GRAPE SUGAR NOT ALWAYS "DEADLY" FOR BEES. T ALSO SOME IDEAS ABOUT VENTILATION. HE writer of the following, while making us a visit, remarked that he wintered 49 out of 50 colonies last winter, and that they were all fed on grape sugar except one, and that one died. I asked him to give it me for print, and here it is: FRIEND NOVICE:-We comply with your request, while visiting you lately (at the "Home of the Honey-Bees"), to tell you all about how we fed grape sugar to about 50 colonies of bees last winter, with loss of but one. Well, the facts are these: After the burning of our farm house, June 8, 1880, we found our apiary, which was located near the house, reduced by the heat about one-half. In September we procured a lot of grape sugar, and fed about 50 stocks. We fed only when the weather would permit the bees to fly freely. Part of our frames are Gallup and American, but mostly L. The two former are closed-top. We put the chaff cushions right on top the frames, and wintered on summer stands. The apiary was located on low ground that was subject to overflow. The hives were put down on about one foot of sawdust, and were in no manner dis turbed till March, when the weather opened up some, and the bees took a good fly. At that time we again "poked in" that "irrepressible" grape sugar. The colony that "petered out" was in a box hive, 21x12 inches; had plenty of thick pure honey and pollen, and no grape sugar; hole in top of hive, 4x4 inches. The loss of that colony, we charge to excess of ventilation;" and right here I would caution you to be careful how you "go off" on "ventilation," for we once lost the best colony of bees we ever had by allowing the slide to remain out of an opening 4x4 in. under the brood chamber. That neglect killed that powerful 12 L. frame colony by Christmas. We don't have any cold currents of air up through the cluster a ter we go into winterquarters, and not, on an average, half as much in the summer as some bee-keepers we could name. We believe that all fresh air necessary for any colony of bees in winter can be got into the hive at a 2x inch entrance, and out of it through a good thick chaff cushion, placed right on top of the frames-without any "round" or "square" hole in its center. As to your query, how our bees were prospering, etc., I will say we about doubled our stocks by divisions and natural swarming. We have the strongest colonies, and healthiest-looking bees we ever had. Our crop of extracted and comb honey will foot up well, as at this date our red-clover bees are bringing in considerable surplus of finest quality, from the after or second crop of red clover. In concluding this hastily written article, I will add that, for a radius of 4 miles from our apiary, there is not one living colony of bees that came through last winter. Wouldn't this be a splendid place, friend Harrington, for those shy Holy-Land virgins, that want to extend their wedding tours? Next month all of our colonies that may be found in need of winter stores shall have plenty of good pure grape sugar, while the weather is yet warm enough for them to exercise well in the open air. We feed it in the solid state over the frames, and I have published the above to show that grape sugar is not necessarily the cause of bees dying, even if those fed on it die, and no others. A few months ago a friend wrote that the queens we sold him last year were certainly poor, for every colony where he introduced them died, but none of his others. Was it the queens that killed them? To be sure, not. It was the disturbing and stirring up the colonies at a particular time in the fall, in my opinion. We have often had reports of colonies that died after being moved in the fall, while the rest of the apiary that was not all so moved, all lived. Again, the moving seems to make no difference. Friend T. thinks too much ventilation killed them. In view of what has been said about leaving sections over the hives all winter, I can hardly think this is so. Whatever may be the truth in regard to so many conflicting reports, I think it stands out strong and clear, that it is best to fix our bees all up before cold weather sets in, and then let them also well decided that coffee or granulated alone until it is warm again. I think it is sugar is much safer than grape sugar, honey, or any thing else, providing you must feed to give them the requisite stores. Juvenile Department. L AST fall my brother had 19 swarms; some of them were Italians, and some blacks. There were 5 swarms which came and stopped in the trees near the bee-yard. We put them into hives, and gave them a place in the bee-yard. Through last winter we lost all but 4. My brother has been in poor health for 2 years, so he has taken a trip to Lake Superior, and I take care of the bees. We take GLEANINGS. Mother and father like to read the Home Papers, and I like to read it, and look at the pictures of Mr. Merrybanks. I will be 12 years of age the 23d of December. Our bees are doing well. WILLIE A. YOUNG. La Salle, La