant & Son. 



I don't think it is either profitable or necessary, 

 if all have beea propei'Iy attended to. 



Paul L. Viallon. 

 1 don't believe it does any great harm, but my ex- 

 jterience is not recent. C. C. Miller. 



If properly arranged and protected, it is prefera- 

 ble to leave them undisturbed. L. C. Root. 



1 think it does no harm to examine the bees when 

 the weather is so warm as to induce free flight. 



A. J. Cook. 

 Ves, profitable in determining the general condi- 

 tion of the apiary, to examine one or two colonies. 

 H. R. Boardman. 

 Harm or no harm, I should consider it time wast- 

 ed to be opening and examining bees in winter, as 

 a rule, James Hepdon. 



No harm whatever can result from examining our 

 colonies during warm winter days, but we can ben- 

 efit them greatly. Chas. F. Muth. 



Much depends upon the weather. On the whole, 

 I am of the opinion that the less they are disturbed 

 the better for them. Geo. Grimm. 



1 have been in the habit of examining my bees 

 very freely whenever I took a notion; but little by 

 little I find myself drifting to the conclusion that I 

 have often injured them by so doing. 



E. E. Hasty. 



It is seldom necessary, and usually very unprofit- 

 able, to disturb bees during the winter. I have ex- 

 amined them at such times, without apparent in- 

 jury; but as a rule it is unadvisable, especially for 

 a beginner. James A. Green. 



I know that 1 have had bees kill their queen 

 when the hive was opened in the winter; and oth- 

 erwise there are disadvantages, so I think the 

 chances for good are to let them alone. However, 

 r never could resist the temptation to look into 

 them. R. Wilkin. 



lam not certain that 1 have ever known of bees 

 being injured liy being disturbed occasionally in 

 winter, therefore I look at minsiflthink there is 

 any thing needs doing to them, and often do so 

 from mere curiosit.\-, with no bad results, in my 

 opinion. G. M. Doolittle. 



No. I have found it neither profitable nor necessa- 

 ry, nor have I ever noticed that such examination 

 everdid much harm. If there is danger that colonies 

 may be short of stores, such examination as will 

 determine whether such is the case or not may be 

 necessary, especially if you have on hand sealed 

 honey to feed such as may be short. 



O. O. POl'PLETON. 



In summer prepare for winter. We give our bees 

 time to store basswood honey to winter on, then ex- 

 amine in the fall, in September, to see if they have 

 plenty. Feed if necessary, then be sure they have 

 enough, then there is no use of looking into them 

 until warm days in April. Still, I know bees can be 

 examined when there are warm days in winter, and 

 winter well after; but the less we disturb bees in 

 winter, the better. E. France. 



Although 1 have at different times decid- 

 ed that, the les.s bees were disturbed during 

 the winter months, the better, I have about 

 as many times decided that they could be 

 handled without any injury when the weath- 

 er was so warm as to enable them to fly 

 freely. There may be an exception to this, 

 however. After bees have been shut up for 

 a long time, and start out to have a good 

 cleansing flight, if you pull the hive to 

 pieces before they have had thi.s flight, and 

 settled down, I have good reason to think it 

 may induce swarming out. At one time we 

 used to avail ourselves of every warm spell 

 in the middle of winter to oveihanl the 

 hives, sweep out dead bees, move the combs 

 containing stores near to clusters, etc. But 

 one winter, when the weather changed be- 

 fore we got quite through, those that did 

 not have anv "house-cleaning'' in January 

 did decidedly the best, and some of them 

 swarmed out just after Me overhauled them, 

 while none of those that were untouched 

 swarmed out or acted badly. 



