Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-11-01

a poor honey yield, the requisite
amount Is not in the hive, then the
bees should be fed at once, that they
may have time to get all capped be-
fore the cold weather prevents work,
Don't guess at the amount of honey
but weigh, that there may be no mis-
take For feed, we may use good ex-
tracted honey, or, better still, grana-
lated sugar made into a rich syrup by
disSOlving in water and heating till 1t
boils If we use hives with tight
bottom boards we can follow Mr. ID.
A. Jones method, and turn the
honey right into the back of the hive
after we have raised the front. If we
have separated bottom boards we may
use any of the convenient feeders. In
feeding we must be careful to feed
late in the day, and not to spill any
feed about the apiary, or we may have
trouble with robbing. Should amy
bees get to robbing, which will be
denoted by fighting and great com
motion in front at the entrance of the
colony being robbed, we should either
cover the entrance of this hive with
wire gauze or else nearly close 1t
with blocks. In two or three days
the entrance may be again opened.
After we have given the bees sufIi-
cient food, we should, by the use of
the edivision board, contine the bees
on tn frames which contain their
stores. and exclude all others, SO that
the bees will have only to warm the
part of the hive actually used. Above
this chamber we would place fine, dry
chaH or sawdust, which, for convent
ence and neatness, had better be con
fined in a sack. If we are to winter
out-of-doors, either in chaH hives or
with chaif or sawdust packed about
our hives, we should put similar chati
or sawdust cushions at the sides of
the winter combs, Just outside the
| division boards, which latter had bet
ter not reach quite TO the bottom of
the hive.
In all the combs to be used in wins
ter there should be cut a small central
| hole. so that the bees can easily pass
| through from one comb to another.
These may be cut when we weigh the
combs
Many, with Mr. Poppleton, prefer
chaff hives. These are double walled
at the ends of the frame, with six
inch space filled with fine chaff Thus
we see that with the cushions already
mentioned the bees are surrounded
on all sides with protection from the
cold BY the use of chaff hives their
friends claim that they can winter
successfully, and that they are pro
tected against ''spring dwindlings.
| Others object to the cost of these
hives and TO their weight, which makes
them hard to handle, and many think
them unsafe in very cold winters, per
haps because they were not fairly
tried.
Owing to these objections, others,
who wish TO winter ON the summer
stand, place box outside of the hives,
leaving "A space of ten or twelve inch
es, which they fiji with chaif or saw
dust. 1t is arranged so that the bees
can fly if the weather is SO warm as
to incite activity, with this protec
ton. Expense and i'll success have
robbed this method of many of its
friendsl
Probably no method has so many
friends in the Northern States, where
wintering is a veXed question, as that
of cellar wintering. This is high
praise for the cellar, as there are Sc
many poor cellars that we should eX-
pect too many failures to keep this
style of wintering in good repute. II
we may judge from experience aprop
perly constructed cellar, with the pro
per preparation already referred to,
will never fail,
The cellar should be entirely be
meath the earth, and be so ventilated
that the air should always be sweet
and the temperature always uniform
at about As +. While it should never
be more than two degrees warmer
than this il viii do no harm if it is
five degrees colder at times. The best
way to secure this is by sub-earth
ventilation. A four-inch pipe should
extend from the bottom of the cellar
TO connect with "A stove pipe in the
room above. From near the bottom
of the cellar there should be another
pipe CsiX-inch tile is the BEST extend
ing torso feet through the earth, run
ming below the frost line and then
reaching the surface of the earth
where it should be protected by wire
gauze, so that vermin could not enter
/ the pipe. Wesee that as a fire is bull
in the stove the air is drawn from the
cellar and is supplied by the sub-eartf
pipe. This cools the air when the
weather is warm and warns it wher
it is cold. / have known such a cellar
to be in successful use for nearly hal
a score Of years; and several other
for a less time. Some secure Yentila
ton by the usual means and keep thu
right temperature by refrigerator, {
cistern in the cellar, or stream o
water passing through it, The sub
earth plan is the most scientific, anC
works best. The cellar should be dr..
and quiet.
The bees should be removed to TIN
cellar before winter sets in. The hive
should be dry, if possible, when pu
in. and the tees SHOULD be set in s.
quietly that they would not be dis
turbed. Once in, we remove TIN
covers leave the cushions on anl