96 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



ing of honey over those standing in the hot- 

 test sun. I know of course that in the heat 

 of the hottest days the bees in colonies ex- 

 posed to the full force of the sun are partially 

 driven from the surplus cases, hut it does 

 not follow that any less honey is gathered, 

 and the heated condition of the hive may 

 allow better work to be done in the night, 

 and so bring full compensation. 



One thing I am certain of, and that is that 

 on hot days shade is a grand thing for the 

 apiarist, but shade boards are not the most 

 convenient means of securing it, so I prefer 

 trees. 



With my present information if I were to 

 establish an apiary de novo I would have the 

 ground pretty well studded with low-growing 

 medium sized deciduous trees, — most kinds 

 of fruit trees would be excellent — and I can 

 think of nothing now that would be better 

 than the common red cherry for that pur- 

 pose. They should be trimmed neither too 

 high nor too low, and the branches kept well 

 thinned out. Thus the shade would be 

 moderate ; in the spring the rays of the sun 

 would be little obstructed, and clustered 

 swarms would be easily recovered. 



I have never used any shade-boards prop- 

 erly so-called, and yet sometimes in the hot- 

 test weather out of sympathy for the bees I 

 have practiced artificial shading. I have in 

 my apiary plenty of waiting bottom boards 

 and covers, and in the middle of the day 

 when the temperature is exceptionally high 

 I place one or two of these on the hives most 

 exposed to tlie sun in such a way as to shade 

 most of the top and the suimy side or end. 

 A bunch of newly cut grass or a green bough 

 sometimes serves the same purpose. Beyond 

 this I am not at present prepared to go. 



Lapeee, Mich., June 4, 1881). 



Shade Not Usually Necessary. 



E. M. IIAYHUBST. 



I|OR the past fifteen years or more our 

 j-N bees have stood out on the open lawn 

 /V without natural shade. I liave found 

 it necessary occasionally to supply ar- 

 tificial shade for a few colonies, such as 

 newly hived swarms on sultry days, also col- 

 onies temporarily confined. For this pur- 

 pose extra covers seem to be all that is 

 necessary. • 



Our covers are fiat boards cleated at the 



ends, and covered with good tin, the cleats 



being wider than the thickness of the boards, 



admit of a free circulation of air between. 



Kansas City, Mo. , June :>, 188'.). 



Ventilation Better than Shade.— Why Quilts 



are Preferable with Some Hives. 



J. F. m'intyek. 



WHEN I was inspector of apiaries 

 for this county (Ventura) I visited 

 most of tlie apiaries in the county, 

 and I remember only one aj)iary 

 that was shaded, and I condemned every 

 hive in that apiary except two as foul broody, 

 and the owner burned them tliat evening. 



Come to think, I remember another apiary 

 that had a large live oak tree near the cenire, 

 and nearly every hive under that tree had 

 foul brood. As a rule, we are more troubled 

 with too cool weather than we are with too 

 hot. Sometimes, however, we have a hot 

 spell, when the mercury goes up to lla'' in 

 the shade. I had a lot of shade boards made 

 this spring, L'x8 feet in size, and I4 inch 

 thick, to protect strong colonies during 

 these hot spells. I put them on during one 

 hot spell, but don't think I will ever use 

 them again, it is so much easier, and more 

 effective, to ventilate. Most hives in this 

 country are made with a fiat cover, like the 

 Heddon and Dovetailed, and all the leading 

 bee-keepers have some kind of a cloth be- 

 tween the cover and frames. I use duck or 

 drilling painted with two heavy coats of 

 yellow ochre. They will last well, I don't 

 know how long. I have some five years old 

 that are nearly as good as ever. 



When colonies get too warm and set out, 

 I take a hand full of stones, from ^{ to one 

 irich thick, and go along the backs of the 

 hives and raise the cover and cloth, and jiut 

 a stone between the cloth and hive, which 

 holds the cover up so the air can pass under 

 it, and makes an opening on each side of 

 the stone so the bees can draw the cool air 

 down througli the hive by fanning at the 

 entrance, which will make the bees go in 

 much quicker than a shade board. 



You are mistaken aboiit the bees driving 

 air into the hives, they drive it oiif, and, as 

 nature abhors a vacum, fresh air rushes in at 

 other places. You can prove this by making 

 a hole near the top of the hive, when ttie 

 bees are fanning at the entrance, and hold- 

 ing your smoker below the hole. The smoke 

 will rush into the hive through the hole. ( )r, 

 hold your hand on a level witli the entrance 

 and feel the wind come oitf. 



In 188() I run rJOO colonies and extracted 

 42,000 lbs. of lioney, without any other help 

 than what my wife could give, besides doing 

 her house work, and we usually extracted a 

 ton per day. Do you suppose we could do 

 this and be bothered with shade boards ? 

 No ; nor witliout cloths under the cover, and 

 every other convenience we could tliink of. 

 I can see how you could wrench a cover or 

 honey board off a Heddon hive where the 

 frames are held solid, but how would that 

 work on a hive with tin rabbets, and a bee- 

 space between the end of the top bar and 

 the hive ? This is how it works : Y'ou pry 

 the cover loose from the hive and raise it u]), 

 about an inch, with all the combs hanging to 

 it. having peihaps fifty i)oimds of honey in 

 them ; hold it ui) with your left h-.md, and 

 with some tool in your riglit pry each frame 

 loose, and, as each frame drops, a lot of mad 

 bees rush out. You can't use the smoker 

 and pry the frames loose at the same time, 

 so you let tliem come. AN'hen you get the 

 cover off it is all covered with honey and 

 brace combs, which must be cleaned off or 

 you will kill a lot of bees when it is put back 

 on. With the paiuted duck cloth you lift 

 the cover with your left liand and lay it down, 

 holding the siuoiuM- in >()ur riglit ; then take 

 hold of the ri;,'ht hand corner of the cloth, 

 with your left hand, and pull to the left ; as 



