i'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



421 



Explanatory.— The Ugurcs before the 

 names indicate the number of years that the 

 person has kept bees. Those after, show 

 the number of colonies the writer had in the 

 previous spring- and fall, or fall and spring, 

 as the time of the year may require. 



This mark © indicates that the apiarist is 

 located near the center of the State named; 

 6 north of the center; 9 south; 0+ east; 

 ♦O west; and thisd northeast; ~o northwest: 

 0« southeast; and P southwest of the center 

 of the State mentioned. 



For tlie American Beo JournnJ. 



Feiicefl Bee-Yards JaWiiE Reprts, etc, 



W. H. STKWAllT. 



On page 720 of the Bee Journal 

 for 1885, Mr. Tiffauy asks Mr. L. C. 

 Root to describe; a tight enclosure for 

 a bee-yard. In reply Mr. Root said : 

 '' I would say that the fence around 

 my yard is 8 feet high, and close to 

 the rear of hives. If the fence is in 

 front of the hives it should be several 

 feet from the front row. If the loca- 

 tion is in a very bleak place, I would 

 have it higher. It should be made of 

 matched boards, or battened to make 

 it tight." 



My opinion is, that such a fence 

 would at times be of advantage to the 

 bees, and at other times a great dis- 

 advantage, and. all things considered, 

 it would be much better than if no 

 fence of any kind were within 50 feet 

 of the hives. If a tight, 8-foot fence 

 was placed on the north and west 

 sides of the bee-yard, and the hives 

 stood within 12 feet of the west fence, 

 and they were to remain on the sum- 

 mer stands through the winter, in 

 this climate, then the snow would 

 drift over the fence, and bury the 

 hives nearly or quite S feet deep un- 

 der the drift, which would be equal to, 

 if not better, than an ordinary cellar 

 for the bees ; but in early spring, 

 when cold, raw winds were blowing 

 from the northwest, and at the same 

 time the sun was shining brightly in 

 the forepart of the day, the warm sun 

 would be rellected down on the hives 

 by this tight " fence," and the cold 

 wind entirely broken off, it would be 

 many degrees warmer at and near 

 the hive than 10 or more rods away in 

 either direction ; this would be the 

 case also with bees that had been 

 wintered in the cellar, after they were 

 put out in the spring. 



This state of things would deceive 

 the bees ; they would tliink that the 

 weather (or temperature) was the 

 same throughouttheir flying distance, 

 as it was in their cozy shelter ; thus 

 they would venture out when it was 

 barely warm enougli at the hive to 

 fly safely ; and as they would fly out 

 they would be caught by the cold 

 blast, and in a moment be chilled and 

 fall to the ground to rise no more. 

 Thus a good colony could be depleted 



50 per cent, in one day; and, be it 

 remembered, that in such case it is 

 the best colonies that thus stir out 

 first, and the most, and also the most 

 healthy and energetic bees of any 

 colony that work earliest and latest ; 

 and the bees that would thus be lost 

 are the ones that we can least afford 

 to lose. 



Again, in a hot July day, wlien 

 basswood is in bloom, and we want 

 all surroundings arranged to the best 

 possible advantage in order that the 

 bees may do the greatest possible 

 amount of labor, tliis tight fence 

 would shut off the refreshing western 

 breeze (that is of great advantage to 

 bees as well as men), and instead of 

 storing and sealing honey, many of 

 them would be compelled to lay idle 

 on the outside of the hive. 



Mr. R. says of such a fence, " if 

 in front of the hives, it should be 

 several feet from the front row." 

 The reason for this is, no doubt, that 

 the bees would not be compelled to 

 rise so directly upward to scale the 

 fence ; but the truth is that bees do 

 not always start out for stores in the 

 same direction that the hive fronts. 

 It makes not a particle of difference 

 with the bees which way the hive 

 fronts after they are well out of it, on 

 starting out for work. 



My bee-yard slopes to the south and 

 east, and the hives front in the same 

 direction ; the basswood is northwest, 

 and as the bees leave the hive they 

 start immediately northwest; thus if 

 I had such a fence at the rear of the 

 hives, it would hinder them more than 

 if it were in front. 



