[We can give full address to any who may desire, but the writer at
present prefers a nom de plume.—Ed.]
At the risk of having the above sound something like a puff for the
corners, we have decided to give it a place, especially as some
disparaging remarks that have been given might tend towards giving an
impression that the corners hardly deserve. We will cheerfully give
place to anything on the contrary side, coming from any Apiary where
they have been considerably used.
Our friends are in error about Mrs. Tupper using a frame 12×12 _inside_.
Variety of taste has dictated so many different thicknesses of the stuff
composing the frames, that we cannot see how our friend gets rid of
fractions by using _inside_ dimensions as a standard. We have seen end
bars in use _one inch_ in thickness and top bars with a massive comb
guide still thicker. Supposing we all should adopt a uniform size inside
of frame, where would be the outside, and what would be dimensions of
hive to suit? We can readily make metal cornered frames to agree in
outside dimensions, with any frame in use, and this allows them to be
worked in the same hive mixed up with the old ones, thus giving the
owner a fair chance to contrast their lightness, ease in handling, and
at the same time greater capacity for brood and honey, from the larger
comb surface.
We certainly don’t want any of your friend’s “rights” but if you will
send us a sample of his honey box, we will cheerfully help him sell it,
if we think it meritorious. Let _him_ manufacture and supply all demand,
and let his patent papers protect him in so doing. Nice honey boxes
should be made by machinery, and ordinary bee-keepers would prefer to
buy rather than to make them.
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A NOVEL IDEA IN WINTERING.
WITH SOME OTHER IMPORTANT FACTS.
I have used several hives with an outside case filled in between
with straw or leaves, for five or six years. Also hives with double
boarded sides and ends with dead air space between the boards but I
fail to see that they do any better than the single boards. Last
winter a small colony in a hive of ½ inch boards wintered well
without any protection except the quilt covering on top, and the
entrance closed with a piece of wool when the weather was freezing.
I have two small colonies (made up in the fall of my nucleus hives)
in the same hives, and they have stood thus far as well as others.
The only difference that I see, is that they are more apt to fly out
when the sun shines brightly, and need shading.
Another experiment.—I saw it stated that empty space beneath the
bees was of great advantage. Last winter I removed all the frames
from the lower story of a hive and left the colony to winter in the
upper story. They did well, but it was a very fine strong colony and
proves nothing. This winter I have quite a weak colony wintering in
the upper story and doing very well so far.
Third experiment.—Some years ago I was preparing my bees for winter
by removing frames from upper story and putting on quilts. In one
very strong colony the bees remained on top the frames in large
numbers. I pulled off an old wool hat and placed over them and
spread the quilt over that. I found the bees filled the hat and
remained in it all winter. Since then I have used all the old hats I
can find. I notice in some instances that half the bees of the
colony are in the hat. When those in the hat get hungry, and those
below get cold, how nice and easy it is for them to exchange places,
much easier than to go from the outside of the cluster to the inside
over or around the frames—that is, provided that is their way of
doing—for instance, when one little fellow’s feet get cold he goes
inside to warm them, and another little fellow comes out to take his
place. This I believe is the generally received theory. I noticed it
so stated lately by one of our most distinguished bee masters, (M.
Q. in _Am. Agriculturist_). As I never saw any such commotion among
them as would necessarily be the consequence of all this changing in
cold weather, you must excuse me for being somewhat skeptical about.
Has anyone _actually observed_ this continual changing places in
cold weather? Akin to this is another statement we frequently see
made—that the colder the weather the more the bees require to eat to
keep up the animal heat. This is all very nice in theory, but so far
as I have observed, the bees are very quiet and still in cold
weather, and scarcely consume any honey at all. These may be
subjects worthy of investigation. I don’t propose to discuss them
here.
I have experimented some with the Adair-Gallup long idea hive, or
rather “New Idea” long hive. I used two hives three feet long, one
with large frames 13 square—the other with my standard narrow
frames. I gave them the strongest colonies I had, and I must confess
that neither of them gave as much satisfaction as the plain two
story hives. They may not have been long enough (_?_) they did not
swarm and did not fill the few empty frames I gave them.
I am aware that these experiments do not conclusively establish any
particular fact or theory in bee-keeping but they may throw a little
light on some points, and I find them useful in my own practice.
THADDEUS SMITH, Point Peelee Island, Ont., Can.
Friend S. it seems, has the rare good sense to see that single
experiments do not settle a matter by any means. We are quite taken up
with the old hat idea. Get one just large enough to hold your colony,
and keep plenty of sealed honey below them, and they will be in the
_best possible_ wintering trim, if we know aught of bees. We once
wintered a colony without any honey board. We supposed they had been
given the ordinary allowance with the rest but may have been mistaken.
They were out of food before March, but they had commenced to rear brood
briskly—rather in advance of the rest.
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