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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Replies by Prominent Apiarists. 



[It is useless to ask for answers to 

 Queries in this Department in less time 

 tlian one month. They have to wait their 

 turn, be put in type, and sent in about a 

 dozen at a time to each of those who answer 

 them: get them returned, and then find 

 space for them in the Journal. If you are 

 in a " hurry " for replies, do not ask for 

 them to be inserted here.— Ed. 1 



Cleansing FligMs in Winter, 



Query, No. 350.— Some advise giving 

 bees a cleansing flight during the winter : 

 others, put them into a cave or cellar and 

 let them severely alone until it is time to 

 put them on the summer stands again. 

 Which is best ? I, for one, would like to 

 know, as I have no anxiety to carry 1^0 col- 

 onies out of the cave and back again it it 

 does no good. — Iowa. 



Let them alone.— W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son. 



I do not carry mine out until they 

 are tal^en out to stay. — C. C. IiIiller. 



If they remained quiet I would 

 leave them alone until well settled 

 weather in the spring.— II. I). Cut- 

 ting. 



If the bees are quiet in their quar- 

 ters, and show no uneasiness, I should 

 let them alone.— J. P. H. Brown. 



Leave them in until spring. Giving 

 them a flight causes them to breed, 

 and they are more restless afterwards. 

 — Dadant & Son. 



I should leave them severely alone. 

 If some of the colonies were diseased 

 so as to be likely to die before spring, 

 I might give them a flight. If the 

 disease was caused by impure stores, 

 it would be beueflcial. I have thought 

 that a flight sometimes made matters 

 worse.— C. W. Dayton. 



From what I have read, I conclude 

 that if the general conditions are 

 right, viz : an equable temperature 

 ranging from 40° to 50°, Fahr., in a 

 perfectly dark cellar, no cleansing 

 flight is necessay.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Never move them unless they be- 

 come uneasy and soil the hive. If a 

 cellar is just right there will be no 

 need of any removal from Nov. ] to 

 April 1. We have not removed our 

 bees for years during winter, and they 

 winter splendidly.— A. J. Cook. 



Owing to the dampness of the 

 atmosphere in this climate, in the 

 winter months, I doubt If it would 

 be possible to winter bees at all with- 

 out the opportunity for flight in the 

 air two or three times during the win- 

 ter months. But in a higher latitude 

 where the air is comparatively dry— a 

 condition of things favorable to 

 healthful exhalation from the bodies 

 of the bees— I doubt not but the case 

 would be different. Those who have 

 tried it can tell best.— G. W. Dem- 



AKEE. 



After practicing both I have come 

 to the conclusion that only harm 



comes from such a flight, say nothing 

 of the labor. Where bees are win- 

 tered on the summer stands the case 

 is different.— G. M. Doolittle. 



I prefer the latter plan— put them 

 in early and take them out late. Long 

 confinement does no harm, if other 

 conditions are right. In this I think 

 Mr. Eugene Secor isrigtit, and Mr. G. 

 M. Doolittle in error.— James Hed- 



DON. 



Bees in winter quarters require no 

 flight until they can fly to some pur- 

 pose. We often have pollen gathered 

 here early in March, when they may 

 be put out and returned after cold sets 

 in again. In February, on a suitable 

 day, I would set out 1 or 2 colonies, 

 and observe if they needed a cleans- 

 ing flight. If doing finely they often 

 discharge nothing ; hence a flight 

 would lie of no benefit until there was 

 food to gather. On Dec. 11 we had a 

 fine day, and I put out 2 colonies that 

 were carried in Nov. 13. They had 

 been nicely hibernating, but I wanted 

 to see the effect. After four days 

 they had not again assumed their 

 former state, being very easily dis- 

 turbed. I would say, then, not to put 

 bees out before February, at the 

 earliest, and then not unless diseased. 

 — G. L. Tinker. 



Closeil-Top Sections. 



Query, No. 351.— a beekeeper in Iowa 

 prefers closed-top sections ; but in tiering- 

 up he uses open-top sections. Is it an ad- 

 vantage lo have the first case and the one 

 on top made thus? and will the combs (of 

 course they cannot be inverted) be as 

 straiglit with closed-top sections ?— Augusta, 

 Iowa. 



