49 



back is a mistake, so the beekeeper was urged to remove the boards be- 

 hind the hives. 



So far as the wet belt is concerned the inspector's opinion is that the 

 most important conditions for successful wintering are, a colony strong in 

 bees, plenty of stores, and a little upward ventilation which may be easily 

 secured by folding back the edge of the quilt at the rear of the hive about 

 a quarter of an inch, this being done in October when brood-raising is prac- 

 tically over. Instead of turning over the quilt, this may be removed, a 

 hive of empty combs set on top of the brood-chamber, and the quilt re- 

 placed on top of it. Whichever system is followed, whenever in spring 

 pollen is seen to be carried in, all upward leakage of air must be stopped 

 and only the brood-chamber be left for the use of the bees. 



In the dry belt colonies that are strong in the fall and with plenty of 

 stores come easily through the winter without special protection of any 

 kind. In one district where the thermometer falls to 31 deg. below zero 

 and frost lasts for weeks at a time, the inspectors found the colonies very 

 strong the first week of May. 



REMEDYING DEFECTS IX COMBS. 



In but few instances did the inspectors come across really first-class 

 combs in a hive. A really good comb should be as flat as a planed board, 

 occupy the whole frame, be attached to the center of the top and side bars, 

 and not be swung out of line at any part. But rarely did they meet combs 

 that could be removed from the hive without considerable manipulation. 

 Generally speaking, no foundation whatever is used by the average bee- 

 keeper, and as a consequence the bees usually build the combs diagonally 

 across the hive. Before such combs can be inspected they must be cut to 

 pieces, entirely upsetting the routine work of the colony, killing lots of 

 brood and making a woeful mess with streaming honey. Good beekeeping 

 is not possible while such conditions exist, and every owner of such a hive 

 should make an effort to get rid of them. To put the combs into a work- 

 able but not first-class shape is a fairly easy task. The only extra tool 

 necessary is a knife with a long blade, one long enough to reach to the 

 bottom of the hive. This is passed between the frames, reaching right 

 down to the bottom-board, thus cutting the combs and making it possible 

 to lift out the frames one by one. The outside frame is first removed, the 

 bees shaken or brushed from it, as conditions allow, then it is laid flat on 

 a large board. The pieces of comb overlap each other, presenting V-shaped 

 edges. With the knife cut down through both combs, remove the trin>- 

 mings, and push the parts that are left into place so that the newly-cut 

 edges touch and are in line. Take the next comb from the hive and replace 

 the first one. By treating each comb this way in turn one can get a set of 

 fairly true combs with little more than 15 minutes' work. The bees will 

 make the necessary repairs in twenty-four hours. 



When the trouble is less serious, such as a bulging of the comb at top, 

 ends or bottom, all that is necessary is to cut through the connecting wax 

 at the defective part, push the comb into place, and return the frame to 

 the hive. 



Where much drone comb is present the piece containing the cells should 

 be cut out with a pocket-knife. 