Salle Co., Ill., July 18, 1881. I am a little girl 10 years old. My pa keeps bees. This is the first letter I ever wrote. I like the bees pretty well when they don't sting. I go to Sundayschool. I get a little paper every Sunday. I like to go pretty well. My teacher's name is Alice Crady. ELIZABETH LEEPER. Dysart, Tama Co., lowa, July 10, 1881. Pretty well, Lizzie. Give my respects to your teacher, and tell her I am glad she has got a little girl in her class who can write letters for print when she is only ten years old. I am a little girl ten years old. We live on a farm in the country, seven miles from town. I don't get to go to Sunday-school, but I would like to. We live too far from any. Pa has had bees several years, but we never get much honey. Last year pa sent and got one of your books, and made some hives ac cording to your directions, and transferred the bees to them but they all died last winter but two. Pa says he is not going to give it up yet. You won't have to give pa a smoker to quit using tobacco. He don't use it, nor whisky either. I like to read the letters in GLEANINGS the little girls write, and Mr. Merrybanks' bee-pail. LORETTA UTLEY. Farmersville, Posey Co., Ind. May God bless both you and your papa. Loretta! I am very glad he doesn't smoke, nor drink whisky. How many little girls who read this can say as much? But I want you to go to Sunday-school; and will you please tell your papa that he must take you and go too. If there is not one near enough, tell him to stir the people up and start one. Will you tell him so, Loretta? What makes them call your county" Posey"? Is it because you have so many posies? If so, I should like to go and see you. Although but 12 years old, I take an interest in reading your journal, particularly the Juvenile Department. I have two brothers who keep bees. They began last year with one colony, which came through winter all right; they packed it with chaff in a box, which was 6 incbes larger each way than the hive. They connected a ventilator with the entrance, then covered the box with straw. The bees were 150 days without flight. The winter was very cold; sometimes 30° below zero. My brothers take GLEANINGS, and by the way they read it I should judge they thought some thing of it at least. By the way, I must tell you my experiment with the big bee-not Mr. Benton's bambera, but the bumble-bee. I made a small hive for practice, size 6 by 4 inches, and 6 inches high. One day I found a bee's-nest, and after putting on veil and gloves I transferred them into my hive, and removed them to a new stand. Afterward I found two more nests and gave them the honey and brood. What do you think of that, Mr. Root? I attend school, which my sister teaches. There are a number of bee-men in our vicinity. I live but a few miles from the noted bee-keeper L. C. Root. I send you 12 cents for which please send me a pocket letter-balance. GEORGIE W. JONES. Frankfort, N. Y., August 8, 1881. I suppose, Georgie, that those bees packed in chaff wintered all right, although you do not say so. I, too, once had a pet hive with bumble-bees in it, but all the profit I got from them was to see visitors run whenever I opened that hive. I really wish you would pay friend Root a visit, and tell us some thing about what you saw there. If you will make such a visit, and write us a letter about it, I will pay you one dollar for it. June 6th. A swarm came out Sunday, June 12th, and alighted on the body of a maple-tree below the limbs. I helped hive it, and did not get stung. Papa could not get the bees to go up into the hiving-box, and at last he took a half-bushel basket and brushed the bees off into it, and they filled the basket almost full. I have read GLEANINGS, and see that you like to have boys and girls write to you, so thought I would write you a letter. I like to read about Mr. Merrybanks, the Juvenile Department, and cartoons. I go to school, but we have vacation now. I have been promoted to the grammar department. WILLIE H. POND. Foxboro, Norfolk Co., Mass., July 25, 1881. I am a little girl 11 years old. I saw so many letters in GLEANINGS, which my father takes, that I thought that I would try it. This is the first time I ever wrote. My pa has 12 colonies of bees. I like to help when they swarm. I am not a bit afraid of them. I have not got one sting this summer. