1876 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



11:'. 



last chapter \vc had not been through the 

 house ai)iary since March 11, (now is Apr. 11th) 

 and as we then put scaled honey close to every 

 colony, we had no thought tliat any more 

 would die, even though March was a wintry 

 month. But in accordance with the resolution 

 then taken, we went to work at them even 

 though it was after o'clock at night, and you 

 may imagine our feclinsrs on discovering that 

 of the oG hives only 18 contained live bees. 

 Manj"^ of them liad starved with sealed honey 

 plainly visible through the glass division 

 boards, and a few had really used every pai-ti- 

 cle in the hive, and then lay dead in great 

 heaps that seemed to say "why did you, with 

 so much care and pains, bring us into exist- 

 ence, only to let us die in such a shameful way 

 just as the gentle April Ijree/.es were l)eginuing 

 to call us ibrth to activity?" Certain it is that 

 many more bees have died in the house apiary 

 this spring than out-doors, l)at we tlnnk if the 

 sun had l)een allowed to shine through the 

 glass doors, as we proposed when building it, 

 this could not have happened. We did not do 

 this, as you know, because the l3ees got out on 

 the windows; and we did not lix the luves, 

 because we were too busy with the comb-foun- 

 dations, etc. We went as straight as we knew 

 how for the lump sugar, and before going to 

 bed had sugar over every one of the remaining 

 IS clusters of bees. And to make more sure, 

 the lamp nursery was lighted and the room 

 kept all night, above 40", even tliougli it was 

 I)elow 30" outside. Next morning we went at 

 the hives at 5 o'clock, and by the time the sun 

 was up had its full rays coming in at the 

 cast glass door, which soon raised the temper- 

 ature to over 60". After considerable study 

 we have succeeded in fastening the bees in to 

 our satisfaction ; and the whole house apiary 

 is working so beautifully now, that we will 

 explain it by a diagram. We should add that 

 to make assurance doubly sure, we have deci- 

 ded to feed them now for next winter, or at 

 least we are going to try for once, and see 

 what too much stores will do. As we shall 

 probably use the house apiary for comb honey, 

 it will do no hurt if their combs ttre all tilled 

 with sugar syrup when clover blossoms, for 

 they will then have to put their honey all in 

 the section boxes. The house apiar}'^ has eight 

 sides, and as the east and west are occupied 

 with the large double doors, we have six sides 

 for hives, and each side has six hives ; three on 

 the floor, and three on a shelf about three feet 

 high. If the ceiling were seven feet high, we 

 could u.se three tiers very well for comb honey, 

 but if you wish to use the extractor, it might 

 cau.se some inconvenience. Let the line A, B, 

 represent the shelf that forms the bottoms of 

 the hives on any of the six sides, and C, D, E, 



C D E F 



A B 



F, represents the upright boards fastened to 

 this shelf and to the wall, that form the ends 

 of the hives, and separates them from each oth- 

 er. On the upper edge of each board are a 

 pair of the metal rabbets for supporting the 

 frames ; the backs, or highest portions, being 

 tight against each other, as seen at D, and E, 



so that the ends of the frames from one hive 

 are separated from those of the next, by only 

 two thicknesses of tin. Now as the walls of 

 the building form the back of the hive, a'ld the 

 glass division boards the front, our hive is all 

 enclosed except the top. Our first idf a was to 

 cover them with a nice woolen blanket ; but 

 on trying a fev/, we found they would eat holes 

 through the thickest woolen goods we could 

 get; and vre llnally were obliged to adopt the 

 duck or canvas that we have before spoken of 

 for feeders, and which has caused so much an 

 noyance by allowing them to get out, along the 

 rabbets. Well, when we set .seriously about 

 it, we succeeded by having an extra covering 

 to the hives, underneath the one that falls down 

 over the glass in front, and this under cover i^ 

 made in two pieces that lap over each other, 

 each being fastened permanently between the 

 rabbets. In opening a hive, the top cover is 

 removed, and the pieces that lap, are then 

 thrown one to the right, the other to the left, 

 over the hives on each side. Now the nice 

 point is that all the bees that wander over thi' 

 sides of the hive are on these covers, and when 

 the hive is closed, they are all turned right 

 over on the frames ; we can also stand the 

 frames against the wall with their lower ends 

 resting on these covers, when making examin- 

 ations, and yet when the hive is closed, all 

 stragglers are gathered up, so that we can 

 open the hive adjoining, if we choose, without 

 any danger of mixing. Our house apiary i> 

 now all in such neat trim that it is a pleasure 

 to work in it, either by lamp or day light; all 

 the dead bees are removed, combs brushed up 

 and nicely put away, brood nicely under way, 

 and all prosperous under the influence of plen- 

 ty of food, and an even warm temperature: 

 and that is the "little victory" we have 

 achieved over a disposition to shirk important 

 duties after their novelty has ceased to render 

 them interesting. Two colonies have been 

 united with others, because they were quetn- 

 less, and so we have only 16 now in the house 

 apiary. As we have managed, this present 

 winter, the house apiary has wintered just 

 about as well as those left out-doors, and no 

 better. They perhaps reared more brood, as 

 there were great heaps of dead bees, where 

 there was but a small colony last fall, and that 

 was why they starved; those out-doors did 

 not starve, because they did not rear brood 

 and exhaust their stores. With the experience 

 we have had, we certainly ought to be able to 

 do better next time. 



CAAPTER XX. 



PATENTS. 



fT would be sad, if we should not get out in- 

 I to the door-yard at all this month, but 



some of our friends say they don't care a cent 

 for clothes lines, and iront door steps — 1 should 

 have had them all flxed up in apple pie ordei^ 

 if they hadn't interrupted — but want to know 

 about the comb tbundations, and several other 

 "family troubles'" that I fear I shall only make 

 worse by stirring up. 



I have for many years, been vehemently de- 

 nouncing the plan of selling rights to make 

 any thing in the shape of implements for bee- 

 ciilture, and I suppose the great mass of you 



