1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



U9 



crates, I have been using plain crates made 

 honey-proof by dropping- a teaspoonful of 

 hot melted parafline in one corner, and then 

 b}^ tilting- it around causing- the paraffine 

 to tlow all about the outer marg-in of the 

 bottom-board of the crate in the angle be- 

 tween it and the sides and ends. A little 

 excelsior is used to keep the sections a tri- 

 fle off the bottom when packing. 



W. O. Eastwood. 

 Whitby, Ont., Jan. 23. 



[Fences could be used in the brood-nests 

 when onlj' starters are used to good advan- 

 tage. Possibly here is an idea worth de- 

 veloping, for it would save quite an expense 

 in foundation. We will try to give the mat- 

 ter a test this summer. 



The hot paraftine poured into the bottom 

 of the shipping-case would not be as good 

 as the paper tra3's nor as cheap. — Ed.] 



of what it is outside. Where the bees are 

 subject to such extremes of temperature it 

 is far better to have them outdoors; and, if 

 I mistake not, you will find that those in 

 the building will not winter nearly as well 

 as those outside. — Ed.] 



IF BEES ARE DOING WELL OUTDOORS IN SIN- 

 GLE-WALLED HIVES, JAN. 1, WILL IT 

 PAY TO MOVE THEM IN? 



We have 39 colonies; 17 of these we placed 

 in winter quarters shortly after Thanksgiv- 

 ing, and the remainder are outdoors. It is 

 our first wintering indoors. The apart- 

 ment is perhaps 12x20, oflf a spacious hog- 

 house; however, the bees are the only occu- 

 pants. It is well ventilated and dry, but is 

 not protected from cold from below by any 

 wall or any thing of that sort. The build- 

 ing is much colder than a purposely con- 

 structed bee-cellar. We removed the last 

 of the bottom-boards from those indoors a 

 few da3's ago, and all seem to be doing 

 finely thus far. Also those outdoors seem 

 to be experiencing no dilficulties. With one 

 exception all of the colonies have gone into 

 winter quarters with heav\'^ stores. Under 

 these conditions would you kindly advise us 

 if, at this time, it would be advisable, un- 

 der the circumstances, to move outdoor col- 

 onies? 



There is a tight plank floor in the house. 

 None are chaflf hives. We scattered chafi" 

 on the floor, then laid 2X4 scantling on 

 edge on chafi^, then removed bottom-boards 

 and placed hives on this. In such a build- 

 ing would you consider it advisable to re- 

 move bottom-boards? We do not find any 

 thing in Gleanings that covers this par- 

 ticular case.) Thomas Blakelv. 



Mason, Mich., Dec. 29. 



[I infer from your description that your 

 winter repository is an upground building. 

 If it is not also frost-proof it would not be 

 a verj' desirable place to winter bees. The 

 temperature in a repository should not go 

 below 35 degrees, and better not below 40 

 nor much above 55. The ditficulty with an 

 upground repository, such as you describe, 

 is that it is subject to great extremes of 

 temperature. In warm weather it might 

 be up to 60 or 70 inside, with the result that 

 the bees would be very uueas}', and fly out 

 and die. In very cold weather the temper- 

 ature might go down within a few degrees 



TRANSFERRING J FORMING NUCLEI FROM 



ONE COLONY IN ORDER TO INCREASE 



RAPIDLY. 



I wish to ask for a little information. I 

 have a colony of bees and the A B C of Bee 

 Culture. I am making some hives on the 

 American plan, with closed-end frames 

 hanging on a '4 -inch strip nailed near the 

 top. Last year, July 1, I got about a quart 

 of bees; and by feeding lightly I raised a 

 large colony, filling a box hive 12^2x15, by 

 24 deep, inside measure, within 6 inches of 

 the bottom, and put them in the cellar 

 where, apparently, they are doing finely 

 now. I wish to increase next summer (pro- 

 viding they come out all right) to the ex- 

 treme limit of my ability. If I transfer 

 them by placing a hive on top of the box 

 hive, as described in the ABC book, and 

 allowing them to go above at their leisure, 

 can I take away two or three frames of 

 brood, and form nuclei as fast as the queen 

 fills them, leaving enough to hatch to keep 

 the old colony full, and get queens from you 

 bj^ ordering a few days ahead as I need 

 them during the summer? I prefer this 

 method; for if I should fail in my first at- 

 tempt I would have the old colony still to 

 try again. I simply wish to raise bees 

 next summer; and how long a notice would 

 you generally require to get a queen here? 

 and wouldn't it be good polic3' to give my 

 old colony full sheets of foundation to aid 

 them in starting early so as to be in full 

 blast by June 1? Geo. H. Place. 



Omaha, Neb., Jan. 15. 



[Closed-ends frames are all right, but we 

 would advise you to adopt some standard 

 size. The American or Gallup frames — 

 that is, frames nearlj' square — are ver}' lit- 

 tle used now, and hence we would advise 

 3'ou to adopt the Langstroth pattern. The 

 saving in the cost of supplies, if 3'ou have 

 to buy them, will be considerable of an item. 

 While you can make increase in the manner 

 j'ou outline, a far better way would be to 

 transfer b\^ the Heddon plan, as described 

 in the ABC book, then you can make a di- 

 vision of the colony afterward, much more 

 satisfactorily. I do not see how you could 

 fail by the Heddon method of transferring. 



I would advise the use of full sheets of 

 foundation — that is, if you proceed on the 

 plan you describe. — Ed.] 



A COLONY whose QUEEN WAS THREE YEARS 

 OLD, AND DOES NOT SWARM. 



I have in my possession a colony of bees 

 in which the queen is over three years old. 

 Said colony has not swarmed since it was 

 put into the hive in 1899. She kept her col- 

 ony very strong all last season, and went 



