278 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May . 



provisioned, and so constructed as to be fairly protected from 

 extremes of weatiier, to permit tlie escape of surplus moisture 

 while at the same time retaining during the ('older portions of 

 the year as much as possible of the natural heat generated by 

 the bodies of the bees, are, barring natural accidents or pro- 

 visions having no connection with the above-named conditions, 

 (ilwityn in excellent condition on the opening of spring and 

 ready to fulHIl the double work for which they were created, 

 namely : 1st, the pollenizing of blossoms to the end that more 

 and better fruits and seeds should be borne; and, 2nd, the 

 collection and elalioration of a valuable sweet. I say alwaux 

 in cxecUent contJltiiin, (or, \l the cojiditions named above are 

 present, the colony will withstand our coldest winters without 

 freezing ; nor will it starve if well provisioned, for that im- 

 plies an abundance of good stores suitably disposed for the 

 bees to reach them during any kind of weather ; nor will in- 

 clement weather cause the colony to become diseased as long 

 as the bees and their habitation are dry. Colonies in frame 

 hives can be put into practically the same condition as those 

 box-hive colonies. I have taken as examples above : indeed, 

 if we fully understand those conditions we can be more sure 

 with frame than with box hives that they are uniformly and 

 exactly complied with. 



Some one might argue that even when the preparation of 

 the bees for their most trying season is left wholly to Nature, 

 such conditions are not always established by our good mother 

 as to most favor the bees. They die. Admitted. Yet this by 

 no means controverts what I have just claimed, for Nature, in 

 working out her laws, purposely sets certain destructive forces 

 over against our protegees. She looks well to all her crea- 

 tures, and only exceptional merit will cause her to letone kind 

 flourish to the exclusion of others — so nicely is the balance 

 adjusted. And if no checks had been provided the bees would 

 soon have overrun all. 



Perhaps a study of these same natural agencies which are 

 set as a limit to bee-life will also be a good lesson — will show 

 us what we must fight constantly and what to avoid. In a 

 state of nature we find colonies that go into winter with 

 queens decrepit — either prematurely or after years of good 

 service, rendering them unable at the most critical period — 

 late winter and early spring — to keep up the population of the 

 hive, or again repeated swarming may have unduly reduced 

 their numbers ; such weak colonies may not be able to keep 

 up suiBcient heat to drive off the moisture surrounding the 

 cluster; it gathers and trickles down over the combs and 

 bees rendering their food sour and themselves unable to with- 

 staud a low temperature. The soured food is sure to bring on 

 dysentery if the bees are confined to it for any length of time, 

 or the dampness of the bees themselves combined with chill- 

 ing of their bodies will produce the same effect. Or again, an 

 unfavorable season has prevented their securing an abundance 

 of stores, or what they may have obtained is perhaps not so 

 located that severe weather will find them able to reach it. Or 

 the bees may have failed to find the most suitable habitation, 

 such as would properly protect them from inclement weather 

 and permit evaporation without great loss of heat, yet give 

 them pure air. All such causes, unaided by man, combine to 

 exterminate thousands upon thousands of colonies every win- 

 ter. And man, with his interference in the brood-chamber of 

 the colony, and in the surrounding conditions is often another 

 destructive agency. 



I cannot give here at length the details as to the plan 

 of wintering which has resulted from the foregoing considera- 

 tions together with my success and failures of over a quarter 

 of a century — much of the time in very cold climates. The 

 principle is, however, simple, and all who will may apply it. 

 Indeed, it is nothing but what all have been trying to do, 

 namely: to keep the bees warm and dry, furnish them with 

 good food always accessible, and with pure air. This can be 

 carried out either in-doors or out-doors, but cellar-wintering 

 or wintering in special repositories introduces into the prob- 

 lem the possibility of complications, and for the majority, 

 therefore, I feel sure the out-door plan is best. For the North, 

 however, all of the ordinary single-walled hives are, for this 

 purpose, an abomination, and not to be tolerated at all. Most 

 of the double-walled hives should be put in a category near to 

 those just mentioned. 



