1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



115 



needless, but on summer stands direct 

 upward ventilation is necessary. 



(Jeo. T. Sanford. Answers yes. 



Conrad Dippel. Upward ventilation 

 is needed, and as much as 4 inches of 

 chaff will allow. 



G. Grimm. It is necessary in cellars 

 but not out-doors. 



Jacob Childs. I consider upward 

 ventilation quite necessary, but let it be 

 through 10 inches of chaff, and burlap 

 between the bees and chaff. 



L. Fatzinger. I think it necessary if 

 done without a draught through the 

 hive. 



Mr. Winslow. In chaff, only such up- 

 ward ventilation as will go through 

 light chaff and' burlap. 



John Dickinson. I have tried it with 

 and without ventilation and find no 

 particular difference. 



Amount of Food Bees Consume in Winter. 



It was generally conceded that it de- 

 pended all on the length and severity 

 of the winters, place of keeping, etc. 

 No one seemed to have weighed their 

 hives both fall and spring to ascertain 

 with exactness. Some thought 25 lbs. 

 was none too much, while others thought 

 they had wintered swarms on as low as 

 10 or 15 lbs. 



Mistakes of and Hints to Beginners. 



The sentiments expressed are about 

 all one way — go slow and do not increase 

 too rapidly. Some of the individual ex- 

 pressions were as follows : 



Mr. Potter. Beginners increase too 

 much. They should keep their bees 

 strong ; they should never keep more 

 than 5 colonies the lirst year and 10 the 

 second. 



Mr. Gill. Beginners make mistakes 

 in getting too many bees before acquir- 

 ing thorough knowledge of them, and 

 too rapid increase leads to disaster. 

 They should commence with 2 or 3 col- 

 onies—never more — adopt some stand- 

 ard hive and study the bee periodicals. 



Jacob Childs. If you would succeed 



to to some practical and successful bee- 

 eeper and learn the trade. 

 Conrad Dippel. The principal mis- 

 take is in dividing too often or letting 

 them swarm as often as they please. 

 Beginners should never depend on bees 

 and honey alone for a living. 



C. Grimm. Do not invest much at 

 the beginning. 



Wintering on Orape Sngar. 



Mr. Hodgson. I fed 5 colonies on 



frape sugar last winter and lost 4 of 

 hem. Will never try it again. 



Conrad Dippel. I do not feed, touch 

 nor handle it; lam entirely averse to it. 



C. J. Hennings. I never had success 

 with grape sugar. 



John Dickinson. I tried it thoroughly 

 with bees in the cellar, but had to take 

 it out by Christinas. One colony of bees 

 was dead and the rest were in a bad 

 ■condition. I dread grape sugar and 

 will let it alone. 



Best Method of Swarming for Wisconsin. 



Mr. Potter. This is a fine point. The 

 past season artificial swarming would 

 ruin colonies and to rely on natural 

 swarming would give no increase. If 

 you rely on natural swarming you must 

 have your colonies very strong early so 

 that they will swarm by the 14th of 

 June. I recommend natural swarming. 



Mr. Church. I do not like to let them 

 increase at all, but practice both natural 

 and artificial swarming. I move natu- 

 ral swarms as soon as hived to the place 

 where they are to stand. 



Fred Badger. I use a mullen stalk 

 tied on a pole, and in every instance 

 the swarms would cluster upon it. 



Mr. Winslow gave an instance where 

 a bee-keeper he knows uses a long pole 

 with a wad on the end covered with 

 black alpaca, resembling the color of 

 bees, and catches swarms every time. 



Mr. Potter. I sometimes clip the 



?ueen's wings and when she comes out 

 catch her. When the swarm is out I 

 replace the old hive with a new one and 

 turn in the queen loose, when the 

 swarm will return to the new hive. 



Mr. Haight. I do not approve of 

 clipping queen's wings and do not prac- 

 tice it any more. Could not work it 

 with a large number of colonies. 



