4d 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



nailed permanently in place; a strip is nailed 

 on at each side to hold the hive up % of an 

 inch above the board. In the center of each 

 bottom board an opening is made 2x8 inches 

 leading into a funnel-shaped tube which 

 passes downward through a box containing 

 eight inches of packing and extends fifteen 

 inches below the brood nest. At the lower 

 end of this funnel is an opening 1x8 inches 

 for winter ventilation. By means of a slide 

 which is attached to the under side of the 

 bottom-board, the amount of ventilation can 

 be regulated at any time to suit the require- 

 ments of the bees. It may be entirely closed 

 during the working season, and the hive 

 moved close up to the wall of the house in 

 order to save as many steps as possible for 

 the faithful little workers when they labor 

 so hard to gather in the harvest. 



To prepare them for winter, the hives are 

 drawn backward, and a piece of board six 

 inches wide and as long as the width of the 

 hive, is laid across in front and rests down 

 upon the rim of the bottom board upon 

 which the hive rests ; this provides a covered 

 passage-way out. Movable boards prepared 

 for this purpose are placed about eight 

 inches in the rear, in such manner as to 

 form a sort of bin a little deeper than the 

 depth of the hives. Then the space at the 

 back, in front, and between the hives is 

 tilled with sawdust, chaff, or any other suit- 

 able material for winter packing. The hive 

 covers are removed, a piece of cotton cloth 

 is spread over the top of the hive, a folded 

 newspaper is laid on over this cloth, and 

 then a sawdust cushion four or five inches in 

 thickness and of sufiicient length and breadth 

 to extend two inches beyond the wall of the 

 hive on all sides in order to lap well on to the 

 other packing, is placed on over all to com- 

 plete the job. When continuous cold weather 

 sets in, I close the outside entrances as near 

 air tight as I can make them, and draw back 

 the slide in the bottom board to give what- 

 ever ventilation is necessary from below 

 through the afore named funnel. Thus the 

 bees are warmly packed, have plenty of 

 fresh air, and are not exposed to the chilling 

 blasts of the wintry winds. No attempt is 

 made to make the body of this house warm ; 

 on the contrary it is made open and airy in 

 order that there may be no accumulation of 

 moisture inside. The protection for the bees 

 is in the packing around the hives. If, at 

 any time during winter, there comes a time 

 when the weather is suitable, the outside en- 



trance can be opened and let the bees have 

 a flight, and then close them up ag in. By 

 this arrangement bees can be restrained 

 from flying in unsuitable weather in the 

 spring of the year, and possibly thereby pre- 

 vent spring dwindling to some extent. 



My intentions are to have those bees re- 

 main here winter and summer. Of course, 

 the packing will be removed when warm 

 weather comes. I am aware that house 

 apiaries are objected to by some people be- 

 cause when a hive is opened for any purpose, 

 many bees wiil fly inside, and cannot be 

 readily gotten out of the house again. 



To obviate this difliculty, I have provided 

 an opening 4x10 inches directly in front and 

 above the entrance to each hive which can be 

 opened or closed in a moment at pleasure. 

 When manipulating a hive, if this is set 

 open and all other lights excluded, except 

 just enough to enable the operator to see 

 what he is doing, I think that nearly all of 

 the bees which take wing .will fly immediate- 

 ly to this opening and pass out ; and, if any 

 young bees are among them, which have 

 never before been out to take a flight and 

 mark their location, they will find themselves 

 right at the entrance of their own hive and 

 will likely enter there instead of going else- 

 where. 



This house apiary having been built since 

 the close of the last honey season, I have 

 not, therefore, had an opportunity to test its 

 practical merits. Meanwhile, I feel quite 

 sanguine in regard to its utility, and shall 

 take pleasure in reporting results another 

 year. 



Seymour, Wis., 



Dec. 5, 1890. 



Whitewash vs. Paint. 



JOHN HANDEL. 



. IVES painted with lime and ochre, if 

 done right, will last as long as those 

 painted with oil. 

 In the first place, the lime should be 

 slacked, as for plastering, at least a week 

 before use, a month is better. It should 

 have more body than oil paint. The thicker 

 the better, so long as it will spread. By mix- 

 ing yellow and red ocher with it different 

 shades can be given. 



The painting must be done in a damp 

 place, and the work left there for at least 

 one week. The lime should dry as slowly 

 as possible, so that the whitewash will soak 