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters. LIZZIE JOHNSTON. Danforth, Iroquois Co., Ill., July 12, 1881. Perhaps the reason why you are not afraid, friend Lizzie, is because you have not been stung; are you sure you will be as brave when you do get stung? Why, there are almost enough of you to have a Sunday-school there at home, without anybody else. May God bless you, and all those brothers and sisters! In my last letter I made a mistake. I said I was 11 years old. Pa says I am only 10. Pa bought the watch for me because I had epilepsy. He told me I must not run and get excited, and that I should take my medicine regularly so I can get cured. I don't have any spells if I do, but sometimes I forget my self, and run too much in playing and don't take my medicine, and then I get a little spell. Pa had 9 swarms last fall, and he wintered 6 of them. Now they have increased to 17, and he says we will soon get lots of honey; yet he says if I am well he will give me one swarm. I like to go to Sun day-school every Sunday, and I don't forget to take my watch along either. CHARLES PETERS. Rogersville, Tusc. Co., O., July 18, 1881. May God grant, friend Charlie, that you may become perfectly cured of that dreadful malady. Last summer a little girl was taken with a spell of it, right in Sundayschool. Tell your pa to look out for next winter with those 17 swarms. THE LANGSTROTH FRAME. RIEND ROOT:-On page 263, August No. of 1880 of GLEANINGS, in an article headed "Which I am a little boy 11 years old. My papa keeps bees, Frame is the Best?" and signed Chas. Dadant and has begun this year to take GLEANINGS. He & Son, I find these words: "You know, as well as we has kept bees for several years, but he has not been do, that the Langstroth frame is not fit for outdoor at home much till this summer, and could not take wintering." Now, is the above remark true? It is, care of them. He is now at home much of the time, of course, intended as an effort to disparage the Simand so can look after his bees now. He used to keep plicity hive, and may have some weight with those 20 or more stocks. He has only 7 now. They are in who know nothing of the practical working of the Langstroth and American hives. He likes the Lang-so-called "Langstroth Standard Frame." So far as stroth better; he says he shall use the Simplicity I know, everybody admits that the L. frame is the next year. I am not afraid of bees now, but used to be. When bees light on me now I stand still, and they fly away and don't sting me. My papa showed me a queen-cell to-day in a swarm that was hived most convenient form and shape for easy operation; and if the only objection found to it is its wintering qualities out of doors and it can be shown that that objection is incorrect, then why do we not have of early-clover honey, even to the exclusion of half Bees may see to some extent in the dark. the brood; when fall came they would fill up the but it is my impression that comb-building, rest with honey very easily, without much pollen, nursing, and the rest of their work, is done even in a poor fall; and I have had the good fortune principally by the sense of touch, with their to see that these colonies were the ones that win- antennæ. Queens lay their eggs by this tered best in nine cases in ten, even when exposed means, as you will notice they always put out of doors. Now, neighbor Fish has a bee-house. their heads clear down into the cell before At this time of year he feeds back his extracted depositing an egg. Who ever heard of a honey to get the bees to finish capping, as there is queen tipping her head to one side, to squint down to the bottom of a cell, to see if it convery little to gather here from July 20 to Aug. 15, on an average. Of course, this is supplying them with tained an egg? I think that bees very likeearly boney to the condition of the light swarm spo-fly two miles or more; seem to work more ly see the bees from a distance.-They often ken of, more or less, and he always winters successfully, while neighbor Newman, of Norwalk, does not do this as much, and has in his locality a poorer fall, generally, than we have, and his bees came very near having the dysentery last winter. Here is the plan: Put 2 combs in with the sections, Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, Aug. 4, 1881. ONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW, YOU KNOW." How many days after a queen is hatched out before she is impregnated, and does the one act of fertilization with the drone do, if the queen should live five years, or is she a "Mormon "? If not, what is the use of keeping so many drones, if one answers for that purpose? The queen is fertilized only once, and the large number of drones often kept in the hive are only nature's method of securing that once. They also make it more certain that any queen shall meet a drone from some other hive than her own. Queens are fertilized at from 6 to 10 days old, and begin to lay in two days more. Do the bees sleep or rest on the bushes at night, or do they crowd into the hives these hot nights? A single bee may occasionally stay out on the bushes over night, when the nights are very warm; but as a rule, every bee is at home before it is perfectly dark. Can they see in their dark hive, or do they prefer light? How far do they go after food, or do they prefer having it at home? profitably one mile or less. If 50 hives were put into a room in the fall, with plenty of windows for light, and a stove to keep up the heat to about 40 or 50°, will they breed all winter? or how would you ventilate a cellar fastened up to keep out cold and frost, with 100 hives in it, supposing each hive had, say, 30,000 bees all in