Conrad Dippel. In Wisconsin I find 

 dividing the best and most easy method 

 of increasing the number of swarms. 



C. Grimm. I favor natural swarm- 

 ing, but if rapid increase is desired, di- 

 viding should be practiced. 



Mr. tiill. For the specialist natural 

 swarming is preferable, but for those 

 engaged in joint business— farming and 

 bee-keeping — dividing is the most de- 

 sirable. 



L. Fatzinger. The best way is to let 

 them swarm once, then cut out the 

 queen cells and introduce a laying 

 queen. 



John Dickinson. I could not stand 

 natural swarming in an apiary of 100 

 colonies or more. Too much trouble. I 

 believe that bees do work just as well 

 when properly divided as when allowed 

 to swarm naturally. 



C. J. Hennings. I believe it best to 

 let them swarm once, in Wisconsin. 



Jacob Childs. Either way is good, 

 according to circumstances, which must 

 be determined by judgment. 



Geo. T. Sanford. I prefer natural 

 swarming. 



When to Divide Colonies. 



Mr. Potter. If bees are strong and 

 old combs plenty divide as soon as the 

 clover yields ; if they have only honey, 

 divide in May. 



Mr. Winslow. I find second crop of 

 white clover valuable. 



Mr. Green. I divide as soon as bees 

 are strong enough. I get most of my 

 honey in the fall. 



Mr. Gibbons. I divided both ways 

 and found those divided after clover 

 season did the best. 



Conrad Dippel. I consider the best 

 time after clover season and before lin- 

 den blossoms. 



C. Grimm. If the colonies are strong 

 divide before, if weak, after clover sea- 

 son. 



Geo. T. Sanford. Before, if strong 

 enough. 



Mr. Gill. I would advise dividing 

 only in exceptional cases before clover 

 seasons. 



M. Mahin writes : If increase of stock 

 is desired without regard to quantity of 

 surplus honey, divide at the beginning 

 of the white clover season ; if a larger 

 amount of honey is desired with a mod- 

 erate increase, divide after clover sea- 

 son. If the largest amount of honey 

 possible is desired and no increase, 

 don't divide at all. 



Does it Pay to Melt Old Combs and Use 

 Fonndation 1 



Mr. Potter. Not if the comb is whole 

 and straight. 



Mr. Green. I had the best success 

 with new foundation. 



Conrad Dippel. Comb foundation is 

 indispensable. I give it to new and old 

 colonies after dividing . 



Mr. Gill. Not necessary with straight 

 worker combs. 



L. Fatzinger. If clean, straight 

 comb save it ; otherwise melt. 



John Dickinson. It decidedly pays 

 to do it with present price of wax and 

 foundation, even without a machine. 



C. J. Hennings. It does pay. 



Mr. Sanford. I think it does. 



Mr. Grimm. It does, if combs are 

 very old and part drone cells. 



R. A. Morgan says it does, and gives 

 practical tests in support of it. 



Division Boards anil Surplus Honey. 



All agree that they are useful early in 

 the season, and may be used in the up- 

 per story to induce bees to work more 

 readily, and in the lower to increase 

 breeding by keeping the bees warmer. 



Is the Basswood in this State Killed ? 



Few of those present had any know- 

 ledge on the subject, and the letters re- 

 ceived varied somewhat, some thinking 

 not and others deploring the rapid de- 

 struction of basswood. Several com- 

 munications urged bee-keepers to set 

 out linden trees and have them prop- 

 erly guarded and fenced in. 



The North Eastern Bee-Keepers' Con- 

 vention all through has been somewhat 

 informal, although considerable inter- 

 est was manifested by the few in atten- 

 dance. Tuesday afternoon the follow- 

 ing officers were elected : 



President, Geo. S. Church, Neenah.; 

 Secretary and Treasurer. Mrs. Frances 

 Dunham, Depere ; Vice-Presidents, L. 

 H. Pammel, EaCrosse ; John Hodgson, 

 Pewaukee ; C. H. Green, Berlin; A. 

