TIIK BEE-KEKPERS* REVIEW. 



299 



side, which furnish resting places for each 

 successive hive as I pile them up in the 

 cellar for winter. Loose strips answer 

 as well, but are not so convenient. The 

 hives without the bottoms are easier to 

 handle and take up much less space in 

 the cellar. 



I)ISTllRB.\NCE IN WINTICR NOT IJKEI.Y 

 TO CAU.SE TROUBI.E. 



When first trying cellar wintering, one 

 will be concerned lest he do injury by 

 disturbing the bees during their confine- 

 ment, but I judge there need be but little 

 fear. Whether it does any injury at all 

 is altogether problematical. Years ago, 

 out of curiosity, I used to visit the cellar 

 frequently wiih a light, and often opened 

 and examined the colonies most conven- 

 ient. They wintered as well as the 

 others. Such disturbance probably does 

 the bees no good, but in case of necessity 

 I should disturb them without compunc- 

 tions. Some view any disturbance with 

 horror, and if they were to l)ring in bees 

 from an out-apiary to be wintered inside, 

 they would use every effort to do it soon 

 enough so they might have a flight be- 

 fore being put into the cellar, their theory 

 being that any disturbance causes the 

 bees to begin at once an extra consump- 

 tion of honey, and that at once their in- 

 testines begin to be overloaded with ex- 

 crementitious matter and so pave the way 

 to danger. No doubt a disturbance con- 

 tinued for many days would tend to that 

 effect, but a temporary disturbance only 

 causes them to load up their honey sacks 

 in preparation for an anticipated emer- 

 gency, but when renewed quiet dispels 

 apprehension the honey is unloaded into 

 the cells and no harm is done. 



CARRYING THE BEES INTO THE CEI.I,AR. 



When to put the bees into the cellar, 

 and how to arrange them there, are ques- 

 tions that are of interest to many. When 

 ready to begin putting the bees in, I pro- 

 vide the bodies of as many eight-frame 

 hives, or other boxes or things equiva- 

 lent, as there are to be piles of colonies 

 when all are in. These boxes are to be used 

 to support the piles, raising the lowest col- 



ony ten or twelve inches from the level 

 of the cellar floor. I plan to arrange the 

 bees so that when all are in they shall 

 stand in rows, or in double rows, with 

 alleys between, the side of each hive to- 

 ward an alley, in order that, in the win- 

 ter, by passing along the alley and glanc- 

 ing under any given colony, I may be 

 able to determine its condition. The 

 debris and the number of dead bees gen- 

 erally furnish sulficient grounds for a safe 

 diagnosis. When ready to bring in the 

 bees I place empty hives or other sup- 

 ports one at the further end of each of 

 several proposed rows, taking care that 

 it is level and firndy placed. It is desir- 

 able that each be about the right size in 

 order to save room, for one support must 

 not be used for two, or parts of two, piles. 

 Each pile must be entirely dependent of 

 every other. This is important; for, if a 

 row be in any way woven together, even 

 though slightly, the placing of a hive, or 

 the removal of a hive, disturV)s the bees 

 in the whole row; and this would be 

 found to greatly aggravate the difficulty 

 of getting the bees either in or out of the 

 cellar. One can scarcely go wrong in se- 

 lecting the time for carrying the bees in, 

 so long as he does not wait till winter 

 actually sets in. When ready and a good 

 day comes, do not wait to give them the 

 chance for another flight. The time to 

 sow oats is when you are ready. Any 

 suitable time in November is good, but 

 generally toward the latter end, though 

 earlier may be better, especially if the 

 weather gels cold enough. I used to se- 

 lect a dull cloudy day with no wind and 

 the temperature at about 45 degrees; I 

 now select a day of the same character, 

 except the temperature, which I like to 

 be from 10 degrees to 20 degrees colder. 

 When the right day conies, act promptly. 

 Select a heavy colony, insert the screw 

 driver, very carefully, into the entrance, 

 and gently loosen the hive from the bot- 

 tom, lean over it from the back end and 

 raise or tip it till the fingers of one hand, 

 and then of the other, grasp the bottom 

 edge of the hive, then draw it up till the 



