282 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May 



over the slats. Mr. Heddon thinks it quite important that the 

 slats should be so placed over the brood-frames as to break 

 joint, that is, so that the space between two slats shall come 

 over the middle of a brood-frame. I never could see that it 

 made any difference. 



Wintering in Bouble-Walled Hives. 



Please answer these questions about wintering bees in 

 double-walled hives with single bottom boards : 



1. Is it to the disadvantage of the colony in winter to 

 have any more than a % or '* inch space between the end- 

 bars of the frames and the end of the hive ? 



2. Would it be to the advantage or otherwise of the col- 

 ony to have, say one or two inches of a vacuum below the 

 frames ? 



3. Is a ?4-inch dead air space between the walls as good 

 as twice as much ? 



4. Is it advisable to have any connection between this air 

 space and the brood-chamber, or between this air space and 

 the outside, as means of ventilation ? Ontario. 



Answers. — 1. Yes, considering merely the welfare of the 

 bees, I think no one would claim any benefit from the space, 

 and the more space the worse for the bees. That space is not 

 for the benefit of the bees, but for the convenience of the 

 operator. 



2. For winter, yes, decidedly. My bees have two inches 

 below the frames every winter. 



3. Theoretically it looks as if there ought not to be much 

 difiference. In actual practice I think the greater space is 

 found to be better, and moreover it is found that hollow walls 

 are not found to be so good as to have the hollow filled with 

 something like chaff, cork-dust, etc. 



4. I think not. 



Spacing Brood-Frames. 



On page 89, if I read aright, a correspondent claims that 

 3/16 would be sufficient space between brood-frames. If 

 this be so, I could profit by it. In 1893 I purchased 25 sec- 

 ond-hand hives made to accommodate nine frames ll.xl3 

 inches, outside measure ; but I experienced much diflSculty in 

 removing the first frame when capped, rolling the bees over 

 and smashing them into the cells. I had decided to run those 

 hives with only eight frames, and use a follower, but after 

 studying the articles in the Bee Journal by Dadant and others, 

 I fear this would reduce the brood-chamber too much. Do you 

 think it would be safe to reduce the spacing lo '.4 or 3/16 to 

 get room to remove the first frame without crushing bees ? 



Au Sable, Mich. J. M. M. 



Answer. — As I have not given the matter a full and 

 thorough trial, I cannot say what would be the result with 

 3/16 between top-bars, but I'm very much afraid the bees 

 would do a lot of gluing. In every case where I have meas- 

 ured, the bees leave a space of J4 inch between two surfaces 

 of comb when left to their own devices, and from that I have 

 supposed that '4 inch was the best space to avoid both brace- 

 combs and propolis. Another thing : If your frames are 

 spaced \% from center to center, I would strongly advise 

 against closer spacing, and would a good deal rather have 

 more than less. In any case I should want a follower so as to 

 make room to get out the first frame. 



Using Combs Where Bees Have Died. 



I have lost all my bees but 6 colonies out of 40. I want 

 to utilize all the combs I can during the summer. There are 

 a large quantity of dead bees in the cells. 1. Will the bees 

 take them out? 2. If not, how shall I get them out ? I have 

 neither time nor patience to pick them out. 3. Will bees use 

 moldy combs "* C. L. C. 



Glen Rock, Nebr. 



Answers. — I feci just a little like scolding, because you 

 don't say where you want me to answer. How am I to know 

 whether you want the answer in the National Stockman, 

 Gleanings, or some other paper ? But a man who has lost 34 

 colonies out of 40 is in no condition to be scolded — I know 

 how it is, for I once lost 48 out of 50 — so I'll answer on this 

 page at a guess. 



1. Yes, but it may be worth while to make the job as light 

 as possible for them. 



2. Perhaps you may have some mice that would not ob- 



ject to pick some of them out for you. Put the combs where 

 they will become very dry, and you can shake some of them 

 out. 



3. Yes. Don't give them too many at a time if they are 

 very bad. Put a newly-hived swarm into a hive full of combs 

 badly molded, and they would be likely to swarm out, but if 

 given one or two at a time, they would be all right. 



If you have hives with loose bottom-boards, I'll tell you a 

 nice thing to do. Put one or even two hives full of combs un- 

 der each hive of bees, and they'll keep them clear of worms, 

 and also clean them off. No better place to have idle combs 

 than in the care of the bees. 



Conducted by " BEE-:MASTE,R." 



Art v§. Nature in Apioullure. 



BT A. E. H08HAI.. 



Some seem to think that nothing in apiculture can suc- 

 ceed unless done in accordance with Nature. Be this as it 

 may, it is a fact that in other occupations of life man by his 

 intelligence does so direct and change the course of Nature, 

 that the results are much more to his liking than when Nature 

 is left to herself. For instance, we plant an apple-seed, it 

 will germinate, grow to a tree and bear fruit without man's 

 further intervention. Man can, however, so graft, prune and 

 cultivate such a tree, that its fruit will be much more bene- 

 ficial to him than when it is left solely to Nature. In this 

 process of pruning, grafting, etc., he has both recognized and 

 admitted, and by results shown, that so far as this tree and 

 its fruit is concerned. Nature is blind force, caring naught 

 for his wishes, and when left to herself accomplishing that 

 which is not for his best interests by producing fruit that is 

 both small in quantity and inferior in quality. In caring for 

 the tree he both retarded and fostered Nature — retarded her 

 where she did not comply with his interests, fostered her 

 where she did. From this simple illustration, which all admit 

 as a fact, and which is universally carried out, we see, that so 

 far as his best interests are concerned, man, by applying 

 his intelligence can, so to speak, " improve on Nature." 



In view of this very self-evident fact. I have been turning 

 over in my mind why it is, that is so hard for many to recog- 

 nize the same principle in profitable houey-production. es- 

 pecially when it is referred to as "improving on Nature," as 

 though the name had anything to do with it, or that it was a 

 sacrilege through belittling the Creator. 



Let us throw aside at once this absurd idea that in order 

 to be successful in apiculture we must blindly adhere to 

 Nature, when the facts are, if we are to be most successful, 

 we must both retard and foster her in the instinct of our bees 

 according to the end we have in view. Like in other pursuits, 

 this is the field for the exercise of our intellieence, and the 

 one which will mightily test our tact and ability as bee- 

 keepers. — Practical Bee-Keeper. Beamsville. Out. 



Bees Doing Well in Wintering. 



BY ALLEN PRINGLE. 



My bees are wintering as well as I could wish so far. 

 They are all in the cellar repository with the exception of lO 

 colonies which are packed in dry sawdust outside on their 

 summer stands. As I grow older I feel less and less inclined 

 to take two steps where one will do ; and my intention now is, 

 this winter and next, to test the matter as to whether there is 

 more work in connection with packing them outside, or carry- 

 ing them in the cellar and out. If I can winter successfully 

 in or out. the only matter to be settled is which plan entails 

 most work. 



I have a good cellar repository which I have used for 

 many years. It is iiniuediately under the kitchen and dining- 

 room portion of the dwelling, and is both dry and frost-proof, 

 and is thoroughly ventilated. It holds, without crowding, about 

 125 colonies. A few years ago when my stock of bees consid- 

 erably exceeded that number, I wintered the surplus outside, 

 and the degree of success attained was about the same in both 

 conditions. Of late years, however, as I have been keeping 

 the stock below 100 colonies, I have wintered mostly in the 

 cellar; but now I propose to get onto the easiest plan, which- 

 ever that may prove to be. Of course the cellar is there ready 

 without further expense, and the skeleton cases — one for each- 



