Part 2

_Feb. 15th_—Still zero weather. The forcing house is so completely covered with ice that even the noonday sun scarcely has an effect on it. In Jan. _Am. Agriculturist_, Mr. Quinby describes the behavior of bees in cold weather, and also reiterates the statement made last season that the solid portion of the honey they eat during winter is evacuated in a dry state, and may be found on the bottom board of the hive, when the bees are in health. As soon as the paper was received we commenced some experiments to determine (as we supposed) the truth of the matter. We soon decided that Quinby was utterly wrong in both, and prepared to write a severe criticism. We are sincerely glad we did not for the spirit that was then prompting, was more a disposition to show that Mr. Q. was in error, than to get at the truth _whereever_ it might lie. What we did was to raise a hive up from the bottom board, remove cover and quilt and subject them to severe cold weather. Although the colony (nucleus rather) contained not more than a quart of bees, they seemed to bear this without detriment. A sheet of white paper was placed under the cluster, and after a few hours the brown particles that had accumulated were examined. We thought then there was nothing there but bits of comb, propolis etc., but a more candid examination since has convinced us that, in some hives at least, the bees do void their excrement in a dry state, and perhaps they always do in perfect health. The second point was to see how the bees behaved when it was cold; strange to tell they did not behave at all. They were simply, perfectly still, “dead as door nails,” as Gallup used to say. We approached on tip-toe, and examined them by day light, and by lamp light, but it was all the same. We fixed our eye on a single bee, and watched it until our teeth chattered, but it seemed perfectly comfortable on the outside of the cluster. When the temperature became lower, quite a hum came apparently from the center of the cluster, but we could see no movement that should produce this; the bees that were visible, did not move their wings, and did not change places. Now then, when do these bees get food, and if they change about, why could we have not seen _just one_ in the act of so doing? We confess we do not know, will some one else help? During the experiment once or twice, a bee would crawl out of the cluster and fly off in the cold and fall down and die. We then took a distant position, and saw the same phenomena, and from the number of bees found scattered about, we think it occurs about the same whether they be disturbed or not. A bee that is sick crawls out of the cluster, and out of the hive if he can, and dies. As they die thus, most in the forcing house, we may infer that brood rearing aggravates the trouble, or what is more probable _to us_ is, that sudden and wide changes of temperature, such as we always have in the spring are severe on bees as well as on vegetation. The forcing house varies from 40 to 70°, now, almost daily. If this be true, our bees had better be kept in doors until April, or even later, if we can manage to do so; and those using the cold frames, should keep them covered and dark, except at intervals, until the days get pretty warm. All colonies have a pretty fair patch of brood, in the forcing house, it is true, but the old ones are dying off so fast, we fear we are gaining little.

_Feb. 16th_—Found Queen in lamp nursery dead on bottom. The bees looked bright and all right, and she looked natural, except that her body was somewhat distended. Our utter helplessness, in the matter is illustrated in the following:

During the last three winters, I have suffered heavy losses, and the matter has been a great puzzle to me. My reports of the last three seasons would have been much better, had my bees wintered well. I have for the last six winters kept my bees in an exceeding dry cellar, with an average temperature for the whole time of about 37°. For three winters they did well, then came disaster. To my mind, none of the causes and methods or theories advocated cover the whole ground or seem absolute remedies for this fatality in wintering. I firmly believe that it was an epidemic (or perhaps more properly an “apidemic”) sent by Providence for purposes His own. The most curious part in my experience is that stocks so nearly alike that I could detect no _slight_ difference in quality, were affected so differently—one dying or becoming very weak while the other wintered in fine condition.

J. H. NELLIS, Canajoharie, N. Y. Feb. 10th, ’75.

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REPORT FROM L. C. ROOT.

EDITORS GLEANINGS:—You ask me to report results of the past season. I started last spring with 100 swarms, thinking this about the number one man should attend to, and considering it about as many as should be kept in one place, especially as there are over 150 swarms within one mile of us.

After placing bees on their summer stands which I did about the middle of April, my first business was to remove all combs except those occupied by the bees. Number of combs left in would vary from 3 to 7 giving space in hive to be kept warm according to quantity of bees. And here let me say that no one thing helped me more towards success, than did the Quinby frame, by the use of which I could contract or enlarge space in brood chamber at pleasure.

The yield of honey from willow, apple, raspberry, and clover was light. My principal business up to the first of July was taking combs filled with brood from strongest swarms to help weak ones, and filling their place with empty combs. Basswood commenced blossoming about the 20th of July. Then came our flush. I increased my stock to 123 swarms.

Whole amount of box honey 3000 lbs. Whole amount of extracted 7271 lbs. ————— Total 10271 lbs.

Have in winter quarters 121 swarms. So far they seem to be in fine condition.

Mohawk, N. Y. Feb. 1st, 1875.

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QUINBY HIVE.

The following in regard to the Quinby hive is just at hand.

