522 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



highly saturated atmosphere or from water condensed on the surface of 

 the comb. This dilution of the honey often leads to some fermentation, 

 injuring the honey as a food. 



A discussion of the humidity conditions in the hive would be incom- 

 plete without mention of the work of Parhon. This author attempts to 

 determine the physiological phenomena of the bees during the four seasons 

 of the year. The bees under investigation were obviously abnormal and 

 it is a matter of serious doubt whether her results are of value. She 

 found that the water content of bees in winter was 74.82 per cent and in 

 summer 71.44 per cent, which difference is assumed to be advantageous' 

 to the bees in withstanding cold by conserving the heat necessary to 

 evaporate this slight amount of water. No data are given concerning the 

 humidity of the atmosphere in the hive which might throw light on the 

 differences observed. It is claimed that the respiratory changes in the 

 bee are greater than in any other animal investigated, and this is attrib- 

 uted to the colonial life, but why this makes any difference is not made 

 clear. 



WINTERING BEES IN IOWA. 



W. S. PANGBUBN, CENTER JUNCTION. 



Friends, in one sense my subject is well chosen as I never wintered a 

 colony of bees outside of Iowa in my life. In another sense I am not the 

 man for the subject. The one to do the subject justice should be able to 

 handle both outside and cellar wintering. Having never wintered a colony 

 of bees outside of a cellar I am not capable of giving you anything from 

 that point of view. 



Mark Twain said "he always liked to talk about things he knew nothing 

 about because he wasn't hampered with facts." 



It is evident in my mind Mark never talked before a beekeepers' con- 

 vention or wrote for a bee journal. If he had he would have become 

 acquainted with a lot of mighty fine fellows, and would have been ham- 

 pered with something worse than facts. 



I don't know who put me on for this subject, but I suppose our modest 

 President, Mr. Pellett. 



The fellow who writes "beekeepers I have known" — you who have had 

 your biographies written up by him know — well, he reminds me of a little 

 dialogue that took place between Johnnie and his mother. Jimmie Jones 

 had just moved to town and Johnnie had gotten pretty thick with him. 

 Everything was Jimmy Jones. Johnnie's mother, who was very particular 

 what sort of company Johnnie kept, as all mothers should be, asked 

 Johnnie one day what kind of a boy this Jimmie Jones was. Johnnie 

 straightened up and says: "Well, I'll tell you, mother. He's no angel; 

 that isn't his profession. But he's all right." 



I am simply giving you 11 years of experience and observation in win- 

 tering bees in the cellar. I leave you to judge as to whether it has been 

 successful or not. 



