^e 5ee-)\eepeps' |Ae\?ie(jO 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tlqe Interests of Hoiqey Producers 



$1,00 A YEAR. 



W. Z. HOTCHiNSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



VOL XII. FLINT. MICHIGAN, OCTOBER 10, 1899. NO 10 



KfiEPING BEES IN CLAMPS. 



The Advantages and Disadvantages; Ixiili in 

 Summer and in Winter. 



W. Z. Hl'TCHIXSON. 





I 



YEAR ago 

 last summer, 

 when taking a 

 trip through 

 Xo'-thern Michi- 

 gan, I visited the 

 apiary of Mr. 

 ( ). J. Hethering- 

 ton, and took two 

 views of it; both 

 of which are pre- 

 sented herewith. 

 This is the only apiary r have ever seen 

 in which the hives are kept in clamps 

 the year around. The pictures tell the 

 story so completely that little remains 

 for the pen, and what little there is to 

 tell was told so well, several years ago, 

 in Gleanings, by the late Dr. L. C. Whit- 

 ing, that I think it better to copy what 

 he wrote than to attempt to write any- 

 thing my.self. Dr. Whiting said:— 



It mav interest your readers to know 

 how we pack our bees for the winter, and 

 we mav sav summer, 'jk>, as the bees are 



not taken out of the packing when once 

 placed there. When packed, the bees 

 are surrounded on all sides, also top and 

 bottom, with from six to eight inches of 

 ])laner shavings. The packing boxes are 

 made any length convenient. Those I 

 have are i6 feet long, and hold 8 swarms. 

 Some of Mr. Hetherington's are 14 feet 

 in length, and hold 7 swarms. They are 

 3 feet wide. The front is 4 feet high, 

 and the back is 3 feet. 



The upper board at the back is hung on 

 hinges, and turns down even with the top 

 of the body of the hive. The box is cov- 

 ered with a shed roof, which is fastened 

 with hinges to the front, and is covered 

 with felt paper, which stands the weather 

 better than tarred paper. The roof is di- 

 vided in the middle, and is raised up 

 when manipulating the bees. The back 

 board is also cut in two, so that half the 

 box can be opened at a time. 



Two boards are set up edgewise in the 

 box for the hives to rest upon, and a cov- 

 ered passageway S inches wide and half 

 an inch high is made for the bees to pass 

 out and in, on a level with the bottom- 

 board of the hive. 



For convenience, the part under the 

 hives is packed before the hives are set. 

 .\fter tlie hives are set, and the pass- 

 ageway for the bees is adjusted, pack 

 even with the top of the hive. .Vll 

 this packing so far is intended to re- 

 main summer and winter. In packing 

 for winter I prefer boards over the frames, 

 with a two-inch opening for ventilation. 

 This opening we cover with wire gauze, 

 to keep out the mice. Without this open- 

 ing the combs sometimes get damp and 



