806 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



December 22, 



honey-flow is plentiful a third super will be necessary about 

 the first of July, which completes the 40 frames. Nothing 

 extraordinary for strong colonies wintered on 16 frames, 

 without loss in bees ! 



Another correspondent, referring to the same hive, has 

 this to say : 



"That hive, on page 629, I venture to say, is one that 

 you could not get practical bee-keepers to take as a gift." 



If that nameless correspondent voices the sentiments of 

 all practical bee-keepers, then the Notre Dame device will 

 have to remain with the inventor, who is well contented to 

 have it alone for his own use and benefit, and to let all practi- 

 cal bee-keepers have what suits them best. My appreciation 

 of the American bee-keepers assures me that they are quite 

 capable of thinking and judging for themselves. 



In the near future I shall give them this opportunity by 

 sending to the editor a photograph of the hive and device, 

 with all the necessary information how to make and use it, etc. 



The device consists of four pieces so small and light that 

 it may be sent by mail. It may be placed in any box of a 

 suitable length for the frames. When the frames are put in 

 and spaced, turn the thumb screws and you have a tight box- 

 hive ; and, turn them back, and you have a loose-hanging 

 frame hive. These desirable qualities combined in one and 

 the same hive constitute what is known in this locality as the 

 "Notre Dame Hive." If this invention does not prove to be 

 beneficial it cannot occasion loss of bees, as the loose-hanging 

 frame has done in thousands of cases. 



" A man that will write about close-fitting frames com- 

 bining the safe qualities of a box-hive for safe wintering, and 

 all the facilities of the loose-hanging frame for easy and safe 

 handling, can hardly be worthy of much notice." This is per- 

 sonal, and I accept it with thanks from the unknown corres- 

 pondent as a free gift. Whether the man is worthy of much 

 or little notice can in no way affect the utility of the invention. 



The above-mentioned hive is prepared for safe wintering 

 of bees in the following manner: Cover the frames with a 

 cloth. Then put on a full-depth super, put in one or two little 

 woolen blankets, and fill the super with chaff, covering it so 

 the mice may not get in. For this purpose we use a cover 

 made of four strips of boards and a piece of wire-cloth. This 

 kind of cover affords ample ventilation for the moisture aris- 

 ing from the cluster to escape. Thus prepared, the bees will 

 winter as safely as In a box of the same dimensions, all things 

 being equal. St. Joseph Co., Ind. 



CONDUCTED BT 



r>R. o. o. am-iEH. ataitENGo, lit. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct, 1 



Ccllar-Wiiiterine — Soiitlierii Queens in liic^orlli 



—Red Clover Honey — Good and Poor 



Honey-Years. 



_1. I winter my bees in a 14x16 feet cellar, and no Are 

 over the cellar. We have our produce in half of the cellar, 

 and 25 colonies of bees In the west side. The thermometer 

 registers about 40^, and in cold spells one or two degrees 

 lower; it doesn't vary much. What effect will such low tem- 

 perature have on the bees ? 



2. I want to get some queens In the spring to bnild up 

 colonies. If I send to Florida will those Southern bees be 

 hardy in our northern Illinois climate, or should I buy them 

 reared near by ? 



8. Can you tell the taste and color of honey stored from 

 red clover ? Last summer I saw bees working strong on red 

 clover, for the first time in my life. I took away honey that I 

 believe was red clover honey ; it was light color, yellow or 

 amber, not pure white, with a taste without the distinct 

 honey-flavor, but just a plain sweet, more like sugar syrup. 

 Was it red clover honey '? 



4. I was told one year ago by a lady who kept bees many 

 years, that bees generally do poorly one year, better the next, 

 and best the third year. She said 189S would consequently 

 be a very poor year. Her prophecy proved true. Have you 

 ever observed it so ? Illinois. 



