ISSl 



GLEAlsIII^GS IN BEE CUETURE. 



387 



contributing such facts as may fall under their 

 knowledge. On thinking-, I am reminded of the re- 

 cent inquiry in Gleanings, "Should section boxes 

 bo left on inwiutfr?" For this climate I answer 

 unhesitatingly, yes. But in your rigid winters it 

 may not be the best plan, l)ut I think it will. Here, 

 I know, bees ar-.' more comfortable >\ith than with- 

 out them, either empty or partly filled. On account 

 of the respiration, the accumulatinj,'- moisture ema- 

 nating- from bees requires an absorbent to prevent 

 frost and ice in the upper part of the hive. I once 

 thought that bees stowed away water for winter 

 use, and that freeznig ruptured the cells, and wtiere 

 moderate weather occurred the water escaped from 

 the entrance; but now we know the cause and the 

 remedy — this moisture should escape or be ab- 

 sorbed. Nothing answers so well as the dead-air 

 space in the sections and the absorbent surface of 

 the sections themselves. In bo.v hives, surplus boxes 

 answered the same end. Yon use sawdust, chaff, 

 blankets, etc.; we use dry leaves, cotton seed, etc., 

 but every thing used by me can not be compared 

 to sections covered with the quilt, and a close cap. 

 The bees close every aperture with propolis, and 

 the air heated bj' the warm temperature of the bees 

 occupies the sections while the moisture arising is 

 absorbed by the sections, keeping the interior of 

 the hive dry, and free fri)m frost during our fluctu- 

 ating winters. 



in connection with this subject, I I'eluctantly ex- 

 press the belief, that the great mortality of bees in 

 our Northern States, is owing in part to the manage- 

 ment in winter. Your boe-raisers ha\e been reared 

 and educated in the belief of a bee-house, or a bee- 

 cellar, as a neccssit J' to bee-keeping in winter. Now 

 a man in this latitude "can't see it." I don't believe 

 it is the better plan. Moderate weather does some- 

 times supervene in your country, and bees should 

 have free access to the air to disgorge their over- 

 loaded fiscal organs; their instinct impels a quick 

 return to the hive. Where they are in a torpor 

 from cnld, the secretive functions are sluggish, and 

 the bees will bear a long conlinement. Look at na- 

 ture. Where bees are found in the woods, if the en- 

 trance to the ca\ ity is above the combs and brood- 

 nest, they have upward ventilation; if below the 

 mass of bees, they sometimes perish from cold, 

 while those in the former condition are strong and 

 populous. Acting upon this principle years ago, I 

 arranged some of my box hives on this plan, bj- giv- 

 ing an entrance I't inches in cap of hive, and no en- 

 trance below. This was upward ventilation. Every 

 warm day all the bees piled out on top, and I had to 

 give a lower entrance for the summer. This aper- 

 ture In the upper part of the hive only admitted up- 

 ward ^•entilation, and the bees could not drive the 

 air through the hive with their wings, as they do 

 in low ventilation. As cold weather approached, I 

 closed the lower and opened the upper entrance in 

 the hive to accustom the bees to it, befox'c winter, 

 there being danger that they would return to the 

 lower place, and perish frum cold. In winter this 

 acted like a charm, those colonies were active all 

 the pleasant weather in winter, and in spring were 

 the strongest, and swarmed first. There was a les- 

 son taught by nature, and based in philosophy. 



Now, Mr. Editor, will you experiment on one of 

 your strong colonies? Do thus: Bore an inch auger- 

 hole near one corner, through the cap, quilt, and sec- 

 tions, to give a free access of air to the bees; close 

 every aperture below in the fall, in time to teach 



the bees the way to upper entrance, so that no bees 

 are lost by going to lower place, where they fly. 

 Leave the hive on the summer stand with shelter to 

 keep ants, rain, and snow from the entrance. All 

 these conditions complied with, if you lose the hive 

 send me bill for damages, and I will pay. The basis 

 of wintering bees in your country is upward venti- 

 lation and summer stands I verily believe. 

 Council Bend, Ark. Geo. B. Pkters. 



Friend P., your idea about closing the 

 summer entrance entirely, and having a 

 winter entrance, is by no means new, for it 

 is given in Mr. Langstroth's book, one of 

 the oldest editions ; but if I am correct, Mr. 

 L. afterward abandoned it. Friend Hill, of 

 Mt. Healthy, O.. who has had such wonder- 

 ful success in wintering, used to close the 

 lower entrance, and give only an upper one,, 

 and he may do it yet for aught I know. Hi's 

 plan of preparing his hives for winter was 

 given in our back volumes, with a cut of 

 the plan of his apiary. ^Vill friend l.iang-' 

 stroth please tell us about upper winter en- 

 trances? To be sure, I will try a hive as you 

 say, friend Peters. By taking the wire cloth 

 from the ventilating holes in the chaff-hive 

 cover, Ave have an excellent winter entrance. 

 And a hole through the center of the enam- 

 eled sheet, with the rest all waxed up 

 tight, would be just about the thing, as it 

 seems to me. If the upper story were then 

 filled with forest leaves, it seems to me we 

 should have just about the thing. I have 

 wintered hives in something this way, and 

 the hole through the honey, bored right over 

 the cluster, would be tilled with live bees 

 looking as happy and contented as could be. 

 even during zero winter weather. If a 

 chance comes for them to take a liy. no dead 

 bees can clog their entrance, and snow 

 would be likely to impede their egress on 

 the outside. Why, what is to hinder having 

 a chaff hive without any entrance at all, ex- 

 cept up through the cover, as I have men- 

 tioned? Only yesterday, during our great 

 basswood yield, while '^ opening hives the 

 bees would come up and ottt at the top in 

 great numbers, and sally off to the (ields as 

 if they enjoyed this short cut. \\'ho will 

 tell what is to hinder having a top entrance 

 all the year round? Do you fear they could 

 not drag out dead bees, etc.? Well, perhaps 

 they would never have any to drag out. 

 Who knows? 



The Cyprian q leen, mentioned on another page, 

 whose bees so tried the patience of the veteran bee- 

 man, friend Hayhurgt, is now in our own apiary. 

 She came with a pound of bees, and I believe there 

 was not a dead bee in the package. Friend H. knows 

 how to ship bees, if he don't get along Avith Cyprians. 

 The bees arc a trifle excitable and fldgetty, but it is 

 no very hard matter to handle them by following 

 directions friend Benton has given in former num- 

 bers. If we ha'd a colony of 8 or 10 lbs. of Hying bees, 

 of this stripe, very likely I should have my hands 

 full (possilily hair, too), in trying to handle them. I 

 am glad to be able to say, that all Cyprians do not 

 have this peculiarity, for those we had last season 

 were as gentle as any Italians we ever had in the 

 yard. Those that went into the apiary of neighbor 

 H. were more like Hayhurst's. 