 Potter, Eureka, and H. P.Sayles, Hart- 

 ford. 



A resolution was passed to hold the 

 next meeting in Berlin on the second 

 Tuesday and Wednesday in October, 

 but at the evening session this resolu- 

 tion was reconsidered and the place 

 fixed for Pewaukee, at the same time 

 mentioned. 



Read before the N. H. Convention. 



Wintering Bees Successfully. 



L. M. WAINWRIGIIT. 



Heat and electricity are the staple, 

 vital forces of life in animal organiza- 

 tion. Combine all the other favorable 

 circumstances that a smiling Controller 

 of the universe could bring about, in 

 absence of the great forces, and all is 

 wrapped in the chilly sable mantle of 

 an eternal sleep. Could it be that na- 

 ture should be clothed in her mantle of 

 grandeur, watered by the silvery sprays 

 of the welcome clouds, with the rain- 

 how's glories seen through the misty 

 vapor, and the sun alternately shining 

 in his glory, yet with the earth's nor- 

 mal condition of heat and electricity ab- 

 sent, the cold, icy arms of death would 

 chill all the pulsations of life, and cause 

 everything to sleep quietly in the stilly 

 shades of universal night. 



Before late autumn's and early win- 

 ter's chilly winds scatter the hoary 

 frosts, all colonies should be prepared 

 for winter under the genial rays of an 

 October's sun. 



How to Prepare for Winter. 



Remove the top story of the hive, take 

 off all surplus honey boxes and remove 

 tiie outside combs from the brood chain 

 ber, leaving in the center of the hive 

 only enough well-tilled combs to carry 

 the bees safely through until spring. 

 Place the lids on the brood chambers, 

 and they are ready to wheel into winter 

 quarters as soon as the proper time 

 comes, which varies with latitude ; but 

 in Central Illinois, as a rule, about the 

 middle of November. 



Winter Eepository. 



It may consist of a dry, underground 

 cellar, a cave in a hillside, or a frost- 



Eroof building on top of the ground ;, 

 ut as the style of the repository is no 

 part of the discussion, we leave this 

 part of the subject for others to de 

 cide. 



Cleansing the Eepository. 



If the building is infected with mice 

 trap them all a month or so in advance 

 of putting up the bees, and a few days 

 before the bees are housed burn a suit 

 able amount of sulphur in the room to 

 destroy all accumulations of fungi, then 

 with a suitable brush wash the walls 

 with a weak solution of carbolic acid 

 and water, after which leave the house 

 open until all is sweet and pure. 



Storing in Winter Quarters. 



Select a nice cool day or evening 

 about the middle of November, soon 

 after the bees have had a purifying 

 flight. Close up the entrances of the 

 hives, and place 1 or 2— or as many as 

 as you are prepared to wheel — on a 

 spring wheelbarrow, if you have it, if 

 not, a common one will do, running it 

 on a smooth track. Wheel directly into 

 the repository, and stack your hives one 

 upon another as high as you can lift 

 them, always being careful as you stack 

 them to raise each lid Y z inch above the 

 hive all around, by slipping under the 

 lid a suitable number of % inch pieces 

 prepared for the purpose. Avoid plac- 

 ing the hives against the walls of the 

 building, as this might produce a con- 

 cussion among the bees from an outside 

 jar of the building. 



Winter Management. 



After the bees are properly adjusted 

 in the house for the winter, 8 things are 

 to be considered. First: Apropertem- 

 perature of the atmosphere. Second : 

 Plenty of fresh air. Third : A humid 

 condition of the atmosphere. 



(1.) The murcury should show a 

 higher or lower temperature in propor- 

 tion to the strength of the colonies 

 housed. If the colonies are very strong, 

 40° Fahr. is about right. Medium col- 

 onies, from 45° to 50 u . But if very weak, 

 or nuclei with queens, about 60° is nec- 

 essary to keep the bees in a good, 

 healthy condition. Colonies should be 



graded according to strength, and 

 placed in repositories adapted to their 

 wants. 