Answers. — 1. They ought to do pretty well, altho it might 

 be better if the cellar was kept at about 45^'. Still, one can 



not go altogether by the degrees of the thermometer. There's 

 a good deal of difference in thermometers, and there may be a 

 difference in cellars at the same temperature. The thing is to 

 find at what point the bees are most quiet, whether that be at 

 40^ or more. If a cellar Is too cold for them, the bees must 

 consume more fuel (honey) to keep up the heat, and this will 

 distend the bowels, making It harder to stand long con- 

 finement. 



2. So far as reports have been made on the matter, there 

 seems to be no difference as to hardiness between queens 

 reared In the South and those reared in the North. Possibly 

 there might be a difference if for many generations the North 

 and South bees were kept separate, but queens from the 

 North are all the time going to the South. 



3. I think it is generally understood that there is hardly 

 any difference between red and white clover honey. I have 

 seen honey that appeared just like white clover, that the pro- 

 ducer said he was sure came from red clover. It's a hard 

 thing, however, for one to be sure what honey comes from, 

 unless it comes in large quantity. It would be a good thing if 

 those who have any knowledge In the matter would tell us 

 what red clover is like. 



4. No, I've not observed any regular order, and I'm sure 

 it doesn't always come that way in northern Illinois. 1894 

 was so poor the bees didn't get enough for their own use. 

 1895 was a little better, the bees getting no surplus, but In 

 the fall storing enough for winter. 1896 gave some surplus, 

 and 1897 a flood. That makes a series of four years; but 

 there's no telling how the next four years will be. 



Cane-Mill Near Bees. 



Would a cane-mill near bees be a detriment to them during 

 the can-syrup making season ? Iowa. 



Answer. — I don't know. I'd rather not risk it if I could 

 help myself, but perhaps some one with practical experience 

 will answer. 



Transferrins — S or lO-Frame Lansslrotli Hives. 



1. When is the best time to transfer from box-hives to 

 movable-frame hives? I use the Hoffman frame. 



2. Which would be the better to use the old comb that Is 

 In the box-hive, or full sheets of foundation ? 



3. I thought of using 10-frame hives, thinking I could 

 use them for winter hives by taking out two frames and using 

 cushions at each side and over the brood-frames. Would that 

 make a hive all right for winter ? Or would an 8-frame hive 

 with an outside wall be the best ? I want to get some new 

 hives and hardly know which would be the best, a 10-frame 

 or the 8-frame. I want to use them mostly for comb honey. 



Indiana. 



Answers. — 1. The favorite time is during fruit-bloom. 



2. Both. That is, use the nice, straight worker-combs, 

 saving all worker-brood, and fill up the rest of the frames 

 with foundation. 



3. That's a very hard question to answer. It will take 

 less care to run the 10-frame hives, and they will be safer for 

 winter than the 8-framers if not much attention Is paid to 

 either, but the 8-framers have also advantages. So far as 

 protection in winter Is concerned, the 8-frame with an outside 

 wall will give more than the 10-frame with cushions in place 

 of the two outside combs. If the hives you now have are 8- 

 frame hives, it would be a good plan to try two or three 10- 

 frame hives before finally deciding. If you now have 10- 

 frame hives, try two or three with eight frames. 



Increase Without Swarming. 



In the fall of 1897 I purchast five colonies of bees (blacks 

 and hybrids) but lost all but one last winter with dysentery. 

 I bought three more last spring, and increast by dividing till 

 I have nine at present. They are In the regular 8-frame 

 Langstroth hive, combs mostly built from full frames of foun- 

 dation. Two of them have tested queens ; four others have 

 young Italian queens, reared from my tested queen, but I 

 think they are impurely mated. The other three have hybrid 

 queens. 



1. I can't let them swarm naturally, as I am away from 

 6:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m., except Sundays. I would like so to 

 handle them that I could get a fair amount of increase, and 

 also some surplus honey, if there is any the coming season. 

 I am not satisfied with dividing them, for if it comes on a 



