THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



629 



lay. Now let us see what the results 

 of these experiments indicate. Both 

 of the conlined queens had sisters of 

 the same age of themseWes. and these 

 were laying rapidly and had sealed 

 brood, while the confined queens were 

 flying day after day in the tent, sur- 

 rounded by as gallant a band of drones 

 as could be selected. The confined 

 queens were on the wing from one to 

 two hours each day for 12 or 1-1 days, 

 without showing the slightest signs 

 of excretion or substance adhering to 

 the extremities of their abdomens, 

 thus disproving Ulivi's theory. One 

 of the confined queens flew 12 days in 

 the tent right among the drones, with- 

 out "mating," and when set at lib- 

 erty found a mate in 30 minutes. 



The experiments showed that the 

 vitality and endurance of the queen 

 exceeds that of the drone many times 

 over. 



They further show that retarded 

 fertilization is injurious to the queen, 

 and when long delayed proves fatal to 

 her existence. The excessive rainy 

 weather made it inconvenient to pur- 

 sue the experiments further this sea- 

 son, but I hope to take them up in 

 tlie future. By means of the inven- 

 tion above described, I hope to con- 

 trol, in a good measure, the mating of 

 specimens to breed from. I discov- 

 ered, and hope to take advantage of 

 it, that the queens in confinement, 

 when of the proper age to meet the 

 drones, become exceedingly anxious 

 and desperate to escape their impris- 

 onment, and will fly quite late in the 

 evening, after all the drones have re- 

 tired. The drones confined with the 

 queen will keep up their clamor for 

 liberty long after the other drones 

 have retired for the day. With this 

 state of things under our control, it 

 will be seen that by giving the impris- 

 oned queen and selected drones lib- 

 erty to fly after other drones have re- 

 tired, will, as nearly as possible, in- 

 sure select mating, 



Christiansburg, Ky., Sept., 1882. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Chaff Hives in Winter. 



O. O. POPPLETON. 



As my idea of essays at a Conven- 

 tion, is that they are intended more as 

 a basis for discussion than as an elab- 

 orate treatment of the subject, I will 

 confine myself to what I consider the 

 advantages and disadvantages of 

 chaff-hive wintering, over other meth- 

 ods, and a few ideas suggested by my 

 experience with them. 



I want to say at the outset, and 

 emphasize it, too. that I find a proper 

 management during the honey season 

 is just as necessary a factor insuccess- 

 ful wintering, as is the mode of win- 

 tering itself ; but this part of the sub- 

 ject I will not attempt to consider. 



Chaff-hives have now been in quite 

 general use for four or five years, and 

 reports of their success or failure are 

 conflicting. I liave used them ex- 

 clusively for seven winters, and 

 the largest loss I have had any one of 

 tliose winters has been about .5 per 

 cent., while the average loss has been 



less than 3 per cent. These losses are 

 net ones, after both wintering and 

 springing. 



1 find wintering In chafC-hives 

 possesses the following advantages 

 over other methods : 



1st. They admit of being prepared 

 for winter as soon as the honey season 

 closes, before severe cold weather sets 

 in. 



2d. When once prepared for winter, 

 they require little or no attention un- 

 til spring. This is quite an advantage 

 as it allows us to turn our entire at- 

 tention elsewhere for four or five 

 months of each year. 



3d. It requires' less labor to prepare 

 bees for winter, than by any other 

 mode. 



4th. The sun cannot warm up the 

 inside of hives so readily as it can 

 single-walled hives, thus inciting the 

 bees to flight when the air is too cold 

 for them to do so safely. I think all 

 can see the advantage of this, espe- 

 cially during the fall and spring. 



.5th. The inside of the hives are 

 readily accessible at all times during 

 the winter, when weather is warm 

 enough to allow bees to be handled. 



6th. They thoroughly protect bees 

 from the effects of changeable 

 weather during the spring months. 

 This is by far the most important ad- 

 vantage "of all, and, as I said at the 

 National Convention last fall, " this 

 one thing alone in my opinion amply 

 pays for their extra cost." The spring 

 of 1882 was a marked example of the 

 truth of that opinion. Several of my 

 neighbors, who winter their bees in 

 cellars, have told me that they were 

 troubled exceedingly during the spring 

 and early summer with chilled brood, 

 while I do not know of having lost a 

 single cell of brood from that cause. 

