1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



425 



the method. When we work with our bees 

 we must always use some discretion in such 

 matters. If a colony is very strong in bees 

 it certainly requires different management 

 from one rather weak. 



Since looking over the many comments on 

 this way of making our increase I am some- 

 what pleased to find that so few have failed. 

 Nearly all speak of it as a perfect success. 

 The few that have failed were unfortunate 

 in taking colonies that had already contract- 

 ed the swarming fever. When they have 

 done that it is almost impossible to prevent 

 them. 



Several parties have written me in about 

 the same language as did George Shibber, 

 of Randolph, N. Y.. in the July 15th issue 

 of Gleanings, page 777. 



In conclusion I advise you to look over all 

 the combs very carefully for eggs or larvae 

 in the queen cells of the colonies you wish 

 to divide. If you find any it is sure proof 

 of their intention of swarming; then you had 

 better leave them only a few days together. 

 The number you must decide yourself ac- 

 cording to the age of the eggs or larvae in 

 their queen-cells. If you are careful about 

 this part I am sure you will find it a fine 

 way to make a large increase, and at the 

 same time have your colonies in good condi- 

 tion for any harvest. 



Delanson, N. Y., Jan. 15. 



HOW TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR SU- 

 PERS. 



The Value of Such Protection. 



BY IRA BARBER. 



I wish to add a little to the article of Mr. 

 S. Simmins on the importance of protecting 

 sections from cold, as given on page 1238. 

 He did not tell how to do so in his article; 

 and as I have spent my life in the production 

 of comb honey I will state how I prepared 

 my hives and sections to keep them as warm 

 as possible through all changes of the weath- 

 er that would take place throughout the 

 honey season. 



The hive should be made with a rim about 

 one inch all around, about IJ inches below 

 the top, for a cap to rest on to go over the 

 sections to keep the cool night air away and 

 also retain all the heat from the bees. 



I used a low cap eight inches high for the 

 first set of sections at the beginning of the 

 honey season; then as I tiered up higher, 

 caps were used to keep all snug and warm. 

 This can be done by using rims without top 

 or bottom slipped on over the supers, but 

 always keep the cap with a good light top 

 on top of the pile, no matter how many su- 

 pers you have on the hive. 



To retain the warmth I used to put the top 

 cloth to the hives on top of the sections, and 

 then on top of that a large newspaper, like 

 a sixteen-page paper, one large enough to 



cover the super all over with ten or twelve 

 thickness of paper so that no heat from be- 

 low could escape with the top board of the 

 hive laid on top of all to keep them down snug 

 and warm; and as you tier up, keep this 

 packing on top of the pile with a good tight 

 cap over all, and you will find your bees at 

 home tending to business at all hours, night 

 and day, if there is any thing coming in, 

 even if the nights are cool; and your bees 

 will surprise you to see how they will climb 

 up and finish sections as long as there is any 

 thing coming in. 



Now, of course this plan does away with 

 all upward ventilation, but which is entirely 

 unnecessary, as bees will do all that at the 

 bottom if your hive is raised up one inch all 

 around except at the back end, as I always 

 like to have some part of the hive rest 

 square on the bottom-board. 



A good roof should protect every hive 

 from the sun, and I think there is none so 

 good as one made gable fashion so there will 

 be a current of air at all times passing be- 

 tween the roof and the cap of the hive to 

 carry off the heat that the sun produces by 

 shining right down upon them. 



DeKalb Junction, N. Y,, Jan. 17. 



[When I prepared the announcement of 

 Mr. Barber's death, as given in our Februa- 

 ry 15th issue, I was not aware that we had 

 an unpublished manuscript from him. When 

 it came it was promptly passed in to the 

 printers at the time by my assistant, and 

 you can imagine my surprise when I saw the 

 communication in type. It is evident that 

 the ink was scarcely dried when the trem- 

 bling hand that penned the words assumed 

 the condition of palsy which was soon follow- 

 ed by death. 



About two years ago I made all arrange- 

 ments to visit him to discuss that all-absorb- 

 ing question, the temperature of bee-cellar?, 

 for be it known he was an advocate of high 

 temperature. But conditions arose where- 

 by it was impossible for me to get away— a 

 fact which I regret the more now, for Mr. 

 Barber was one of the brightest bee-keepers 

 in the United States. This communication, 

 coming from him at this time, may seem al- 

 most like a voice from the grave. 



It is needless for me to say that I think 

 our departed friend is entirely correct in 

 all he says for localities having cool or 

 chilly nights. I am of the opinion that comb- 

 honey supers protected in almost any locali- 

 ty in the North would give better results 

 than those not protected; or, to put it in 

 another way, the ordinary i thickness of the 

 standard comb- honey supers is hardly suffi- 

 cient protection against the varying temper- 

 atures between a noonday sun and an at- 

 mosphere at night sometimes as low as 60 or 

 65 degrees. A protecting- case made of roof- 

 ing paper or some light thin wood, I think 

 will pay for itself, if not in one season at 

 least in two. Let no one construe this as a 

 bid for trade, for as a matter of fact one 

 can buy his roofing-paper anywhere and 

 make up his own cases.— Ed.] 



