DECEMBER 15, 1916 



over. This will give the bees room, pre- 

 serve the combs from moths, and send the 

 fall honey (if it comes) into the brood-nest. 

 If more is gathered than is needed it will 

 be stored in the super below, to be carried 

 up into the brood-nest later on. This is the 

 way I managed 20 years ago. It is some 

 work; but the knowledge that the honey is 

 stored where it is needed, and that your 

 combs are safe, pays for the trouble. 



On page 906, Oct. 1, Mrs. Allen speaks of 

 a swarm deserting a shallow hive because 

 the hive was not shaded. Possibly the hive 

 was too small in the judgment of the bees. 

 I wish Mrs. Allen would try putting an 

 empty super under the hive for 24 to 48 

 hoiirs till the swarm has cooled off, and is 

 down to business. 



Toronto, Can., Nov. 10. F. P. Clare. 



How I Tighten the Wires. 



I read Mr. Niver's description of his 

 plan of wiring frames, page 323, April 15; 

 also a number of similar plans that provide 

 for pushing in the end-bars while wiring to 

 insure tight wires. After trying that plan I 

 found it quite hard to bend the end-bars 

 without injuring the frame. 



I use a wide board like a liive cover, and 

 drive two nails to hold the top bar, and then 

 another to spring the bottom-bar down, 

 which causes the wires to be tightened when 

 released. W. C. Campbell. 



Grant City, Mo., April 26. 



An Insoluble Whitewash. 



Unless it is something old, which I have 

 not chanced to see, the readers of Gleanings 

 may be interested in the following clipping 

 from the Pacific Homestead. It may be 

 similar to the "powdr paint" which has 

 been mentioned recently. 



"In one of the foreign countries a white- 

 wash is used which will not rub off, it be- 

 ing prepared as follows: 



"Dissolve two pounds of ordinary glue in 

 seven pints of water; and when all is dis- 

 solved add six ounces of bichromate of 

 potassium dissolved in a pint of hot water. 

 Stir the mixture up well, and then add suf- 

 ficient whiting to make it up to the usual 

 consistency, and apply with a brush in the 

 ordinary manner as quickly as possible. This 

 dries in a very short time, and, by the action 

 of light, becomes converted into a perfectly 



insoluble waterproof substance which does 

 not wash off, even with hot water, and at the 

 same time does not give rise to mold growth, 

 as whitewash made up with size often does. 

 It may be colored to any desired shade by 

 the use of a trace of aniline dye or powder 

 coloring, while by the addition of a small 

 amount of calcic sulphite itr antiseptic pow- 

 er is much increased." I'.. L. Sechrist. 

 Fairoak.j, Cal. 



Winter Cases for Seventeen Colonies. 



When putting my bees in winter quarters 

 I first filled three long winter eases which 

 hold 17 hives. These have dry. tight, %- 

 inch floors, eight inches from the ground. 

 The hives are arranged carefully on these 

 floors, then the entrance ' ' tunnels ' ' are put 

 in place. The sides and ends are set up, 

 hooked seciirely, and straw and clean chaff 

 closely packed around and above the hives. 

 Lastly. the roof is put on and nailed secure- 

 ly. The roof is made of %-inch tongued- 

 and-grooved siding or flooring, which is 

 covered with three-ply asbestos roofing 

 nailed on with tin caps and short, heavy 

 nails. These houses are cheap, dry, wind 

 and chill proof, and save wonderfully in 

 stores and winter loss. 



The remainder of the colonies are winter- 

 ed where standing, by first jacketing with 

 heavy, double manilla paper, and lastly 

 with a double roof made of a large piece 

 of asbestos roofing laid loose on top of 

 the hive, and held in place with brick or 

 heavy stones. With plenty of stores in the 

 brood-chamber, and a burlap bag filled with 

 clean chaff in an empty super, the bees 

 winter all right. B. F. Albaugh. 



Covington, Ohio 



A Drone-Laying Queen "Becomes Fertilized. 



Some time in June I had occasion to shake 

 a swarm from a single-story hive; and the 

 combs having a surplus of honey I placed 

 over a weaker colony with an excluder be- 

 tween, intending to use them as an ex- 

 tracting-super. Not giving the colony any 

 attention until the season for extracting 

 arrived I was much surprised to find the 

 queen in the brood-chamber had been su- 

 perseded, and the only laying queen in the 

 colony had been bred in the super; and 

 having no exit to allow of a mating-flight 

 she was laying eggs producing only drones. 



The queen was from my best stock, and 

 I caged her a few days to figure out an 

 opportunity for testing whether a practi- 

 cal plan of having her mated were possi- 

 ble. About the third day after caging I 

 found a nucleus that was suited to make 

 the trial, it having had neither queen, brood, 

 nor eggs, for a week or ten days. 



The queen began laying the day after 

 introducing, and her eggs hatched worker 

 brood or bees. None of the brood had 

 emerged from the combs where she had 

 previously laid, so her activity as a layer 

 had not been long continued. 



Howardsville, Va. B. F. Averill. 



