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flood, or violent storms, are about the only ones which can not be 
avoided by careful attention to right methods in wintering. Insuffi- 
cient or poor winter stores, hives faulty in construction, lack of pro- 
tection from cold and dampness, too much or too little ventilation, too 
great a proportion of old bees or too great a proportion of young ones, 
over-manipulation late in the season, ete., are the most important and 
most easily detected causes of loss in wintering bees. In some instances 
colonies supposed to have been placed in the same condition under which 
others have wintered well become diseased and die or dwindle away 
without prominent signs of disease. It is evident, however, that some 
condition existed in one case which was not present in the other, or that 
in spite of some unfavorable condition the favorable ones combined, 
in the first instance, to render the wintering successful. 
In the South wintering in the open air on the summer stands is the 
only method followed, while in the colder portions of the country, 
although with proper precautions bees may be wintered successfully 
in the open air, many prefer to house them in special repositories built 
with double walls, or to place them in darkened cellars, or in clamps. 
Indoor wintering should be confined to regions where there are several 
weeks, at least, of continued severe weather. When all conditions are 
right, consumption of honey will be jess indoors and loss of bee-life 
less than with the methods usually practiced in outdoor wintering. 
Under proper conditions, however, especially when abundant protec- 
tion has been given, colonies out of doors will consume no more food 
nor meet with greater losses in numbers than those wintered under 
favorable conditions indoors. In wintering indoors certain essential 
conditions are, in a measure, beyond the control of the bee keeper, 
hence must be left to chance, and certain other conditions and emer- 
gencies liable to arise, though easily understood and met by the man 
of experience in this direction, are yet very likely to be overlooked by 
the novice or to be puzzling and disastrous to him. For these reasons 
it is safer for him to keep closer to the natural method at first and try 
outdoor wintering. 
In wintering out of doors the conditions within the control of the bee 
keeper are more readily perceived and easier to meet, and though the 
original work of preparation for good wintering out of doors is greater 
per colony, yet the work during the winter itself and the following 
spring is likely to be less; moreover, the feeling of greater security, as 
well as the greater certainty of finding the colonies in good condition 
to begin gathering in the spring, are points well worthy of considera- 
tion. In other words, indoor wintering should be left to such experi- 
enced bee keepers as may prefer if and are located in cold climates, 
while novices, wherever located, should first endeavor to meet the 
requirements of successful outdoor wintering, that is, to prepare the 
colonies so that Nature, whatever her mood as regards the weather, 
will bring her tiny charges safely through the perils and vicissitudes of 
the winter months. 
