260 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



open? Are you troubled with the 

 combs moulding by your method of 

 wintering? 



ANSWERS BY A. E. MANUM. 



1. A wind-break on the north 

 side of an apiary is very advantageous 

 in early spring ; but not as necessary 

 in winter where bees are wintered in 

 chaff hives. 



2. Yes, if the hives are of the or- 

 dinary make or style ; but with my 

 hive the entrance never can get 

 blocked with snow, though they are 

 often covered for weeks with snow 

 and I am always glad to see them so 

 covered. 



3. Yes, provided the entrance is 

 not protected by a portico. 



4. Every time there comes a thaw 

 so that the bees may fly if they wish. 



5. I would remove them by all 

 means and give them a fly. Hives 

 should always be so packed that any 

 one hive can be removed without 

 disturbing the others. 



6. Yes. 



7. My winter entrances are | X 

 2 inches ; in summer 1 J X 14 inches. 



I am never troubled with combs 

 moulding ; how can they mould when 

 there is so perfect a ventilation 

 through the hive ? All moisture from 

 the bees or honey rises and passes 

 through the packing over the bees ; 

 in very cold weather the top of the 

 packing is always frosty but by forc- 

 ing the hand through the packing we 

 find it dry and warm except on the 

 very top. 



BEST RACES OF BEES. 



Falinetto, Florida, Anrj. 7, 1886. 



American Ai'icultuuist : 



I would like to ask a few ques- 

 tions to be answered through the Api- 

 culturist. — 



1. What race or strain of bees do 

 yon consider bestfor general purposes, 

 (taking into Qonsideration, gentleness 

 jn handling, honey gathering and win- 

 tering) pure Italian, or a cross be- 



tween Italians and Cyprians, or between 

 Italians and Holy Lands? 



2. In using a two-story hive for 

 extracting honey do you use a honey- 

 board? If so should it be queen-ex- 

 cluding? 



EespectfuUy, 



T. G. Gloveu. 



ANSWERS BY H. ALLEY. 



1, All races and their crosses, 

 and all strains of bees have been 

 tested in the Bay State Apiaries, but 

 none so far as our experience goes 

 are equal to the best strains of Amer- 

 ican Italians. By American Italians 

 I mean bees of this race that, have 

 been propagated here for nearly 

 twenty-five years. No imported 

 Italian queens ever reared colonies 

 that gave as good results as home- 

 bred queens. 



Let alone all other new races and 

 accept the Italians. 



2. A honey-board is not neces- 

 sary if your hives are properly con- 

 structed. If you are using frames 

 with narrow top-bars say seven- 

 eighths of an inch wide, a honey- 

 board should be used between. We 

 do not, however, consider the use of 

 a honey-board any disadvantage. If 

 one is used it should certainly be 

 queen- excluding, or the queen will 

 desert the lower story and make her 

 home in the hive above. I have 

 found this to be the case in nine 

 cases out of ten. 



Bees kept in two-story hives in such 

 a hot climate as Florida should cer- 

 tainly be allowed to pass out direct 

 from the upper hive, and not be 

 compelled to go down through the 

 brood-chamber, as so much time 

 would be lost, and then again an en- 

 trance in the upper hive would af- 

 ford free ventilation. Try it and see 

 if the results are not satisfactory. 



QUESTION BY lUA WITMORE. 



1. Would you be so kind as to let me 

 know which race of bees is the most 

 profitable taking all things into consid- 

 eration? 



