OCTOBER 15, 191c 



721 



Cellar No. 2 is ventilated in a manner 

 similar to No. 1, except that the intake is 

 about 100 feet long. Tins cellar is of brick, 

 and is built in sand under a dwelling-house. 

 The bees occupy a room partitioned off 12 x 

 12 ft., 87 colonies being stacked up five or 

 six hives high. Tliis room is much too 

 small. Nevertheless, the bees are in excel- 

 lent condition — diy, no odor, few dead on 

 the floor; average losses about one per cent. 

 The current at the intake is apparently 

 stronger than in cellar No. 1. No tempera- 

 ture reading's were taken, but the cellar is 

 warmer than No. 1. Losses, 1912, none. 



Cellar No. 3, 14 x 20 x 8 ft., made of ce- 

 ment blocks, is in stiff clay. It has four 

 vertical air-shafts outside, extending from 

 the ground surface, and entering the bottom 

 of the cellar; also a dozen 4 x 4-inch open- 

 ings at each end near the ceiling, which 

 extend up from two to six feet through the 

 cement blocks, and open outside. There is 

 also a trapdoor into the attic, 1^,4 x 3 ft., 

 which is left open in moderate weather. 

 The sjjaces between the joints above the 

 plastered ceiling are filled with diy sawdust. 

 Tills is an excellent example of how not to 

 ventilate a bee-cellar, notwithstanding many 

 contend that an opening at the top is all 

 that is necessary. In tliis cellar no air- 

 currents are perceptible at the opening. 

 either at the top or bottom. The humidity 

 is usually about 100 per cent — that is, the 

 air is completely saturated with vapor. 

 Although the temperature is considerably 

 liigher in cold Aveather than in No. 1, the 

 air is stagnant, odor bad, bees restless, and 

 bushels lie dead on the floor. The small 

 winter losses of colonies I attribute to the 

 excellent condition of the bees due to heavy 

 fall flows of honey. A sub-earth ventilator 

 and chimney will be installed before anoth- 

 er winter. Colonies, 1912, 98 ; losses, none. 



Now, what can be learned from these ex- 

 amples? It seems to me that the several 

 AA-intei-s that these cellars have been used 

 prove conclusively, first, that proper ven- 

 tilation is necessaiy in the successful A^nn- 

 tering of bees. Second, that, unless there is 

 a chimney, the difference between the tem- 

 peratures within and without a bee-cellar is 

 not sufficient to produce convection currents 

 that will bring about a proper ventilation. 

 Third, that<tither a high chimney or a near- 

 ly horizontal pipe, entering at the bottom 

 of tlie cellar, that will take advantage of 

 wind pressure, or both, are the most prac- 

 tical means of forcing the air through and 

 keeping it pure and at the proper humidity. 



The question may be asked, " Why not 

 pass the air in at the top? " There are two 

 reasons. The first is, that the undeiground 

 inlet modifies the temperature by making 



the air warmer in cold weather and cooler 

 in warm weather. The second is that, while 

 in cold weather the cold air will drop to the 

 bottom, being heavier, it will not do so when 

 the air outside is warmer than that inside, 

 and there will be little or no ventilation 

 when most needed. 

 Valparaiso, Ind. 



COLONY OF BEES TAKEN FROM A TREE IN 

 FEBRUARY 



BY J. S. FURNER 



I have a colony of bees that I got last 

 Februai-y in the woods two miles from my 

 home. They were found by some boys 

 hunting rabbits. I investigated, and found 

 that the top of a basswood had blown off to 

 a distance of about 20 feet, and the bees 

 were in it. I got a man, crosscut-saw, and 

 a democrat wagon, and went after them. I 

 sawed the log off 42 inches long, nailed 

 boards on each end, covered the hole, loaded 

 the bees in, and in the summer they went to 

 work as lively as any colony that I have. 



The log is 22 inches in diameter, with ai 



Section of a tree containing a colony of bees, 

 tree was cut in February. 



The 



