S58 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



about a third of the bottom is open. While 

 he was, apparently, having excellent results, 

 we distinctly remember the time when he had 



" PKICKLY-PEAR CACTI IN SOUTHWEST 



TEXAS. 

 See "Bee-keeping in the Southwest" on page 542. 



a good many dead bees on his cellar floor. 

 Would he have had less if he had had less 

 ventilation? 



Two or three of our late correspondents 

 on cellar wintering have strongly advised 

 against this large amount of hive ventilation, 

 arguing that it is too much of a good thing. 

 One correspondent, it will be rememberetl, 

 held that the brood-chamber was 

 brought to too low a temperature, 

 and that the bees, in order to 

 keep such brood-nest warm, clus- 

 tered near the opening to shut 

 out the cold air We know that 

 cold induces a large consumption 

 of stores. Overfeeding in turn 

 induces dysentery, and dysen- 

 tery, death. Hence, it may be 

 seen why so many of our colo- 

 nies suffered. In this connection 

 it may Ije interesting also to note 

 that the great majority of cellar- 

 winterers use the ordinary sum- 

 mer hive-entrances. ISo long as 

 we used such entrances in our 

 cellar we had excellent results in 

 wintering. 



We would not go so far as to 

 say that Fig. 2 would probal)ly 

 prove that the bees in the cellar 

 should [have no ventilation, for 

 one straw does not show which 

 way the wind blows; but in view 

 of the various reports we feel 

 that an excess of ventilation, 

 with either weak or strong colo- 

 nies, does no real good, but, on 

 the (contrary, may be the cause of 

 severe loss. 



Fig. 4 shows our method of 

 carrying our bees out of the cel- 



lar. It consists of two side rails secured by 

 two cross-pieces with four short legs, put 

 together as shown in the illustration. The 

 side rails in the one we use are only 2 inches 

 wide by | thick. The legs should be short 

 so as to make it easy to get in and out of 

 cellars and over obstructions. Two men can 

 easily carry out Ave weak colonies or three 

 strong ones, and both be free to walk and 

 lift it to the best possible advantage. On ar- 

 rival at the point where the colonies are to 

 be distributed, the sti'etcher. so to speak, is 

 set down on its four legs, when each man 

 picks up a hive and stations it on its stand. 

 When unloaded, the men go back and pick 

 up another load. This hive-carrier is used 

 by several prominent bee-keepers. The one 

 hei'e shown is modeled "after the one suggest- 

 ed by G. C. Greiner. 



Do not tell Dr. Miller, but this carrier is 

 far ahead of his scheme of two men carrying 

 out one colony with a rope. Granted that 

 his colonies are heavy and strong, two men 

 can carry three as easily as they can carry 

 one in his way. 



There is one advantage about the shut-in 

 plan. It enables one to determine definitely 

 the 2^f'02>ortionate loss for each colony. Jn 

 the case of the exhibit in Fig. 2 the compari- 

 son is very marked. 



DANZENBAKER FRAMES HANDLED FROM THE 

 SIDES OF THE HIVE. 



I send you two pictures of some hives I have. 

 The engraving shows my hive remodeled to 

 combine the American method of working 

 over the top or of whole stoiies, and the Ger- 



DANZENBAKER HIVE ARRANGED 

 THE SIDE. 



TO BE OPENED AT 



