THE AMERICAN APICVLTURIST. 



105 



PREPARING BEES FOR WINTER. 



"Tell us what you and your neighbors 

 are doing in bee-keeping," says the ed- 

 itor of Apr. 



In response to this I will tell how I 

 have prepared my bees for winter. The 

 middle of September found me with 42 

 swarms of bees. Caring to winter only 

 about 25, the question arose, What 

 shall I do with the balance? I decided 

 to examine them and unite where prac- 

 tical, which I did in this wise. After 

 they were well smoked I would examine 

 two or more swarms at the same time. 

 I would select a complement of such 

 combs as I chose, arrange part of them 

 in one of the hives, and shake the bees 

 from the balance of the combs, either 

 in the hive between the combs, or in 

 front of the hive and let them run in at 

 the entrance. I would then insert the 

 full complement of combs. Sometime 

 during the work, I would find and de- 

 stroy the poorest queen. I would make 

 a careful estimate of the honey in the 

 newly arranged hive. If the amount 

 fell short of 25 lbs. I would feed sugar 

 syrup till they had from 25 to 30 lbs. 

 Thus I went through my apiary, and 

 reduced, by uniting, my 42 swarms to 



25- 



I did not, in all cases, put two swarms 

 into one, but sometimes would divide the 

 bees of the third swarm, and put them 

 into two other swarms. 



This method enables me to save my 

 best queens. In the present case, my 

 queens are all young ones, save about 

 two. It enables me to kfiow that my bees 

 are strong both in bees and stores. I 

 use no division boards. 



This done, I put over each hive an 

 outside case, with dry packing between 

 the outer case and hive, vvith a Hill's de- 

 vice or something similar, and a good, 

 thick, dry, porous cushion over the 

 frames, leaving a good-sized passage way 

 out. Last year, I subjected my bees to 

 a similar treatment, and wintered with- 

 out loss. 



Sunapee, N.H. J. P. Smith. 



COMMENTS ON SECTIONS, FOUNDA- 

 TION, ETC. 



In the May issue of the Apr the ed- 

 itor gives some "pointers for beginners," 

 which I dp not thmk that we can all 

 exactly agree to as to sections and foun- 

 dation. For sections he says : "Use 

 the one-piece. They are the best by 

 all odds." Why are they the best? Do 

 all large honey producers say so ? I will 

 call your attention to James Heddon, 

 P. H. Elwood, J. E. Hetherington, 

 Julius Hoffman and others I might men- 

 tion. Those above named buy the 

 4-piece box in orders from 5,000 to 

 40,000 lots. Why do such men as 

 these use the 4-piece box? It can't be 

 that they think that the i-piece is 

 better. I will say as a manufacturer 

 and dealer, that my sales show more 

 than 10,000 to 1,000 in favor of the 

 4-piece box. I have no preference, as 

 I make each kind and advertise each 

 jubt the same. The i -piece box can 

 probably be put together a little the 

 fester, but which is the best box when 

 together? I do not hesitate to say as 

 per my experience, that the 4-piece box, 

 if made as it should be, will stand a 

 great deal the most handling, and be 

 all right ; and as it is made of harder 

 lumber it ought to be as smooth ; not 

 so badly stuck up by the bees, and more 

 easily cleaned. I guess on the whole the 

 time saved in cleaning would offset the 

 time in putting together. 



We will pass on to section foundation. 

 I ■ find this stated : "For sections, no 

 foundation can be made too light." 

 Well, I don't disagree in that. But by 

 turning back a couple of leaves I find a 

 statement which reads like this. "The 

 thin flat-bottomed foundation cannot 

 be excelled by any other in the world. 

 No taffy, etc." Now, friend Alley, this 

 seems to give me the o])portunity to 

 send you a sample of mine, which I 

 forward by express to-day. You say it 

 cannot be too thin ; if this is so, and I 

 rather think it is, then I am in it ; as I 

 anticipate that I can make the thinnest 

 foundation made : as was stated in the 