The brood-combs upon which the bees are to be wintered, 

 and which contain the winter stores, should be surrounded 

 closely on all sides, above, and below, with six or more inches 

 (according to severity of climate) of porous, yet warmth-re- 

 taining material — woolen goods and newspapers are best ; 

 there must be several inches of space between the material 

 that is over the bees and the roof of the hive, and this space 

 must be freely ventilated ; but not a drop of water must be 

 allowed to reach the packing from outside the hive ; the combs 

 must be six or more inches above the bottom packing ; the en- 



trance or flight-hole must be wide, so as to give ample lower 

 ventilation, and, where it reaches the alighting-board, prefer- 

 ably ten inches below the bottoms of the combs ; between the 

 latter and the fiight-hole there should be a screen to prevent 

 drafts of air from rushing against the combs; the food should 

 be well-ripened honey or properly-made syrup, and either case 

 a plentiful supply — stored mostly above the cluster of bees ; 

 hence if frames of the Langstroth shape are used, they should 

 be on end for the winter; it is best to have a good supply of 

 pollen in the combs ; vigorous queens and plenty of bees bred 

 the latter part of the active season are essential. The colony 

 is to be put into this condition before severe freezing, and not 

 disturbed after that, if the best res\ilts are expected, until 

 settled and moderately warm spring weather has returned. 



As the apple-bloom comes in May, stimulative feeding for 

 this harvest may commence in March. At that time the bees 

 will have been breeding for over a month, and gentle stimu- 

 lation with thin food at night, without permitting any loss of 

 heat and without manipulation nor disturbance, will not in- 

 duce flying out during unseasonable weather. The stores in 

 the combs being ample, brood-rearing will go on apace, and 

 api)le-blossoms will find us ready with the bees for the harvest. — 

 Read at the Indiana State Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



Washington, D. C. 



A Butich of Very Short Kinks. 



BY J. S. SCOTT. 



Ant Preventive. — A string kept saturated with coal-oil 

 and tied around the hive will prevent ants from nesting under 

 the cover. 



Section-Holder Rests. — Tin rabbets are the best rests 

 for section-holders. 



Capping Honev. — A queen whose bees cap the honey so it 

 has a watery appearance should be superseded by one whose 

 bees cap the honey white. 



Cotton-Waste for Smoker Fuel. — After four years' 

 trial, I find refuse cotton-waste from the car-shop the best 

 fuel for the smoker. 



Fifty Better than a Hundred. — Fifty colonies of bees 

 well managed will make more money (with less labor) for 

 their owner than 100 colonies carelessly handled. 



Equalizing Colonies. — A good way to equalize the 

 strength of colonies of bees in the spring is to change the hives 

 around. 



A Beginner's "Kink." — A modest beginner in apicul- 

 ture in Utah has discovered a plan by which a queen-trap can 

 be placed at the entrance of the hive which will catch the 

 queen and allow the bees to pass out through the trap, but on 

 their return they pass directly into the hive without having to 

 go through the perforated zinc. Springville, Utah. 



Bottom vs. Upward Ventilation of Hives. 



BV DR. A. S. MARTIN. 



Bees spare neither time, pains nor material in the effort 

 to make their hive perfectly close in all its parts, except the 

 entrance. If permitted to have their own way, they, with 

 this exception, invariably close every opening that can give 

 vent to the air of the interior of their abode. This fact 1 re- 

 gard as very significant — one of the many beautiful instances 

 which we observe of the subserviency of irrational instinct to 

 intelligent design. What, then, is here the design of Nature ? 

 If I err not, it is to give them perfect control, that they may 

 regulate at will the temperature and ventilation. Why should 

 we thwart Nature, and rob them of this control ? How is it 

 possible for us to adjust the supply of air to their needs ? How 

 can they be comfortable in a flue ? Experience has taught us 

 that in cold climates the hive should have frost-proof roof and 

 walls. Why has not observation taught ere now that its in- 

 terior should be a dead air space — that both roof and walls 

 should be absolutely impervious to air ? The external air 

 cannot of itself enter such a hive as ihis, lioivever ample the 

 entrance, unless the entrance be exposed to strong currents. 



Upward ventilation seems to be founded upon the preva- 

 lent notion that bees hibernate, or are helplessly dormant during 

 cold weather. You may catch them asleep, 'tis true. But 

 they are as easily awakened as an infant, and are never all 

 asleep at the same time. Place your ear against a hive at any 

 time, and be convinced. Rap upon it and note the quick re- 

 sponse. Dead silence is evidence of starvation, or total de- 

 moralization. Did it ever occur to you that there is a mean- 



