NOVEMBER 15, 1913 



815 



Avay most humans behave when a camera is 

 in sight? 



Another reason that makes me think that 

 this bumble-bee possessed human intelli- 

 gence is that she started to eat the minute she 

 came near anj^ sweets. She enjoyed the 

 meal for about five minutes, wlien the Ital- 

 ians, thinking she had eaten enough of their 

 hard-earned honey, began to tug at her legs 

 and wings. She then flew away. The queen 

 was far too modest to pose along with the 

 bumble-bee. Instead she stole around to the 

 shady side of the comb. 



New Brunswick, N. J. 



A CONCRETE BEE CELLAR IN WHICH UNI- 

 FORM SUCCESS IS ALWAYS ASSURED 



The Value of a Properly Constructed Sub-earth 

 Ventilator 



BY H. HARLEY SELWYN 



In the October 1st issue, p. 686, Mr. E. S. 

 Miller, of Valparaiso, Ind., deals with the 

 advantages of a good concrete cellar for 

 wintering bees. He also mentions the de- 

 preciation of hive material, especially outer 

 casings and extra labor involved in packing 

 liives on their summer stands. 



Now, I do not know what kind of climate 

 Mr. Miller has to deal with; but I do know 

 this : that the construction of the cellar, 

 mode of ventilation, capacity, percentage of 

 loss, and cost of putting away 100 colonies 

 so closely agree with my experience during 

 the past four years that I can not refrain 

 from i-eiterating the words of Mr. Miller. 



A few years ago I undertook to construct 

 a cement cellar (strangely enough), 16 x 20 

 feet and 71/2 feet liigh, as suggested. The 

 climate in the vicinity of Ottawa, the loca- 

 tion of my beeyard, is extremely cold in 

 winter; and to temper this air before enter- 

 ing the cellar I provided for a sub-earth 

 ventilator for running under gi'ound about 

 60 feet from the hillside (the cellar is situ- 

 ated on a rising ground), and entering the 

 floor of the repository. This provides per- 

 fect ventilation, I find; and, to prove my 

 statement further, the percentage of loss has 

 been practically nothing. Of course there 

 is an outlet for the foul air in the ceiling- 

 above, which passes through into the main 

 room of the bee-house proper above. Mr. 

 Miller recommends a chimney descending 

 into the cellar on the lee side to take the 

 air from the bottom of the cellar. As car- 

 bon dioxide is heavier than air, and as this 

 gas is largely given off by the bees, it is 

 natural to suppose that, under normal con- 

 ditions in what might be a hermetically 

 sealed cellar, it would be in large quan- 



tities in the lower levels, and cause uneasi- 

 ness to the bees ; but in my experience, the 

 heat created by 100 colonies in a compart- 

 ment 16 X 20 feet has been so marked that 

 there is always a quick-flowing current of 

 air out of the main vent; and to fill the 

 \ acuum created, of course fresh air, moder 

 ated by its long passage under ground, is 

 entering. For these reasons I consider this 

 method of ventilation superior to any other, 

 and my experience has borne me out. 



The cost of labor in putting my colonies in 

 has been about $3.00 each fall, although it 

 took the man I liired only part of the fore- 

 noon to carry them in and get them on the 

 racks previously prepared. I paid him well, 

 as he was very careful in handling each 

 hive; and I believe in rewarding conscien- 

 tious service. He has done this work for 

 me for several seasons. I prepare the hives 

 for moving in some time before, so that 

 there may be no hitch in proceedings. 



Each hive is given a new quilt of 6 to 8 

 oz. duck, cut nice and square, and leaving 

 no holes for bees to get out after the cover 

 comes off. Besides, a new duck quilt as- 

 sures good slow upward ventilation, which 

 I consider essential for the best of success 

 in wintering. All hooks or crating staples 

 are removed except one at the back of each 

 hive, which holds the bottom-board in place 

 and yet allows the body to rise in front, so 

 that blocks may be inserted to admit an 

 abundance of air to the cluster; and also to 

 avoid the blocking of an ordinary % en- 

 trance with dead bees before the winter is 

 half over. Tliis should be done after the 

 hives are in and the bees settled down. 



Our winter extends over 5V2 to 6 months 

 of the year, and year after year the bees in 

 this particular cement cellar have been in 

 continuous confinement for that period, and 

 yet come out strong, lusty, and clean. I do 

 not think many beekeepers can place the 

 reliance I do in this cellar. 



Its construction as already mentioned is 

 simple to a degree. Just clean out a 16 x 20 

 space 8 feet deep in a good dry liillside, 

 having plenty of natural drainage. Put in 

 a wooden form about 12 inches from the 

 earth, made to hold back the cement, and 

 fill it in day by day, taking care to leave 

 plenty of big stone projecting from the last 

 day's work to make good connection with 

 the next day's mixing. When completed, 

 one has a base for a house which is practi- 

 cally everlasting. Doors which sag and 

 frames and fioors swaying are unheard of 

 and the bee-house above proves a source of 

 satisfaction. 



The ventilating system in my case was 

 put in after the cellar walls were built. A 



