524 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



I use a %-iii. entrance winter and summer. I tier hives up in the 

 cellar five high with outside covers off. Back of hive a little higher than 

 front and the tiers ahout 4-in. apart. I leave an alley way of about 2 ft. 

 between rows so I can examine them at any time and note their condi- 

 tions. Rows are put in facing each other which darkens the entrances of 

 both rows, so if I wish to ventilate I can without the little light that might 

 show disturbing the bees. If the weather is mild, I ventilate often. In 

 fact, one of the windows is left open whenever the weather will permit. 

 I usually hang a gunny sack over it to exclude the most of the light. I 

 often open outside door and window in the evening and let in copious 

 supplies of fresh, pure air in mild weather. 



I am satisfied right here is the cause of lots of failures in cellar win- 

 tering. People should have pure air to be healthy. Are bees unlike 

 people in this respect? Doesn't hygiene teach that pure air is easier and 

 quicker warmed than impure? Then why not ventilate? I never could 

 understand why the temperature should be so exact in a cellar, when 

 bees wintered outside are subjected to more changes in temperature than 

 any cellar wintered bees could possibly be. From 60 above to 20 below 

 zero is not uncommon in Iowa, and that inside of 24 hours sometimes. 



If fresh, pure air will winter bees out of doors with the different 

 changes of temperature, I don't see why it isn't a mighty good thing in 

 a bee cellar, even if the temperature goes down to 40° or some less. 



I would rather have a cellar with a temperatur of 40° and pure air 

 than one with the orthodox 47° and impure air. 



I don't take so much stock in that 47° business as I used to, or per- 

 haps I should say I don't pay so much attention to it. It worried me a 

 good deal when I first commenced keeping bees. 



I am satisfied that statement "If you can't keep your cellar at 47° or 

 close to it, better winter out of doors," has caused many an amateur to 

 chink up his cellar, compel his bees to try to live on that foul poison air, 

 just to mantain that 47°, then to wonder in the spring what killed his 

 bees — of course it was cellar wintering. 



Now don't understand me to be knocking against the orthodox 47°. 

 Because I like to have it, if I can, and have pure air. However, my bees 

 seem to be in a more normal condition at 40 or 45. But if I have to 

 lower that temperature to have pure air, down she goes. 



I use my nose in a bee cellar fully as much as the thermometer. In 

 fact, I haven't had a thermometer in my cellar to my knowledge for three 

 years. 



I have wintered 100 per cent several times in this cellar and don't re- 

 member of carrying out over eight dead colonies in any one winter, and 

 that year we got honey dew in the winter stores. The only year I ever 

 knew my bees to gather honey dew. However, they gathered some from 

 the maples in early summer this year and I had two reports of bees work- 

 ing on the spruce. I imagine spruce honey dew would be fine dope. It 

 might do to compete with some of this imported honey that is selling at 

 three cents per pound. 



We have wintered as high as 116 swarms in this cellar besides all our 

 vegetables and canned fruits. Perhaps an average of 75 swarms for the 



