THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



140 



All were good strong colonies, in 

 eight frame Quinby hives, heavy with 

 honey. Entrances three-fourths by five 

 inches, a super on top ®f all, half the 

 number filled with chaff, balance with 

 six inches of dry sawdust instead of 

 chaff. All the rest of the bees, (over 

 200) were in packed hives and winter 

 cases. 



Permanently packed hives have four 

 inches of sawdust around sides and 

 back, two inches in front, with cush- 

 ions filled with three to four inches 

 sawdust on top. Winter cases have 

 two hives in each case, close together, 

 eight inches chaff', sides and back, 

 four inches in front, with about eight 

 inches chaff over the top of all. 



Now "as to results:" Out of 250 col- 

 onies, 20 are dead, and half of the 

 number are among the papered hives. 

 To make matters worse, of the bal- 

 ance in said hives, only three are in 

 fair condition. Remainder, if they pull 

 through, will only be nuclei by the time 

 the honey flow comes on. The paper 

 covered * hives were scattered all 

 through the yards and I think the trial 

 was conducted on as fair a basis as 

 could possibly be arranged. Now I 

 have no '"axe to grind" anu as be- 

 fore intimated, if the "wish had been 

 father to the thought" why I certainly 

 would have expected different results. 

 Had this same experiment been con- 

 ducted the two ])revious winters, no 

 doul)t there would have been a dif- 

 ferent story to tell. It takes severe 

 conditions and tests to prove the cor- 

 rectness of our pet theories. 



Just now am inclined to think that 

 as long as I winter bees out doo--^ i 

 don't "believe we may safely and i^v *- 

 itably dispense with double hives." 

 While, as with Mr Millei', I find the 

 "experiment was costly" unless we 

 admit truth of the old adage "exper- 

 ience is a good teacher," am not in- 

 clined to own up that "it paid." 



As to what INIr. Miller says relative 

 to age of bees and other conditions es- 

 sotitial to successful wintering, I agree 

 in the main; however, I do know that 

 by giving proper attention we in this 

 latitude can, one year with another, 

 winter 95 per cent of our bees suc- 

 cessfully in packed hives. Theory is 

 all right in its place, but let us be 

 careful lest in our theorizing we sae- 



July 



rifice too much of the practical, only 

 to find later on that after all we were 

 mistaken. 



Markham, Out., April 12. 1904. 



ADVICE FOR THE NOVICE. 



By G. H. Sammis. 



IT MAY be a good time to buy bees, 

 in the winter, but it is a poor time 

 to move them. In cold weather 

 the comb is brittle, and it is liable to 

 break down in moving the hive, not 

 only causing the loss of the honey 

 which has been left for winter stores, 

 but leaving a vacant place which the 

 bees cannot keep warm as they will 

 when the frames are filled with honey. 

 The bees, too, when disturbed by mov- 

 ing fill themselves with honey and un- 

 less there is a warm spell so that they 

 can take a cleansing flight, this may 

 result in heavy loss from dysentery 

 among them. This last is a serious 

 objection against moving them, even 

 when the distance is but short and 

 they are handled so carefully as not 

 to break down the comb. Before mov- 

 ing them see that everything is ready 

 for their reception. Have the stand 

 just where it is wanted; near to, if 

 not in, the orchard, away from roads 

 and driveways and where neither ani- 

 mals, poultry nor children, will go to 

 stir them up and keep them cross and, 

 not in least importance, place them so 

 that they will have shade on hot days 

 and a windbreak in winter, as a shel- 

 ter from the prevailing storms and 

 winds. If there is not such a place 

 just right, set them where they should 

 be and build the shade and set out the 

 trees for a windbreak or build a board 

 fence for that purpose. See that the"^ 

 necessary supplies are -on hand early 

 in the season if not before the bees 

 arrive. There should be at least one 

 emptj' hive for each colony and two 

 would be better, as they are pretty 

 sure to swarm once, and possibly two 

 or three times, if care is not taken to 

 prevent it, and for those with little ex 

 perience I think it better to allow 

 swarming than to try to prevent or 

 control it, or to attempt dividing thf 

 colony. To do either of these well if 

 an art not often learned in one lesson 

 With the hive should be frames, s<'C 

 tions, etc., and enough good founda 



