AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



763 



Wintering Bee§ — Description of 

 a Bcc-Hive. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY A. E. JAMESON. 



In order to describe my method of 

 wintering bees, it will be necessary to 

 give a description of the hive I use. 



The bottom is made of %-inch lumber, 

 nailed on cleats and grooved Ji-inch 

 deep, and %-inch wide on the edges, and 

 back end for the body to rest and slide 

 on. 



The body has a portico, and takes 

 frames 9%xl7% inches, with a 20-inch 

 top-bar, and bee-space above the frames, 

 with a cover the same as is used on the 

 dovetailed hive, flat top. 



The supers are 21 inches long, and 

 ends rabbeted so that two supers can be 

 used with a set of brood-frames. Each 

 end has a %-inch hole bored one inch 

 from the top in the center, and screened 

 on the inside. T tins cross 1% inches 

 from each end, on which section-holders 

 rest, and are clamped with a "follower" 

 and wedges. Section-holders of any 

 width can be used. This super has a 

 bee-space at the ends of the section- 

 holders and above, and has ventilation 

 through screened holes. 



To prepare for winter I put on one 

 empty super, with a "Hill's device," 

 butter-dish, or the like, over the frames, 

 and place a quilt or thin cushion over 

 all, and leave the space between the 

 cushion and cover empty ; the ventila- 

 tion holes are open except in very cold 

 weather, when I close them with corks. 



The hives are placed by a fence, fac- 

 ing south, and straw-banked on the 

 north, with boards or poles projecting 

 over the fence and straw put on them, 

 covering the hives, but not from the sun. 

 I raise the covers sometimes and let it 

 shine in. 



I made my own hive eight years ago, 

 and have had fine success with it, al- 

 though my bee-ambition has been damp- 

 ened by discouraging advice from 

 friends ; kicked, cuffed and trampled 

 on, and poked fun at, I still hold on to 

 it, and got a good supply of honey, for 

 which I am receiving a fair price near 

 home. In addition to my work at home, 

 I handle bees for others, and have had 

 experience with bees of all kinds, and in 

 all kinds of hives, including an old one 

 once owned by Dr. C. C. Miller, for the 

 good Doctor once " rusticated " in this 

 " neck of the woods." I will not say 

 anything about the Doctor's hives, nor 

 bees, if he does not poke too much at 



my hive. I am only 27 years old, Doc- 

 tor, and can reform, if convinced that I 

 am astray. 



I hope to be ever for the interests and 

 good treatment of my little friends — the 

 honey-bees. 



Weeping Water, Nebr., Nov. 14, 1892. 



Hearing of Bees — Worker In a 

 Queen-Cell. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY FBED BECHLY. 



The editor asked the bee-keepers to 

 write about their observations made 

 during last season, so here goes. 



I took a virgin queen from a natural 

 swarm, caged her, and laid her in front 

 of a queenless colony ; the bees covered 

 the cage at once, trying to get her out. 

 As the queen had been taken from a 

 natural swarm, she kept on piping, the 

 same as if she had been with her own 

 bees ; but while the queen was piping, 

 every bee stopped work until she was 

 still, when they would commence to pick 

 at the cage, to stop again at the first 

 note of the queen. This was repeated 

 several times while I watched them. I 

 finally opened the cage and let her run 

 into the hive. This leads me to believe 

 that bees can hear. If they cannot, 

 why was the voice given to the queen ? 



WOBKER-BEE IN A QUEEN-CELL. 



During the summer I reared several 

 queens, by removing the old queen to 

 get cells started. In due time I cut out 

 8 to 10 fine, large cells, built on the 

 lower edges of the combs. In from 12 

 to 14 days all hatched but three, that I 

 left them until the 18th day, when I 

 took a knife and cut off the caps. Two 

 contained dead queens, and one a per- 

 fect worker-bee, but a little too weak to 

 crawl into the hive. I think it would 

 have hatched in a day or two. 



Searsboro, Iowa, Nov. 12, 1892. 



Something Learned from an Ex- 

 perience with Foul Brood. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY RANDOLPH GBADEN. 



How often have I smiled at some as- 

 sertions in the Bee Journal, made by 

 some that easily jump at conclusions; 

 but still I hesitated to correct them, but 

 thought I would leave it to some one 

 better qualified than I am to write. 



