XIEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEES AND HONEY. 
Vol. II. FEBRUARY 1, 1874. No. II 
HOW TO CONDUCT AN AI*IAHV. 
No. 2. 
We are happy to add that up to this date, 
Jan. 24th, no reports of disease have been re- 
ceived, but as it made its appearance last win- 
ter in many places only after this date, we can- 
not be certain as yet in regard to the matter. 
Our winter has been as yet quite a mild one in 
this locality there having been but three or 
four days when the temperature approached 
zero. As our colonies are unusually weak this 
winter our Bee house has not kept up the tem- 
perature as well as formerly, in fact we found 
it as low as 30° on one occasion and before we 
could start a fire in our stove and warm the 
room up, one of our weakest colonies had died. 
An examination showed clean combs and no 
trace of disease, but the cluster had dwindled 
•down until not half ahandftil of bees were left 
when the low temperature finished them; they 
perished in the midst of clean scaled stores. 
Messrs. Shaw & Son of Chatham, this Co., al- 
so report having lost quite a number under the 
same circumstances and now unite with us in 
pronouncing all attempts to winter Nuclei, but 
a “vexatious bother”. 
We discovered that during very cold weather 
the lower ventilator could be closed entirely 
without bad results, and as this kept the 
room much warmer we consider it best, during 
very cold weather. Our friend Shane, a few 
miles distant, gives the same experience and 
his colonies are many of them quite strong; lie 
also covered the ventilator with a piece of 
cloth to make it perfectly tight. 
With the loss of the “cider fed” colony men- 
tioned on another page, our number now 
counts only 55 instead of 57. 
There seems to be a tendency to an opinion, 
much favored by both Mrs. Tupper and Mr. 
Quinby, that moving stocks during extreme 
cold weather is very injurious, and is sufficient 
to produce dysentery. Such may be the case 
with bees fed on natural stores, but ’tis most 
assuredly not the case with those sugar fed, for 
curs the greater part of them were re-housed 
the last of Feb., last winter when the tempera- 
ture was 4<* below zero; see Gi.eanings for 
March, page 20. No bad results followed and 
no trace of dysentery other than that of some 
weak nuclei that were diseased before in con- 
sequence of being fed late and being too weak 
to seal it up. The Quinby hive with all natu- 
ral stores and, that had not been disturbed in 
any way at all, were badly affected and soon 
died although strong in numbers. 
If Mr. Q. would give the address instead of 
just the county and state, we might write to 
Mr. El wood and ascertain whether those colo- 
onies he mentions as having the disease so 
badly, were fed with the syrup early enough 
in the season to give them a chance to seal it 
up. Even should his experiment have given 
no result in favor of sugar stores it only proves 
that sugar is not always a preventive; the large 
amount of testimony given during the past 
three seasons pointing clearly in favor of the 
sugar, should also be respected. 
We had supposed plain cases plenty, where 
it bad appeared in its worst 'form when the bees 
were housed in the warmest quarters, but we 
shall be agreeably surprised if we find we havo 
been mistaken. In regard to fastening the bets 
in the hives by wire cloth in winter as we have 
described, we are at present decidedly pleased 
with the plan. During warm spells many go 
out in the porticos that fail to get back, but 
with the space below the frames as in the Sim- 
plcity hives we have no such trouble. 
I put my bees Into winter quarters about the 10th of 
November. 1 think they are iu“8pleuditV* condition. 
If the weather is suitable how soon would you advise 
to set them out lor a How warm should the 
weather be in order to cto it with safety '! 
S. K. Newman, Norwalk, Ohio. 
We would not advise putting them out at 
all for a “fly” unless they seem uneasy and im- 
patient of confinement, and not even then un- 
less some very fine weather appears in Jan. or 
Feb. The air should be warm enough for a 
bee to take wing again, even should it alight 
in the shade, or many may be lost in their anx- 
iety to fly after being shut in so long, not be- 
ing able to regain the hive. If stores arc 
wholesome and ventilation proper they can 
endure confinement lor four mouths or more 
as has often, been proven. Warm weather in 
winter is so apt to change suddenly for the re- 
verse that we must consider taking them out 
for a “fly” a risky operation at any time, al- 
though should several quite warm days and 
nights occur in succession ’twould without 
doubt be a gain to give them a taste of t lie 
open air and thus encourage brood-rearing a 
little. 
Taking them out by moonlight in the eve- 
ning would be an excellent way, could we al- 
ways be surf that the ensuing day would be a 
pleasant one, thus giving tliem time to quiet 
down before morning, and obviating the dan- 
ger of their rushing out in a demoralized body, 
without taking the usual points of their home. 
Be sure to give each one their accustomed 
stand for they will remember it under such 
circumstances four months or more. 
