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.