December, 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



tering on natural stores, sometimes caused 

 a feeling of guilt. 



Different Behavior of Colonies Wintered 

 on Honey. 



I do not mean tiiat our natural stores 

 were unfit for cellar wintering, but they 

 were not good enough for perfect results at 

 45 degrees. In other words, the colonies 

 using natural stores were the best indicators 

 as to the character of the wintering. They 

 were more sensitive in their response, and 

 the results were greatly magnified when 

 compared with those wintered on sugar 

 syrup. We were not willing to quit winter- 

 ing a part of the colonies each year on 

 natural stores, hoping ultimately to find 

 some way to winter perfectly on such stores. 



By weighing the hives and contents when 

 the bees were put into the cellar and again 

 when they were taken out, we found that 

 those colonies having only natural stores 

 invariably used a greater quantity than 

 those using sugar syrup. In some cases the 

 amount of natural stores consumed per colo- 

 ny was fully twice that of colonies of equal 

 strength using only sugar stores. In some 

 eases colonies in the cellar that were given 

 rather poor stores apparently consumed dur- 

 ing the winter fully as much as, if not 

 more than, those wintered outside where 

 they often endured temperatures below zero 

 for a considerable period of time. It was 

 difficult to understand why these colonies 

 should burn as much fuel, and therefore 

 apparently spend as much energy in the 

 cellar at 45 degrees as those packed outside 

 where the need of heat generation must have 

 been much greater. Furthermore, by far 

 the greater portion of this fuel was burned 

 during the latter part of the winter. 

 Bees in CeUar More Active During Latter 

 Part of Winter, Regardless of 

 Cellar Temperature. 



During the early part of their confine- 

 ment in the cellar, the activity of the bees 

 is apparently for the purpose of keeping 

 up the necessary temperature of the cluster 

 only, but during the latter part of winter 

 the bees- are active because they are uncom- 

 fortable (either from accumulated feces or 

 from age). In some cases, perhaps, much 

 more heat is generated late in winter as a 

 by-product from activity resulting from dis- 

 comfort than the total amount produced for 

 the purpose of keeping up the cluster tem- 

 perature during the entire winter. There- 

 fore, more bee energy is sometimes wasted 

 and stores needlessly consumed in the cel- 

 lar, because of discomfort and restlessness, 

 than is used up by colonies of equal strength 

 outside to overcome the greater difference 

 in temperature, thus completely nullifying 

 the advantage of the protection afforded by 

 the cellar. 



Higher Temperature Desirable During 

 Early Part of Winter. 



We found with this cellar at 45 degrees 

 that the colonies near the ceiling of the cel- 

 lar wintered better than those lower down 

 where the temperature was lower; also that 



colonies crowded down to five or six combs 

 by means of chaff-cushioned division-boards 

 wintered better than colonies of the same 

 strength with the full set of combs; and 

 colonies with contracted entrances wintered 

 better than those having the bottom-boards 

 removed or those having the large summer 

 entrances. All of these things indicated 

 that a temperature of the cellar above 45 

 degrees would give better results; yet, when 

 we considered the difficulties sometimes ex- 

 perienced in keeping the bees in their hives 

 at higher temperatures, this method of re- 

 ducing the winter activity of the bees did 

 not look promising. 



I remember now, however, that trouble 

 from temperatures too high did not occur 

 until the latter part of the winter. In fact, 

 with the small amount of heat the bees gen- 

 erate during the early part of the winter, it 

 would be difficult to maintain a higher tem- 

 perature in ordinary bee-cellars without ar- 

 tificial heat. Just at the time when the bees 

 would have been more comfortable and 

 quiet in a higher temperature, we were care- 

 fully holding it at 45 degrees, because we 

 thought the best temperature for March 

 must also be the best for November. 



When the stores are of such a character 

 that the bees are much more active during 

 the latter part of the winter, it is not reason- 

 able to attempt to maintain the same cellar 

 temperature thruout the entire winter, and 

 the same thing must be true in a lesser de- 

 gree even with the best of stores. To hold 

 the temperature down to 45 degrees during 

 the early part of winter compels the bees 

 to generate sufficient heat to raise the tem- 

 perature of all parts of the cluster to at 

 least 57 degrees, and this, too, at a time 

 when the bees are more willing to co-operate 

 in energy-saving than at any other time 

 during the winter. A lower temperature 

 at this time should be deferred until quite 

 late, the time when the bees are generating 

 heat as a by-product because of discomfort. 

 When this time does come, if the stores are 

 such that it comes before time for taking 

 the bees out, it may be well to maintain a 

 temperature of 45 degrees or lower, for 

 then the bees are generating heat regard- 

 less of the temperature of the air surround- 

 ing them, not for the purpose of keeping 

 warm, but because they are restless. 

 Bees Are Best Thermometers. 



We do not expect again to attempt to 

 regulate the cellar temperature by means of 

 a thermometer hanging somewhere in the 

 bee-cellar, but rather do our regulating by 

 noting the behavior of the bees. When it 

 is right for the bees, it will be well to note 

 the thermometer reading for future guid- 

 ance. It will be useful in this way only 

 when all other conditions, such as strength 

 and number of colonies, size and shape of 

 the winter chamber, the amount of protec- 

 tion afforded by the hive, the size of the 

 entrances, etc., are exactly the same. The 

 proper cellar temperature is just a shade be- 

 low that temperature which causes the bees 



