GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



G9 



OVH. MUD HUT ETC. 



f^Vvive requested to tell lUvough Gr.KANiscis 

 MV:: ie constructed our nnul hut. w^U.h w.. 

 i^ spoken of on page 8 January No. ^^^ hav c a 

 small knoll near our bee yard, into which we dug a 

 h?iel8Ltlong,7leetwide ami 8 leet deep at the 

 :; and3>i in front. We then dug a trench or 

 drain all round it, which is 10 inches deep at back 

 corned and 16 at front, bo to make the bottom dry if it 

 :rshould become so wet that water came into it 

 We nest Get on each side 4 posts 4xb inchcfe in the 

 Touom of trench, setting them 6 inches deeper than 

 the drain, and then liHed the drain with small stones. 

 Next we nailed to sides of posts inch hemlock board 

 ui to the topof posts, which were ^^^^^^^ZZ 

 bottom. On top of these posts we nailed 2x0 hemlock 

 for pTates. Then put on rafters 2x(i giving the 

 ioofr pitch. To put in the back end, we 

 sptked to each end post, three '-'xS scanthng, and 

 o'these nailed the same kind of boards the slcU.s are 

 made of only they run up and down while the sides 

 maae oi, u.. i y .-alters are 2 feet apart and are 

 ■were horizontal, ihe laiteis aiu .- i^ i 

 covered with the same kind of boards lor roo as the 

 side. The front end is male by placing 2 posts - fee 

 from each side (which leaves 3 leet between them foi 

 a door way) from the ground to rafters, nailing boards 

 'o them and to corner posts. Four feet farther in 

 front are set two more posts, and boards arc nailed 

 from doorway posts to these on each side and over 

 head. Now lill in with dirt till wc come to the lOOt. 

 Then put on the roof, G inches of straw, then a toot o 

 dirt. Then 6 inches more of straw and another toot 

 of earth, also the same around and over the doorway. 

 It will be seen that there is no place with less than 3 

 feet of straw and earth. For doorway we use an in- 

 ner door, an outer door and one between the two, 

 which makes 3 doors with two dead air spaces of two 

 feet each. For ventilation we use 2 tubes made by 

 nailing 4 boards 8 inches wide together so as to make 

 a 6x8 inch hole through it. The bottom one is 12 leet 

 long and is put in the ground below frost so as to 

 warm up the air before it gets into the hut. Upper 

 one is the same size and at the opposite end. by 

 making 2 elbows on each one it will entirely exclude 

 llie light To know the temperature we have a tube 

 go through one side of the roof through which ve let 

 down a thermometer, which is examined every day 

 and the temperature need not vary more than 2 de- 

 grees all winter. The cost of such a hut need not ex- 

 ceed $40. and will hold 75 stocks. 



CHAFF I'AOKINO ANI> SPREADING BKOOU. 



AVill Novice please tell us when fruit trees go out of 

 blossom in Ohio ? Townly tells us on page 5 to leave 

 our bees packed with chafl' undisturbed till after fruit 

 blossoms, and Novice says Townly i-eferred only to 

 chaff packing before the first of May." 



We think if Novice's (iuinby hive had bfcen here in 

 York State he would have had to let the bees fly by 

 taking off the covers, if they flew at all. as the snow 

 was 4 feet deep all over our yard. We are willing to 

 sacrifice a little of our time when it comes a warm 

 <lay for the pleasure it affords our bees in having a 

 jubilee, and as far as we can see they are just as 

 ready to fly from the top of the hive as tliey are from 

 Ihe botton^ after we have spent V'^'^nooLxTZE 

 Ing away snow. &. M. UooLUii-i.. 



Borodino, N. "i., ieb. mh, 18(,. 

 Fruit trees blossom here about the midflleof 

 May, and if the hives were covered with snow 

 until that time, we really believe we shou d 

 risk them without a fly, if they cotikl not lly 

 without shoveling snow, or lifting covers. 



With us the snow thaws next the hive very 

 soon, and the b.es sometimes t^rawl up the 

 side of the hive to get out, and go l^/^cR safe y 

 the same way. We certainly cannot '^^^^ord U 

 fuss with the entrances at every unusual 

 change of the weather. At present— 1 eb. ..Ml— 

 nothing can be nicer, than the way the bees 

 have wintered in chaif hives, arid aU o„^ 

 the entrances have been open lull width all 

 winter, no dead i)ees are found, no trost has 

 been seen inside, and the amount of stores con- 

 sumed, will certainly compare favorably with 

 anything we have ever seen with house or cel- 

 lar wintering. They have had no care a"d 

 will need none, until they commence to gathei 

 honey. 



FOUI.BKOOD; KEOTEDV FOR. 



s^rll ARLY in the spring 4 years ago, I had a small 

 m stock of bees in an L. hive. They di.l not in- 

 ^^ crease for some cause, and I gave them broo> 

 from other stocks, but with no good result. At last I 

 found that the brood was dead, and the young larva; 

 being turned into a dark gray matter smelling very 

 badlv. By this time I examined my bees fully and 

 found that 13 of my best stocks were aftected with this 

 disease. This brought much alarm to me at that time, 

 notknowingthedisease; so I enquired of my brother 

 bee menbuuo no use. I got bee '-oks and journals 

 and in them found the disease described, but they 

 could tell me no cure. One said to use carbolic acid 

 I experimente.1 by taking all this comb from one but 

 such as were filled with honey, and cleansing hive ana 

 comb with carbolic acid, but failed. I then tried chang- 

 ing the bees to a clean hive and gave them dry comb, 

 and in that I failed. I t^ied the third time by taking 

 the bee. to a clean hive and waiting 40 hours till they 

 consumed all the honey they had with them, and 

 that proved a success. In the fall I transferred all 

 the bees that were affected with this disease m same 

 way waiting 40 hours, and then gave them 4 combs 

 well filled with honey, and the next spring the> 

 were all cured. About this time. P. Byseker had 

 6 swarms affected with this disease, and he cured 

 them in the same way. Almost 4 years have passed 

 and yesterday I was at his place. He had 15 swarms 

 in the bee house and I helped him take them out; 5 

 were dead, 4 weak, and 1 had 3 frames all filled wit.i 

 foul brood, and there being only about a quart of 

 beeslelt we killed them at once. Now the worst 

 comes; as this swarm was very heavy he took one 

 rack of honey and placed it in some other swarm and 

 now does not know which one. Please inform me 

 what course to pursue to find where the rack is, lor J 

 am confident that the swarm that has the rack will 

 get diseased in the spring or early in the summer. 

 Mv opinion is that the disease was caused by dysen- 

 tery, for the bee house was built last fall and every 

 thing was too green and damp. 

 AVent into winter quarters with 98 swarms of bees ; 

 I 21 in house where they can fly at any time fney choose 

 '>n In cellar 31 in uce house, 3 in dry gooab Doxes 

 nackedn sawdust, and 23 on summer stands or rath- 

 er in a tempoTarv bee house made of one thickness ot 

 boanll w^l^re they can fly at th<-ir leisure n^P/^l"!? 

 ! 1 will tell you how Uiey get along. H. Knapi . 



Warren, Penn., Feb. 16th, l»li. 

 We fear you will have to wait until the dis- 

 ease appears, before you can lind the frame so 

 carelessly risked in another colonJ^ We 

 ' think you in error about dysentery leading to 

 foul brood. Tell ns how the temporary house 

 ! apiary winters, by all means. 



