708 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Wltli Replies thereto. 



(It is quite useless to ask for answers to 

 Queries in this Department in less time 

 than one month. They have to wait their 

 turn, be put in type, and sent in about a 

 dozen at a time to each of those who answer 

 them ; get them returned, and then find 

 space for them in the Joubnai,. If you are 

 In a " hurry " for replies, do not ask for 

 them to be inserted here.— Ed.] 



PacMi Bees for Wintering. 



Query 491.— 1. My bees are in Laogstroth 



hives with cottage roof and a li^-inch hole in each 

 end, and wire-cloth over the holes. Would a 5- 

 inch box with cheese-cloth bottom filled with dry 

 forest leaves be good packing for winter? 2. 

 Would l,{XXi pounds of dry prairie hay, stacked on 

 each hive, leaving the hive-entrance open, be a 

 good protection for winter?— Clarksville, Mo. 



1. Yes. 2. Yes, if kept dry.— J. P. 

 H. Brown. 



1. Yes. 2. Yes; less will do.— 

 Dadant & Son. 



1. Yes. 2. I think that 100 pounds 

 of dry prairie hay would be sufficient 

 in Missouri for each hive.— G. L. 

 Tinker. 



I should say yes to both questions. 

 In Missouri I dare say this would be 

 suflScient. Further north I should 

 prefer a proper cellar.— A. J. Cook. 



1. I should prefer dry, fine sawdust, 

 to leaves. 2. 1 should much prefer a 

 chaff hive, and I think it would be 

 much cheaper.— G. M. Doolittle. 



1. Yes, it is very good as far as it 

 goes. 2. I would be afraid to use it, 

 from what I have seen, i would pre- 

 fer about 4 inches of chail or forest 

 leaves, packed in a case all around 

 the hives.— H. D. Cutting. 



I should prefer chaff or sawdust 

 over the bees, yes, or even the dry 

 hay, to leaves ; the hay would be good 



Erotection, but, my ! half a ton to a 

 ive ! ! Hay must be cheaper in Mis- 

 souri than in Michigan.— \V. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



1. Yes, if you had a good, tight 

 board-cover over the 5inch box. 2. 

 Yes, if the hay was stacked on in 

 such a way that it would turn water. 

 I would prefer to have it cover the 

 entrance, and all in such a way that I 

 could remove it from the entrance at 

 will.— Jajies Heddon. 



1. It answers well in this climate. 

 2. Try Uie experiment on a few hives 

 and report for the benefit of your 

 brethren. I feel quite sure that bees 

 would suffer from dampness under a 

 body of straw or hay in the way you 

 propose ; but I might be mistaken in 

 this conclusion.- G. W. Demaree. 



1. Y'^es, provided about 1 inch of 

 space is left between the tops of *he 

 frames and the cheese-cloth. 2. I 



have never found protection of the 

 kind any benefit. It mav do no harm; 

 I do not think that it will do any good. 

 The above is my opinion only, but 

 based on results growing out of 17 

 years of successful wintering of bees 

 on the summer stands.— J. E. Pond. 



Y'bs; to both questions, providing 

 that the hay must be dry and placed 

 in such a manner that it will let the 

 rain run off without much soaking in. 

 Dry leaves or sawdust would also do 

 for a location in Missouri — but for the 

 more northern localities a good cellar 

 would be more reliable, one year with 

 another.— The Editor. 



Fasteninis for Spare-Joint Hives. 



Query 492.— When the square joint is 

 used, in place of the beveled or rabbeted joint, for 

 parts of hives whose edges fit flush, are fastenings 

 of any sort required to keep the upper stories or 

 cap in place ? If so, what kind ?— Goshen, N. T. 



No.— G. L. Tinker. 

 No.— H. D. Cutting. 



No ; none whatever.— James Hed- 

 don. 



I have never used any fastenings.— 

 G. M. Doolittle. 



Not if there is any propolis about 

 the hive.— Dadant & SoJsr. 



I have never used any fastenings ; 

 the bees soon attend to that.— W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



I do not use, nor want the square- 

 joint in this climate (Georgia).— J. P. 

 H, Brown. 



No. I have now used such for years 

 with no trouble. Even my shade- 

 boards, which, of course, cannot be 

 glued by bees, need no weight to hold 

 them down.— A. J. Cook. 



I use a fastening on both square 

 and beveled joints, consisting of a 

 hook on the centre of each side, play- 

 ing under the head of a screw driven 

 nearlv in, for the hook to catch on. — 

 J. £."P0ND. 



I use none, and none is ever needed 

 for the upper story. On rare occa- 

 sions, with very high winds, the 

 covers are blown off, and if I knew of 

 a very cheap and quickly handled fast- 

 ening, 1 might use one for the covers, 

 but so far I have had none.— C. C. 

 Miller. 



I have used the square-joint plan 

 more or less for over 2-5 years, and I 

 have never seen any need of a device 

 to hold the surplus cases in place. 

