42 



TH® MBiBKicfci* mmw jQ^j^mmmi^. 



tor mouths, aud tliey are not troubled 

 by moths or diarrhea. 



Alfalfa is beiug raised here in 

 abundance, and is considered splen- 

 did bee-food. There are but few bees 

 in the southern portion of the State as 

 yet, but I am sure that they would do 

 well there. I am located on the Platte 

 river, 47 miles from Denver, and four 

 miles from Greeley. I have never sold 

 first-class comb honey for less than 20 

 ■cents per pound. 



It would not pay to ship bees from 

 Indiana to Colorado. The Italians 

 take the lead here, as compared with 

 any other race of bees. I kept bees in 

 Indiana 30 years ago. when we sawed 

 ofi" hollow-logs, bored holes and di'ove 

 <;ross-pins in them, and stood them up 

 on a puncheon. They then were con- 

 sidered second to none, as were also 

 the black bees that we handled with- 

 •out a smoker or veil. 



Evans, jj Colo. 



CAVE- WINTERING. 



The Droutb €ause§ Poor Re§ults 

 — \ Cave for Bees in Winter. 



Written for the American Bee Jountal 

 BY P. L. GIBSON. 



My bee and honey report for 1887 is 

 as follows : I put 40 colonies in the 

 cellar on Dec. 8, 1886, and took them 

 out on March 8, 1887, all being in fine 

 •condition. They stored a little honey 

 in June, from white clover, but con- 

 sumed it all and the greater part of 

 their stores by July 15. 



As we had no rain in June and July, 

 the result was that from 40 colonies I 

 received no surplus honey, no swarms, 

 and lost by starvation 10 of my old 

 colonies, and 5 more will have to be 

 fed in order to survive the winter. I 

 am not discouraged, however, for I 

 have the beggar's consolation, namely, 

 " There are many more in the same 

 fix ;" but I still hope for better returns 

 the coming summer. 



Winterlns Bees In Caves. 



I am a strong advocate of cellar- 

 wintering of bees, and I would jvint^r 

 them in this way if I had to make a 

 new cellar or cave every year. My 

 present depository is a cave, dug 4 feet 

 deep, with posts set around the sides 

 7 feet above the bottom of the cave. 

 This is sided and covered with punch- 

 eons split from green oak timber, A 

 passage-way 3 feet -vvide and 4 feet 

 long is lined and covered with the 

 same material. This passage-way ad- 

 mits of two doors, one on the inside, 

 and one on the outside of the cave 

 when needed. The total cost of the 

 whole was 3 davs' work. 



I remove tlie caps, sections, and 

 honey-boards from the hives, and place 

 any kind of a cloth over the brood- 

 chamber, and then tier them up, with 

 one-inch strips between them. In this 

 \Ya,y I never lose any bees, by keeping 

 the cave dry, and at a temperature of 

 42^'.' I find the Bee Journal a great 

 help, and a welcome visitor. Ever}' 

 one having a colony of bees, or expect- 

 ing to get a colony, should read it. 



Illinois City,K) Ills., Dec. 30, 1887. 



DISCUSSION. 



Some Questions -nrtaich all are 

 Invited to Ansiver. 



Written for the American Bee JoumiaX 

 BY C. P. HEWETT. 



1. How many keep a daily record 

 of the temperature and degi'ees which 

 they prefer in their depositories ? 



2. How many believe in hibernation? 



3. How many can winter colonies on. 

 from 3 to 6 i)ounds of stores ? 



4. How many have had bees steal 

 eggs, and from them make queens ? 



5. How many have had queens fer- 

 tilized that did not leave the hive ? 



6. How many have had queens be- 

 come re-fertilized ? 



7. How many have had queens die 

 with the drones, on their bridal trip ? 



8. How many have had bees hiber- 

 nate, and remain so until taken out in 

 the spring ? 



9. How many can tell that they have 

 a queenless colony in their apiaries, by 

 seeing bees trying to steal eggs, before 

 they notice the colony which is queen- 

 less ? 



10. How many know that there is 

 no vitalization in some queens' eggs, 

 when they first commence laying in 

 the spring, and the bees have no re- 

 gard for her, more than any other bee, 

 and swarm out ? 



The above questions are open to all. 

 Kingston,© Wis. 



STARTERS. 



How I Fasten Foundation in 

 Grooved Sections. 



Written Jor the American Bee Journal 

 BY HENRY W. HAAG. 



It seems from Mr. Fox's remarks on 

 page 823 of the Bee JocKNALfor 1887, 

 that his is the only satisfactory method 

 for fastening foundation in sections. I 

 have ti-ied several methods, and I find 

 none that suits mo but the following : 



I use only grooved sections, and cut 

 the starters .}-inch shorter than the 

 section is wide, and about l.V inches 



deep. Then I put the section on a 

 table, with the grooved side down, 

 take a starter in my left hand, insert it 

 in the groove, and then run melted 

 beeswax along the side of the starter, 

 which holds it securely ; no matter 

 how many bees get on the foundation, 

 it will not drop off'. 



I formerly used Mr. Fox's method, 

 but I did not like it, as so many start- 

 ers dropped oft' ; and then they would 

 ruin some honey by causing the bees 

 to build the combs crooked. 



I would not have sections without 

 grooves for foundation, for in any 

 other it cannot be securely fastened. 

 Not one starter in five hundred will 

 drop off if the above plan is used, and 

 the sections are grooved. 



Pettit,+o Ind. 



WINTERINa. 



Results of the Season, and How 

 I W^inter my Bees. 



Written fe/r the American Bee JoumaL 

 BY E. HENKLE. 



I started last May with 44 colonies 

 of bees, two-thirds of them being in 

 splendid condition. I lost 4 colonies 

 during the summer, by moths getting 

 the advantage of them before I dis- 

 covered it. I had one swarm, which 

 leaves me with 41 at present, and not 

 a pound of surplus honey. 



On Sept. 1,1 found one-third of them 

 nearly starving. I bought $20 worth 

 of sugar, and fed it to them, which 

 fixed them up nicely for winter. They 

 are all well packed on the summer 

 stands, with cushions of chaff and 

 forest-leaves on top and around them. 

 I use the Mitchell hive, in which the 

 frames hang crosswise, with two divi- 

 sion-boards, one at each end. I place 

 the bees in the centre on eight frames 

 in winter, and put one cushion at each 

 end and one on top. I have always 

 wintered my bees very successfully in 

 that way. I never allow snow or sleet 

 to fall on the hives. I have three sheds 

 that are 50 feet long and 6 feet wide, 

 boarded up on the back to keep off the 

 cold ^vinds. 



I do not think that I am in a very 

 good part of the State for bee-keeping. 

 I have never been able to get more 

 than from 25 to 40 pounds of honey 

 per colony. We have to depend entirely 

 upon white clover for surplus. There 

 is no basswood \vithin five miles of this 

 place. I have about half an acre of 

 sweet clover ; but what is half an acre 

 of sweet clover for 40 colonies of bees ? 

 But I have been sowing considerable 

 more this fall, and will sow more next 

 fall, so as to let it take the place of 

 basswood. 



Washington C. H.. ? O..Dec. 23. 1887 



