THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



160 



many times. I can account for tbis 

 in no other way tlian that the colony 

 or colonies of bees from which my 

 queens had been fertilized the pre- 

 vious year, had been winter-killed or 

 moved farther away ; and that there 

 must be a point not yet understood 

 perfectly, that either the queen does 

 not fly away from home to meet its 

 mate, and the drone does, or vice 

 versa. There are but few in the 

 United States so situated as to test 

 this question fully. I should lilce to 

 hear the experience of others on this 

 point, through the Bee Journal. 1 

 will test it more carefully another 

 season. 

 Oyens,(f Iowa. 



B'or the American Bee Journal. 



When to Put Bees into Cellars, 



T. F. BINGHAM. 



On page 739 of the American Bee 

 Journal for 1885, Mrs. Harrison 

 states that November is too early to 

 put bees into cellars, etc., according 

 to a vote at the Northwestern Con- 

 vention. Further, she states : " Last 

 year ours were stored on Dec. 1, and 

 line weather followed, when bees on 

 summer stands flew for many days." 

 Also : " Experience teaches us that 

 it is belter to store them late," etc. 

 Will Mrs. H. please say whether her 

 early-stored bees came out as well in 

 the spring as others in her vicinity 

 not stored so early V 



The experiments reported, and 

 theories deduced from them, are of 

 very little weight in the minds of 

 bee-keepers, if the fact is not well 

 established that bees do not need to 

 fly for an almost indeUnite and un- 

 limited time, unless exposed to cold 

 the equivalent of freezing water. If 

 such is the fact, and reports have 

 been made from year to year, which, 

 if reports are of value, settles that 

 one point at least beyond controversy. 



I will say that, so far as my per- 

 sonal experience goes, bees never 

 winter well in depositories unless 

 stored early— before cold, freezing 

 days come on. If freezing cold is all 

 that renders it important that bees 

 should fly, no one can fail to see that 

 late storing, for the purpose of allow- 

 ing the bees one more flight, is a de- 

 ception, and, as such, to be avoided. 

 I will say here, and if time should 

 demonstrate that I am mistaken, my 

 object in this article will be accom- 

 plished just as well as if it should 

 confirm my assertion, viz : that bees 

 do not fly- in the sense of a spring 

 cleansing flight— until after a few 

 freezing days and nights in Novem- 

 ber or December, even if left on the 

 summer stands and such moderate 

 days occur as would induce an entire 

 apiary to take wing in February or 

 March. 



While I shall not say that this is 

 testimony proving that cold, below 

 freezing, is the cause of the desire of 

 bees to cleanse themselves, I shall 

 offer this fact as evidence that the 

 necessity is not urgent unless such 

 cold has existed. 



Mr. Editor, I trust you will not con 

 sign this short article to the yawning 

 " waste basket," that is always so 

 handy, because the subject is one at 

 this time not much discussed ; but 

 allow it to go forth that we may learn 

 whether bees are wintered on theory, 

 more or less superficial and deceptive, 

 or whether actual experience upon 

 which one may depend lies within the 

 reach of bee-keepers. If 1,000 bee- 

 keepers should report that their bees 

 were carried in after frosty days and 

 nights, as a rule — in order to give 

 them one more chance for flight — and 

 that the bees of 900 of those bee-keep- 

 ers, so housed, died just the same as 

 those left all winter on the summer 

 stands, the reports would be of value. 

 If, on the contrary, 1,000 apiarists 

 should report that by mere accident, 

 fearing cold and inconvenient housing, 

 they had taken their bees in 2 or 3 

 weeks sooner than was advisable or 

 necessary, as the weather had un- 

 expectedly turned, should winter their 

 bees without material loss— much 

 better even than those around them 

 who had wintered theirs on the sum- 

 mer stands— their reports would be of 

 value. 



Can we not have such reports, short 

 and without theory, sent to the 

 American Bee Journal of last 

 winter's inning, and of last clover 

 season's inning V This question does 

 not embrace the honey crop or "ifs " 

 or " buts," or anything else, except 

 the innings to the depository and 

 those ready for the clover honey crop 

 following. 



Abronia, p Mich. 



track on wintering, too. I hope that 

 I eem all wrong, and that Mr. Ileddon 

 has added another step in bee- 

 keeping. 