You say on page 15 that “in justice to ourselves we would smile to see the person who would dare undertake to find the Queen or extract the honey from a dozen Q. hives as quickly as we could from a like number of our suspended frame hives.” _I_ would smile to see yourself, or any one else undertake to do it one-half as quickly as some half dozen I could name. Again, on same page, “where one has plenty of leisure Mr. Quinby’s cheap hive has many advantages, and we may be mistaken about the time needed by an expert to open and close these hives.” Now would it not be candid to say that Mr. Hetherington, Mr. Elwood, Mr. Van Deusen, and Mr. L. C. Root, have as much sense as common folks. Now what can be the object of using said hive, when hundreds have to be looked after if there was nothing to be gained from it. It is necessary for Mr. H. to work fast, if it is for any one. It is his business. He has used box, straw, and modification of Langstroth—has a thousand dollar’s worth on hand, that he does not use, now. To suppose that he has thrown aside all this property without being quite sure he can work with greater facility with the hive he is using is paying his judgment a poor compliment.

M. QUINBY, St. Johnsville, N. Y.

It seems to us Mr. Q. writes a little unkindly, but perhaps we deserve it. In a matter of so much importance there should be no arguing, and no strife. Even should there be a test trial of the two hives, made by two experts, the result would be of little use to our rising bee-keepers. The question is, how will the people at large succeed best. At present we really know of no better way than for those who are undecided, to try one hive of each kind; what suits your neighbor exactly, may not suit you. Our having the Corners for sale, should make no difference in our opinion, and we try not to let it, but we cannot help wondering if Capt. Hetherington has ever tried a hive with these Corners.

In the _Am. Agriculturist_ for Feb., the Quinby hive is described with illustrations. The frame differs a little from the one we described last month, in having the top bar also, dropped a little below the ends of the side pieces; also, the top and bottom bars are both alike and lighter. Dimensions there given are, uprights, 11×1½×½. Top and bottom, 18⅜×⅜, cut from inch boards. Ends are nailed firmly with finishing nails into top and bottom but projecting beyond them as has been mentioned, ¼ inch. The hoop iron hooks to hold the frames in an upright position, if they be used, can probably be bought cheaper of Mr. Q. than they can be made. The sides and top of the hive are made of ½ inch boards, planed smoothly, just the size of the frames, with cleats nailed on each end to prevent warping. The bottom board is 11×20×1, also cleated on under side to prevent warping. Mr. Q. says tie all together with a stout rubber cord, but it seems to us this cannot prove a very durable fastening.

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SOME HOME MADE “NEW IDEAS,” SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO NOVICES.

BY R. L. JOINER.

Friend novice:—Enclosed find 75 cents for the next year’s crop of “GLEANINGS.” I have just sewed 1874 together and I would not take $5.00 for it if I couldn’t get another. My bees are sound asleep in their pit at present, and will remain there until about “St. Pathrick’s day in the mornin’.” I took the precaution this fall of planking the top and sides of the pit, also of putting two doors in the front end, something as described in Dec. GLEANINGS. My observing neighbors tell me that I had better have let well enough alone, and buried them in the dirt as usual, but I thought a permanent place if as successful, would be better. If you remember, I used to have trouble about my bees swarming as soon as strong. Well as you told me, I found regular and thorough extracting a perfect remedy, but I soon had my hives jam full of brood. The two story plan was “no good,” as my hives are practically _three_ story ones now. I did not want to get new hives and I could see no way of building a story, like Pat’s house “on behint.” I solved the difficulty in this manner, I moved the hive half its width to the right or left and set another hive exactly like it, by its side, with the entrance the same way, and took half of the combs from the old stock and placed them in (without any care which hive had the Queen) and filled up each with empty combs, and run them through the height of the season in that manner, supplying the Queenless one with brood from the other as I extracted, and carefully destroying all Queen cells as I extracted each week. Of course I only practised this with Queens that were very prolific and had their hives _boiling_ over with bees, and united again as soon as honey failed and the brood was sufficiently contracted. I foresee and forebear all the objections that will be urged to this plan, and the main one will be, “Why didn’t you let your Queenless hive hatch a Queen?” Well, I’ll tell you, I wanted to see how much honey _I_ could get from 25 stocks of bees even if some of the stocks did live in what we call out West a “double house.” I don’t pretend that it is any better than the “long idea” plan, except that when I wanted to contract my stock I had no “empty rooms” to carry into winter quarters. I am satisfied that the mammoth yields are from mammoth colonies. My yield is called enormous here but is small to what some report. I started with 17 colonies that had to be fed until June 15th. I increased by dividing, to 25 Queens, and gave 3 of them, double colonies as before described. I got 2150 lbs. of honey, 2000 lbs. of which was choice, and put 24 colonies into winter quarters well supplied with stores. I wasted the time of four of the best, for four weeks of the best part of the season trying to get some box honey. All I got for my trouble, was my pains, and the natural swarms, which I summarily returned, after throwing those honey boxes as far as I could send them, extracting every one of their _sealed combs_ full of honey and destroying their queen cells. Let those who can, _raise_ box honey, I had rather raise extracted for 4c per lb. than to wait all summer for box honey and then get none, for a dollar a pound. The boxes were put on “according to Hoyle,” they had nice starters, they were tight, and all right every way only the bees would not move in. I am afraid they are the Novice breed and aren’t in the box honey business. After I took off the boxes and took their honey, _didn’t_ they work though?

