AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



527 



Cork for 'Winter Packing of 



bees is thus inquired about by Mr. D. 

 Lindbeck, of Bishop Hill, Ills. : 



1. How many cubic inches in one 

 pound of ground cork for winter packing 

 for bees ? 



2. How is the packing done for single- 

 walled hives ? 



3. I presume there must be an outer 

 case ; if so, what thickness is required ? 



I wish I knew all about wintering bees 

 successfully. I have some fine bees, and 

 would not like to lose them at any price. 

 D. Lindbeck. 



Mr. J. A. Green, to whom we referred 

 the above questions, sends the following 

 as his reply : 



1. I have never used ground cork, so 

 I cannot answer the question as to bulk. 

 I believe its advocates claim that it will 

 absorb a larger quantity of moisture 

 than other materials, without rotting or 

 mildewing ; and also that it is a very 

 poor conductor of heat. The latter 

 quality is a good one, and may make its 

 use profitable ; but as to the former, I do 

 not think that absorbents of moisture 

 are necessary or desirable about a bee- 

 hive. 



2. To prepare single-walled hives for 

 wintering, first see that there is a good 

 colony of bees with at least 20 pounds 

 of stores of good quality. These stores 

 should be in as few frames as possible, 

 and any further space, if there is any, 

 filled with division-boards. See that the 

 top of the hive is tight, and that the en- 

 trance is of good size. My hives have 

 an entrance 12x%, which I leave open 

 the full width for wintering. 



Now place over the hive as it sits on 

 its summer stand, a box without top or 

 bottom, six inches or more larger than 

 the hive every way. This will leave a 

 space of three inches on the sides, and 

 six inches on the top, to be filled with 

 packing material. For this I generally 

 use.shavings from a planing mill, which 

 answer the purpose very well. They 

 are probably not quite as good as cork, 

 but they usually cost little or nothing 

 but the hauling. . Sawdust is excellent, 

 and soft leaves answer nicely. 



The front end of the packing box 

 should be cut away to correspond with 

 the entrance, and a " bridge " or covered 

 passage-way provided, so that the pack- 

 ing material will not obstruct the en- 

 trance. The packing should be pressed 

 down sufficiently so that it will not settle 

 during the winter so as to leave unpro- 



tected spaces. Over all a good tight roof 

 should be place. I use for this purpose 

 a sheet of corrugated iron, large enough 

 to project a little on all sides. This 

 makes a simple, cheap, durable and en- 

 tirely reliable covering, which may be 

 stored away in a very small space when 

 not in use. To keep the wind from 

 blowing it away, a board is laid across, 

 with a stone or large brick on it. These 

 sheets of iron, if given a coat of paint 

 occasionally, will last many years. They 

 may not look as well as a more elaborate 

 covering, but for utility they cannot be 

 beaten. 



3. The outer case may be made so 

 that it simply holds the packing in 

 place, or it may be so tightly made, or 

 of such thick material, that it is a pro- 

 tection in itself. Most of mine are made 

 of lath, which seems to answer the pur- 

 pose about as well as more expensive 

 material. J. A. Green. 



We may add to what Mr. Green has to 

 say in reply to the first question, that 

 1% bushels of ground cork weighs 

 about 15 pounds. 



Others who have used cork as winter 

 packing material, are requested to give 

 their opinion of it, for publication in the 

 Bee Journal. 



A Bee-Paper Burned.— Mr. E. 



F. Quigley, of Unionville, Mo., editor 

 and publisher of the Progressive Bee- 

 Keeper, we are sorry to learn, has met 

 with loss by fire. On Oct. 10, 1892, we 

 received the following letter from him : 



Geo. W. York & Co. 



Gentlemen : — My office was destroyed 

 by fire the first of this month. I lost all 

 back numbers and file of the Progressive 

 Bee-Keeper for 1892, and nearly all my 

 exchanges for about three years back. 

 I lost considerable other stock besides 

 my books and papers. The subscription 

 book was saved. One large frame build- 

 ing and 100 feet frontage of brick was 

 burned. I had no insurance. 

 Yours truly, 



E. F. Quigley. 



It does not pay to be without insur- 

 ance of property. It costs but a trifle 

 compared with the help that the insur- 

 ance money would be to one who has 

 been burned out. Always be sure your 

 property is insured. 