 The bees will glue the cracks made 

 by adjusting one department of the 

 hive on the other, no matter how it is 

 done ; and as soon as the edges of the 

 cases are propolized, they will stick 

 fast when put in position, and the 

 bees will make the connection air and 

 water tight as soon as possible. There 

 is nothing like the square-joint plan 

 for easy and rapid handling,— G. W. 

 Demaree, 



A rabbeted joint is preferable for 

 many reasons ; but where a square- 1 



joint is used there is really no neces- 

 sity for a fastening, except during 

 high winds, and in a locality that is 

 unprotected, and then usually only 

 for the covers. When such fasten- 

 ings are used a small hook turning on 

 a screw, with another screw on which 

 to hook, would be quite sufHcient.— 

 The Editor. 



Convention Notices, 



Union ConTcution at Chicago.— The 



North American Bee-Keepers' Society and 

 the Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Society will 

 meet in joint convention at the Commercial 

 Hotel, cor. Lake and Dearborn Streets, In 

 Chicago, lUs., on Wednesday, Thursday and 

 Friday, Nov. 16, 17 and 18, 1887. Arrana:e- 

 ments have been made with the Hotel, for 

 back room, one bed, two persons, $1,75 per 

 day, each ; front room, $2.00 per day each 

 person. This date occurs during the second 

 week of the Fat Stock Show, when excursion 

 rates will be very low. 



The following are the subjects for discus- 

 sion, BO far as has been determined upon : 



Cost of the Production of Honey— J. H. 

 Martin, Hartford, N. T. 



Controlling the Price of Honey— M. M. 

 Baldridge, St. Charles, Ills. 



Getting the Best Price for Honey— E. J. 

 Oatman, Dundee, Ills. 



Commission Men and the Honey Market— 

 R. A. Burnett, Chicago, Ills. 



Legislation for Bee-Keepers— Dr. C. C. 

 Miller, Marengo, Ills. 



Objects and Methods of a thorough Or- 

 ganization of the Bee-Keepers of America- 

 Thomas G. Newman, Chicago, Ills. 



Comb Foundation, its Manufacture and 

 Use— C. V. Dadant. Hamilton, Ills. 



Production of Extracted Honey for Table 

 Use— T. F. Bingham, Ahronia, Mich. 



The Production of Comb Honey— W. Z. 

 Hutchinson, Flint, Mich. 



Production of Comb and Extracted Honey 

 in the Same Apiary— J. A. Green, Dayton, HI. 



Out Apiaries— D. A. Jones, Beeton. Ont. 



Foul Brood, How Shall we Treat It?— A. 1. 

 Root, Medina. Ohio. 



Wintering Bees In the Northern States— R. 

 L. Taylor, Lapeer. Mich. 



Bee-Hlyes. and Fixtures— James Heddon, 

 Dowagiac, Mich. 



Bee-Keeping alone, or with Other Pur- 

 suits; if the latter, in connection with what? 

 -Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



Legs of the Bee— Prof. A. J. Cook, Agri- 

 cultural College, Mich. 



What is the Best Name for Extracted 

 Honey ?— Thomas G. Newman, Chicago. Ills. 

 W. Z. Hutchinson, See. 



|y The Western Bee-Keepers' Society will hold 

 a meeting on Wednesday, Nov. iH. 18S7, at the res- 

 idence of Mr. Peter Otto, corner of Park and 25th 

 Streets, Kansas Cltv, Mo. Take the 18th Street 

 horse-cars at 9th A Main Sts. for 18th & Brooklyn 

 Sts.. thence walk sontli to "iSth St.. and thence east 

 one block to the house. We are sure of a cordial 

 welcome from Mr. and Mrs. Otto, and expect a 

 good meeting. Jas. a. Nslson, Sec 



tW The Marshall County Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will meet in the Court House at Marshall- 

 lowii, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 19. Ih87, at 10:30 a. 

 m. and 1pm. Subjects for discussion: " Winter 

 fare ot an Apiary." and " How to Improve our So. 

 ciety." A cordial invitation is extended to every 

 bee-keeper in this and adjoining counties. 



J. W. Sanders, Stc 



1^~ The Pike County Bee-Keepers' Society and 

 the Illinois Central Bee-Keepers' Society will meet 

 in joint convention at the New Pittsfleld Hotel, In 

 Pittptleld. Ills., on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25 

 and :iii, 18H7. Reduced rates will be given at the 

 Hotel. AH are Invited to attend. 



W. T. F. Pkttt, Pre». 



l^T" The Susquehanna County Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation will meet at New Milford. Pa., on Jan. 

 7, lf<s«. Subjects lor discussion : "The Best Way 

 to Prevent Swarming." and "Is it Advisable to 

 Italianize Colonies ?" All bee-keepers are cordially 

 Invited. U. M. SBCLsr, 8m. 



