THE AMERICAJS BEE JOURNAL. 



39 



apiarists who tried the cellar last win- 

 ter, and lost all their bees. Upon 

 ascertaining the condition of their 

 cellars, 1 learned that they were not 

 only wet but frequently cold. That I 

 claim is worse than the poorest of out- 

 door wintering. 



When Mr. Ileddon answered the 

 query on page 820 of the American 

 Bee Journal for 188."), as to the 

 proper size to have the hive-entrances 

 in winter on the summer-stands, he 

 spoke my sentiments exactly when he 

 jocosely replied that he should pick 

 up the entrances (taking the hives 

 with them) and place them in a good 

 cellar. I do not remember whether 

 he said a warm cellar or not, but if he 

 did not, he meant it. Those are just 

 my ideas, backed by satisfactory ex- 

 perience. 



In conclusion I would say that all 

 who like can freeze their bees into 

 submission, but as for me I prefer to 

 provide them with good, warm quar- 

 ters, and no matter what the condi- 

 tion of the atmosphere outside may 

 be, when a visit is ma<le them they 

 will greet the visitor at the entrance 

 with a joyful hum. 



Sharpsburg, 111. 



For ibe American Bee .loumal. 



Curious Freaks of Bees, 



C. W. DAYTON. (IKi). 



Early in the season of 1883, as soon 

 as the young bees began to play freely 

 before the hives on sunshiny days, I 

 noticed on the ground before one hive, 

 that there remained a large number of 

 bees that did not get back into the hive. 

 At this time there were bees scattered 

 about 2 or 3 rods from the hive, but 

 not more than 3 or 4 in any one place. 

 About the middle of the summer I 

 superseded the queen in that colony 

 and this in due time ended all peculiar 

 actions of the bees, until the next 

 spring, when I found another colony 

 in the same attitude, except that the 

 bees, when they remained out, did not 

 scatter themselves over so much 

 ground, but remained nearer the hive, 

 and when night came they huddled 

 together in the hollows in the ground, 

 some of which hollows contained a 

 quart or more of dead bees that had 

 accumulated there in the course of a 

 week or less. The queen in this colony 

 remained unchanged, and last spring 

 (that of 188.5), two colonies of this 

 kind were found, both of which are 

 now in winter quarters. 



The affected bees appear to be just 

 as well developed as any bees, but 

 they run from the hive generally hold- 

 ing one wing out of place, as if it had 

 been broken or bent out of shape. 

 The bees do not seem to die because 

 of affliction but from exhaustion or 

 the chill of the night. Notwithstand- 

 ing the great loss of bees from these 

 colonies the queens were so prolitic as 

 to build them up to ordinary colonies, 

 one of which gathered about 80 pounds 

 of honey. 



In case of these colonies while about 

 one-half of the bees appear as bees 

 generally do, there is the other halt 



that show symptoms as described. 1 

 do not mean to say that one-half of 

 the bees, young or old, in these colo- 

 nies at any and all times are like those 

 described, but one-half of the bees 

 which are of the right age to take 

 their tirst flight are of this kind, and 

 these, taken the season tlirough, would 

 equal one-half of all the bees liatched. 



Though I never have reared a queen 

 or made any increase from such colo- 

 nies, every spring I find one more 

 colony of this description than there 

 was the fall before. 



Bradford, 6 Iowa. 



Read at the Detroit Convention. 



Tlie ProMou of Comli Honey, 



G. M. DOOLITTLE, (40-95). 



It has been announced that I am to 

 lead in the discussion regarding the 

 production of comb honey. Before 

 doing so I wish to quote the words 

 found on page 723 of the American 

 Bee JotJRNAL for 1S85 : " Long arti- 

 cles seldom profit those who have to 

 do with them. Life is short ; time is 

 short; moments are precious." Espe- 

 cially is this last true at a bee-conven- 

 tion, and many a person has become 

 tired on account of the long essays 

 read at the same. AVhat we want is 

 animated discussion, rather than long 

 essays, no matter how ably written. 

 Therefore the best part of this essay 

 will be its brevity. 



There are four things of iaiportauce 

 in the production of comb honey : 

 First, a good queen ; second, the get- 

 ting of the bees at the right time to 

 gather the harvest; third, a skillful 

 apiarist ; and fourth, the right kind of 

 a hive. 



