90 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 10, 



CONDUCTED BY 

 DK. O. O. SlILLBR. SJARBNGO. ILL. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! 



moTinsr Bees into a Bcc-House. 



I want to move my entire stock of bees into a bee-house. 

 When will be the best time to do it? Indiana. 



Answer. — Any time now will do, as they have now been 

 so long in winter quarters that they will be likely to mark 

 their location whenever they fly next. After moving them, 

 try to make the old spot look as different as possible. 



Question on a Bee-Repository. 



I have read your answer to my question, on page S8, and 

 notice what you say about the repository which I have put up 

 after a plan given in the "A B C of Bee-Culture," page 3-!7, 

 where Mr. Root says that he and a neighboring bee-keeper 

 used buildings constructed very much the same as mine, only 

 I thought that I would make a sure thing of it, and where 

 they had 8 inches of sawdust I had 15, and a two-inch air- 

 space inside. The bees have wintered in them successfully. 

 The way I understand, the loss was in putting them out too 

 early in spring. 



If these buildings were not put up the right way, please 

 give a plan for a repository where we could winter bees suc- 

 cessfully nowadays. 



In my question on page 88, where it reads, " then an- 

 other wall of four-inch boards," it should read — theu another 

 wall of four inches, with boards and paper on both sides. 



Wisconsin. 



Answer. — I don't find what you refer to in "A B C of 

 Bee-Culture," and probably have not the same edition. But I 

 very much doubt that bees will winter successfully in such a 

 building above ground unless there is some way to warm it up 

 when it becomes too cold. If entrances were allowed, so the 

 bees could fly out every time the weather permitted, the case 

 might be different. I must say, however, that I have had no 

 personal experience in the matter, and will gladly yield the 

 floor to any one who has. 



^ I ^ 



Boring a Well near a Bee-Cellar. 



I would like to have a well bored close by the house, but I 

 fear It might disturb the bees In the cellar. Wisconsin. 



Answer. — I think I'd go ahead whenever It suited best. 

 I very much doubt whether It will make any difference to the 

 bees. 



moving Bees by Railroad — Wintering in Cold 

 Climate — Out-Apiaries. 



1. I am thinking about sending a colony of bees on a 

 chartered emigrant car to my son living In North Dakota. 

 They are in an 8-frame dovetail hive. How can I best pre- 

 pare them for the trip? I suppose I would send them about 

 the last of March, or the first of April. 



2. Would eight frames hold enough stores to winter a 

 colony in that climate ? It Is said they would be confined to 

 the hive in some seasons from Nov. 1 to Apr. 1 without a 

 flight. 



3. In such a climate could they be wintered out-doors, by 

 proper packing ? If so, how should they be packt ? 



■±. I am getting a little interested In out-aplaries, having 

 about as many colonies as can be profitably kept In one yard, 

 where neighbors have bees all around, but I have no experi- 

 ence In out-yards at all, and there is no one near me who has, 

 whom I can consult. Can you not give us an article on it ? 



Enquirer. 



Answers. — 1. As the frames In dovetailed hives are self- 

 spacing, the only thing to do with them is to see that they are 

 wedged up firmly at the side. Faste'n the entrance with wire- 

 cloth, secure the bottom to the hive, and cover the- entire top 



with wire-cloth, removing the cover. A good plan is to make 

 a frame an Inch or two deep just the size of the top of the 

 hive ; cover this frame with wire-cloth, and fasten securely to 

 the hive. A good way to fasten the bottom on the hive Is by 

 means of what are called tobacco-staples, IK or IJ^ Inches 

 wide, with legs about % inch long. Set the hive in the car so 

 the frames will run the same way as the rails of the railway. 

 Don't set a cook-stove on top of the wire-cloth. 



2. An 8-frame hive will hold all the honey needed. But 

 It needs closer watching than a 10-frame hive, to make sure 

 that enough honey is present at the beginning of winter. 



S. Probably packing all sides but the front with some 

 kind of packing at least two inches thick would answer. Bet- 

 ter consult. If you can, those who have wintered successfully 

 right on the spot. 



4. If you have any thought of starting an out-apiary. It 

 will be worth while for you to consult Root's "A B C of Bee- 

 Culture," where the whole subject is very fully treated, occu- 

 pying about eight pages, and in Gleanings for 1889, com- 

 mencing wlbh Feb. 1, is a series of articles in which I gave 

 very fully what I knew about out-aplaries. 



Starting with Bees — Wintering in Bec-IIouse. 



I started In with a glass hive In the house, to see the bees 

 work, and two colonies In an orchard to help fertilize the fruit 

 blossoms. We caught a stray swarm one Sunday afternoon, 

 then, fool-like, divided the one In the house, also those in the 

 orchard. It was a very poor season, only one day during 

 basswood bloom. In which bees could fly. I found one colony, 

 nearly starved, and gave them all the honey the others had 

 stored. I got only three or four sections, and then had to 

 buy 80 pounds to winter them on. 



I now have seven colonies, all strong, and I think they 

 have enough honey to carry them through the winter. If they 

 are only economical with it, and they generally are, I believe. 

 I built them a nice house, 8x16 feet, facing south, with place 

 for two tiers of hives, eight In each story. They are packt 

 nicely, the top of the hive being filled with straw. They have 

 no ventilation. Do they need any ? The face of the hive is 

 exposed to the sun and weather. I find a good many dead 

 bees In front of the hives, and on the snow where they have 

 fallen while flying during sunny days. The openings are 

 about 15-4 inches long by }i high. New York. 



Answer. — Your arrangement will probably work all 

 right, only L'^x'^'ls too small an entrance for winter and 

 very much too small for summer. Better wedge up each front 

 corner '4 Inch. See that the dead bees don't clog the entrance. 

 Take a heavy wire with one or two inches bent at right angles 

 at the end, and clean them out. But don't be alarmed at 

 finding a good many dead bees on the ground. Bees are dy- 

 ing off all the time, and make quite a show on the white snow. 

 It is generally recommended, however, to scatter straw on the 

 ground at such times as bees may come out to fly when the 

 ground Is covered with snow, covering it for a few feet 

 around. When the air Is too cold for the bees to fly, say at 

 40-, bees are tempted out sometimes by the very bright sun 

 shining in the entrance, and at such times It may be well to 

 put a board before the entrance to keep out the sun. 



A Beginner's Questions. 



Last spring I had three colonies of bees, but one of them 

 died. I am a carpenter by trade, and about May 1 I went to 

 build a house some 30 miles away from home, so I left the 

 tending of the bees to my wife. Of course they swarmed. 

 My wife, with the aid of a neighbor, succeeded in hiving two 

 of the swarms. Everything seemed to go all right, but In 

 about three days one of the old colonies came out, but she 

 could not make them stay. They were hived twice, but left. 

 In about three days the other old colony sent out a swarm, 

 but my wife could not make them contented, and they finally 

 left. The hives used were some old ones that I got from a 

 friend. They have eight frames In the lower part, but did 

 not have on any sections. 



Now the four colonies which I have left seem to be all 

 right. One of them Is In a hive 12x12 and 30 Inches high, 

 with two honey-boxes of about 10 pounds each. I opened the 

 door In front of these boxes, and the comb In them is al- 

 most empty, but I can't tell how the bottom Is, altho It seems 

 to be heavy. Must I feed them ? Two of the hives are of the 

 8-frame kind, but there Is no place on top to put any feed. 

 There are eight frames, and then a board for a cover. Will It 

 do any harm to take the board off and put a box on to put 



