1G8 



THM MMERicar* mmm j©URP*aiu. 



only inextinguishable motor of ani- 

 mate existence. 



It is very apparent that the hive-bee 

 is only physically constituted to ex- 

 perience, to a certain degree, the 

 coma to which the brute animals are 

 subjected during the hibernal period, 

 and can but lapse into short periods 

 of repose ; so that, when the fuel in 

 its stomach becomes exhausted it must 

 arouse, and eat to replenish the flames 

 of life. The true hibernating animal 

 does not partake of food during the 

 hibernating period ; although it does 

 at times leave its hibernacular during 

 very mild and comparatively long-con- 

 tinued thaws, even in mid-winter. 



After having passed the limits of a 

 definite grade of development, in its 

 progress from the vegetable to the 

 animal, no animal can become frozen 

 solid, or even become suflicientlj- be- 

 numbed by cold, as to wholly destroy 

 its vital functions, and live. The hive- 

 bee, in its evolutionary rounds, has ad-' 

 vanced bej'ond the degree correlative 

 of the vegetable, and is now ver}' 

 nearly, if not wholly a distinct species 

 of the insect animal, so to speak, and 

 its existence, organic structure, means 

 of obtaining food, method of reproduc- 

 tion, and habits of domestic economy 

 are irrefragible evidence that its con- 

 dition is beyond the radical principles ; 

 but not be3'ond the broad principles 

 that govern the periodical subsidence 

 and revival of the strictly vegetable 

 species. 



When the season wanes, the forest 

 trees and shrubberj' put on their termi- 

 nal buds ; growth ceases ; and the ele- 

 ments contributing to their develop- 

 ment are held in suspension imtil the 

 genial warmth of the spring sun stimu- 

 lates a renewal of their cyclic round 

 of activity. Is not this period of re- 

 pose and period of activity, as illus- 

 trated in the economy of the vegetable, 

 when unconnected with the amimal, 

 as admissible as when allied to, or per- 

 forming its functions in union with the 

 animal ; when animate life is, in a cer- 

 tain degi-ee, dependent upon the 

 vegetable elements for the support of 

 its impetus ? Life, without the influ- 

 ence of motion on matter, is inadmis- 

 sible. 



When the term hibernation is used 

 to describe the conxlition, or profound 

 coma experienced by certain species 

 of animals during the winter season, 

 its scope can only include the vegeta- 

 ble elements, and must be confined, 

 necessarily, to very nicely defined 

 limits. Less than hibernation would 

 be nil ; more tlian hibernation would 

 be dissolution. The intermediate con- 

 dition, the equilibrium of the evolving 

 forces, would be simply repose. 



Again, it does not appear that the 

 comatose condition evinced by the 



hibernating species is habitual with 

 the hive-bee, asi uoes not accompany 

 that insect from the regions of flowers 

 and snow-storms, to the ever-blooming 

 flora of tropical climes. 

 Cumberland, Maine. 



NATURE'S WAY. 



mianagcnient of Bec$ on Natural 

 Principles. 



Written for the Ama^can Bee Journal 

 BY W. S. VANDKDFF. 



In this article I suppose I will de- 

 part considerable from the present way 

 of managing bees, and especially for 

 surplus comb honey. I think that the 

 present system of working for comb 

 honey is far from being in accordance 

 with natural principles, and this is 

 why there is so much trouble in get- 

 ting bees to work in the sections. It 

 seems that with the present manage- 

 ment it is almost impossible to get the 

 bees to build nice, straight comb 

 honey in sections, free from pollen 

 and brood, without using queen-ex- 

 cluders, separators, honey-boards, etc. 



To get the bees into the sections also 

 seems to be a great problem, and it 

 seems that the only way devised by 

 our leading bee-keepers is to use some 

 kind of "force work." We read of 

 all kinds of contraclion methods that 

 can be devised to force the bees into 

 the sections, and after they are in the 

 sections, the next great trouble is to 

 get them to build the combs straight, 

 free from pollen and brood, without 

 using force work again, thus forcing 

 the queen to stay below by putting on 

 a queen-excluder. I think that if the 

 natural inclinations of the bees were 

 fully understood, and by proper manip- 

 ulation, all this trouble could be over- 

 come. 



We should study the secrets of the 

 bee's nature more than we do, and 

 theorize less, and not make hives and 

 fixtures just as we think they ought to 

 be, unless they are in accordance with 

 natural principles. I will now men- 

 tion wherein I think that the present 

 system is not managed on natural 

 principles : 



1. Bees naturally build their combs 

 about li inches apart, or a little less, 

 from centre to centre. 2. Bees nat- 

 urally cluster all together in one clus- 

 ter to build comb. Now, to make the 

 sections nearly 2 inches wide, and 

 force the bees to build combs so far 

 apart, is against their nature ; and 

 sections without side-openings are 

 against their natural way of working. 

 Also dividing up the cluster into a 

 multitude of little clusters is entirely 

 against the natural instincts of bees. 



Just think of a surplus chamber with 

 aUy or more apartments divided oft" 

 only about 4 inches square, and a 

 little less than 2 inches wide, as is the 

 case in usuing wide sections with sep- 

 arators and without side-openings. No 

 wonder that we read of so much 

 trouble in getting the bees into the 

 sections. The system is against the 

 ver}- natnre of bees. 



I have used several kinds of hives, 

 and know of about all kinds in use, 

 but I have yet to see or read of a hive 

 that comes up to my idea of one that 

 meets the natural inclination of the 

 bees. I have never used queen-ex- 

 cluders or separators — I have alwaj'S 

 believed them a hindrance to the 

 working of bees. I have always man- 

 aged to get along without them. I 

 have been studying the natural incli- 

 nation of bees, and the more I work in 

 accordance with their nature, the more 

 I can accomplish. I am working on 

 the natural-principle system, and I am 

 succeeding beyond my expectations. 

 I succeeded the past season in getting 

 nice, straight comb honey in sections, 

 free from pollen and bi-ood, even in 

 the brood-chamber, and without using 

 queen-excluders or separators. I used 

 no force work to keep the queen out 

 of the sections, but manipulated ac- 

 cording to the nature of the queens 

 and bees. 



There is a cause for the queen laying 

 in the sections, a cause for the bees 

 putting pollen in the sections, and a 

 cause for the bees making bulged and 

 crooked combs ; and I am making it a 

 special study to try to discover these 

 caasf s, and a remedy for them. I ex- 

 pect in the near future to perfect a 

 system of getting nice, straight comb 

 honey, free from pollen or brood. 

 Such a system I will call the "Natural 

 principle system," as I will work en- 

 tirelj' on natural principles. I expect 

 to be able to get comb honey in either 

 storj' of the hive, without using queen- 

 excluders, separators, or anything of 

 the kind. I believe that it is possible 

 to get honey in sections side by side 

 vnth the brood-combs, without the 

 queen laj'ing in the sections, and with- 

 out using queen-excluders. 



It is because the combs are not ma- 

 nipulated in exact accordance with the 

 nature of the queen and bees, that we 

 get brood and pollen in the sections. 

 The more machinerj' and hindrances 

 in the way of queen-excluders, separa- 

 tors, etc., that we have about the hives, 

 the less honey we will get ; because 

 any S3'stem that is not in accordance 

 with the nature of the bees results in a 

 loss of honey, as it retards the work of 

 the bees. 



This article may bring forth many 

 criticisms ; I cannot expect much else, 

 as I am attacking a system in general 



