Beekeeping in the Tulip-Tree Region. 15 
best for this region. In western Maryland, western Virginia, eastern 
Kentucky, and all more northern sections where the tulip-tree is a 
main source of honey the bees should be packed on or before October 
15. (See map, fig. 4.) In the more southern sections the packing 
may be delayed until November 1, but it should not be delayed beyond 
these dates. Early packing is important in preserving the vitality 
of the bees which will start the work of the colony the following 
spring. Throughout the tulip-tree region 4 inches of packing are 
needed below the bottom of the hive, 6 inches (8 inches in more north- 
ern localities) on all sides, and 8 inches or more on top. Dry saw- 
4 
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tree 
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Fria. 3.—The quadruple winter packing case; a, Detail of tunnel to hives. Any type of 
packing case which gives equivalent insulation on bottom, sides, and top may be used. 
dust, fine planer shavings, well-dried leaves, or any other finely 
divided packing material may be used. It is not safe to wait until 
the leaves fall before packing, for this is often more than a month 
too late. The entrances to the hives must be reduced as described 
in the bulletin on wintering above mentioned. 
The bees should be wintered in two hive-bodies, just as was de- 
scribed for the late summer (p. 14). It is not safe in this region to 
put bees into winter quarters outdoors on less than 45 pounds of 
stores, for while a considerable quantity of nectar may come in dur- 
ing the early spring, occasionally this does not happen in this region, 
and it is necessary that the beekeeper leave the amount specified in 
order to insure the proper building up of the colony after March 1. 
