754 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



October, 1917 



good winter stores and strong colonies. I 

 can't winter a weak colony even in South 

 riorida. So uniting is necessary in ease 

 of weak colonies, and we do considerable of 

 this. Winter protection is no problem in 

 the South; and as we have so many we 

 should not dig up more, is my honest belief. 

 A good cover extending six inches out over 

 the hive all around, placed on the regular 

 cover, and well weighted down, so as to 

 ward off dampness, is all that is necessary, 

 saying the least of it. More should be said 

 alj/out pneparing the bees properly. If 

 tliis is done, all is well." 



The three following notes from Alabama 

 suggest similar views. Mr. W. D. Aehord, 

 of Fitzpatrick, Alabama, says : " We have 

 never thought it worth the trouble and ex- 

 pense to pack our bees for winter, and do 

 not protect them in any way.. I presume 

 they do use more honey when not protected 

 here, but do not tliink I could gain anything 

 in any other way by protecting them." 



" I have never packed any hives for win- 

 ter," writes Mr. J. A. Jones, of Greenville, 

 Alabama. " I don't think it is necessary in 

 this state. My bees winter all right in a 

 single wall with plenty of stores." 



Mr. T. J. Talley, also of Greenville, 

 writes : " My way of preparing bees for 

 winter is to put in young queens in Octo- 

 ber or November, and plenty of stores. I 

 hardly ever lose any. I don't pack my hives 

 in anything." 



From Mr. Porter C. Ward, of Allensville, 

 Kentucky, comes a very interesting letter. 

 Mr. Ward is a very busy farmer-beekeeper, 

 successfully operating a good-sized farm 

 and 150 colonies of bees. He Avrites, in 

 part : " I winter in the ordinary hive, ten 

 frames, giving no protection of any kind — 

 don't even contract the entrances, unless I 

 happien to know of a weak colony. As a 

 rule tanglefoot gives us a good surplus in 

 September. This is taken off in October; 

 and as I take if off I try to notice that eacli 

 colony has stores enough for winter. ' After 

 tins is done, I pay very little attention to 

 tliem until spring. Carelessness and press 

 of other business causes my losses to be 

 nuu'li heavier than they would be had I the 

 time to give them the attention they ought 

 to have. Witli close attention there is 

 practically no need of any loss at all. As 

 it is, my wintering losses will probably av- 

 erage 5 per cent. The loss could be reduc- 

 ed to 1 per cent or nothing, had I the time 

 to see that evei'y colony had stoi'es enougli 

 and that none were queenless. These two 

 things cause practically all the loss. 



T have never tried packing, and don'l 

 know of aiiv one who has. I have so little 



faith in it that I am not going to try it. I 

 can't see that the extra labor and exjDense 

 would be worth while, since I already have 

 strong colonies by the time I need them. 

 And then I am sure it would not reduce 

 my winter losses any." 



Getting into Tennessee, the following 

 comes from Mr. Curd Walker, queen-breed- 

 er, of Jellico : " My average loss is less 

 than 2 per cent, and has been for a period 

 of ten years. I have wintered in different 

 ways, but here is my best way — in the Root 

 Buckeye double-walled liive. -I also get 

 good results from the ten-frame hive, using 

 two bodies and an extra super on top with 

 chaff filling, with the metal cover, and pro- 

 tected from the cold winds with breaks. 

 About all the difference I can get from 

 packed hives is more early brood, which 

 means a lot in the black-locust and poplar 

 flows. I am aiming to try some of Dr. 

 Pliillips' winter cases this winter, as I am 

 always trying to improve." 



Mr. J. M. Buchanan, Franklin, Tennes- 

 see, says : " I think bees will come out of 

 l^acked hives in better condition than when 

 not packed, but whether the difference will 

 justify the expense and labor is still an 

 open question. Personally I doubt it." 



Of particular interest, is the following let- 

 ter from our state inspector of apiaries,^ 

 Dr. J. S. Ward : " Out of forty colonies 

 last winter I lost only two — both of them 

 queenless. My bees were wintered in two- 

 story standard ten-frame hives with con- 

 tracted entrances. Eacli colony was given 

 from eight to ten frames of sealed stores, 

 and the results were very gratifying. ■ Each 

 colony cam'? out strong and vigorous in the 

 s))ring. I plan to experiment with sixteen 

 liives in packed cases this winter. T am 

 persuaded that winter packing will be very 

 helpful, even in tlie South, but I am not 

 persuaded that the gain will justify the 

 cost. In my work over the state I do not 

 find heavy losses in the apiaries of progres- 

 sive beekeepers. The winter losses, as 

 reported, occur in yards of tlie careless un- 

 trained beekeepers. Where box hives, old 

 gums, and cracker-boxes are used, and no 

 attention given to winter stores, the winter 

 losses will always be heavy. Education in 

 the use of standard equipment will cut down 

 tlie losses and give gratifying returns in 

 tlie honey harvest." 



Now, making allowances for a few ap- 

 ])aient misapprehensions as to what winter 

 ])acking aims at, the majority of these ex- 

 l)i-essions seem to summarize about like 

 this: If anybody tells us, as they luixe 

 fold us in the ])asl, (hat winter iiacking is 

 necessarv in the South because our wilder 



