THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



731 



Mr. J. C. Lynch will read an essay on 

 apiculture. ' A general discussion will 

 be indulged in on the subjects ot bee- 

 culture. J. T. FojiEKOY, *'ec. 

 C. O. Shannon, Pres. 



For the American Ree Journal 



How Shall we Winter Bees ? 



,1. E. I'OND, JK.O* 



The winter problem is the impor- 

 tant matter in the minds of apiarists 

 at the present time. All others sink 

 into insiguiticance when compared 

 with it, and with good reasons too ; 

 for otiier questions are easy of solu- 

 tions, or depend upon whims or fan- 

 cies, while this one stares us in the 

 • face, as one that affects the very life 

 of the bee-business. It a sure method 

 can be given by which every colony 

 can be wintered safely, the occupation 

 of bee-keeping will be placed upon a 

 solid basis, and stand there perma- 

 nently ; as tlie matter now stands, 

 great insecurity is felt by all in regard 

 to the meihod which they advise and 

 use themselves ; for while they may 

 have been uniformly successful here- 

 tofore, no one can predict what the 

 results in tlie future will be. The 

 ablest and most experienced are 

 forced from time to time to report 

 large losses, which would not be the 

 case were there any positively certain 

 method which they can use. 



Mr. Ileddon. to-day, is sure that he 

 has the question settled, and fully 

 believes that his " pollen theory " is 

 the solution of the problem. Perhaps 

 he is right ; it is possible he may be ; 

 I for one, however, cannot accept thai; 

 theory, and fear that Mr. II., in plac- 

 ing too much present dependence 

 upon it, may be prevented from giving 

 the matter that attention which he 

 otherwise would, and thus a loss will 

 ensue, by reason of his ceasing to 

 experiment. 



While I do not accept the " pollen 

 theory," there is one point inciden- 

 tally made by Mr. H. in discussing it, 

 viz : that if a colony is fed upon gran- 

 ulated sugar syrup only, and all pol- 

 len is removed from the hive on the 

 approach of winter, that such colony 

 will invariably winter safely. Now, 

 if such is the case, there is an easy 

 remedy for us all to adopt, and we 

 need not bother our heads at present 

 about the prime cause or immediate 

 effect ; it is' enough for present pur- 

 poses to know that safety lies in pur- 

 suing a certain course ; and when it 

 is established as a positive fact, we 

 can all pursue that course in perfect 

 confidence of the results which will 

 follow. 



It is easy enough to make assertions 

 in regard to almost any matter ; and 

 where the matter is wholly theoretical 

 it is not easy to disprove assertions, 

 no matter how much they are at vari- 

 ance with our preconceived ideas. In 

 this matter of wintering, however, 

 we have now a chance to prove or dis- 

 prove one thing, viz : whether the 

 absence of' pollen, and the presence 

 of 'sugar syrup alone, in a given col- 

 ony, will insure its safety during the 

 coming winter. If it does so. and in 



a sufficient number of cases in differ- 

 ent localities, to as nearly prove the 

 rule correct as is jiossible, wliy have 

 we not got tlie remedy, even if we do 

 differ as to the cause of the disease V 

 The science of medicine is one of ex- 

 periment largely; so with beekeep- 

 ing ; and he who experiments the 

 most wisely is the one who will meet 

 with the greatest success. 



The main point which we are now 

 after, is to get our bees safely through 

 our severe winters. If a certain 

 means is offered bv which it can be 

 done, we can well afford to accept it, 

 even if we do not admit the sound- 

 ness of tlie theory upon whicli it is 

 based. The matter is well worth a 

 trial. It certainly can do no harm, 

 and it good results follow, we are all 

 benefitted thereby. And then, too, in 

 accepting the remedy, we need none 

 of us give up our peculiar views or 

 notions; we can still theorize and ex- 

 periment as to the cause, and do so 

 with the certainty of meeting with no 

 losses, while thus theorizing. I for 

 one shall give the matter a test for 

 the coming winter, and I trust that 

 enough of my fellow bee-keepers in 

 various localities will do so also, to 

 show whether we can with perfect 

 safety adopt sugar syrup for winter 

 stores. 



Foxboro. Mass. 



Lake Shore Bee Convention. 



The September meeting of the Lake 

 Shore Bee-Keepers' Association was 

 held at Brocton, N. Y., but there was 

 a meager attendance. 