1 put the queen first, for the whole 

 of bee-keeping centres upon her. 

 Without a queen it would be impossi- 

 ble to produce a pound of comb honey; 

 hence it becomes apparent that the 

 better the queen is, the more honey 

 we obtain. When we come to fully 

 realize the great value of really good 

 queens^ we shall have less queens which 

 cost the apiarist nothing. I wish to 

 leave the impression that good queens 

 cost something, and are valuable in 

 proportion to the pains taken in rear- 

 ing them. 



I put the getting of the bees at the 

 right time to receive the harvest sec- 

 ond, for this is paramount to all else 

 in the production of comb honey — ex- 

 cept the queen. Unless we can have 

 the bees in our colonies by the tens of 

 thousands at the right time, the 

 flowers will bloom in vain, as far as 

 filling our sections with honey is con- 

 cerned. When all realize the second 

 proposition, and work for the same to 

 its fullest extent, oue-half of the colo- 

 nies will gather as much surplus as 

 the wliole do under our present man- 

 agement. 



I place a skillful apiarist third, as he 

 is only second to the bees and queen, 

 and unless he is skillful enough to do 

 things at the right time and in the 

 right place, both bees and flowers will 

 be in vain, as far as getting a good 

 yield of comb honey in sections is 



concerned. The apiarist must study 

 hard, work early and late, and "leave 

 no stone unturned " that will produce 

 a pound more honey, if he is to be 

 successful in i)ri)du(uug comb honey 

 at the present low prices. 



I place the right kind of a hive 

 fourth, for this comes last in the cate- 

 gorv of our subject. To be sure, bees 

 will store honey in a nail-keg. but the 

 day of putting honey upon the mar- 

 ket in the shape it must present if 

 taken from such a repository, has 

 passed away, so that if we would re- 

 alize the most from our bees and our 

 labor, we must get our honey stored in 

 neat and attractive receptacles. The 

 hive that will admit of getting the 

 largest number of bees in the right 

 time for the honey harvest, and then 

 get "all hands " to work in the surplus 

 arrangement as soon as the harvest 

 arrives, is the one to use. We could 

 divide and sub-divide these four head- 

 ir.gs, especially the last three, yet the 

 above four fundamental principles 

 would not be changed. I therefore 

 leave the subject for your decision. 



Borodino, © N. Y. 



E. W. Thompson— Is it profitable 

 to fill sections full of foundation ? 



J. B. Hall — After many experiments 

 I have decided that it is. 



II. R. Boardman— During the past 

 season I hived 100 swarms with no 

 foundation in the brood-nest, except- 

 ing starters, I have no data to show 

 wliether or not it was a profitable 

 experiment, but I was well pleased 

 with the results. I cut out the new 

 comb from the brood-nest, leave it 

 lying upon the grass until the eggs, if 

 there are any in it, have lost their 

 vitality, then I fasten this new comb 

 in the sections instead of foundation. 

 The honey is beautiful and tender, 

 but will not bear shipment so well. 



J. B. Hall— I have tried this plan of 

 hiving swarms without foundation, 

 but I get too much drone-comb. 



W. Z. Hutchinson— Are your brood- 

 nests large or small V 



J. B. Hall— Large. 



W. Z. Hutchinson— Tliat explains 

 it. I hive my swarms upon only 5 

 Langstroth frames, and not more 

 than one comb in 25 is drone-comb, 

 and this occurs only when the queen 

 is an old one. 



H. R. Boardman— I was surprised 

 at the small amount of drone-comb 

 built in my frames. My swarming 

 and hiving were managed upon the 

 Ileddon plan. 



G. M. Doolittle— Comb foundation 

 gives honey greater strength, but this 

 very strength impairs its eating 

 qualities. 



G. r. Muth— There is no necessity 

 of using foundation heavy enough to 

 detract from the palatableness of our 

 comb houev. 



Tlie Cliaiiiplaiii Valley Bee-Keepers* 

 Association will hold its l"Jth annual conven- 

 tion at Middlebury, Vt., on Thursday, Jan. 

 21, 1880. We have received a very neat 

 four-page Progrramnie. Any one interested 

 can get a Programme by addressing the 

 Secretary, Mr. R. H. Holmes, Shoreham, Vt. 

 Premiums are offered for exhibits. 



