1883 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



533 



never one in the L. hive. I commenca preparations 

 early in the season — as soon as the first of August, 

 sure, when the yield from white clover has ceased. 

 I consider seven standard L. frames sufficient to 

 winter any colony upon, and use chaff or dead-air 

 division-boards, made of very thin material, in each 

 side of the hive. I want each of these seven frames 

 (or a smaller number for a smiUer stock) filled and 

 capped throughout the whole upper two-thirds (or !4 

 at least) with pure honey, or such other stores as I 

 design to use. This object can easily be accomplish- 

 ed by using the extractor; and if I could use it for no 

 other purpose, I should consider it paid me well to 

 own one. 



I stimulate brood-rearing by feeding diluted hon- 

 ey or sugar syrup, up to the latest moment I can in- 

 duce the queen to lay. By this means my stocks 

 enter the cold season with a full force of young, 

 strong, active, and vigorous workers that have 

 stamina enough to withstand any changes, even of 

 a climate as variable as Eastern Massachusetts. 

 About the first of November I open my hives and 

 force the clusters, by changing the position of the 

 frames if necessary, to- occupy one or the other side 

 of the brood-chamber. I tip the hive at the back, 

 by placing a piece of deal, two inches thick, under 

 the rear end. After having placed the cluster where 

 I wish it, I put on the frames a "Hill's device," or 

 some substitute for it; but I consider that the 

 simplest and cheapest device that can be used. I 

 then cover the bees closely into the brood-chamber 

 with a mat made of burlap, or light cotton duck (any 

 porous cloth maybe used), and then fill an upper 

 story with forest-leaves over the mat. A chaff 

 cushion, or a cushion filled with leaves, may equally 

 well be used; but ordinarily a cushion filled with 

 any material is too compact to suit my views. I do 

 not desire to have any upward ventilation to a hive, 

 as most seem to understand the term; that is, I do 

 not want a current of air to pass through the hive 

 from the entrance to and out of the top; but I do 

 want the covering over the frames to be suflicieutly 

 porous to allow egress to all foul air and e.\cess of 

 moisture. I give an entrance for air large enough, 

 in my judgment, to furnish a sufficient supply; six 

 or eight inches in length is sufficient tor the largest 

 stock. 



With colonies prepared in the above manner, all 

 t^e heat generated by them is economized just 

 where it is needed. The "device" will allow the 

 bees to cluster on top of the frames, or pass over 

 them from one side or end of the hive to the other. 

 Excessive moisture is conducted through the mats 

 over the frames, and that with no perceptible loss 

 of heat. The cover of the hives I should say should 

 have a li4-inch hole bored in each end of the gable, 

 with guards placed over them to prevent rain and 

 snow from driving in. With the preparation I have 

 described I feel full confidence that my bees will 

 winter safely, and have no hesitation in advising 

 others to adopt the same in their own apiaries. 



Foxboro, Mass., Aug., 1883. J. E. Pond, Jr. 



I believe, friend P., I entirely agree with 

 you in regard to winter preparations. That 

 chaff cushions are too dense, I have felt sat- 

 isfied. A covering of burlap and then for- 

 est-leaves, it seems to me, will be about the 

 thing. And it will be, too, in accordance 

 with many facts that have pointed strongly 

 to the need of more ventilation during se- 

 vere cold weather. 



ANOTHER VAIiUABLE FACT, SHO^VING 

 HOW BEES GO BEFOREHAND TO 

 HUNT UP A I4OCATION. 



A COLONY OF BEES GOING INTO A HIVE INFESTED 

 WITH MOTH. 



WISH to send yon a few words, so as to report 

 how bees are doing this year in New Orleans. 

 Willow began to bloom in January; bees gath- 

 ered a good yield from it — enough to last them one 

 month, to rear brood. We have had a good season 

 from that time till about June 15. The swarming 

 season began as early as the 38th of March, until 

 about April 20. So you can see for yourself that we 

 had a good spring for the bees. 



I have no bees at present for myself, but I am in 

 charge of those of my stepfather, which I manage 

 for him. He began the season with three swarms; 

 increased to sixbynatural swarming; one hive gave 

 him two swarms; the other two gave him but one 

 each, and one he bought of a friend for $1.50, which 

 made 7 hives of bees. That was about April 12. 



Now I should like to ask you a question regarding 

 a swarm of bees which went to a hive which was in 

 " charge " of millers. I saw, on the 30th of March, 

 some bees flying in and out of said hive. When I 

 went to see what the " ups " was with those bees, 

 I found them to be a pure strain of Italians working 

 very busily. I put my ear to the hive to hear if they 

 were humming, and they were. That was in the 

 evening. Next day I went to look again; then I 

 found only a few dozen flying about the hive. Some 

 would go in, then some come out and fly away. I 

 watched them till about 9 o'clock, when, to my sur- 

 prise, I heard some humming come from the south- 

 western direction. The wind was blowing just a 

 little then from the direction whence I heard that 

 humming come. All at once I looked at the hive, 

 when I saw those bees pile into that hive where those 

 millers had made their home. No sooner were those 

 bees in with those millers than the latter got the 

 " grand bounce." They brought millers out that 

 were fully 154 inches long. It took the bees a day 

 and a half to clean out that hive. I have the bees in 

 that hive yet, and iu a very good condition up to 

 date. Do you think that those bees which were so 

 busily at work the day before were some bees from 

 that swarm that went into the hive, or not? 



George A. Schafer. 



New Orleans, La., Aug. 22, 1883. 



To be sure, the bees you saw were from 

 the same swarm you saw going into the hive 

 a few days before. They had evidently gone 

 and looked the premises over, and decided 

 that, with a proper force, such as they could 

 muster, they could easily clean out the moth 

 worms, webs, and all ; and after having thus 

 decided, they just "went and did it." I 

 think if I were you, friend S., I should be a 

 little proud of that colony of Italians. We 

 thank you for the important link it furnish- 

 es in this queer matter of looking up a loca- 

 tion before the colony swarms. For years I 

 have had this matter in mind, and now I am 

 more than ever convinced that if those bees 

 would go into a hive full of webs and 

 worms (the most disagreeable things to a 

 bee the world contains), we could certainly 

 arrange hives so tempting to them that our 

 new swarms will, when they get in the way 

 of it, come in and occupy them "of their 

 own sweet will." 



