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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



else — a nasty, sticky-looking mess — and 

 take whatever they can get for it. I 

 shall endeavor to educate them some. 

 Moberly, Mo., Oct. 16, 1892. 



[In regard to extracting the honey 

 and feeding sugar syrup for winter 

 stores, we would refer you to Mr. Doo- 

 little's article on page 634 of this issue 

 of the Bee Journal. 



As Messrs. Chas. Dadant & Son are 

 extensive manufacturers of honey-vine- 

 gar, will they kindly reply to Mr. Rich- 

 ardson's query as to the " pollywogling " 

 appearance of his honey-vinegar ? 



One way to prevent beginners ruining 

 a honey market, is to put into their 

 hands the best literature on the subject 

 of honey production. That would help 

 them to educate themselves. — Ed.] 



Experience with Cork as a Win- 

 ter Packing for Bees. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY THOS. THUKLOW. 



On page 527 the editor asks for ex- 

 perience in regard to cork as a winter 

 packing for bees. I have used it for 

 years. Granulated cork is one of the 

 best non-conductors of heat, used to any 

 amount. It is used for bee-houses, re- 

 frigerators, steam-pipe covering, etc. 

 Most substances used for winter bee- 

 covering, such as leaves, sawdust, chaff, 

 straw, etc. (all of which I have used), 

 are practically solids in themselves, and 

 depend upon the air-spaces between the 

 particles for their non-conductibilitv ; 

 but cork is very porous in itself, as its 

 lightness verifies, and has that advan- 

 tage over almost any other non-conduc- 

 tor. 



Then, again, if leaves, chaff, or such 

 trash is used, it must be thrown out in 

 the spring, and new material obtained 

 again in the fall — at least that is my ex- 

 perience, but cork lasts. I have used 

 the same cushions over the bees for five 

 or six years. When I take them off in 

 the spring, they are dried out in the sun- 

 shine and wind, and put away for fall. 

 My cushions are burlap bags that will 

 hold enough cork loosely to fill an eight- 

 frame Langstroth hive about 4 inches 

 deep. A few sticks about % or % inch 

 square are put across the frames over 

 the bees, the surplus story put on, the 



cork bag put in, and the cork worked 

 out level, with the fingers, to fill the 

 corners and edges snugly. The cover is 

 then put on with a nail in under it to let 

 out the moisture that comes up through 

 the cork, from the heat of the bees, and 

 a 10-pound weight is put on top of all ; 

 the winter may then come. 



I am not in favor of outside packing. 

 I have tried it many times, and believe 

 that the drying out and warming up, 

 that an inch-board hive gets from a 

 bright winter sun, is better for the bees 

 than all the paeking outside of the sim- 

 ple hive. 



There are cork factories in nearly all 

 the large cities. 



Lancaster, Pa. 



Swarm of Bees in September 

 Five-Banded Bees. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY JOHN D. A. FISHEK. 



Several weeks ago, while my wife and 

 I were going to Salisbury, N. C, she 

 looked up into my face, saying, " I for- 

 got to tell you that one of our colonies 

 of bees swarmed to-day, but the swarm 

 went back into the hive." 



"They did?" said I, thinking to my- 

 self there is something wrong — a queen 

 lost, or out of honey. 



We arrived at home too late that night 

 to look after the matter, and see what 

 was wrong. So the next morning I 

 called my daughter, and asked her to go 

 with me and show me the hive that the 

 bees had swarmed out of. She pointed 

 out one of my best colonies, saying, 

 " That is the one." 



"Oh, no," said I, "You are certainly 

 mistaken." 



"Yes, but they did, pa. They were 

 all over the hive." 



" That makes no difference, daughter, 

 those bees are all O. K." 



Just about this time I looked out some 

 little distance, and sure enough, there, 

 hanging on a peach-tree, was the swarm 

 of bees. 



I at once began a search to find where 

 the bees came from. Very soon I came 

 to a hive that had no bees in it except a 

 few young ones, and no honey, either. I 

 at once made a lot of nice sugar syrup, 

 and poured it into combs. I then took 

 the hive, combs and all, to where the 

 swarm was, held the hive up against the 

 bees, and, O my ! how glad they were to 

 go back into their old home, with a good 

 supply of sweets on hand. 



