THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



spring, and then they would fill it out 

 witii drone comb. 



I have transferred several hundred 

 colonies out of box-hives and they would 

 have from one-third to one-eighth drone 

 comb. 



I have also looked over frame hives 

 for my neighbors, and they were in the 

 same condition as to tlie amount of drone 

 comb, I think if Mr. Z. T. Hawk was 

 to try to get along in this climate with- 

 out full sheets of foundation he would 

 come to the same conclusion as I have. 



I have several times thought that there 

 was some difference in the honey in 

 sections filled with foundation and those 

 having only starters. I would sample it 

 and think no one could tell the difference 

 in the honey or the comb. The crate 

 witli the full-sized starters would be filled 

 much more quickly than the one with 

 starters only. Now I do not wish to 

 say that it would pay to use full sheets of 

 foundation in any climate, but I think 

 such articles as the one on page i of 

 tlie Apr for Jan., 1892, are misleading to 

 the majority of beekeepers, but when 

 properly fastened and the frames are 

 properly wired, there surely never was any 

 more perfect combs than those built out 

 on wired foundation, and after they are 

 built out no one can tell that there is any 

 wire in the comb except at the edge of 

 the frames. 



1 think it would pay those who have 

 but few colonies of bees better to use 

 foundation in the brood-chamber than 

 those who make beekeeping their busi- 

 ness. 



I have tried to cut out drone comb 

 from my hives and get the bees to build 

 worker comb in its place ; but they would 

 not do it and for cutting out drone comb 

 and splicing in worker comb it surely is 

 more trouble and bother to me than to 

 wire and fill the frames with foundation, 

 and the loss of timt- to the bees and to 

 myself would pay for the entire expense. 



Bees have not done very much in this 

 locality for two years, and have wintered 

 poorly on account of spring dwindling. 

 I went into winter quarters with eighty- 

 six colonies in good shape. This has 



been the v.'ettest winter in Oregon since 

 I came here in 1S79 ; ^^^^ it has been 

 very warm — have had but five or six 

 frosty mornings. 



Needy, Oregon. D. Kauffman. 



HOUSE APIARIES. 



No I. 



Frif.nd Alley : — I hardly know what 

 to think of yotu- house-apiary, or more 

 correctly, "Springing" house. Ordina- 

 rily I do not think it would pay the usual 

 beekeeper to manage all the bees, which 

 are to be run for honey, in such kinds of 

 h(nises. It is very good for the queen 

 breeder I have not the least doubt, but 

 for the honey producer to take so much 

 trouble is different. There might not 

 be much honey for the bees to gather 

 after they were reared. It costs con- 

 siderable in feed and the time of the 

 apiarist to rear bees. I should think 

 it would require from 20 to 35 pounds 

 of feed to build up colonies for honey 

 to a paying extent. For queen-rearing 

 it may not take more than 5 to 10 pounds 

 of food to carry a hundred queen cells 

 over any length of inclement weather 

 we may have in the spring. These cells 

 would amount to a good many dollars 

 worth of choice queens, wliere the col- 

 ony so cared for would do better than 

 I would expect to gather 50 pounds 

 more than colonies kept in the usual 

 way. I don't think bees reared so or 

 at that season are as hardy as when 

 subject to the natural conditions out of 

 doors. 



With me, colonies whicli are packed 

 in large hives with side walls 10 inches 

 tliick do not come up to the honey har- 

 vest in advance of unpacked ones. They 

 do better in the early si)ring, but later 

 they do not gain so rai)idly. I have 

 tried carrying colonies into a sawdust 

 packed room much like your house api- 

 ary, and then carried them out again 

 when the weather changed, and there 

 was not a paying difference except in 

 very weak colonies, or colonies which 

 had had their brood much spread. 



