REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 213 



THE a^fi^hy. 



I submit herewith Mr. John Fixter's report as manager of the apiary. This branch 

 of the work has been left entirely in Mr. Fixtei''s hands. It must be attributed to his 

 f?ood management and skill that the bee department this year has become so popular. 

 Meetings of bee-keepers were addressed by Mr. Fixter, at the following places : — 

 Duncanville, Bell's Corners, Merivale, Rockland, and Bearbrook, all in the Ottawa 

 district. 



The season for bee-keepers has been a remarkably good one. The clover crop was 

 better than has been seen for many years in Ontario and Quebec, and all shrubs bloomed 

 profusely in early spi ing. 



REPORT OF MR. JOHN FIXTER. 



EXPKRIMEXTS IN WINTERING, 1897-98. 



The following seven experiments have been tried : Four were tried in the cellar (Nos. 

 1, 2, 6 and 7), one in a root-house (..Vo. 3), one in a pit dug in a hill side (No. 4), and 

 another in the House Apiary (No. 5). 



The cellar is below a private house. The walls are stone and the floor cement. 

 The bee-room, 11 feet 6 inches wide by 15 feet long and 7 feet high, allows three tiers 

 of shelves and two passages. It is boai'ded off from the remainder of the cellar by a 

 partition which extends all around the chamber, and far enough from the stone wall to 

 allow of a small air space. Under the cement floor a layer of small stones 8 inches 

 thick acts as a drain and keeps the cellar perfectly dry. The lov/est shelf is 18 inches 

 from the floor, the second 20 inches in the clear above, and the third 20 inches above 

 that. Neither the hives on the third shelf nor the uprights supporting the shelves 

 touch the ceiling, so that no vibration can reach the hives from the ceiling. This 

 chamber is thoroughly ventilated, also the whole cellar. There is a three inch pipe 

 passing through the bee chamber up to a stove pipe provided with a damper with which 

 to regulate the draught. 



Before entering the bee-room is a smaller room with a door leading outside and 

 another leading to the bee room ; both rooms are provided with sliding ventilators, so 

 that outside air may be let in at will. Ventilation is carefully attended to and sudden 

 changes of ti^mperature are avoided ; for this, a thermometer which is always kept in 

 the cellar, is watched. The best temperature for the bee cellar has been found to be 

 from 42 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. 



This arrangement has given entire satisfaction. In former years there was not 

 proper ventilation, and the cellar was always damp. Since the concrete floor has been 

 laid and the ventilators put in, the cellar has been much drier and cleaner. It is also 

 rat and mouse proof, %vhich is a very great advantage. The difference in the consump- 

 tion of honey by the bees is marked, the quantity being now only half what it was before 

 the cellar was improved. The coal stove which was formerly in the smaller room to 

 keep a uniform temperature and to kf ep the cellar dry, has been abandoned, as the cellar 

 and hives can be managed so as not to require it. I would not recommend any one to 

 use artificial heat. 



Experiment No. 1. — Eight colonies were put into winter quarters in the cellar and 

 placed on the shelves. Under the back end of each hive was placed a three-inch block, 

 by which means the back of each hive was raised so as to insure free ventilation. Each 

 hive was besides raised from its own bottom board by a small three-eighths of an inch 

 block placed at the back. All front entrances were left wide open, the wooden covers 

 all removed, and replaced with cushions made of chaff 4 inches thick, and wide and long 

 enough to lap over the hive 2 inches. 