I see no advantage in closed-top 

 sections anywhere.— W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son, 



It is a disadvantage to have two 

 sorts of sections on the same hive. — 

 J. P. H. Brown. 



AVe would prefer open-top sections 

 for every purpose. — Dadant & Son. 



The combs will be just as straight 

 with closed-top as open, if you use 

 full sheets of foundation or separa- 

 tors. I prefer an open-top section, as 

 I want to " tier-up."— H. D. Cutting. 



I use open-top sections, and can see 

 no advantage in those having closed 

 tops.— G. M. Doolittle. 



I should not expect combs to be 

 quite as straight with closed-top sec- 

 tions, but I have never tried them.— 

 C. C. Miller. 



I should always prefer the open-top 

 sections. This permits tiering-up, 

 and enables one to see just what is 

 going on. — A. J. Cook. 



Closed-top sections are no advan- 

 tage, as they can be made closer with 

 a cloth spread over the top of the case 

 or rack. The open-top sections are 

 necessary to the " tieringup system," 

 and the latter is necessary to the best 

 results.— G. W. Dejiareb. 



Never use both kinds on the same 

 hive, or in the same apiary ; in fact, 

 never use closed-top sections at all. 

 They are not good about getting 

 straight combs, tiering-up, handling 



in and out of shipping-crates, seeing 

 the condition of ttie super, and so bad 

 that they are almost totally aban- 

 doned. — JAMES Heddon. 



The combs will be built as straight 

 with closed-top sections as with open- 

 top ones, but the former have no ad- 

 vantages over the latter. I prefer a 

 thin board with a bee-space beneath 

 to cover tlie sections. Many use en- 

 ameled cloth.— G. L. TiNiiER. 



I do not think there is any advan- 

 tage in using closed-top sections in 

 any case. Open-top sections can be 

 easily closed, but closed-top sections 

 cannot be conveniently used in " tier- 

 ingup." I prefer the open-all-around 

 sections.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Wintering Bees Under a Kitclien. 



Query, No. 352.— Do you think that it 

 would injure the bees to put them in a cel- 

 lar under a kitchen where there is lots of 

 noise ?— F. H., Ills. 



Not unless they are to be jarred.— 

 Dadant & Son. 



No, not if so placed that they are- 

 not jarred.— G. M. Doolittle. 



No. I have wintered bees in just 

 such a place for several winters.— W. 

 Z. Hutchinson. 



I do not think that the noise would 

 injure them, provided no vibratory or 

 jarring motion was communicated to- 

 the bees.— J. P. H. Brown. 



The warmth of the kitchen fire 

 above the bees would more than 

 counterbalance any harm from the 

 noise.— G. L. Tinker. 



It would not injure them, but might 

 rouse them somewhat at times. — C. 

 W. Dayton. 



If all right otherwise, I doubt if the- 

 noise would do much harm.— C. C. 

 Miller. 



No, not if other conditions are all 

 right.— Jasies Heddon. 



Bees must be quiet to winter well. 

 Unless you can keep them so in the 

 cellar, I would advise leaving them on 

 the summer stands well packed. — H. 

 D. Cutting. 



I know nothing practically of cellar 

 wintering of bees, but from what I 

 know about the effects of " noise " on 

 bees, I should have no fears that my 

 bees would be injured from that 

 cause.— G. W. Demareb. 



I should prefer " under a kitchen "■ 

 to any other place. This gives a 

 chance for ventilation. The noise will 

 do no harm. I know a man who has 

 wintered his bees very successfully, 

 and he has some loud boys, I tell yoii ! 

 None too loud ; boys that make no 

 noise will make men of like charac- 

 ter.— A. J. Cook. 



Practically, I know nothing of the 

 matter, as 1 have always wintered my 

 bees on the summer stands, but if the 

 cellar is all right otherwise, I do not 

 think the noise will affect the bees at 

 all. It is all theory on my part, but 

 the theory is based on my reading, 

 and general observation.— J. E. Pond,. 

 Jr. 



