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Building a Bee-Honse. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query 560.— 1. I propose to build a bee- 

 cellar in the following, manner : My apiary is on 

 hiKh. sandy land, and descends about l foot in 15. 

 Commence on the lower side and excavate on a 

 level 4x5 feet for the entrance-way, witli an outer 

 and an inner door. Then excavate 27 feet and 2 

 inches^hy 7 feet and 8 inches, for the cellar proper. 

 Build a sod wall on the margin of the cellar l toot 

 in thlclineBS, and in heiglit 7 feet from the bottom 

 of the cellar. Build a second wall outside of the 

 first, with 10 incites of air-space between tiiem. 

 The plates to support ttie shingled roof are to rest 

 on cedar posts eet in the ground outside, and on a 

 level with the sttil walls. Cut gains in plates for 

 joists to support a double floor overhead, covered 

 with 2 feet of sawdust. The outside of the poets are 

 to be rough boarded. It will have no windows, and 

 be ventilated with two 3-incli iron pipes, one passing 

 through the wall near the door 1 foot above the 

 cellar bottom, leading into the open air, and the 

 other Just passing through tlie floor overhead, from 

 the attic above. Will such a repository be a suitable 

 one for wintering bees?- Mich. 



Yes. — H. D. Cutting. 



I should think so. — G. L. Tinker. 



Yes, if dry.— Dadant & Son. 



I think it would J. P. H. Bko\\':n. 



It will do nicely. — C. H. Dibbekn. 



As I understand your description, it 

 certainly will. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



I see no reason why it would not 



Edgene Secor. 



Yes ; but I think you can dispense 

 with one-half of the sawdust.— Mrs. L. 

 Harrison. 



Yes, but I would have the ventila- 

 tors so arranged that they could be 

 closed and opened at will. — A. B. 

 Mason. 



I have no experience with cellar or 

 in-door wintering of bees, and so I am 

 not prepared to give an opinion. — M. 

 Mahin. 



I always winter mj' bees on the sum- 

 mer stands, so I have no practical 

 knowledge on the subject. — J.E.Pond. 



I have to leave this Query to those 

 who have experience with cellar-win- 

 tering, as in the South we have no use 

 for them for wintering bees. — P. L. 



VlALLON. 



If I understand you, your building 

 will be a house rather than a cellar, 

 as the bottom is only about 2 feet be- 

 low the surface of the ground at the 

 deepest part. Something more under- 

 ground, I think, would be better. — C. 

 C. Miller. 



I should say that it would answer 

 very well, but at the present time I 

 think that the iron pipes for ventila- 

 tion are not necessary. Three years 

 of experience tells me that such a cel- 

 lar needs no special ventilation, more 

 than comes through the ground.— G, 

 M. Doolittle. 



It all depends upon how thoroughly 

 the work is done. I should not want 

 to put bees in it until some one else 



had tested it. It is too much above 

 ground, and sod walls, I fear, are too 

 unstable. Make a radical change in 

 your plan. — R. L. TiTLOR. 



Yes, and if they do not have the 

 diarrhea, which depends mainly upon 

 their food, they will come out in first- 

 rate condition in the spring. — James 

 Heddon. 



Such an arrangement in this climate 

 would be so damp that everything 

 would mold and decay in a very short 

 time. In your Michigan climate, where 

 the air carries less moisture in winter, 

 your repositoiy may winter bees all 

 right. — G. W. Demaree. 



I think that the cellar described 

 would be a good one, if you can keep 

 the rats and mice out of it. The ven- 

 tilating tubes seem small to me. I 

 would prefer them 6 inches in diame- 

 ter, with a contrivance to entirely 



close them in zero weather J. M. 



Shuck. 



I should think so. The thing to be 

 gained is to keep the temperature 

 above 38°. I have now wintered bees 

 several years without loss. Last win- 

 ter my cellar was down to 28°, and for 

 weeks below freezing, and the loss 

 was great. Cellars must be frostproof. 

 — A. J. Cook. 



