D36 



the spring. One would think that the first 

 rain would wash newspapers off; but such is 

 not the case, as they will be almost as good 

 when taken off the next spring as when first 

 put on. If the entrance becomes clogged 

 with dead bees or snow and ice, the bees will 

 be able to get sufiicient air overhead, thru 

 the shavings. This location is very near the 

 center of Pennsylvania, and this method of 

 wintering has given me uniformly good 

 results. 



I find it a good plan to leave the super of 

 shavings on until June 1, even tho the paper 

 has \>een removed. It will greatly assist the 

 bees in keeping up the temperature of the 

 hive during cool nights, as the shavings 

 absorb a certain amount of heat during the 

 day and release it very slowly. 



In case it is necessary to put a super on 

 during fruit-bloom, all one has to do is to 

 lift the escape-board, super of shavings and 

 all, and slip the other super underneath. 



When the shavings are removed, if they 

 are placed in front of the hives an inch or 

 so thick they will keep the grass and weeds 

 down for a long time. 



Osceola Mills, Pa. J. A. Allard. 



A Uniting and Feeding Screen. 



For uniting I use a double screen that I 

 think is very convenient. I make a frame % 

 or 1/^ inch thick of strips 1% or 2 inches 

 wide, the outside measurements being the 

 same as the outside measurements of the 

 hive. I make mine 16x19%. Since my 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Over the colony to which I wish to unite 

 one or more colonies I place a screen, then 

 the hive to be united, of course first remov- 

 ing the bottom of the upper hive. If an- 

 other colony is to be added also, I put on 

 another screen, and then the third hive on 

 top of that, making sure that the upper hives 

 have no outside entrances. The entrance of 

 the lower hive is left open. After putting 

 the cover on top of the pile I leave them 

 this way for three days and niglits. The 

 third evening about dusk I lift up the upper 

 hive carefully, just high enough so that some 

 one else can pull out the screens. I always 

 take out the lower one first. In the morning 

 the bees will all be together just as tho noth- 

 ing had happened. 



If I want to do any feeding at the same 

 time, I invert a ten-pound honey-pail having 

 a perforated lid over the frames of the 

 upper hive, placing another empty hive 

 body on top to cover the pail. Of course, 

 since the uniting takes only three days, the 

 feeding can just as well be postponed until 

 a few days after the screens have been 

 taken off. 



After the bees are all together I leave the 

 extra hives on for four or five days until the 

 beeg have become accustom.ed to their new 

 home, then shake them off their new combs 

 in front of the entrance and remove the 

 surplus bodies. This plan with me has never 

 failed. 



Wabash, Tnd. F. J. Eettig. 



strips are 2 inches wide, the inside measure- 

 ments are 12 x 15%. I tack the wire screen 

 on both sides, so that the bees will not be 

 able to sting thru. I always have a number 

 of these double-screen frames on hand. 



Candy the Principal Winter Food. 



I have been keeping bees for 35 years in 

 this locality, and I have so much faith in my 

 system of wintering bees that I believe I 

 could be successful in wintering them in 

 Munetaha or Saskatchewan, if I can find a 

 locality where the beeyard would be pro- 

 tected from high winds by a side hill or in 

 a ravine, or any place where high winds do 

 not prevail. I do not feel alarmed because 

 of much snow or heavy frost; for if my 

 double-walled hives or my bee-clamps are 

 buried up in snow, all the better. And in 

 the cellar, if I can keep the temperature 

 between 40 and 45 I have no fear whatever. 



I u:,e a great deal of bee-candy in the 

 winter. I experimented on bee-candy for 

 winter for 35 years, and I find it better than 

 any other substitute for honey, as the bees 

 have less dysentery. My outside bees have 

 had a very few cleansing flights, and yet 

 show very little spotting of the hives. I 

 feed in the open air, spring and fall, 8 rods 

 from the beeyard. I also feed artificial 

 pollen in the spring till the willows and 

 dandelions are out, then I dispose of artifi- 

 cial pollen. 



I hear much about robbing; but I have 

 had no difficulty along that line for the last 

 15 years. It is the careless beekeepers that 

 have that bother. My correspondents fre- 

 quently ask me why their bees die and leave 

 lots of honey in the hive. There are many 

 different reasons for that, but time and 