good order put away in the fall, kept there for 4 months, and how many bees would be in the same box when taken out, if they did not breed in that time? I think it is said, the life of a worker is three months; should the same care be taken of bees that there is of cows and chickens? By answering these questions you will confer a favor on a subscriber. WM. INGRAM. Telford, Bucks Co., Pa., Aug. 6, 1881. Your last question, friend I., has taken away my breath completely. Bees will fly on a window every time, as soon as the room is warm enough for them to fly. The life of a working bee, during the working season, is not as much as 40 days; but during the winter they may live a great deal longer than that. At some seasons the bees require fully as much care as cows and chickens ; but there are several months during the fall. winter, and spring, when they are better off without care, if they have been properly cared for before starting into these cold months. For ventilation of cellars, see Geo. Grimm's articles on the subject. A hive of young bees may be kept four months almost without loss, if they raise no brood; but we do not often reach that perfection in wintering. IMPORTANCE OF GETTING THE BEES a horse, and a dry-goods box, had a sled, and it was certainly comical in the extreme to see so many different ideas. But this is not bees. Last fall I went into winter-quarters with 78 stocks Italians, but not pure. I use the Champion hive, frames 10x12, and 10 frames in hive. I gave them all on an average 50 lbs. of good new honey, basswood and goldenrod, covered tops of frames with two thicknesses of common cotton or domestic. I drove two rows of stakes three feet apart, then spread straw between, about six inches deep, then covered that with boards, nice, even, and level; then set in my hives in a row, with their fronts alternate, placing the hives about 3 inches apart, then protected my entrances in order to keep out chaff, and give becs an opportunity to fly when they chose to. My next move was to place a board to the front and to the back of bees, leaning against inside of post. Now I commence to pack chaff all around, leave off my covers, add more 6-inch boards until they are four high, then top off with coarse hay. Thus you see they have one foot of chaff in front and behind, with 3 inches between. You would almost venture to say they were free from the sudden changes of even an unusually cold winter; but such is not the case: my entire stock all died but nine. But now comes my confession. Just before I packed away, I transferred 19 in cold weather, so cold that mittens were comfortable. I gave them their winter supplies in somewhat cool weather, and, last of all, had to pack them away in just such weather. Kept waiting for our nice warm days to come, such as we usually have; but, alas! they never came, and I was forced to put them away just then, or leave them out, which I thought would be sure death. Hundreds of my combs were handled, jarring and breaking their cosy little homes for winter, but no opportunity came to repair the damage done. Cold winds and drafts penetrated, snow drifted in, ice formed all over the combs, and the moment a bee left the cluster, it had to crawl to a frozen, icy comb, there only to meet its doom. The combs were too close, not allowing enough bees to cluster together to keep up the necessary amount of heat. No holes were cut in order to give bees a free passage to and from any comb. As it was, the space between combs soon became clogged with dead bees, and they died so rapidly that, in their effort to remove them, they only clogged the entrance tighter and tighter (entrance about 3x in.) The once prosperous swarm soon dwindled down to nothing. The heat became less, and a mighty effort was necessary to keep body and soul together; but it was too much for the little fellows, so they buried their heads in the cells, and gave up the ghost. Not one mouthful of honey could they get, but just in the next comb there was an abundance. I had many stocks come out in just such shape, but some others starved outright, and put away with 50 lbs. Had they been put away at an earlier season, and allowed time to seal up with propolis, good and tight, then removed gently to their winter location, I feel confident they would have come out unscathed. I will give you my reasons for thinking so. My partner (then) wintered his 65 stocks within 40 feet of mine, in just the same manner of packing. His loss was about 18 or 20, but he packed them before mine a week or ten days, and had no jarring to do, simply to set his hives into ricks, and quietly cover them up. We have wintered in this manner for ten years, and have always been successful. It's my opinion the majority of bee-keepers were a little careless last fall in attending to their apiaries, and preparing for winter; but they are somewhat justified, on account.of the extremely cold weather which set in so soon, taking every one by surprise, compelling farmers to leave broad fields of yellow