Sometimes when bees begin to leave 

 their hives and plunge into the dark 

 abyss before them, " never, never " to 

 return to their once happy homes, we 

 are liable to attribute the whole excite- 

 ment to too high a temperature, while 

 the facts are that the atmosphere is too 

 dry, and the bees thirsty after a long 

 confinement. 



(2.) Bees, like animals of a higher 

 organism that live and bask in the 

 great ocean and sea of atmosphere — 

 which alike in all places enshroud the 

 globe, imparting life, vigor and health 

 — should have plenty of fresh air. 

 True, bees can live in an atmosphere so 

 foul, and breathed over and over so 

 frequently that a human being would 

 soon die in it. But this is no argument 

 in favor of wintering' bees in a room 

 filled with impure air. Air should be 

 admitted through a subterranean air 

 duct. If 15 or 20 rods long, and passing 

 through a 6-inch tile, the air will enter 

 the room at 40 J , while the mercury 

 stands at zero in the open air. 



(3.) A humid condi don of the atmos- 

 phere may be kept up by placing ves- 

 sels of water in the room ; but bees do 

 not particularly want water before 

 sometime in January, especially if.the 

 honey is thin. 



Should very warm weather occur at 

 any time in the winter, the mercury 

 rising to 00° day and night in the open 

 air, no one should take fright and rush 

 their bees out doors, probably to be 

 frozen in a very short time. In propor- 

 tion as the thermometer in the room 

 rises above a proper temperature, in- 

 crease the surface of the water pools in 

 the house, and throw all the doors open 

 at nights, and the result will be the 

 same as produced in a damp atmosphere 

 in the spring, with a temperature of 

 60°. 



Combs will not grow moldy inside of 

 4 months in a damp atmosphere, if in a 

 well ventilated hive filled with a good 

 colony of bees, and the house properly 

 warmed. Combs will grow moldy when 

 a hive has no upward ventilation and 

 the room is cold, but more especially if 

 the swarm is small, even if there is no 

 water in the room. It is a cold atmos- 

 phere that kills bees and molds combs 

 in a house. The vapor exhaled from 

 the bees not only settles on the outside 

 of the comlis, but after a time finds its 

 way into the cells and lodges in small 

 drops against the septum of the cells 

 and creates a heavy fungi in a short 

 time. 



How Long Should Bees be Housed ? 



As a rule they should be kept in until 

 they can gather some pollen from the 

 soft maple and willows. It is not the 

 length of time that bees are confined 

 that stupefies and kills them, but the 

 unfavorable circumstances under which 

 they are confined. Where they are 

 kept warm and in a room with a moist 

 atmosphere (but otherwise dry), and 

 have plenty of fresh air, they never eat 

 more than the system requires to supply 

 the loss that is continually going on in 

 animal life; and when brought out af- 

 ter 4 months' confinement, they are as 

 perfect as when winter overtook them. 



When they are old before housing, 

 they will die in the spring before young 

 bees in sufficient numbers can take 

 their place to sustain the " old home- 

 stead." We call this spring dwindling. 

 Other unfavorable causes will produce 

 like results. 



I will not argue the question of re- 

 pository wintering, as it is vastly better 

 in a cold climate. As the " Sunny 

 South " always enjoys the blushing 

 smiles and geniel rays of a warm sun, 

 the bees will care for themselves in such 

 a climate. Not so in the North, where 

 the mercury falls to 25° or 30° below 

 zero, and remains down so long that 

 they cannot take wing for 6 or 8 weeks. 

 They will generally perish and become 

 unhealthy if on their summer stands. 

 Chaff packing in ordinary winters will 

 keep up a very good temperature out- 

 doors ; but alas I when it sinks 30° be- 

 low zero, and the winds are sweeping 

 over hill and dale like a mighty tornado, 

 winter's icy breath severs the tender 

 cord, and life gives place to the stilL 

 reign of death. 

 Noblesville, Ind. 



