Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1871-07-22
&ee Aeepin9.
WINTERING BEES.

10 any Ccllilr WlnlcrlnH, except Oh lNo
grounds. one of which Is the trouble, Us he
says, of carrying in and out of the cellar at
least three OF four times each winter. This
must be done, because the bees must fly out
ut least twice in the warm days. My other
objection is that bees in cellars are always
rcstlessly buzzing, night and day, to get out
for weeks and months nj II time; or else, if
loose, get down by quarts on the cellar bot
tom and never get back. You save in the
honey used; you lose in the bees that lie
dead on the bottom board or cellar bottom,
do what you will No one need say do not
know; | have advocated and tried it too
many years to be disputed on these facts.
,. Mr.. Nesbit is greatly mistaken, in my
opinion, if he supposes the Langstroth hive
worth much. Only two hives are Of real
value. One is the old box hive, used after
the improved Quinby form-not IA inches
square, us he says, but ~ inches square. IN
side measure. II II swarm in l2-inch hive
is worth 90, one in II hive Ia inches square
and II inches high is worth only SO, and one
in IL hive II inches square and 10 inches high
only 81, for any box honey from it. Such is
my experience. proved by years. 1t is these
plumbers in sizes, not the box hive. that
should be condemned. The other valuable
hive is made by putting two cleats on the
bottom board. three-eighths of an inch high
and half an inch wide, and fastening the
movable combs to the front of the hive, rest
ing on the cleats. This has no patent on it
of anybody. There is no box ut all about
the movable combs; they are open on all
sides. The honey boxes are put next to the
movable combs and on top of them, and
make the hive. There is no Langstroth pa
tent ledge. Outside of all is II large box that
covers all movable combs and honey boxes.
The third and last improvement is the same
arrangement Of movable combs in the large
honey boNes-four of them, one for each of
the two Sides one for the back and one for
the top-and the Use Of the honey Keeling
machine and glass cans for the sale of the
honey. All other hives regard us useless
trash, when compared with these two forms.
box hive, and he need not fear for me, us my
hiscs give me IN average of about SO II hive
of box honey each year. OF course cannot
sell hives of my form for SO, So, $40 or SIS
II hive to any one. That will not pay.
3. As to labor, &C., and my style of winter
boxing: He says, if put my hives on plat
form boxing, my bees will go back to their
summer stands. That is not true. If bees
were immortal they might go back, but the
active workers die all in three months. So
the young bees learn new places. But that
is not all, or the principal rcason bees,
when shut up three or four weeks in winter,
always mark the place anew when they go
out, and hence not dozen bees will 90 to
the summer stand after being removed.
Year after year Mr.. Tucker and myself have
demonstrated this-proved it beyond all Ills
pute. If Mr.. Nesbit has not found this out
in Kentucky, it is because the bees there are
not shut up by winters cold long enough.
So too is it exactly opposite to my experience,
too often repeated to be questioned, that bees
after being in cellar five or six weeks, will
90 to their old and not to their new stand.
Had he tried it with his own hands and eyes
and not those of his assistant he would have
!.