ee- 



\eepeP8 |\e\^ie(jL). 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tl^e Interests of Hor]eL) Producers. 



$1,00 A YEAR. 



W. z. HOTCEINSON, Editor and ProDiietor. 



VOL X. 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, OCT. 10, 1897, 



NO 10. 



Preparation of Colonies for Winter. 



L. A. ASPINWALL. 



s 



LTHOUGH 



having been 

 uniformly success- 

 ful in the winter- 

 ing of bees by 

 special repositor- 

 ies; still, with pro- 

 perly constructed 

 hives, and the re- 

 quisite amount of 

 food for each col- 

 ony: I am persuad- 

 ed that out door 

 wintering far transcouds any or all methods 

 heretofore advised. 



Although success may attend our efforts 

 in the beaten paths, still in some new way a 

 degree of perfection may be reached, which 

 will far overshadow the past. Such has 

 been the result during forty-five years of 

 progress in bee-keeping. Most methods of 

 the ushering in of those years are now al- 

 most obsolete. 



With a successful out-door method of 

 wintering, unrestricted flight is maintained; 

 the desirableness of which can only be 

 appreciated when contrasted with the rest- 

 less roar of bees confined in cellars during 

 warm winters, es[)ccially towards spring. 

 Furthermore bees wintered in the open air 

 require absolutely no care; and the machine- 



ry of its success obviates the necessity of 

 further brain effort. 



In this paper I shall endeavor to outline a 

 simple arrangement favorable to successful 

 out door wintering in the ordinary single- 

 wall frame hive. It will, however, be im- 

 perfect compared with hives made specially 

 for the purpose, (including closed end 

 frames); still, will insure reasonably good 

 success. 



To obtain a more intelligent understand- 

 ing of the wintering problem, let us consid- 

 er a few facts relative thereto, and the cir- 

 cumstances which necessitate slight changes 

 in the arrangements. First of all it is a 

 well established fact that single walls are 

 insufiBcient for protection against the cold 

 of our Northern states; hence, something 

 equivalent to about two inches of packing 

 on the bottom, sides and ends must be in- 

 cluded as a requisite to successful wintering. 

 Above the frames I would recommend about 

 four to six inches of packing for protection. 

 The warmth of the colony naturally as- 

 cending necessitates a greater thickness 

 above to prevent its radiation. With hives 

 well packed on the bottom, ends and, sides, 

 a tray of saw-dust about six inches deep 

 will conserve most of the heat generated by 

 an average colony. Preferably, the tray 

 should have a muslin bottom, which when 

 filled with sawdust will conform to, and fill 

 the shallow bee space above the frames. 



With no packing at the bottom or sides 

 the thin walls allow a constant radiation of 



