GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
1UI 
majority pass in, the rest will all follow in due I ventilation. That is all the difference required in the 
time, like a flock of sliecp. We would locate *" "'‘“tering, and the saving in honey will 
the old hive while transferring, just back of I ,nore - th#n ,e »“ y aU 3le “ oublc ’ cvcu 11 “ '" k “ tw " 
the new one, but so close to it that the young 
bees will crawl readily to the entrance on 
hearing the hum of their companions. Use 
plenty of smoke in commencing, and you will 
tind them as peaceable as flies when their old 
hive is removed from its stand. 
OI T-VOOU WINTERING IN THE 
4 t LON(; HIVES.” 
ItIKXD NOVICE: Several of my friends having 
fir] - asked my opinion in regard to wintering bees 
r-kl out of doors, in New Idea Hives, I will now en- 
deavor to answer them. 
That they can sometimes be successfully wintered 
in that way, I have no doubt, as in certain seasons 
ihcy seem to winter well under all circumstances, and 
in almost all conditions. I should hesitate about 
advising any one to try wintering many in that way 
until the system has been more thoroughly tested. 
That some have been successful in wintering their 
bees in that way one or two winters, does not prove 
that they will always be equally so. The winter of 
'71 and 72, one of mv friends wintered his 25 swarms 
on the summer stand and did not lose any, although 
that was one of those “blue” winters for bees, fie 
tried the same way the next winter and lost about 
half of his stock, and the rest were so reduced as to 
yield but a small return the next season. Such may 
possibly be the luck of those who try out doo v winter- 
ing in New Idea hives. 
It has been asserted that strong stocks wintered 
out of doors in the “New Idea” Hive, consume no 
more honey in proportion to the number of bees than 
they do in cellar or special depository. Such may be 
the ease in some localities, but all my experience and 
observation, in regard to wintering strong stoeks out 
of doors, have been different. 
Mv father has kept his bees for over 25 years in a 
house built on purpose. It is boarded up outside with 
half inch, and ceiled up inside with matched inch 
lumber, with six inch dead air space. It is divided 
into rooms two feet square and they are about seven 
loot high. The bees never swarm, become very strong 
during the summer, and generally gather a large 
amount of honey, but owing to their numbers, and 
men to carry them in. 
In the fall of '72 I had a number of two story hives 
on which I hud used the extractor, and as the Queen 
had been breeding in both stories, the hives were lull 
of bees almost to overllowing. On the approach of 
winter I put them all in the lower story, gave them 
plenty of upward ventilation, put them in the house 
with the rest, and they wintered as well as any stocks 
in the Apiary. Last fall when I put the bees from 
double width hives in single hives, 1 neglcetcd to give 
them the proper amount of ventilation, and conse- 
quently more of the bees died, and they consumed 
more honey than the ordinary stocks, but in other 
respects they came through in good condition. 
JAMES Boi.in, West Lodi, O. 
EETTEI? TO* “NOVICE.” 
3jj3jjItIENI> N °VICE :-As you request, I will make 
Jgjj l you a report of my Apiary for 1874 up to this 
— J date (Aug. 5th). I began the season with 48 col- 
onies, 31 of my own wintering (all Italians) and 17 of 
blacks bought this spring in box and Quinby hives. 
Ine Quinby hives have been more trouble, and less 
prolit to me than the boxes. I have increased to 
about 70 colonies I guess, but shall cut down to 50 of 
my choicest Queens before going into winter quarters. 