The subject of wintering bees -was 

 discussed as follows : 



Mr. Gage said : Sometime in Octo- 

 ber I remove the honev-board and lay 

 on a few thicknesses of newspaper or 

 a carpet, and on the top of this I place 

 a chaff-cushion about 4 inches in 

 thickness, for an absorbent more than 

 for protection. The entrances to my 

 hives are about 7 inches wide. These 

 I close up to about 2 inches. The most 

 I ever lost in any winter, was 3 colo- 

 nies. I have wintered 63, or near that 

 number, at times. 



Mr. U. E. Dodge : I generally pack 

 the bees by the last of November. I 

 pack them in a day when it is warm, 

 so that stray bees will easily get back 

 to the hive again. Packing is only 

 one of the items for winter prepara- 

 tion. I commence in September to 

 inspect my bees carefully, and aid 

 each colony for wintering according 

 to the condition in which it is found 

 at that time. If I have a surplus of 

 honey in one hive, I often take a part 

 of it away and give to one that is 

 deficient. But I do not advocate this 

 method in general practice. I save 

 quite a good supply through the sum- 

 mer for extra fall and winter feeding. 

 Be very careful in feeding, or robbing 

 will commence. If it does, look out 

 for trouble that may be lasting. It 

 disorganizes a whole apiary when 

 rolibing commences. I do not allow 

 a drop of honey to be spilled near the 

 hives, or a bit of comb where the bees 

 can reach to extite their appetites. 

 We cannot be too careful in this 

 direction. If a drop of honey is seen 



on the alighting-board, I wipe it oft at 

 once. Bees have guards at the en- 

 trances of hives, and if not demoral- 

 ized by carelessness, they will protect 

 themselves from foreign invaders that 

 come for pelf in their natural way. 



Mr. Hall : I consider myself under 

 lasting obligations to this" Society for 

 what knowledge I have obtained in 

 these mutual gatherings. 



Mr. Rossiter : I have followed Mr. 

 Boiling's plan of wintering, and had 

 perfect success. 



Mr. Dodge : I leave the entrances 

 open all winter. If any get drifted 

 under, I let them alone. They come 

 out generally the best in the spring. 



Mr. Hall said that Mr. Moon covers 

 his hives with snow in the early part 

 of the winter, for protection. 



Mr. Dodge : Although we speak 

 favorably of snow-drift covering and 

 scientific packing, my conclusion is 

 that a properly constructed cellar is 

 the only true safe-guard for the win- 

 tering of bees. 



Adjourned to meet at Fredonia, N. 

 Y., on Dec. 6. 





Handling Bees Scientifically. 



I commenced the season of 1884 

 with 26 weak colonies, 15 being Ital- 

 ians, and the balance blacks. I 

 doubled them back to 15 colonies, 

 killing all the black queens, and have 

 taken 1,.300 pounds of extracted 

 honey, sold $7 worth of queens, and 

 have increased them to 25 colonies. 

 My neighbors who handle bees scien- 

 tifically have succeeded very well, 

 but thise who did not, have no honey 

 for their pains. 



Geo. "W. Morris. O 



Salvisa, Ky., Oct. 28, 1884. 



Bees Ready for Winter. 



I began the season with 35 colonies, 

 spring count, sold 13, and increased 

 the balance to 39 by natural swarm- 

 ing. My surplus is .500 pounds of 

 comb honey in one and two-pound 

 sections, and 600 pounds of extracted 

 honey. My bees are in first-class con- 

 dition for winter, and all are ready 

 to remove into winter quarters when 

 cold weather sets in. All have ample 

 stores well sealed to last until May, 

 1885. Here, this has been a fair sea- 

 son for honey. Last winter I win- 

 tered 3 colonies on the summer stand, 

 with no protection except a quilt over 

 the frames, resting on sticks, so as to 

 give room for the bees to partially 

 cluster above the frames, and so that 

 the bees could move in a body to any 

 part of the hive and not get chilled. 

 The super was resting on a quilt 

 filled with oat chaff, and the covers 

 were raised }4 of an inch to allow the 

 moisture to escape. These 3 colonies 

 wintered the best of any. I shall ex- 

 periment farther during the coming 

 winter. C. F. Greening. <x 



Grand Meadow, Minn., Nov. 5, 1884. 