corn, to the mercy of hungry, roving cattle. But in another sense of the word, we are responsible for the loss of almost every bee. I have reference to men who follow apiculture as a profession. There is a shadow of an excuse for men who are engaged in some other occupation, not depending on bees for their bread and butter exclusively, but who keep them for fun, I guess. Whatever we do, if we intend to make it our business, let us do it; don't leave one stone unturned; devote every spare moment to improvements; do whatever lies in your power to advance your loved profession. Don't let any thing wait until to-morrow; go at it with a determination to make it win, come what will; and above all things, have faith, and don't give up. Hang on to the last, and if you get on your back, lie there and kick. I feel so glad over my victory this spring, that I can not help speaking as I do. Nine poor weak stocks, and I badly in debt! Nine weak stocks! could it be possible? could I ever face my creditors, and feel that, when the time came around, I could pay them? I was on the point of giving up, when a little advice given by a friend turned the balance. I went to work with a will, cleaned out my hives and combs, transferred my dirty, sticky little fellows into a clean hive, contracted the space in hive and fed them. I soon discovered pollen coming in from soft maple, and from that time it has been a continuous boom. Not one bit of robbing; all is well, and "the goose hangs high." I soon started nuclei, raised my queens, bought about 18 stocks, and now I have 70 rousing stands, ready for our fall crop of goldenrod, which is what we depend on almost entirely; no clover, and no fruit-blossoms. Basswood, goldenrod, buck brush, tanweed, sumac, and sunflowers, are our honey-plants. I have now a surplus of about 1000 lbs. of honey, and my 70 stocks. If we have an average crop of goldenrod we will gather 6000 lbs. easily. I raise none but extracted honey, as I can make it pay much better. When I think how blue cvery thing looked in spring and now go out and see my yard full of lively little fellows, each bringing in his sweetened burden, working all day long so unselfishly for me, my heart goes out in tender gratefulness to Him who is the giver of every good and perfect gift. I am truly grateful for all I have received. ED. F. CHRISTIE. Maple Landing, Monona Co., Iowa, Aug. 8, 1881. IT seems to me a little unkind for the 4. B. J. folks, any of them, to intimate that our apiary, of which they gave a fine picture a short time ago, was more a picture than a reality. Four of the seven apiaries are filled completely, and two of the remain ing three are partly full. One man has entire charge of it now, and if there is an apiary worked more successfully for raising bees and queens on the face of the earth, I should like to pay it a visit. Come and see the bees and queens, and get some grapes, friends, and then you won't think it is all on paper. that they came very near cleaning out my neighbors' bees that were in good condition; and, in fact, did clean out a good many stocks of bees in the neighborhood. I wintered my bees in 1879 and 1880 in a ground depository that I built on purpose, with one end of the building exposed to the weather; and when one was inside, and the door shut, every hive could be counted; in fact, I could see to read coarse print; and from 50 colonies, not a four-quart measure full of bees were on the floor. In the spring they came out strong, and in fine order. should have been asking him; for he had kept bees all his life. Well, as winter came near, I began to think how I was going to winter my little pets so as to have them all alive in spring, for I could not bear to think of losing any of them. I was not much posted in bee culture, for I had had no instructions except what I had got from the one copy of GLEANINGS, and I was too poor to be a subscriber and receive it every month; and as for any other book or paper pertaining to bee culture, I was as yet ignorant of it as a new-born babe; so when winter sat in I carried my bees all upstairs into an unoccupied I see a great deal of writing in regard to wintering part of the house-a room about 10 feet square, bees, and the greater part of it does not amount to lathed and plastered. Although I wintered them all the paper it is written on. Some say that bees must safely, I would never recommend any one to try to not breed in winter, as it will cause them to consume winter bees upstairs in a building of any kind. They more food, and it will result in dysentery. The past seemed to do well until the warm days toward spring winter, about the first of January I took out 8 colbegan to come, and then the room would warm up onies from different parts of the cellar. Every one so as to make them uneasy; but, however, I win- of the 8 had two and three frames or sealed brood tered them all through, and commenced that spring and young bees hatching. In March, about the first, keeping bees as a business. I rented a small