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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15 



would tell us a little more about that house- 

 apiary that is a success, especially if he 

 keeps it going several seasons without final- 

 ly deciding he would rather have the bees 

 out in the open air with room enough so he 

 can walk around each hive. —A. I. R.] 



SHOULD SNOV^ BE SHOVELED AWAY FROM 



HIVE-ENTRANCES ? WINTER FLIGHTS 



FOR OUTDOOR BEES; DRONES 



IN DECEMBER. 



A few days ago I took a shovel and broom, 

 and dug my way through a snow-drift from 

 the house to my hives, for the purpose of 

 giving my bees a chance to fly out should a 

 clear, mild day come. I cleaned the snow 

 away from the entrance, and about four feet 

 off to the ground, as I had often noticed how 

 bees were soon submerged when out flying 

 and happened to alight on soft snow. I took 

 a thin stick and scraped the dead bees and 

 refuse away, and was surprised to see a 

 dozen or more drones emerge, take flight, 

 and return without any objection on the part 

 of the workers which were crowding out on 

 the alighting-board owing to an accidental 

 jar I gave them while shoveling. Don't you 

 think it unusual for drones to be in a hive so 

 late in December ? 



How many plies of burlap should be placed 

 on top of frames when wintered outdoors ? 

 I have the Simplicity hives, with room be- 

 tween roof and frames for a good thick pad. 



Roxborough, Pa. T. A. Bechtel. 



[If the snow is loose, that is to say, is not 

 packed solid or frozen around the entrance, 

 1 should let the hives entirely alone. Early 

 in the winter it is not necessary for bees to 

 have flights, and it is better, perhaps, for 

 them not to have them until such time as 

 it warms up sufficiently so they can fly and 

 return without being chilled. In the latter 

 part of the winter the bees should have a 

 flight, providing there is a day warm enough 

 for them to fly and return. When they are 

 outdoors on their summer stands it is not 

 always possible to control this. Bright sun- 

 shine will often draw them out into chilly 

 air where they soon drop down from cold, 

 and die. In the case of indoor bees this 

 flight can be perfectly controlled awaiting a 

 perfect day, warm and balmy. Some con- 

 trol may be had of the outdoor bees provid- 

 ing a board be leaned up against the front 

 of the entrance to shut out the bright rays 

 of the sun. It may be advisable to strew 

 loose straw or leaves on the front of all the 

 entrances to prevent flight on bright cold 

 days. Keep the straw over the entrances 

 during a good part of the winter, but every 

 now and then rake out the dead bees. When 

 you have a nice warm balmy day pull the 

 straw away, and replace it after the bees 

 have had their flight. 



It is a little unusual to have drones in the 

 hive in December. It is possible that your 

 hive is queenless, had a virgin, or that the 

 queen, if laying, was a drone-layer. The 

 colony in question had better receive your 

 special investigation on the first warm day. 



If queenless, or if there is an unusual num- 

 ber of drones, I would advise you to put in a 

 good queen. The thicker the covering over 

 the frames, the better.— Ed.] 



WINTERING A FEW COLONIES IN A VEGETA- 

 BLE-CELLAR; IS IT TO BE ADVISED? 



I have ten colonies of bees in Danzenbaker 

 hives. I have always wintered outdoors, and 

 should this season, but have had four colo- 

 nies stolen this fall. Now, I have a good 

 cellar, dry and dark, which I can ventilate 

 by a window. I am keeping it cool. I have 

 some apples in it but no vegetables. Would 

 you advise putting the bees in there or leav- 

 ing them out ? I am afraid more may be 

 stolen. Frank P. Stowe. J| 



Seymour, Conn., Dec. 3. f 



[I see no reason why you could not put 

 those bees in a vegetable-cellar providing 

 you can keep the temperature down low 

 enough. If it goes much above 55 or 60 

 a part of the winter, and the weather is 

 comparatively mild outdoors, you had better 

 take your chances on having the bees out- 

 doors subject to the possible depredations of 

 thieves. It is usually not advisable to put 

 bees in the same cellar with vegetables; but 

 where the temperature can be kept about 45 

 throughout the winter, you can put in as 

 many as ten colonies and possibly some 

 more. But a better way would be to parti- 

 tion off the cellar, putting the bees in one 

 compartment and the vegetables in another, 

 otherwise the dead bees will be apt to get 

 all over every thing. Of course, colonies in 

 Danzenbaker hives should have the wide 

 entrance while in the cellar, while outdoors 

 they should have the narrow one; and in 

 your climate they ought to be protected vdth 

 a winter-case. Taking it all in all I would 

 advise outdoor wintering in your locality 

 with a winter case, putting the bees near 

 a dwelling-house, where they can be under 

 the supervision, more or less, of the family. 

 In cold weather the bees can be moved to 

 any place you may desire, provided they can 

 not fly again inside of two or three weeks. 

 In the absence of a winter case, put a dry- 

 goods box over each hive to shut out the 

 light, and to afford protection against pre- 

 vailing winds. On a warm day in spring, or 

 even in late winter, raise the boxes up and 

 let the bees have a flight and then put the 

 boxes back again. Don't let the bees have 

 flights on sunshiny days when the air is cold 

 enough to chill them ; for bees do not seem 

 to know sometimes when it is good for them 

 to stay in the house.— Ed.] 



MID- WINTER FLIGHTS OF CELLARED BEES ; 

 ARE THEY BENEFICIAL ? 



We notice in last issue of Gleanings, in 

 Stray Straws, a little discussion in regard to 

 the advantages of mid-winter flights. Now, 

 as yet we can not side for or against such 

 flights; but there is one thing which we 

 notice occurs every season quite regularly, 

 and that is, there are double the bees come 



