REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 265 



This mode of wintering was, on the whole, very successful. One swarm, however, 

 died from an unknown cause. When put into the cellar it had plenty of honey and 

 weighed 58 pounds. In spring its weight was found to be 47f pounds. 



The average weight of the 16 other colonies was before winter 50^ pounds , and in 

 the spring 40|- pounds, each colony having consumed an average of only 10 lbs. of their 

 stores against 12 pounds 9 ounces the preceding winter, and 20' lbs. in 1894-95. 

 During the winter scarcely any humming could be heard in the hives, and there 

 was no sign of dampness nor of dysentery. 



The product from the 16 hives dui'ing the season was, on an average, 47 sections of 

 honey from each, besides 17 pounds, in " extracting-f rames " reserved for winter and 

 spring feeding. The 1 6 hives gave 5 new swarms. 



Experiment No. 2. — Two colonies put into the cellar, with tops and bottoms of the 

 hives left on, just as they were brought in out of the bee-yard. These were to be 

 watched for dampness. 



By the 30th December, some mould was noticed at the entrance of one hive, 

 and a fortnight later both were very damp, one even had water on the bottom board. 

 In this hive, however, the bees kept very quiet and scarcely any hum could be heard, 

 while those of the other hive were very restless, some coming out at the entrance from 

 30th January ; consequently, on 10th February, a little ventilation was provided by dis- 

 placing somewhat the wooden cover; nevertheless, on 1st March, there were signs of 

 dysentery, and about half a pint of dead bees was removed. By 16th March signs of 

 dysentery appeared also on the other hive, and on the 1st April both seemed to be in 

 a very bad condition, a considerable number of dead bees having to be removed from 

 them. 



On 15th April the two hives were taken out and placed on their summer stands; 

 there were many dead bees and mould on the bottom board ; but the colonies were still 

 fairly strong. The bottom boards were removed and clean ones put in place of them. 



On 27th April the hive that had been the quieter one during winter, was found 

 deserted ; its frames were very mouldy and soiled with fiBces. The other hive, on the 

 same date, had two frames partly filled with brood and with new honey. The product 

 of this hive and of one swarm which it gave, was 92 sections of honey. 



Experiment No. 3. — One colony was placed in a packing case in the cellar, on the 

 22nd November, 1895, and packed with four inches of dry sawdust all round the hive ; 

 brood chamber raised from bottom board by four small 1-iuch blocks ; wooden cover of 

 hive replaced by a 4-inch chaff cushion, and the packing case filled up with four inches 

 of dry saw-dust above the cushion. For ventilation a small shaft of the same size as 

 the opening to the Langstroth hive, led from the opening of the hive to the outside of the 

 packing case. Case placed on the top of another case, three feet high, in the stone 

 cellar beneath dwelling house. 



About the 21st of January, this colony began to be uneasy ; some bees were com- 

 ing out. On 30th January, the top was somewhat displaced to give ventilation ; never- 

 theless bees kept coming out, though the cellar was perfectly dark, and on 14th Feb- 

 ruary a piece of thin netting was placed over the entrance to stop them. On 1st 

 March, there were many bees dead about the entrance which was much soiled with 

 fjeces. The number of dead bees then became less and less, and on 1st April the colony 

 was perfectly quiet. On loth April it was taken out of the cellar and found to be in 

 a very weak condition with no more than one frame of bees ; the other frames were much 

 soiled with fceces. The weight of the hive, 55 pounds on 22nd November, was now 

 reduced to 39 pounds, the bees having consequently consumed 16 pounds of honey. 



On 1st May the bees though weak were gathering pollen actively ; on 15th May 

 the hive contained two frames with brood and much new honey, but no eggs and no 

 queen. One queen cell only was capped. On 25th May, all the brood had emerged and 

 flown away leaving scarcely a dozen bees in the hive. On 30th May, the hive was 

 deserted, the queen cell not being uncapped ; 7 pounds of fresh honey had been gathered 

 into the brood chamber. 



