202 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Air 1 



SHEDS FOR APIARIES. 



A Low Permanent Structure to Protect 

 the Hives in Winter. 



BY MILTON F. SMITH. 



I have been interested in the keeping: of bees 

 for the past forty years, and have tried all manner 

 of ways of iceeping colonies over the winter in 

 the most successful way, for our winters are some- 

 times very severe. At last I found a way that is 

 quite successful. It is shown by the engraving. 

 The shed is substantially built, and is stationary. 

 It is long enough to pack comfortably about 25 

 or 30 hives. It is built high enough to hold two 

 tiers of hives, but this has not proved successful; 

 for during warm days of winter, when the bees 

 are flying, they too often become confused, and 

 do not find the proper hive, and are lost. 



In packing them for the cold weather of winter 

 I use any thing that is dry and warm, usually 

 coarse sawdust, and planings — that is, fine shav- 

 ings that I get from a cigar-box factory next 

 door. I put this all around both sides, top and 

 back, even packing down the front, for I have 

 movable doors for the front of the shed. I have 

 also arranged that on warm days (that often come 

 in the middle of winter) I can easily remove the 

 lower board of the front and allow the bees free- 



dom. In this way I have kept my bees over very 

 severe winters without the loss of a single colony. 

 La5t fall I had a number of very weak colonies. 

 I fed them sugar syrup early in the fall, and pack- 

 ed them for winter in due season This spring 

 every one came out good and strong. 



When I have more colonies than the shed will 

 hold I put them in a movable shed that I have 

 made for this purpose. It is so arranged that I 

 can put it away in the summer, out of the way of 

 other things. Each side, roof, etc., is made to 

 pack away flat — a sort of take-down arrangement. 

 It is put together in a moment by means of hooks. 

 The main shed is so arranged that the back part 

 can be taken of? in the summer, and this gives 

 the bees perfect freedom and air; but I usually 

 move the hives out a few feet in front of the shed, 

 as shown in the cut, to give me more freedom for 

 handling them. 



Bees may be packed for winter in different 

 ways; but it has been my experience that it is 

 more important to have the hives kept dry than 

 warm. One winter I had a lot of com fodder, 

 and put enough around to keep out all wind and 

 cold; but the snow and rain fell upon this pile of 

 fodder and made it damp and wet, and the result 

 was any thing but encouraging. This is the 

 fault with a cellar. Most cellars are warm enough, 

 but they are too damp. 

 Red Lion, Pa. 



smith's permanent shed. 



The hives are set forwaid in the spring so that the shed is not in the way. 