Furthermore, if bees are wintered 

 on the summer stands, and are near 

 this fence on the south side, the snow 

 would not, in this locality, form a 

 drift to cover the hives, and the re- 

 flected sun, as above mentioned, 

 would lure the bees out in bright, 

 winter days, when the cold at a few 

 feet distance from the hives would 

 chill them. It is true that during 

 severe cold and windy weather in 

 winter, the hive would be protected 

 from the wind ; but bees in a good 

 hive do not feel the winter wind, and 

 the degrees of temperature are the 

 same, wind or no wind. 



True, this fence would be a barrier 

 to thieves, but a barb-wire thickly 

 woven would be cheaper, more desir- 

 able, and out of the way of the bees. 



HOW TO MAKE KEPORTS. 



Away back in the Bee Journal 

 for 1883, page 287, I gave my idea of 

 the proper and improper manner of 

 making out annual reports by bee- 

 keepers. When I wrote that article 

 I felt quite confident that the frater- 

 nity would try to profit by the hints 

 thrown out. I have read the Bee 

 Journal closely ever since, and have 

 been able to find nothing on that 

 subject. 



For many years previous to the 

 writing of that article, bee-keepers 

 generally had suffered heavy winter 

 losses, and I foresaw then what I now 

 see is a matter of fact, namely, ttiat 

 from the loose and indefinite manner 

 in which all were reporting their 

 methods of management, the winter- 



ing problem would never be solved. 

 Losses of the following winter were 

 greater and more general than during 

 ;iny other winter for 4:! years that I 

 had been wintering bees. This is 

 slow progress indeed ! 



In my article I stated that " to us 

 it seems impossible to get a full and 

 correct statement of our condition, 

 products and prospects in any other 

 way thau to get a full and correct 

 report from each individual engaged 



in the business To be useful, a 



report should embrace an experience 

 for at least one whole year ; not only 

 so, but that year should begin and 

 end at such dates that we could learn 

 from it what effect such and such 

 management ttirongh the spring, 

 summer and fall had on the bees dur- 

 ing the winter ; and the manner they 

 were wintered." 



I am now well satisfied that if the 

 plan of making out reports that I 

 there gave, had been carefully carried 

 out, we could, from the reports that 

 would have been given the following 

 spring, have learned very nearly, or 

 perhaps e.xactly, what was the prime 

 cause of the great loss ; but now the 

 truth is that bee-keepers as a mass 

 are literally confused on that subject. 



Last spring the oldest and most ex- 

 perienced were as much in the mud- 

 dle as the novice ; and since that time 

 more brain power has been expended 

 in the attempt to solve the problem 

 than on all other matters concerning 

 apiculture. My opinion is, that the 

 fate of the bees was fixed before they 

 went into winter quarters. 



It will be remembered that in the 

 fall of 188t many bee-keepers in dif- 

 ferent localities reported that the fall 

 crop of honey was short, and in many 

 localities an entire failure. Where 

 such is the case it is well understood 

 that breeding was discontinued early, 

 and in such a case very few, except 

 old bees, go into winter quarters; and 

 in late winter and early spring the 

 mortality must be rapid and unavoid- 

 able. 



Now, if we could know by such re- 

 ports as I have suggested, where the 

 fall crop was a failure, and where a 

 partial failure, and who was wise 

 enough to feed all through that 

 scarcity of honey, in order to keep up 

 breeding ; and in each case whether 

 the mortality was greatest where 

 breeding in the fall was least, then we 

 would be able to decide whether one 

 theory (i. c, all old bees) was the 

 cause of the loss or not. Many now 

 believe with me, that that was the 

 cause, but cannot prove it, from the 

 fact that we have not the reports. 



Some have said that they believed 

 that old bees were as good as young 

 ones to go safely through the winter 

 and spring. If I should write such 

 things, I would expect others to 

 accuse me of having a desire to ruin 

 all except myself. 



WINTERING— HIBERNATION. 



On page 5 is quite an interesting 

 article from Dr. G. L. Tinker. Mr. 

 T. makes some good points, and I 

 wish to thank him for giving us a 

 detailed account of his careful ex- 

 periments and observations; but I 



