The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1900-01-25
About Bee Keeping.

w. Fl. Norton of Skowhegan, who
makes business of raising and keep
ing bees and making and selling vari-
Gus kinds of hives, boxes, etc, in
recent circular lately published, has
the following:
How TO INTRODUCE A QUEEN.
First see that your colony is
queenless then lay the Gagged queen
on top of the frames next to bees,
let her remain in this way from "a to
48 hours, after which take the Gagged
queen and brush all bees off that may
be on cage, then take out frame of
comb at side of hive, shake off all
bees at entrance of hive then ex-
anime comb and tear down all queen
cells if any, return comb into hive
and take the next in same way, pro-
coed in this manner until you have
shaken the bees from all combs in
front of hive, examined and torn
down all queen cells and returned
combs into hive, close up hive, then
release your queen from cage, put
her at the entrance of hive and let
her run in with the bees, do not dis
turb again for a few days and then
you will find her laying all right. OF
course your hive needs to set near
the ground with a slanting lighting
board from the ground to entrance of
hive for the bees to crawl in on. L
have tried all methods of introducing
for the last 20 years and find this the
most satisfactory of all.
OUT OF Doors WINTERING.
Last winter / wintered twelve
colonies in small house packed out
of doors. They built up good and
strong by the time ] got the others
out of the cellar. 1t proved so salts
factory that this winter / am winter
ing nearly e-half of what l have,
AS colonies), packed in the same
way. In my next seasons circular |
will tell you what success and all
about how to prepare them, etc.
PLAIN SECTION HONEY BOXES.
Well, what are they?
For the last year or so there has
been quite lot said in the Journals
of the plain sections and quite num-
Der are trying them. 1t is noted in
some of the Journals as of quite an
advantage over the old styled box.
Well, let's look it over thoroughly
and see what the advantages are, if
any, before making bolt, head first,
into it. Well, the plain section box
is one that is plain all around, that is,
has no bee ways in the box. This is
provided for in what is termed the
fence or Slated separator. This
separator has cleats nailed on where
the boxes come against it, these
al 20 hnin ha NJ
taken off of the box, SO when Grated
ready to put on the hive it gives you
the same bee space, that is, only this
piece that is taken off of the box to
make it plain, is in the form of cleat
on separator. Now l want to ask you
right here is there any advantage to
the bees, or does it make any differ
ence to them whether this is on the
box or on the separator after Grated
ready for use? How are they to know
any difference, if a good job and
spaces are all the same? Can you see
any advantage9 l think that you
will agree with me and say that there
is none so far. Now let's look at the
separator, it is called the fence or
Slated separator, as it is composed
of stats, there is bee ways through
it. Is there anything in this, by
being bee ways through the separa-
tors? One man says that he thinks
that it is, as they can see through and
see what their neighbors are doing.
Now, brother bee keepers, can a bee
see in the dark and isn't it always
dark up in the top of a hive among
the boxes?
would like to say right here that
about 10 years ago went to the ex-
pense of $4,000 to get up machine to
make bee ways in tin separator,
would like to sell this machine for
price of old iron. tried them of
course and sold quite lot of GUS
toners; neither my customers or |
have any use for bee way or per-
forated separator now, so you have
that much for what it is worth. Now
what is the improvement, is there
any? Well, perhaps that there may
be, if so it looks as though it might be
for the reason that the cleats on the
separators do not go quite to the top
of the box just the width of the
separator, SO this gives a bee way
through along the corners of the box
and perhaps that the bees would be
induced to fill out the corners better,
as the corners come around both of
4, Judith