 Bluffton, ^ O. 



[As Mr. Eaton makes very sweep- 

 ing assertions about Mr. Ileddon's 

 " new system," we think it but juet 

 that the latter should state his own 

 views on the matter, so we sent him 

 a proof of Mr. Eaton's letter with a 

 request for a short reply, and here is 

 what he says : — Ed.] 



For the American Bee Journal. 



New System of Bee-Cnltnre, 



FRANK A. EATON. 



The Ileddon new system demor- 

 alizes everything heretofore used — 

 hive, section-cases, frames, and dies 

 for pressing foundation into wired 

 frames with the Given Press. If any 

 one but a leader, as Mr. Ileddon is, 

 had invented such an arrangement, it 

 would either never be noticed or be 

 laughed to ridicule. If I am right, 

 he goes back on every part of his old 

 system. I suppose he will have no 

 more use for wiring frames, as the 

 frames are so shallow that they will 

 need no support. Then think of two 

 bars of wood and a bee-space in the 

 centre of the brood-nest, closed end- 

 bars to the frames fitting close to the 

 ends of the hive ! Why, I would 

 about as soon think of going back to 

 the box-hive ! If he wants to run 

 parts of his colonies for extracting he 

 will have to use those shallow frames 

 or have two sizes of frames, which 

 cannot be interchanged— a point 

 which is so advantageous in extract- 

 ing; and then, again, going back to 

 wide-frames and separators for the 

 surplus— I should not be more sur- 

 prised if Mr. Ileddon would declare 

 there was nothing in the pollen 

 theory for wintering, but say that it 

 is hibernation that we want ; then I 

 think he would be nearer the right 



In responding to your request, I will 

 say that I hardly know what Mr. 

 Eaton means by "demoralizes." My 

 new hive and system aims to bring 

 about many of " the same results re- 

 alized from the use of the old hive 

 with very much less friction and out- 

 lay of time ; not only this, but other 

 and better results. It has " section- 

 cases," though of a new style ; its 

 frames are as well adapted to the 

 Given press as any other. I think 

 that Mr. E. pays me a compliment 

 that I do not deserve, for I do not 

 think that those whose names appear 

 in my advertising column " sneeze 

 because I take snuff." Evidently Mr. 

 Eaton is too hasty. Had he read the 

 chapter on the new hive in my book, 

 he would see that I wire the frames, 

 and that the new hive is eminently 

 adapted to contracting and reversing, 

 and that the shallow cases are ex- 

 cellent for extracting, as advised 

 in Dadants' excellent pamphlet, 

 and practiced by many for a dozen 

 years or more. The new hive does 

 not necessitate the use of wide 

 frames or separators. Should I find 

 the " pollen theory " incorrect, I 

 would so "declare" it as soon as 

 possible. I think that if Mr. Eaton 

 had tested the principles of my new 

 hive and system for two seasons, as I 

 and others have done, the unanimity 

 of belief in its superiority would still 

 remain. While I think that Mr. E. 

 is too hasty and unwarranted in his 

 judgment, his criticism is refreshing, 

 compared with the reviews of those 

 who, having theoretically discovered 

 its advantages, arise and claim them 

 for themselves. Regarding the merits 

 of the hive, they will prove themselves. 

 As to my rights as the inventor, I 

 have little fear but that the fraternity 

 will stand by me.— James Heddon. 



Convention Notices. 



t^~ The Illinois Central Bee-Keepers" 

 Association will liold its next meeting: at 

 Mt. Sterling:, Ills., on Tuesday and Wednes- 

 day, Oct. 19 and 20, 1886. 



J. M. Hambauoh, Sec. 



tW The next meeting of the Patsalapa Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will be held at Arcadia, Ala., 

 on March 20, lS8fi. M. G. Rushton, Sec. 



ly The semi-annual meeting of the Western 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in Kansas 

 City, Mo., on Apr. 29 and 3ti, IHrtfJ. It is desired 

 that this meetinK shall be better than any of its 

 predecessors. Essays will be read on the leading 

 subjects in bee-culture, which will be announced 

 as soon as arrancements are completed. Let all 

 who have bees, queens, fixtures, etc. bring them 

 If possible. Due notice will be given in regard to 

 a hall. P. BALnwiN, Sec. 



