Chapter L: Hubbard

Waldron, Mich., March 25, 1881.

=Wintered in Chaff.=--Three-fourths of the bees in this neighborhood are dead. I packed mine with chaff on the summer stands, and they came out nice and strong. I am a beginner, and derive much benefit from the BEE JOURNAL, which is a welcome visitor.

EVAN B. HADLEY.

Deming, Ind., March 29, 1881.

=Eleven Swarms from One Colony.=--I commenced the last spring with 13 Italian and 4 black colonies, and in the fall I had 70; lost 6 in wintering by being queenless. I have sold 4, and now have 60 doing well. I had 11 swarms from one colony and its increase, besides 50 lbs. of honey. The BEE JOURNAL is _the_ bee paper, and I wish it success.

E. CARR.

Leesville, Texas, March 14, 1881.

=A Visit Every Week, Very Pleasant.=--My bees have been at work on the soft maple for the past week. I commenced the winter with 31 colonies; I now have 21; many of them are very strong; some died with plenty of honey in their hives. Last season was a poor one, giving no surplus. I think there will be a heavy loss of bees here. I thought I would not like the Weekly BEE JOURNAL as well as the monthly, but I would not exchange it now for any monthly, because I can hear from my bee-keeping friends every week. I wish it great success.

N. DAVIS.

Emporia, Kan., March 28, 1881.

=Buds are Swelling; Spring is Coming.=--By the JOURNAL I notice that the winter has been a disastrous one to bees. It must be hard to report a loss of ½ or ¾; and some of the reports even say--“all dead.” I am afraid that some of the bee-keepers in this section can say ditto to these reports. The loss around here is greater than there is any need of, on account of the carelessness of farmers in preparing their bees for winter; some of them leave them out on the summer stands without any protection whatever, and of course the result is plain. I have wintered mine in the cellar for the past 2 seasons without any loss, except one that starved this winter; and I am to blame for that in not knowing their condition when I put them in the cellar. I think that now all fear of loss is past, for my bees are doing as well as could be desired. They are breeding considerably, and are all bright and healthy. The snow is going off slowly, at last, and we may look for spring soon. The maple trees are full of swelling buds--it is too early to say anything about fruit bloom; I don’t know whether it is killed or not. White clover looks well where the snow is off, and it promises well for the coming season.

HARRY G. BURNET.

Blairstown, Iowa, March 26, 1881.

=Bees About All Dead.=--I put my bees into winter quarters in the Mitchell hive, packed with clover chaff at each end of the hive about 6 inches thick, and over the top with cushions with the same, about 4 inches thick, all on the summer stands. My loss is now about 2 per cent. The snow is now from 12 to 15 inches deep; this does not look very encouraging; the bees in this part of the country are about all dead. I like the JOURNAL much better as a Weekly than before?; it gives us _fresh_ news.

S. M. OLDHAM.

Reynoldsburg, O., March 30, 1881.

=Double-Walled Hives.=--A large proportion of bees have died in this vicinity this winter. I have lost 6 colonies out of 16. I am using Hill’s double-walled winter bee hive. I lost none wintered in these hives, but every one in Langstroth hives died. I wintered on summer stands and one hive had as much protection as another. I feel sure I should have saved all if I had used the double-walled hive; those that died had honey enough in the hive to have wintered them through, if they could have got at it. My bees are carrying pollen every day they can be out.

J. R. WILCOX.

Utica, Ind., March 29, 1881.

=Losses in Wintering.=--Having seen no report from this vicinity, I have taken some pains to ascertain the extent of the losses of the bee-men of this part of Wayne county, Ind. I have reports (some of them indirectly) from 34. Ten report a total loss; 8, 90 per cent.; 6, 80 per cent.; the others from 33 to 25 per cent. The average loss of colonies will probably be 80 per cent., and those colonies which survive are very much reduced in numbers. Most of them were left unprotected on the summer stands. I find that those that were taken into the cellar before the severe cold of November, came through with small loss, while those taken in after ice had accumulated in the hive, fared the worst of all. I am an advocate of cellar wintering, having never lost a colony until the present winter, and that is through neglect in not taking them in early; I lost 3 this time. I am convinced that dysentery (the one great cause of our loss) could have been much mitigated by keeping an even temperature, which cannot be done out-of-doors, and had we removed their unsealed, poor food and fed them candy instead, our reports would have been different. Two colonies thus treated by me came through in good condition. My bees gathered pollen and honey yesterday from the willow. Maple will be in bloom in a few days.