128 



FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORt OF THE 



feet per minute traveled, and I went up 

 above the stove and found the ther- 

 nrOmeter was 70 in the flue. 



I had 100 colonies of bees and 640 

 cubic feet per minute of air. 



How much air the bees required I do 

 not know. That would be enough for 

 six men, a horse or a mule; I do not 

 know how much the bees require. 



In order to produce heat, bees, or any 

 other animal, must consume oxygen. 



If we were to estimate that from De- 

 cember 1st to April 1st, about 120 days, 

 a colony of bees will consume eighteen 

 lbs. of honey, 100 colonies in summer 

 would consume 1,800 lbs., or 15 lbs. a 

 day. 



Taking 15 lbs. a day would require 

 16 lbs. of oxygen. 



It would produce 22 lbs. of carbon 

 dioxide and 9 lbs. of water. 



Now 16 lbs. of oxygen would occupy 

 under normal pressure a temperature 

 of about 200 cubic feet; about one-fifth 

 of the air is oxygen; so it would have 

 to have about 1,000 cubic feet of air per 

 day to suply 100 colonies. Now one 

 thousand cubic feet a day would mean 

 40 cubic feet per minute. 



The cellar must be ventilated to give 

 them oxygen and in order to carry off 

 water vapor. 



I assume here that all the oxygen 

 they breathe would be used up but it 

 is not. 



I do not know what percentage of 

 oxygen is taken out of the air by res- 

 piration of the bees, but nearly all. 



It would require not one thousand 

 but several thousand cubic feet oi air 

 per day to supply that number of bees 

 and we cannot get that by making an , 

 opening in the top of the cellar alone. 



If we do not give the bees enough 

 oxj'gen they will lose in vitality but 

 we will lose in bees. 



Dr. Brinckerhoff — Have you noticed 

 a difference in bees in vitality ih thje 

 upper tier and lower tier? 



Mr. Miller — I have noticed this, that 

 the upper tiers are brighter because the 

 temperature is higher at the top of the 

 cellar than it is at the bottom of the 

 cellar. 



After a large number of readings I 

 found a difference of 1 to 2 degrees up 

 near the ceiling and near the floor. 



It is hard to tell about vitality be- 

 cause ordinarily in putting bees in the 

 cellar we have to put the light colonies 

 at the top because they are not so 

 heavy to lift. 



On February 24 the temperature out- 

 side was 12 degrees; at the intake it 

 was 32 and at the outlet 40 (a light 

 wind). 



On March 2d the temperature was, 2 

 degrees above zero outside. At the in- • 

 take it was 18, showing a difference of 

 16 degrees between the outside ther- 

 mometer and the thermometer inside 

 where the air passes through the in- 

 take. 



Another reading: On the 19th of 

 March the outside temperature was 63 

 degrees and at the intake it was 53, 

 showing that the air was cooled 13 de- 

 grees in passing through the tile. 



This shows that the tile has some 

 real as well as theoretical value. 



When it was 63 degrees outside and 

 50 at the intake, the thermometer in- 

 side was also 50. 



Mr. France — How long is that tile? 



Mr. Miller — That tile at that time 

 was about 40 feet. It should be at least 

 twice that; it should be made larger 

 and longer. 



Mr. France — It goes in 7% feet under 

 ground ? 



Mr. Miller — Yes, it goes in near the 

 floor. 



Mr. Miller — A gentleman from Idaho 

 wrote me about wintering bees in the 

 cellar. He had 1,000 colonies and he 

 wanted to put them in the cellar to 

 winter. 



I suggested to him, instead of run- 

 ning the tile in there for that number 

 of colonies, I would build a room and 

 have the air go through the room and 

 modify the temperature before the air 

 gpes through, by artiflcial heat. 



Mr. Dadant — As I understand it, this 

 is closed four sides? 



Mr. Miller — I have a hatch way out- 

 side, opening in top, but I close that 

 up, windows double boarded, filled in. 

 In the cellar way I have a tight door 

 and a door over the hatchway. 



Mr. Schmidt — If there is much mois- 

 ture it shows the temperature is too 

 low, otherwise water would not collect 

 there. 



Mr. Wheeler — Do your bees get 

 enough water? 



Mr. Miller — Yes, they do. I have 

 never known the time when they were 

 too dry but I have known the time 

 when they were too wet before proper 

 ventilation was put in. 



I have carried 100 colonies in a cel- 

 lar, like "this, with?«a temperature 38 

 degrees, without losing a colony, but 



