1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



535 



while of those not so protected, but two col- 

 onies are so employed. 



Bees within a black-covered hive may 

 possiblj' fly unseasonably, but they donH. 

 Such flights are, as a rule, due to other 

 causes than warmth within the hive. I have 

 often seen the bees moving about the en- 

 trance, and now and then one will hover 

 about outside; but beyond this they seldom 

 go — never harmfully so. 



The example of the glass in poultry-houses 

 does not fit. The glass permits greater 

 heating (and more rapid), and excessively 

 rapid radiation after the sun has gone. 

 Also in such glassed houses fresh air was 

 sadlj' absent. I've been through the mill, 

 and made a success of it (poultry culture) 

 before I gave it up. 



Please try my whole formula before you 

 say black paper is "not good." The for- 

 mula is, plenty of bees, sound queen, abun- 

 dant stores, early preparation, and black 

 wrapping. But I may be mistaken. Two 

 years is a short test. A. C. M. 



[The point I tried to make was that ex- 

 tremes of temperature are detrimental to 

 bees as well as to poultry. A cellar that 

 is subject to a variation in cold, as is well 

 known, will not winter bees as well as one 

 that maintains an even degree. 



While j'ou take some account of locality, 

 you do not consider that beginners may be 

 misled. Where you are, it is milder than 

 in and about Medina; and Medina is much 

 milder than Marengo, 111. A varying tem- 

 perature that might not be disastrous or 

 harmful around Providence might be de- 

 cidedly so for another locality. I still feel 

 that the average beginner in the average 

 locality' should go slow in applying a black 

 covering, as j-ou describe, around the hive, 

 expecting that such protection will be equal 

 to the regular chaff-packed hive. I base 

 my statement, not on two years of experi- 

 ence on this question, baton a period of five 

 or six with this kind of protection, and on 

 extended travel among the bee-keepers 

 where I have had a chance to see the re- 

 sults of the various kinds of winter protec- 

 tion. And let me say right here, I have 

 known it to be a fact for bees to winter 

 well in the locality of Philadelphia, and 

 Washington, D. C, packed in the manner 

 you describe. The whole question sim- 

 mered down to its last analysis is one of 

 locality.— Ed.] 



THE MIXING OF SWARMS. 



How a Texas Man Divides up the Bees with a 



Decoy Queen into Several Hives; a Practicable 



Plan. 



BY H. PIPER. 



After reading friend Wm. McEvoy's ar- 

 ticle, page 288, I thought I would give a 

 plan I had, as I do not believe in hinder- 

 ing a colony from casting a prime swarm 

 when they decide to do so. That is nature's 



way. After-swarms are what I call "fe- 

 ver swarms," and I prevent that without 

 pinching out cells either. 



I have no patent on my plan. I have a 

 cage about the size of a section, wire cloth 

 on sides, and a hole in one edge that you 

 can close' up so as to stay closed. I put a 

 queen (some old worthless one) in this, and 

 fasten her in securely; no bees with her; 

 then I fasten this securely on the end of a 1X3 

 batten, 8 or 10 ft. long, length to accom- 

 modate your condition. On the side of the 

 batten I fasten a strip four or five inches 

 away from it by cross-pieces, ladder fash- 

 ion; the strip should be 18 or 20 inches 

 long — see drawing. 



^ I\'ow, this i:s |)ennanent, queen and all, 

 and in my case the one queen has done me 

 for four or more weeks. The bees feed her, 

 and, when not in use, I hang it up in a tree; 

 but if likely to rain I take it down and cov- 

 er up. 



The ladder-work fixture on the side of 

 the pole is for the bees to cluster on. 



Now, you must have the bottom end of the 

 pole sharp, because you will often want to 

 stick it into the ground; but prop up secure- 

 ly, so the weight of bees will not bear it to 

 the ground; and if j'our swarm or swarms 

 are high up, use the hook or projecting 

 piece to attach to a limb. 



We are now ready to use the outfit. We 