 I am so thoroughly satisfied of the 

 value of this advantage, that I hazard 

 the prediction that a score of years 

 hence, the most successful wintering 

 will be accomplished by the uniting or 

 blending the use of chati'-hives and 

 cellars, or by the use of more 

 thoroughly arranged chaff hives than 

 we now have. 



7th They prevent spring dwindling. 

 Tills is also a markwl and important 

 advantage. I have ho trouble in sav- 

 ing colonies that possess a good queen 

 and a pint of bees at the commence- 

 ment of pollen gathering. 



Sth. They are valuable helps in 

 building up nuclei and weak colonies 

 all thiwigh the season. 1 think all 

 experienced bee-keepers will see the 

 value of this, especially during such a 

 season as the present one has been. 



9th. They seem to prevent a too 

 early comniencementof brood-rearing, 

 which is considered by some of our 

 ablest apiarists to be one great cause 

 of spring dwindling. My observations 

 are that bees in chafl-hives do not 

 commence rearing brood until they 

 can fly quite freely in the spring ; but 

 after once commencing to breed, their 

 more even temperature allows them 

 to do so more rapidly than in single- 

 walled hives. 



Their disadvantages are : 

 1st. Their extra cost. This is quite 

 an item, but not a serious one to those 

 who make bee-keeping a regular busi- 



ness. Such are forced to have the 

 best hives and appliances they can 

 procure. 



2d. Their large size and weight 

 makes them unhandy to move about 

 in the apiary. This is a seri(uis ob- 

 jection to those whose system of man- 

 agement requires the frequent moving 

 of hives, and who have no extra help 

 convenient. To me this has been a 

 very small objection. 



3d. Thedilliculty of getting into the 

 hives in the spring, on account of 

 having to remove loose chaff. This 

 objection applies only where loose 

 chaff is used for packing, and is en- 

 tirely obviated by the use of chaff 

 cushions. 



I have long been of the opinion that, 

 other things being equal, the manner 

 of wintering that best prevents the 

 accumulation of dampness in the 

 hive, will be the most successful. I 

 regard this as the prime object to be 

 attained by any method. Ttiose colo- 

 nies wliicli come through best, almost 

 invariably come through with dry 

 bees, dry combs and dry packing, and 

 this is especially true with bees in 

 chafl-hives. Almost any kind of chaff, 

 properlv prepared, makes an ample 

 protection from the cold ; but I find 

 quite a difference in different kinds 

 about their liability in holding damp- 

 ness. I have used timothy, wheat, 

 oats and buckwheat chaff', and prefer 

 them in the order named. Am now 

 using timothy chaff exclusively. 



My experience leads me to give the 

 following suggestions in regard to the 

 use of chaff-hives : 



1st. Pack as early in the fall as possi- 

 ble. I have noticed that colonies 

 packed before severe weather sets in 

 do the best. 



2d. Leave packing on as late in the 

 spring as possible. This is very im- 

 portant. I never take any packing 

 oft' until the middle of May, and not 

 then unless colonies get very strong. 



3d. Use the finest, lightest chaff you 

 can get, and have it freed as much 

 as possil3le from straw, etc. As I said 

 before, I use timothy chaff, and am 

 very particular to free it from straw 

 by sifting it. 



4th. Use a thickness of at least 4 or 

 .5 inches of chaff on the sides and top 

 of hives. The chaff at sides of my 

 hives is a little over o inches thick, 

 and if I was to change the thickiie.ss of 

 the chaff at all. I would increase in- 

 stead of diminishing it. 



5th. Thoroughly protect the bottom 

 of the hive as well as the top and 

 sides. I know that this advice is 

 directlv opposite to the practice 

 adopted bv some who winter very suc- 

 cessfully, but my own careful oliser- 

 vations lead me to advise as above. 



Gth. Wherever possible, use chaff 

 cushions instead of loose chaff. If 

 one has only a few colonies, this is not 

 so important ; but it is almost impos- 

 sible to handle the bees in a large 

 apiarv when i)acked in loose chaff— at 

 least I find it so on our windy prairies. 

 I now construct my hives with double 

 walls in front anil rear, which are 

 permanently filled with loose chaff, us- 

 ing cushions at each end and one on 

 top. These cushions can all be re- 

 moved in an instant of time when 