bouse I examined other stocks; they were breeding largely. and about half an acre of land, and took up bee- Now this is no guess work, for I carried them out keeping in earnest. Well, what is the result? To- of the cellar, and took out the frames. I am not day it is this: With just the purchase of 2 more col- afraid to examine my bees, for I am one of the most onies that spring, I have supported my family, inquisitive fellows you ever saw. Perhaps other which consists now of 6, one little girl 7 years old; bee-keepers have different bees from those I have. one little boy 3, and a pair of twins, baby boys 8 I am aware that bees want to be handled with judgmonths old. The little boy of 3 we have named ment and care, and I am also aware that a great Novice, and I send you his picture. In the fall of deal of bosh and trash is written in regard to them 1880 I had 60 full colonies and a few nuclei. With by men who know but little about them, but who the exception of the nuclei, I wintered all safely, and think they know it all; for I have proof that some think that I would have wintered them had I not of our most scientific and practical bee-men who been prevented, by sickness in my family, from get- have the most to say (at least they claim to be scienting them in shape for winter. As it was, I had to tific and practical) have the poorest luck in winterleave them out until cold weather, and then packing, and are constantly losing their bees, and have them up and move them about four miles, when the weather was so cold that I could put up only 2 colonies, and my fingers would be so cold and numb that I would have to go and warm them. As it is, I have yet to lose the first full colony of bees. I wintered one nucleus on its summer stand with only three frames of bees, without the loss of 50 bees. This I can prove. They were closed tight in their hive; for 150 days, not a bee saw daylight. I can not tell you just how many colonies I have at present, for I am 300 miles from home in the State of Vermont, runing au apiary and queenyard for A. E. Manum, the man who makes the white-poplar sections. I have been here since the 12th of May. My wife has charge of my apiary at home, and, besides, takes care of four children; so you see she has some thing to do-a family to look after, and about 100 colonies of bees. The last letter that she wrote she informed me that she had often got swarms out of the highest apple-trees by piling bee-hive caps on top of each other, and then setting the ladder on top of those. You see, I am trying to make bee-keeping pay in two ways, for I am anxious to buy and pay for a small home. As to wintering bees, I have no fear. I give them water every day in winter, and am not afraid to take any one into my cellar at any time, and lift out the frame and show you the bees. I am not afraid of disturbing them in the least, for I can give you examples of fetching colonies from the back part of my cellar out into the light, and showing the bees to visitors in mid-winter; and further, let me tell you that I can show you lots of young hatching bees in my hives all through the winter. My bees have water in winter as regularly as my family have their meals. My bees came out so strong this last spring no better luck than those who do not claim to be so scientific. Is it not so? One thing I believe; that is, the destruction of hundreds of colonies in winter is because the owners did not know how to use the extractor, or else they knew how to use it too much, and did not know enough to stop. Let me give an illustration: A beekeeper of my acquaintance extracted the honey from the center frames of his hives. As it was late in the season, they did not have a chance to fill up. There were two frames of honey at each side of the hives; in the center the combs were empty, but the owner supposed that the bees were all right; but every one that was in this condition perished, while those that were not extracted from came out all alive. This is only one of many similar cases. I think I have been quite successful so far with bees, but I have done some hard work, and have lain awake a good many nights planning and studying how to manage them, and the best way to do. Last year I sent and got the A B C book, and got some good information from it. I am now a regular subscriber to GLEANINGS, and am very much interested in it. I love to read the Home Papers, and only find fault because you do not print them longer. Tell W. Z. Hutchinson that he is not the only bee-keeper who has a pair of twins to take care of; but I do not think ours are so much trouble as his, for my wife has taken care of them this summer, and a hundred colonies of bees to boot. I hope to be with my family soon, and take some of the cares off my wife. I expect to remain here in Vermont until the last of September. My bees are doing well at home, so my wife writes me, and I am glad to hear it. Is there any other bee-keeper who takes GLEANINGS who has left his wife with two little twins, and a hundred col |