92 



THE BEE KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



is a aafe and practical way of supplying 

 stores and is the safest way if the colouies 

 are weak — strong colouies will take supplies 

 from feeders. 



Next in importance to feeding is the mat- 

 ter of protection. In the first place the loca- 

 tion should be a protected one. A wind 

 break of trees, a rise of ground, a tight high 

 board fence, buildings, or a hedge on the 

 north and west, would secure the proper pro- 

 vision. But without doubt the bee-keeper 

 may profitably go farther than this. Stock 

 men have come to the unanimous conclusion 

 that it is more economical to keep their 

 stock warm by means of well-walled quar- 

 ters than by means of fodder and grain. 

 The same rule must hold true in the apiary. 

 The most obvious means of protection, and 

 perhaps the most effective compared with 

 the expense, if one has a supply of empty 

 hives or empty supers without divisions like 

 the old Heddon case, is to place such hive or 

 case over the brood chamber, spread any 

 kind of a cloth over the frames, pack with 

 four or five inches of chaff, sawdust or 

 leaves, and put the cover over all. Good di- 

 visiou boards used for closing the bees up 

 on as few combs as possible, especially if 

 the hives are large and the colonies not very 

 strong, I have found quite advantageous, 

 and if used with packing above, leaves lit- 

 tle to be desired. A rim large enough to 

 cover the entire hive, leaving room for two 

 or three inches of packing on all sides and 

 on top, protected by a good cover, is largely 

 employed, and, on the whole, perhaps noth- 

 ing is better. (Jther simple methods maybe 

 used and will occur to anyone. If bees have 

 been in the cellar the danger is that all meth- 

 ods will be neglected in the hope that there 

 will be no more weather so severe as to be 

 harmful to bees. But almost, if not quite, 

 every year proves this to be a vain hope, and 

 he is a wise man who judges by former sea- 

 sons and not by the temperature of the day 

 on which he removes his bees from thecel- 

 lar. Whatever protection is to be given 

 should be ready before hand and applied at 

 once, or half the possible advantage will be 

 lost. 



There is not much necessity, even at this 

 time of the year, of opening hives and hand- 

 ling combs, and this should not be indulged 

 in to any great extent if one's time is of any 

 special value ; and never except the need is 

 very pressing, unless the weather is warm 

 enough to permit the bees to fly freely, but 



when hives are opened make the most of the 

 operation. Straighten crooked combs, re- 

 place empty combs that are materially de- 

 fective by perfect ones, gather and save the 

 pieces of burr combs and keep an eye out 

 for the condition of the queen and the col- 

 ony. In doing this work don't bend over the 

 hive standing on your feet, not so much on 

 account of the present discomfort as on ac- 

 count of the danger of permanent injury that 

 is likely to result. Always carry and use a 

 light seat fitted to hold the necessary tools, 

 fuel for the smoker, the pieces of wax 

 gathered, queen cages, ifec. 



I want to say in conclusion that with the 

 foundation-fastener described in the March 

 numl)er of the Review, pieces of foundation 

 as large as are desirable can be put into sec- 

 tions without any inconvenience, and 1 

 would have them large enough so as barely 

 to clear the section at the sides and come 

 within a quarter of an inch or less of the 

 bottom, as this secures the thorough fasten- 

 ing of the honey to the section on all sides. 



Lapeek, Mich. April, 189a. 



Why Bee E8capes7[Oufht to be of Greater 

 Capacity. 



R. C. AIKIN. 



TS there yet room 

 1 for imp rove - 

 ment in bee es- 

 capes ? The Por- 

 ter seems now to 

 lead, and I have 

 no doubt is the 

 best yet produced, 

 yet I am confident 

 we can and will 

 have escapes as far 

 in advance of the 

 present Porter, as 

 It IS ar\ead of ihose of five years ago ; and 

 the object of this article is to aid the inven- 

 tors. Will the Porters and other escape 

 men please take note of the points I shall set 

 forth. 



The first condition necessary to the suc- 

 cess of the escape, is to make the bees that 

 are to escape feel that they are cut off from 

 the queen. Suppose I set a super off the 

 hive, but leave it within a few inches of the 

 alighting board. Usually within thirty min- 