I have taken, up to this date, 1 think some over 1500 
lbs. ol ext’d honey, and 500 lbs. of comb now off, and 
almost ready to come off. About 700 lbs. is from fruit 
and Whitewood blossoms, and the rest all Basswood, 
and the heaviest and brightest I ever saw. This has 
been a poor season with us. The drouth has been so 
severe in this immediate vicinity, that corn is not ^ 
ol a crop, and potatoes nearly as bad. We shall lose 
the Ruck wheat crop for honey at least, though it 
yields an abundance of pollen. I shall look for 2000 
lbs. of honey yet from Bone Set and Golden rod. I 
mean ext‘d of course, or 150 lbs. of comb if you think 
I had better “go for comb honey.*’ I could have had 
all my 500 lbs. off now, if I hail let the forty five hun- 
dred slip from me. I have used 22 of the “New Idea” 
one story hives, with from 20 to 30 combs about 10x13 
and have come to the conclusion that combs and not 
Queens are the basis of an apiary , and that I prefer 
the two story hive for the extractor, as well as comb 
honey in 1 mines or boxes. I can get more honey from 
30 combs and two or three Queens, than from 30 combs 
and one Queen. The three Queens don’t have to be 
2S2SE’ ltfr v q th U e n ,n'thrauah ulcwinte/Vncvc? ' live much longer 
•Y them through the winter. He never j than the "tony idea ’ Queen. 1 have the lumber dry- 
coflect to carry 
? ets as much honey from one of his swarms, as I do 
irom the most of mine. If he could put them in some 
moderately warm place, it would no doubt save a 
large proportion of the honey they consume during 
' e winter, but with the thermometer at from 20° to 
•»<> below zero, the ground freezing to a depth of 2 or 3 
jeet, two thicknesses of boards and one air space are 
, ut !l slight protection, and the bees must consume 
jioney or freeze. Owing to the wide air space, which 
uu*y nave to pass in going out, the bees do not fly out 
as soon as they do out of common hives, during warm 
JP® 1 ' weather during the winter, yet large milli- 
ners ol them perish every winter, and by spring they 
arc* no better than my common swarms wintered in 
h,. “ 0U8e > whilst they consume at least two or 
n ee tunes as much honey. Now, I cannot see whv 
J( iea Hives, with one fourth inch air space, will 
give any better protection than father’s house, with 
'“2 C1 air space. The large number of bees will 
e co . n ^durable heat, but they will produce no 
m S£V h ??i the >’ wil1 in the house. 
tM * “le 1 would not advise any one to risk trying 
Z IT, man y of th eir bees out of doors in New Idea, 
imtM« c Ju any . ot * ler kind of hives, in preference to 
loutoS?* hem in 80me warm place, before they have 
im- e U ! h l ma tter, yet I would not wish to discourage 
“ on \ making such hives, for so far as I have 
in„ ti i 1 ' 11 !' ^ey give good satisfaction, for summer 
ti"i s V lore especially the case where the ex- 
t». n 22,”, they are certainly handier than the 
" ive8 lor that purpose. And aside from the 
'iccimv i nce 11 handling them, and the space they 
lie JinVi ca j U ? ee no reason why bees In them cannot 
hives • * n ” < l° o rs as well’ as those in common 
more’ */ we can winter strong stocks in them 
not, ken»! n /i >m ‘ 11 - v iu “ ( l°ors than out, their size should 
a stiiiiio °, u1, A horse takes up more room in 
Mini ]An. i H g or ekicken, yet few object to sta- 
ci* t)„. ”' on that account. As the swarms are strong- 
'viuteref? , !!J )ei ! a , t,ur 1 c o1 the room in which they are 
•non H^t lower than it should for com- 
eivs, and they must have plenty of upward 
i ing for 30 double story hives, and have 32 “New Idea” 
hives lor sale, at less than cost. Combs cost, well say 
from 50 cte. to $1.00 each, and Queens 10 cts. each or 
taw. James Hkddon, Dowagiac, Mich. 
In answer to a query as to wherein the long 
hives were defective, we rec’d the following: 
I have Iried 22 “New Idea” hives in every way pos- 
sible for the extractor, and And out that bees are 
bound to store the surplus % of every comb full, when 
strung out horizontally, but not so with two stories; 
they will then store in upper set ot combs almost en- 
tirely. j. H . 
We have not observed the trouble mentioned 
above, but our experience has been limited to 
one hive only. We want further reports on 
the matter. Friend Whitson who writes the 
following, seems to have succeeded with them. 
It was written when acknowledging the re- 
ceipt of a double wall, four foot hive that we 
had made for him : 
1 have just got my bee house done, and tilled the 
walls with dirt, but I would be glad to never put a bee 
in it it 1 knew they were as safe out-doors. Some- 
thing that will wait a week while we cut hay and then 
stand out-doors at 20° below zero, while we sit by the 
lire, is what we careless ones must have if we ever 
make it pay. Yes, I must tell you that my bees were 
so nearly played out last soring, that I only transfer- 
red one to the Standard; that one gave me 100 lbs. 
honey In 20 days and 20 lbs. since, and no one of the 
rest did more than half as much. 
J. J. Whitson, Valley Mills, Ind. 
A. A. Kick, of Seville, this Co., has used sev- 
eral of the 4 foot hives this season and says he 
gets three times as much honey from them as 
from the 10 frame hives. 
