620 



GI.EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Aug. 15. 



ought to write to the director of the botanic 

 station of the particular island he desires to 

 know about. The would-be emigrant ought 

 to read Charles Kingsley's "At Last," Wash- 

 ington Eves' "West Indies," and Fred K. 

 Obers' "Camps in the Carribbees. " These 

 are first-class books to read — anyway, espe- 

 cially of a winter's night. 



Correspondents often forget that the foreign 

 postage is five cents, hence their letters remain 

 unnoticed. It is also well to inclose a stamp 

 for reply. 



»♦»»» 



WORKING THE APIARY ON THE TWO STORY 

 PLAN. 



Some Questions Answered. 



BY DR. C. C. MILLER. 



Dr. C. C. Miller : — Being much interested 

 in discussion of the two story -brood-chamber 

 system I should like "more light" on the 

 following points, which please answer through 

 Gleanings : 



1. Is the second story left on all winter? if 

 added in spring, when ? 



2. In removing this surplus brood chamlier, 

 (rt) what is done with the brood it contains? 

 and (/>) how are bees gotten out of it? (r) 

 which story is left on stand — upper or lower ? 



3. («) Are the stories alternated? {h) if so, 

 how often ? 



4. How can the number of colonies be in- 

 creased under this system ? G. F. HaddeR. 



Mitchellville, la., July IG. 



[Dr. Miller replies as follows :] 



1. I can answer as to my own practice only, 

 which is by no means uniform. As I cellar 

 my bees it is more convenient to have the bees 

 in one story through the winter. A second 

 story is given whenever convenient, at any 

 time before the bees are crowded for room in 

 the one story. Usually it is given some little 

 time before the extra room is abs' 'lutely need- 

 ed, the combs of the added story being cared 

 for nicely by the bees, and, being in their 

 care, more free from mold, mice, and worms 

 than in any other place. In the extra combs 

 given, some are likely to contain more or less 

 honey, and the bees do not despise such little 

 attentions. If I practiced wintering outdoors, 

 I think I should allow the bees the two stories 

 all winter. 



2. (a) In the fall the brood will be in only 

 one chamber, or can easily be gotten into one. 

 Sometimes a queen-excludei is put between 

 the two stories three weeks before the time of 

 reducing to one story, thus making sure there 

 shall be brood in only one story. At time of 

 putting on supers, any colony which has 

 more than eight frames of brood shares its 

 brood with those which have less; and if it 

 should happen that there is an overplus after 

 giving 8 frames to each, such overplus may 

 be disposed of in any way that seems most 

 advisable at the time, among the ways being 

 the establishment of nuclei, and also piling the 

 brood two or three stories high so as to have 

 it ready to draw upon when needed. 



{h) Of counse, the only time when there 

 will be any trouble about getting Ijees out of 

 the extra story is in the fall. Sometimes the 

 upper story is gradually raised, first being 

 blocked up at the front end, afterward at the 

 back end, and still later being raised enough 

 higher so all the bees will desert the lower 

 story, which will hardly work well unless all 

 the honey present can be packed in the upper 

 story. Oftener no such preliminary measures 

 are taken. Both stories are lifted from the 

 stand, and the vipper story set back on the 

 stand. Near by the lower story is an empty 

 hive-'Hjdy, a robber-cloth usually being over 

 it, and one also over the removed lower story. 

 As fast as each frame has the bees brushed 

 from it in front of the hive remaining on the 

 stand, it is put into the empty hive. 



(r) When the extra story is added it is 

 always given below, and the upper story is 

 always considered the legitimate brood - 

 chamber, the bees extending their room down- 

 ward just as fast and as far as they have need. 

 This makes no demand on them to ktep warm 

 any unoccupied room, which would be the 

 case if the additional story were given above. 



8. They are never alternated. 



4. I am sorry to say, just the same as under 

 any other system ; for you probably have in 

 mind that there will be no swarming, which 

 is far from being the case in this locality. 

 When the room is reduced to one story, the 

 bees are very likely to get it into their heads 

 that it is their bounden duty to increase and 

 multiplv. If the two stories could be contin- 

 ued indefinitely, the chances for swarming 

 would be very much less. But I have not 

 made a success of having the two stories left, 

 and still getting a good crop of comb honey. 

 Perhaps if I knew enough I might succeed. 

 It is true that one year the only colony in the 

 apiary that did any thing in supers was one 

 that was left in two stories throughout the 

 summer. But in all other cases the one-story 

 colonies have done the best, I think. 



With the two-story system you have also 

 the advantage of making increase, if you so 

 desire, at the time of taking away the lower 

 stories, when putting on supers. 



It is proper to say that I am as yet only 

 feeling my way in the practice of using two 

 stories. This season I hadn't enough extra 

 combs to run the larger part of my colonies 

 that way. I'll have more for next year. The 

 flat failure of the honey harvest leaves me at 

 a standstill as to progress. As the editor has 

 been working somewhat in the same line, I 

 shall be exceedingly glad to learn from him 

 in v.'hat way mv practice can be bettered. I 

 think neither of us knew the other was working 

 along the same line until after considerable 

 time. So we may differ considerably. 



Marengo, 111. C. C. MlLLER. 



[I believe I would answer all the questions 

 about the same as Dr. Miller has done, except 

 the last one — No. 4. A two-story colony, to 

 do much in comb-honey supers, should not 

 only be a strong colony but one that is big 

 enough to fill the hive crammed full of bees 

 from bottom board to cover. As I have said, 



