T[}e See-|\eepeps' |\eVieou. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tl^e Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$1,00 A YEAR, 



W Z. HUTCHlflSOl^, EditoP & Pfop. 



FLINT, MICHIGAN, OCT, 10. 1892. NO. 10. 



VOL, V, 



The special topie of this issue is 



Tl^e Coqstructioq of Bee Cellars. 



That of the next issue cuill be 



Raisiqg Sugar - Honey, 



Build Bee Cellars Underground and of 



Stone — Ventilation not Needed— Put 



Sawdust on the Floor 



G. M. DOOLITTLE 



^EEING THAT 

 k9 bee cellars is 

 to be the topic of 

 the next Review I 

 thought that the 

 editor might al- 

 low me to say a 

 few words regard- 

 ing mine, as I 

 think it is about 

 the thing in which 

 to winter bees. 

 My bee yard slopes 

 gently to the north (I wish it were south- 

 east, but I had to take such as I had), while 

 near the west end is a slight sag through 

 which flowed a small brook in wet weather, 

 but which was dry the larger part of the 

 summer. This brook now has an under- 

 ground passage, so as to be entirely out of 

 the way. West of the brook is a knoll, or 

 rise of ground, facing the east, and rising 



at the rate of about four inches to the foot. 

 Into this knoll I dug about thirty feet, or so 

 that the back end of the hole was about ten 

 feet deep, measuring straight up to the west 

 bank. This same hole was about nine feet 

 wide, and, for a trial, it was boarded up at 

 first, a roof put over, and three feet of earth 

 put on top of the roof. Herein I wintered 

 my bees quite successfully, thus proving the 

 value of such a place for wintering bees. 



When the boards became rotten I tore all 

 down and put in a good wall of stone and 

 mortar, on top of which I put a good strong 

 roof, which was covered with three feet of 

 dry earth, and over the whole was a larger 

 roof so as to keep the earth and all under it 

 dry. Since then the "strong roof" rotted 

 out and I now have the cellar covered with 

 flag stone so that the whole is a permanent 

 thing, and will last long after I am no more 

 in this world. 



The first cave or cellar did not have the 

 outer roof, but was left the same as Brother 

 Hutchinson says theirs was, consequently 

 the dirt was kept wet by rains and snows. I 

 find the latter much better as the dry earth 

 seems to keep a more even temperature than 

 did the former. 



The east end wall is 24 feet from the west, 

 and here is the entrance door,so that the cave 

 is in reality only 24 feet long by GJ^ wide by 

 7 feet deep, inside measure. Two feet out 

 from the entrance door is another door, and 

 still two feet further out is another door, 

 and in front of this last door is an ante-room 

 four feet square, which Uas a^ door to that, 



