504 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



the most difficult of solution. You all know that the winter losses are 

 considerable, but it is nevertheless a fact that bee keepers often fail to 

 realize in full the magnitude of the winter loss, even in an average or 

 even in a mild winter. The season of 1911-12 was the most recent case 

 that we have experienced of a winter accompanied by severe losses. The 

 summer of 1911 was a poor season for most localities in the North .and 

 most colonies were weaker than usual all summer. They went into winter 

 weak, short of stores and with too many old bees. The winter was excep- 

 tionally severe and many colonies were not in condition to expend the 

 energy necessary to maintain life, and as a result the loss by the death of 

 colonies was over 50 per cent in many apiaries. If the bees had been in 

 condition to obtain the bountiful crop of 1912 that year would have been 

 a banner year in beekeeping, but there were not enough bees. 



Similarly in 1909 there was a dearth of nectar but an abundance of 

 honey-dew in many localities, causing enormous losses in the following 

 winter. The winter of 1903-4 was another of heavy losses, while that of 

 1884-85 was one of the worst experienced by American beekeepers. 



It is, of course, evident that good beekeepers lose less colonies than 

 those who are uninformed, but even the good beekeeper loses sometimes. 

 An estimate of 10 per cent for the average annual loss is probably conserva- 

 tive, and it speaks well for beekeeping as an occupation that American bee- 

 keepers can sustain such a loss year after year without destroying the 

 Industry. Looking, then, at the other side of the picture, it is clear that 

 if this loss can be prevented beekeeping ought to advance rapidly to its 

 rightful place in American agriculture. 



From the experience and observations of beekeepers we now know con- 

 siderable about wintering, and our information is increasing constantly. 

 There are two facts concerning this information to which attention should 

 be directed. First, many of the very best observations have appeared in 

 the bee journals, but are now practically forgotten because beekeepers are 

 often not careful enough to keep complete files of their journals and to 

 consult them frequently. A bee journal is not altogether a newspaper, 

 but should be considered as a permanent record of the good things ob- 

 served. The other consideration is that the results have been obtained at 

 enormous cost, since they are records in the main only of gross results. 

 A beekeeper tries a certain method of wintering and necessarily gauges 

 his success by what is left the following spring. With the facilities of 

 the apiary detailed observations as to the daily activities and require- 

 ments of the bees are impossible, and consequently our knowledge of 

 wintering is based largely on commercial experience, but is lacking in 

 facts concerning the detailed needs of the bees. 



In the present discussion of this subject it is proposed to depart some- 

 what from the usual methods in discussing the wintering problem and to 

 record some of the things that bees do in winter, as well as to explain 

 some of the physical phenomena observed. In doing so I shall draw on 

 the results published by Mr. Demuth and myself concerning our work of 

 the past two years. While I am having the pleasure of attending this 

 meeting, Mr. Demuth is back at the laboratory making more observations, 

 although rightfully we should read this paper as a duet. 



