The 5ee-)\eepeps' |ie\^ieLu 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 

 Devoted to tl^e Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$1,00 A YEAR, 

 w. z. HDTCHDJSON, Editor and ProDrtetor. 



VOL. VIII. FLINT, MICHIGAN,, JUNE 10. 1895. NO. 6. 



W'ork at ]VCiGliigan.'s 



Experiniental 



^piarv. 



B. L. TAYLOB, APIABI8T. 



WINTEB EXPEBIMENTS. 



pESIUES the 

 XJ five colonies 

 included in Table 

 A 1 have a record 

 of thirty - seven 

 others which were 

 carefully weighed 

 both when they 

 were put into the 

 cellar in the fall 

 and when they 

 were taken out in 

 the spring, three 

 of which were given upward ventilation by 

 slightly raising the cover during the time 

 they were in the cellar ; and also of thirteen 

 which were in like manner given upper ven- 

 tilation but were not weighed. An attempt 

 has been made to classify the thirty-seven 

 colonies weighed according to certain char- 

 acteristics, in order to bring out as distinctly 

 as possible such lessons as may be taught by 

 the experiment, which appear in detail in 

 the tables to follow. The weights were taken 

 both fall and spring of the hives divested of 

 their bottom boards. The estimate of 

 strength was made when the bees wer« close- 



ly clustered and none flying, soon after their 

 removal from the cellar. As to the in- 

 fluence of mould I do not find any satisfac- 

 tory indications that it affected successful 

 wintering one way or the other. 



The average strength of the entire lot of 

 thirty-seven colonies was ().59, average fall 

 weight 53.52 lbs., average spring weight 

 42.20 lbs., average consumption 11.32 lbs., 

 average consumption per unit of strength 

 1.72 lbs. 



The classification in the first four tables, 

 B and E inclusive is according to the absence 

 and to the different degrees of the signs of 

 the voiding of excrement. 



The table given first ( B ) includes all those 

 which showed none of those signs. 



The amount consumed by the bees in this 

 class was 1.57 lbs. per unit of strength. 



The ten colonies included in table C next 

 following, are those showing signs of excre- 

 mentitious matter in the smallest degree. 



In this case the consumption of stores per 

 unit of strength was 1.75 lbs. 



Table D includes seven colonies in which 

 diarrhoea had been present in a degree about 

 midway between the class which had a little 

 and that one which had it much. 



This class consumed 1.M4 lbs. per unit of 

 strength. 



The remaining three of the thirty-seven 

 colonies showing much voiding of excrement 

 are given in table E 



These colonies consiimed 2.11 lbs. per unit 

 of strength. 



