184 



THE AMERlCAISi BEE JOURNAL. 



quantity of water plunges into the 

 cluster and greatly aggravates the 

 bees. 



For the first 50 days no moisture ap- 

 peared, but from that time on until 90 

 days after putting them in, the water 

 has appeared. The tendency for the 

 accumulation of moisture (consider- 

 ing the temperature and humidity of 

 the cellar), was so slight that it re- 

 quired nearly 90 days to become 

 visible. Had the temperature of the 

 cellar been lower, it would have taken 

 less time, and vice versa. If the tem- 

 perature of the cellar was low, the 

 warm circulation of the cluster would 

 not proceed upward so far before 

 meeting air whose temperature would 

 condense its moisture. If the tem- 

 perature is steady the condensation 

 will continue. 



It may be supposed that a low tem- 

 perature causes the bees to generate a 

 greater amount of heat. This is not 

 the case— they only cluster closer to- 

 gether or more compact, and while 

 the temperature is increased at the 

 centre of the cluster, it is less at the 

 outside. I hardly think bees ever re- 

 sort to activity to become warm. 



When the temperature is low a 

 large share of the bees on the outside 

 of the cluster become more or less 

 torpid, so that the cluster may be 

 broken and shaken from the combs, 

 and there will be but few bees in the 

 centre of the cluster that are able to 

 take wing immediately. This may be 

 so in the case of a large colony. Then 

 if the colony was small all of the bees 

 might become torpid or chilled, and a 

 little more cold prove fatal. 



I have never noticed indications 

 that the bees on the outside of the 

 cluster changed places with those on 

 the inside when they were in winter 

 quarters, or when they were not rear- 

 ing brood. When the temperature is 

 such that many of the bees on the 

 outside of the cluster become inac- 

 tive, they are not wintering well, and 

 though they may remain quiet for a 

 time, indigestion will eventually dis- 

 order them. In the case of a large 

 colony there might be comparatively 

 few diseased, so as to manifest symp- 

 toms of disease during the remainder 

 of their confinement, but enough 

 healthy bees may still remain to build 

 up the colony to gather honey. If the 

 colony was small, the sick ones would 

 be likely to include all, so that it 

 would soon dwindle away if they 

 should not abscond as soon as re- 

 moved from the cellar. 



When the temperature is low, say 

 at 30°, it causes the bees to cluster 

 compactly, and a large part of the 

 cluster becomes chilled and inactive. 

 If the temperature is high, they re- 

 main active and ready to leave the 

 cluster at any occasion. The place to 

 fix the temperature is where the bees 

 on the outside of the cluster will re- 

 main clustered because of the cold 

 and for safety. But few if any of 

 them should become stiffened by the 

 cold. Then when tliere is no disturb- 

 ance on change of temperature, the 

 bees will remain clustered and mo- 

 tionless all winter, but may be im- 

 mediately roused to action. When 

 this condition is maintained 90 out of 



100 strong colonies will come out 

 strong and healthy in the spring. If 

 the colonies are suspended in " mid- 

 air " the temperature must be 44°. A 

 lower degree of temperature will re- 

 quire coverings of cloth or cushions. 

 The temperature at the center of the 

 cluster averages about 70°, and 56° at 

 the outside, when the bees are quietly 

 clustered. 

 Bradford, d Iowa. 



For tbe American Bee JoamaL 



Case for One-PoaM Sections. 



DK. C. C. IHLLEK. 



In the following letter Mr. Funk 

 refers to a case he has already men- 

 tioned on page 121 : 



" BLOOMraoTON, Ills., March 7,1887. 

 —I have spent considerable time calcu- 

 lating on a surplus arrangement for 

 comb honey this winter, as I will have 

 to rig up from 50 to 75 more colonies 

 for comb honey this year than before. 



On page 121 the reader may see the 

 result of some of my speculations. I 

 think I can make it work. Possibly a 

 strip of wood laid across the honey- 

 board cross-wise, and strips between 

 the cases might be an advantage to 

 support the sections. What does Dr. 

 Miller think of the case as described 

 on page 121 ? 



The objections I have to the T sup- 

 ported case, are the spaces between 

 the sections, and in open-side sections 

 these would be still worse ; but I think 

 the case preferable to the Heddon, 

 although my experience is very 

 limited. 