To dig deeper and have something 

 more substantial than sod-walls, would 

 be preferable — making it more of a 

 cellar than a bee-house. The venti- 

 lating tubes should be so made that 

 thej' can be closed or opened when de- 

 sired — and they are also too small. — 

 The Editor. 



Position or Bee-Spaces- 

 Boards, etc. 



-Honey. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query 561.-1. In using T-supers without 

 a hone>-b()ttrd, which Is preferable— to have 

 the bee-space made in the top of tbo brood- 

 apartment, or in the bottom of the case y 2. 

 Wbatliindof a honey-board do you prefer? 

 3. How much space should there be between 

 the ends ol the top-bars and the hive, to guard 

 as much as possibe aKaicBt the bees fastening 

 the ends to the hive?— M. 



1. I prefer the bee-space at the bot- 

 tom of the section-case. — J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



1. There is no diflerence. 2. A 

 slatted queen-excluding honej'-board. 

 3. Three-eighths of an inch. — A. J. 

 Cook. 



1. In the bottom of the case. 2. 

 Wood slats with zinc queen-excluders 

 between. 3. Five-sixteenths of an 

 inch. — A. B. Mason. 



1. I prefer the bee-space in the top 

 of the brood-chamber. 2. If I have a 

 honey-board at all, I prefer one com- 

 posed of slats. 3. See Query 554, on 

 page 422.— M. Mahin. 



I know nothing of the matter prac- 

 tically, as I have never used them. — J. 

 E. Pond. 



1. On top of the brood apartment. 

 2. The slatted break-joint of wood. 3. 

 Five-sixteenths of an inch. — Mrs. L. 

 Harrison. 



1. I prefer the space in the bottom 

 of the case. 2. The Tinker improved 

 wood-and-zinc. 3. One-thirt3--second 

 in this locality. — H. D. Cutting. 



1. At the top of the brood apart- 

 ment. 2. Perforated zinc. 3. Thej" 

 will stick their glue more or less at 

 any distance. — J. M. Hambadgh. 



1. I use the bee-space at the top of 

 the brood-chamber. 2. Wood and zinc 

 combined. 3. I use 1-32 of an inch — 

 G. M. Doolittle. 



1. At the top of the brood-apart- 

 ment ; but I would not use them with- 

 out a honey-board. 2. The Heddon 

 slat honey-board. 3. One-sixteenth of 

 an inch, and let them fasten. — C. C. 

 Miller. 



1. At the top of the brood-apart- 

 ment. 2. The Heddon slat break- 

 joint until swarming, then a queen- 

 excluder on the swarm. 3. Bee-space, 

 or i of an inch. — Eugene Secor. 



1. Either will do, and there is but 

 little diffei-enoe in handling. 2. A 

 slatted board with 3-16-inch spaces be- 

 tween the slats. 3. See Query 554. — 



C. H. DiBBERN. 



1. I would prefer to have the spaces 

 at the bottom of the case, although it 

 is generally used the other way ; but 

 either does not make any diflerence. 



2. A perforated-zinc honey-board. 3. 

 Three-eighths of an inch — P. L. Vial- 



LON. 



1. I do not think it would make any 

 difference. I would not want to use a 

 T-super without a honey-board. 2. I 

 prefer a wood-and-zinc honey-board. 



3. Not over 1-lti of an inch. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



1. I would prefer it in the bottom of 

 the case, if I could use no honey-board. 

 2. I prefer the slatted honey-board 

 described on page 297. 3. Make the 

 top-bars of the frames pointed, and 

 allow them to just touch the enils of 

 the hive. — J. M. Shuck. 



1. So far as results are concerned, 

 consult your tastes ; but how could j'ou 

 easily put a cover on a brood-chamber 

 full of bees, w^ith no space over the 

 frames ? 2. The Heddon slatted 

 honey-boartl with strips of queen-ex- 

 cluding zinc between the slats. 3. I 

 prefer 1-32 of an inch. — R. L. Taylor. 



1. I prefer to have half of the me- 

 chanical bee-space at the bottom and 

 top of the cases ; and have the top of 

 the brood-chamber reduced to half the 

 usual bee-space. 2. A horizontal di- 



