130 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Mar. 



than under the snow. Bees under the snow are 

 very dormant and consume but little. He prefers 

 to have the snow as deep as possible; shoveled them 

 out in the spring while the snow was dry. He fav- 

 ored Mr. Doolittlo's plan of mixed wintering; that 

 is, partly in-doors and partly "out-doors. 



Mr. Cyrenus said it makes some difference wheth- 

 er bees are kept on the ground or a short distance 

 from it. He believed in having just a mound of 

 snow OA'er the hive, and not a heavy bank. With a 

 heavy bank, the hives are apt to become damp. He 

 has practiced keeping bees under snow, a dozen 

 years. Mr. Nellis has kept bees under snow the 

 same length of time, and Mr. Snow about three 

 years. 



Mr. Adsit said he had wintered bees in the cellar 

 for fifteen years, with good success; never tried 

 wintering out-doors. 



The president said the best bee-keepers and wri- 

 ters differ from him on this subject. He has win- 

 tered bees under from one to fifteen feet of snow. 

 He thought it important to have honey enough in 

 the smallest number of combs. The matter of pre- 

 paring for winter is the work of an. entire season. 

 Bees are from a warm climate, and need an even 

 temperature. 



Eriend D., I should say, has made a very 

 good point, in advising that we settle the old 

 and long controversy about out and in door 

 wintering, by advising to try some both 

 ways,— on the principle of advising mixed 

 farming. If you fail in one, you probably 

 will not in the other. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSAVERS. 



A few of these may be considered some- 

 what evasive ; but as it is difficult to give 

 positive answers to questions of such a na- 

 ture, perhaps it was wisdom to give evasive 

 ones. 



In this climate, do we have weather cold enough 

 to freeze bees, provided they have in the hive honey 

 to which they have access? No. 



Is the side-box system a success? " Yes" by two; 

 "no" by one. 



Is wired foundation a success when used for a 

 brood-chamber? " No " by two. 



Is it advisable to use full-sized sheets in brood- 

 chamber? Yes. 



Which is preferable, a hive without bottom, or 

 bottom fastened to hive? Bottom fastened to hive. 



Is comb foundation six months or a j'ear old ac- 

 cepted by the bees as readily as that just made? No. 



What amount of surplus room for box honey is 

 it advisable to give a swarm at one time? What the 

 swarm requires. 



What is the best method of getting bees started in 

 surplus boxes? Fill the boxes with comb. 



Would you recommend full sheets of foundation 

 for surplus boxes? One for "full sheets;" two for 

 " starters." 



Whioh is best, natural starters or foundation? 

 Natural starters. 



What objection is there to a centei'-bar in the 

 brood-chamber? Does it not make a better winter 

 communication than making holes through the 

 combs? No center-bar needed. 



What is the best quilt for wintering? Any thing 

 porous. 



What is the moat convenient arrangement for 



side cases? "Our own" by two; "no side boxes 

 wanted," by one. 



Will it pay to construct an inner part just large 

 enough to hold combs to winter 6 Langstroth or 5 

 Quiuby frames, that will set into the main hive, the 

 object being to carry just what is needed to the cel- 

 lar, instead of the main hive; they can also be used 

 for nucleus hives in summer? No. 



\yhat extractor is best for the beginner to use? 

 A. T. Root's for honey; Swiss extractor for wax. 



What time of year is it best to purchase queens 

 when you have all natives, and want to change to 

 Italians? Any time you have the money. 



Is it objectionable for bees to breed in winter, say 

 February? No breeding necessary till spring. 



Are bees more inclined to supersede clipped 

 queens than queens not clipped? No. 



Can bee-keeping be made profitable in a locality 

 minus basswood, with plenty of white clover, alsike, 

 goldenrod, and buckwheat? Yes. 



The quality of wax and weight of foundation be- 

 ing equal, which is preferable for use in surplus 

 boxes, flat-bottomed or lozenge-shaped bottomed 

 foundation? Bottoms as the bees build them. 



Would it be advisable to take a swarm of bees 

 known to be short of honey, into the house in a 

 room without tire, giving them supplies till they are 

 quiet, and then putting them in their summer 

 stands for the rest of the winter? Be sure all have 

 honey in the fall. 



FRIEND FJLANAGAN ANB HIS VISIT TO 

 THE FAIll. 



MN the first place, I must thank you for introduc- 

 ing me to the most interesting and fascinating 

 '^^ pursuit it has been my lot to engage in, and 

 the more I become familiar with it, the greater hold 

 it has upon me. I have succeeded, too, beyond my 

 expectations. Beginning 3 years ago next March, 

 with 3 colonies in box hives, and black bees, I had, 

 in Nov. last, nearly 51), all Italians, and all in chaff 

 and Simplicity hives. I have disposed of all but 25 

 to my neighbors, at good prices, and the remainder 

 are in good order, in spite of the severe weather. 



In October last I took to our county fair a lot of 

 chaff and Simplicity VA and 3 story hives with glass 

 observatory hives, Italian queens, fdn. machine 

 (Dunham), honey in boxes and extracted, extractor, 

 smokers, etc. It was a success, I assure you. I am 

 not much given to talking, but I had to do more of it 

 for the 4 days the fair lasted than for the same time 

 in my life. The officers complimented me by giving 

 me several premiums, a diploma, and assuring me it 

 was one of the chief attractions of the fair. The re- 

 sult was, I sold and engaged every hive of bees I 

 would spare. 



I ran only 4 hives for extracted honey, and one 

 hive for comb. The result was 550 lbs. extracted, 

 or over U5 lbs. per hive, and 40 lbs. in section boxes. 

 When I stated the above to those that thronged 

 around my exhibit, few would believe the statement, 

 as but little honey was gathered in this section, ow- 

 ing to the failure of white clover and the extreme 

 drought. Mr. Chas. Dadant, son of the old gentle- 

 man, visited our fair, and afterward spent a day with 

 me, and seemed pleased with my apiary, and said it 

 was very good for an A B C scholar, and after exam- 

 ining nearly all my colonies, pronounced them very 

 pure Italians. I ha\'e written to D. A. Jones for one 

 of his Cyprian queens (direct importation), and have 