Well Novice, I’ve spun this yarn long enough now and am not half done, if you get tired reading why throw the whole away. If I ever come within fifty miles of Medina I am going to stop and see you and bore you worse than I do by letter. I’ll tell you how I sold my honey.

Wyoming, Wis. Dec. 16th, 1874.

Don’t go to the expense of coming here, friend J., it would hardly pay you we fear, but do keep on giving us just such sketches from your Apiary. We _do_ believe you have hit on a plan that will prove many times quite practicable. For instance the Simplicity hive with, Langstroth frames, _so long as one story will hold the bees_, is to us the simplest, and easiest handled of any thing we have ever used in the shape of a bee hive, and we have studied long and earnestly in regard to some plan of uniting two of them side by side. All of these plans required too much tinkering. If we made holes for communication, through either hive, bottom board, or cover, these holes would have to be plugged up at other times, and would look ungainly. Your plan of using them without other means of communication, than through the entrance, we confess is novel and so far as your experiment is concerned, seems quite practicable.

He who shows us how we can keep pace with modern improvements, and still keep the hives we have already in use, is truly a benefactor. To use the Simplicity hives thus, both entrances should be turned to the south, and the two hives placed close together. The covers in this case should be hinged to the front so as to turn up against the grape vine trellis, or hinges may be dispensed with entirely. In the height of the season, both hives can be pushed, well forward over the bottom boards, thus making the entrances the whole length. Should this prove “too much entrance,” bank sawdust up by the outside corners. In making so many new colonies last season, we governed the size of the entrances to exclude robbers, almost entirely with sawdust, and it answered the purpose more completely to our satisfaction, than any other plan we have ever used. Also, when the nights became cool, we banked sawdust clear around the hives, to close the cracks between the hive and bottom board. We are a great friend to sawdust; it keeps down the weeds, gives you a clean place to work, is clean and orderly for a small dooryard for the bees, and enables you to make just such an entrance as you desire. Beg pardon we forgot _sawdust_ wasn’t our topic.

Our Standard hive with its permanent bottom board without cracks, and its capacity for 18 or 20 combs without any fussing etc. etc., would perhaps be best, but then, “we haven’t got ’em,” as friend J. says, and just at present we rather prefer to use the hives we have already in use.

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DIMENSIONS OF FRAMES ETC.

MR. NOVICE & CO:—Arn’t we greenies glad that we settled down on _our own Standard_ frame before you _decreed_ something that one must print the dimensions with chalk over his work bench lest he forget it. _We_ dislike the everlasting vulgar fractions and odd and even numbers about the size of frames. _We_ adopted 12 inches inside of frame—144 square inches of emptiness—until filled with comb. Now any body can remember this size—and every one can build outside their frames just what kind of hive he pleases. It is just the nicest frame for taking in one hand, and for turning this way and that way for inspection and work, and also for leaving one hand to do something else, and we do find plenty for the free hand to do—all it _can_ do sometimes. Then for shipping, why they are just the nicest and handiest frames ever made, and for housing too, hives of 10 frames pack away like brick in a wall. So you see we are not a bit sorry for ourselves—and we are so glad to have the ladies with us, we have Mrs. Tupper who is a representative character and carries the women with her in this matter. Of course we are sorry your wind-mill won’t work for us in the wood work of our hives at the “Standard prices” but we can’t be driven by wind into abandoning our 12×12—“On this firm rock etc.” Why our hives are so jealous they won’t let one frame of the Factory of the Wind, enter their yard now—we have no doubt that to set down one of your vulgar fraction and odd number frame hives would raise a mighty buzz and set all the 12 inches on a revolution against any such vulgar innovation. By the way we have got a hive “the likes on’t you never did see.” We took the Alley hive—paid the right to it too—and now we have some Alley, and some Quinby, and some of our own whims, and it is going to be just the nicest and handiest of a’ the bee gums that can be found in Patentdom or out of it. May be we’ll tell you what it is some day—if you want us to bother you.

_We_—that is we greenies—use the Isham honey box—the nicest, staunchest, and handiest honey box _we_ ever saw. We know him he lives round here, he _has_ a patent on his box—we saw his papers, all reg’lar—he deserves them too—has lately sold three counties to an apiarian who has seen a good many such affairs, and sold for a handsome sum. If you saw it, you would want a State at least—the _work_ would suit your taste.

Now to finish all this rigmarole and to convince you that we are your friend, tho’ we expect you will blow us with a stiff breeze, we say—we frankly confess, that we have tried your tin corners for frames, after using wooden ones, and we don’t want to see in our hives another frame that has not those same tin corners. And our _green_ advice to all beginners is, don’t make a single frame till you get these corners. We shall get rid of all our frames which have not these corners just as fast as we can. We have tried several hundred of them and now we send our orders for 6500 more _with the cash_, as evidence that we mean what we say.

2. EROAPPIANS.

[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.