The object of this letter is to get 

 Dr. Miller's opinion on some other 

 style of oue-pound sections than the 

 iU^-iU- With his Tease, and the 

 case I intend to use, 4 sections will 

 not be long enough for the Langstroth 

 hive ; that is, the case that takes 4 

 sections (IJ.4) lengthwise will not be 

 as long as the outside of a Langstroth 

 hive,.and of course we do not want 

 another rim or cap over the case. 



What would Dr. Miller think of a 

 section 5 inches high by 3 11-16 inches 

 wide y Five of these would fill a case 

 that was 20 inches long, and allow %- 

 inch for each end-piece, and give 1-16 

 of an inch space to allow the section 

 to slide in. His T tins would want 

 some room, but they would make the 

 case stronger, and the ends could then 

 be a little thinner. What length of 

 case does he use now V Also what 

 sections? The advantages of this 

 section would be several— first, and 

 the main one, the case would be as 

 long as a Langstroth hive. Second, 

 this section would look just a little 

 better proportioned than the A^ — 

 more like the 6Jfx53^, and all know 

 they appear nicer than the 4}4xi}4. 

 The main objection would be an odd 

 size section— but perhaps they would 

 take well. I know they would if they 

 were given favorable mention. 



My 240 colonies are doing nicely ; I 

 think they will winter well.— H. W. 

 Funk." 



Mr. Funk being a practical bee- 

 keeper of good common-sense, land 



withal, I think, a good friend of mine, 

 I do not need to try hard to make a 

 very smooth reply. 



And now what under the sun does 

 he want to get up a new section for V 

 If every man is his own manufacturer 

 it does not make so much difference, 

 but the fewer kinds there are, the 

 easier, and to a certain extent the 

 cheaper we can get them from the 

 makers or dealers. Is it true that an 

 oblong section presents any more at- 

 tractive appearance than a square 

 one ? I doubt it much, and I do not 

 think that Mr. Funk would care much 

 for anything of the kind only as a 

 kind of a necessity. The necessity 

 arises from the fact that a super long 

 enough for four 4M.x4>4 sections is 

 not as long as a Langstroth hive. 

 Allow me to say that in actual prac- 

 tice that presents no great difficulty. 

 My hives are 20^^ inches in length, 

 and my T supers 19%, a difference, 

 you see, of 1% inches. At the back 

 end there is a space, which, following 

 in the footsteps of Adam Grimm, I 

 consider desirable for ventilation ; but 

 if at any time I want the space closed, 

 I simply lay a little pine strip over it, 

 audit is just as well, I think, as if 

 super and hive were the same length. 

 The regular Langstroth, which is 

 better, has frames %-inch shorter 

 than mine, so there would be less 

 space to shut. 



The open-side sections have been 

 tried, perhaps, more than Mr. F. sup- 

 poses. I gave them a pretty fair trial. 

 The claim that separators are not 

 needed with them did not prove true 

 in my case, and I do not know of any 

 advantage they possess, although 

 theoretically I thought I saw advan- 

 tages. I do not believe they will do 

 anything to prevent swarming. 



Mr. Funk objects to the space be- 

 tween sections in T supers. Put T 

 tins on the top as well as on the bot- 

 tom (they only cost $1 per 100), and 

 no bee can touch the side of the 

 section. 



If Mr. Funk should make such an 

 arrangement as he has mentioned, I 

 think 1-16 space for the sections to 

 slide in, will be rather close work. 



I never tried it, but I think I should 

 like the M-inch board used as a fol- 

 lower. But that could be used in the 

 T super, and I believe Mr. F. might 

 like the T super. 



Marengo, 5 His. 



For tbe American Bee Joomal. 



The CapBinEs over Honey. 



C. p. DADANT. 



The reason which Mr. Hutchinson 

 gives, on page 152, for the non-candy- 

 ing of the honey referred to, is not 

 satisfactory to me. It the protection 

 which the cappings afford is sufficient 

 to prevent candying, it must also be 

 sufficient to prevent the obsorption of 

 moisture. It is a fact worthy of 

 notice that the same grade of honey 

 which when extracted swells the bar- 

 rel in which it is contained (air-tight), 

 bursts the cells, and oozes out when 

 left in the comb. I have seen the 

 statement by different parties, that 



