164 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



gathered, the hives were put into winter quarters with more stores of 

 honey than they possessed for years, and it was well for them that it 

 was so. 



On the 10th November I visited my apiary, and rarely have I 

 witnessed such an interesting sight. The day was lovely, and 

 the bees were sporting themselves in mid air, thousands crossing 

 each other in their flight, forming myriads of angles and all manner 

 of geometrical forms in very sport during their cleansing flight. 

 My man remarked, " We will have a severe winter. Take a good 

 look at them. It will be the last you'll see of them this year;" 

 and he was right, for they were not again on the wing till the last 

 day of December. The storm began on the 12th of November, by 

 the 14th the whole country was covered with snow, and during 

 five long months the bees were only seven times on the wing. 



January 1st, 1881, like the last of December, was very mild, so 

 that the bees again came out in great force, and, strange though it 

 may appear, many queens began laying at this time. This I 

 account for from their having had plenty of stores, and being six 

 whole weeks in total confinement. On the 2nd January frost again 

 set in, and continued with greater or less severity until the middle 

 of March. 



March 22nd, I examined stocks and was glad to see all in fair 

 condition, many young bees being in most of the hives, and breed- 

 ing going on more or less in all of them. They were all perfectly 

 dry, another proof that the use of the "quilt" with upward ventila- 

 tion is almost perfect. The main reason, however, to which I 

 attribute the fine condition of my bees at this time is, that they 

 had gathered all their own stores, no artificial feeding having been 

 given them. My observations over a number of years lead me to 

 believe that for good wintering nothing succeeds so well as to allow 

 the bees plenty of their own ingathered honey and pollen, and there 

 need be no fear of leaving them too much. They will take good 

 care of it, and, if opportunity occur, will repay your kindness with 

 interest. 



During April we had very few fine days, but those we had the 

 bees made the most of, working with great ardour at bringing in 

 pollen. On the 18th I examined stocks and found all in good con- 

 dition, but the stores were visibly diminished, and I began artificial 

 feeding so that breeding should not be checked. 



May was really the finest month of 1881 for bees. Towards 



