THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



95 



are us^ed, propolis is employed and brace- 

 couibs are built : and I fam-y you do not yet 

 your honey-board back much nearer the 

 same position, each time it is removed, than 

 I do my ([uilt. Whether you do or not, even 

 prcsstii-c will not generally get it back so 

 near the surface upon vvhicli it rested, as it 

 was before lemoval. I have tried it suffi- 

 ciently with section racks, ami cases witli sep- 

 arators, and, so far as I have used honey- 

 boards, the rule holds yood with them. If 

 I did not keeit scrapiuy the honey-boards, or 

 the Heddon covers, the same as I do the 

 other pieces mentioned, I would eventually 

 have a double bee-space in one. 



In warm weather, the honey-board may, 

 perhaps, be taken off witli less jar than the 

 quilt can be removed, but, in cooler weather, 

 the reverse is oftener the case. At aiiy time 

 I can remove the iiuilt so ([uickly that all the 

 "snaps, and sputters, and tears " are resolv- 

 ed into uiic, and no appreciable jar is com- 

 municated to the bees ; at least, no more 

 than the shock of surprise will offset. 



But tiie great charm of the quilt remains 

 to be mentioned. A cover, or honey-board, 

 must be removed all at nnce, leaving the 

 bees free to boil out if they feel so disposed ; 

 while a quilt may be turned up at either end, 

 or side, or corner, leaving the rest undis- 

 turbed. Tliis feature is often a great help 

 in managing intractable hybrids, or any 

 other strain of bees at certain seasons. It 

 must also be of considerable importance in 

 case we are called ui)on to work with the 

 bees in cool spring weather, or at any time 

 when we desire to conserve every particle of 

 heat that is generated. 



Mechanicsbukg, III. 



May 18, 188'J 



Shade Needed, but Must be Temporary, and 

 Removable at Will. 



B, M. \01iK. 



''yCi '^^ '*■ "o^i*'^ ''* bee-keeping, away in 

 Uj) 8uuuy South Florida, amid the cab- 

 tJ^ bage i)alms and alligators, but add my 

 mile to — the — waste basket. 



We should shade our bee-hives, because 

 the more contfortable the bees, the better 

 tliey can and will work. By observing close- 

 ly the actions of the bees, at the entrance, we 

 liud them trying to drive a draught of air 

 through the liive, and if tliey are forming 

 clusters, and beginning to hang out, it cer- 

 tainly indicates a want of comfort inside the 

 hive. When to shade the bees, differs with 

 different localities. Here in South Florida 

 I prefer to have the hives, containing strong 

 colonies, shaded by the first of May. ^Vin- 

 tering on summer stands, as we do, I can 

 but thiuk tiie sun beneficial from October to 

 May. 



It may seem like a little thing, but we 

 iiuist be faithful in little things, and take 

 shade to and from the bees, changing the 

 same as we do our clothing, to meet the 

 proper conditions of temperature. 



Some will claim that the low prices of 

 honey will not allow so much labor to be ex- 

 pended on temporary shade, and ii'^-ist on 

 permanent shade. But if we wish the best 



conditions possible to obtain the greatest 

 amount of surplus, must we not work and 

 manipulate shade boards, as well as surplus? 



I prefer a shade which I can handle or 

 manipulate to suit reciuirements. I have 

 been exi)erimentiug during the past few 

 weeks with one strong colony, and one 

 nucleus with regard to sun and shade. By 

 allowing the sun's rays to strike the side of 

 the hives, between two and three o'clock 

 ( the top of hives being shaded ) I could force 

 the bees of the strong colony to begin to 

 cluster, and "blow," inaboutthirty minutes, 

 and they would return in about the same 

 time when I applied the shade. The nucleus 

 did not seem to be affected, but it was on the 

 other side of the hive, from the sun, and 

 quite a space between the division board 

 and side of hive. 



Ghove City, Fla., May 25, 1881). 



Shade, or No Shade T 



EUGENE SECOB. 



§HADE; unless the apiary is located in a 

 cool, airy place. In that case, it is not 

 necessary if the hives are painted a 

 light color, and the entrance is suffi- 

 ciently large. 



If the apiary is located on a sunny slope, 

 sheltered also by trees or other high obstruc- 

 tions on the north, or is in a valley where 

 the air does not circulate freely, or in a cli- 

 mate where there are a great many hot days, 

 the hives ought to be shaded. How ? By a 

 shade-board, — the cheapest, the best. Why 

 best ? Becattse it can be left off in the spring 

 and fall or in cool weather when we want 

 the hives to get the direct rays of the sun, 

 and can be put on when needed. 



Is it ever needed 'i Yes. Bees can no 

 more work in the hive when too hot than 

 when too cold. Proper shade will increase 

 the working force by diminishing the ten- 

 dency to '• loaf." 



FoKEST City, Ia., May 31, 1889. 



The Necessity for Shade is Doubtful. 



B. L. TAYLOE. 



^I^'^V^'ILL it pay to shade them ? you 

 ^ ■'^JI'V ask. I cannot do much more than 

 (^ ' say in tlie phraseology of Dr. Mil- 

 ler : That's what I would like to 

 find out. I have never yet been able to con- 

 vince myself that it pays to provide any 

 contrivance specially for the purpose of 

 shade. The expense and cumbersomeness 

 of so many extra "traps" and the additional 

 labor involved in their use constrain me to 

 wait for information. I have as yet no reli- 

 able evidence that the profit of colonies is 

 decreased by the heat of the sun. My home 

 apiary is so situated that different colonies 

 have dift'ering degrees of shade and sun from 

 the dense shadow of tlie low-branching apple 

 tree to the almost doubled heat of the sun in 

 shadeless protected corners, yet I have never 

 had a comb melted down nor have I been 

 able to discern that those with any degree of 

 shade ever enjoy any advantage in the stor- 



