39th YEAR, 



CHICAGO, ILL, JUNE 15, 1899, 



No, 24, 



The Notre Dame Bee-Hive and Wintering- Device. 



BY B. J. CHRYSOSTOM. 



ALMOST any bos. or hive containing- loose frames witii 

 space enough between the ends of the frames and hive 

 to admit a board say '/i inch thick, can be converted 

 into what in this locality is known as the "Notre Dame 

 Hive," by means of a simple 

 device consisting- of the fol- 

 lowing pieces : 



One strip of iron one inch 

 •wide, 's inch thick, and the 

 depth of the hive ; two holes 

 much like key-holes are puncht 

 in it near each end. Four 

 small screws to fasten this to 

 the board, which is cut to tit 

 in the end of the hive. Two or 

 four ;sx3 inch coach or wood 

 screws, the points of which 

 are cut off. and a groove cut 

 near the end to fit in the slots 

 in the strip of iron — a kind of 

 little button which when in 

 the .'-.lots will pull back as much 

 as it will push forward. These 

 screws, if only two, are put 

 thru in the center of the end of 

 the hive, and are so spaced 

 that when the board is put on 

 the slots in the iron strip will 

 drop down in the grooves cut 

 in the screws, and rest on the 

 bottom of the hive. If four 

 screws are used then two are 

 put opposite the second frame 

 from the outside. The heads 

 of the screws are flattened 

 for convenience. Three little 

 strips of wood are nailed on 

 the sides and bottom of the in- 

 side of the hive against which 

 the board fits up tightly when 

 screwed up against the frames. 

 One little strip of oilcloth is 

 tackt on the end of hive and board ; this is to prevent the 

 bees from getting behind the board. The edges should be 

 turned in so that no threads are visible for the bees to pull 

 and bite. The holes for the screens are bored with a bit 

 smaller than the screws, and a screw of the same size with 



the point sharp is used to cut the thread in the wood, be- 

 cause the scre-W with the blunt point will not do the work. 



The above description was proraist last fall, but had 

 been delayed till spring for the purpose of further testing- 

 the superiority of the Notre Dame hive in wintering bees on 

 stores verj' largely composed of honey-dew. 



Some were of the opinion that if the bees could be kept 

 warm and dry. and have several flights during winter and 

 early spring, the bad effects of poor food would be, to a 

 great extent, obviated. Such has been the case in this par- 

 ticular instance. 



Our experimental work in this line was considerably 

 aided by the issuing of three small swarms, about the first 

 of September, from some nuclei which had been formed for 

 the purpose of rearing late queens. The swarms were 

 hived on drawn combs and fed honey-dew ; two of the 

 swarms were made queenless late in the fall, and put in full- 



T/ie Notre Dame Bee-Hive and Wintering Device. 



depth supers and placed over the parent colony or^nucleus, 

 thus forming one colony on 16 frames. 



The other swarm was hived on 16 frames, two of which 

 contained hatching brood, and was fed about 20 pounds of 

 honey-dew. To-day (April 20) this colony is working 



