Feb. 1. 1912 



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HIVE PROTECTION. 



The Temperature of the Hive Outside the Cluster 

 Nearly the Same as that Outdoors; Thin Hives 

 Covered with Black Paper Better than Expensive 

 Chaff Hives. 



BY ARTHUR C MILLER. 



Some years ago I brought to the attention 

 of bee-keepers the value of black water-proof- 

 ed paper as a winter and spring covering for 

 hives, and explained some of the reasons for 

 its usefulness, and some of the things to be 

 guarded against. Several, evidently think- 

 ing that I erred in some of my methods, or 

 overlooking some of the directions, proceed- 

 ed to use it contrary to some specific and 

 emphatic instructions. They came to grief, 

 and promptly laid it to the black paper. 

 Others thought any water-proof paper would 

 do, and failed to secure expected results in 

 its use. Still others, thinking to improve 

 on all the rest, covered their hives with sev- 

 eral layers of papers, and then put a telescope 

 cover snugly over it. All failed to grasp 

 the fundamentals. 



Many bee-keepers now have hives either 

 paper-protected or are planning so to protect 

 them in the spring on removing the bees 

 from the cellar, and it may be helpful to re- 

 peat at this time some of the essentials, and 

 emphasize some of the important details. 



First, a description of conditions within 

 the hive in winter and spring is necessary. 

 In a normal colony of average size, and 

 which has not been unseasonably meddled 

 with, the cluster will be found in early win- 

 ter down close to the entrance. If such a 

 cluster is opened and examined, it will be 

 found to be nearly spherical in shape, and 

 usually the cells within the s])here contain 

 each a live bee; and between these bee-filled 

 combs other live bees are solidly packed; so, 

 except for the thin waxen cell walls, there is 

 actually a solid living ball of bees. About 

 the outer part of this cluster unsealed honey 

 is found, and beyond that the sealed. 



If into that ball, and in the spaces be- 

 tween the combs beside, behind, above, and 

 below the bees thermometers are thrust, 

 some surprising things will be revealed. For 

 this purpose long slender thermometers with 

 long straight bulbs are used. These are 

 passed through holes bored in a super cov- 

 er, and the cracks about the glass stems are 

 stulTed with cotton. The scales of the ther- 

 mometers are on white glass backgrounds 

 made a part of them. These scales are se- 

 lected so that the range of degrees probable 

 will be above the level of the super cover. 

 Over these protruding glass tubes is placed 

 an inverted box or similar cover. This may 

 have glass windows to read the scales 

 through, or the box may be lifted off for the 

 purpose. 



As soon as the bees quiet down from the 

 disturbance caused by thrusting the ther- 



mometer bulb into their midst, a tempera- 

 ture of GS to 72° F. will be found. Outside 

 of the cluster, before, behind, or beside, the 

 temperature will be about the same as out 

 of doors. If external temperature has been 

 nearly level for a day or two, the internal 

 temperature will be not over one or two de- 

 grees higher. .lust above the clusttr the 

 temperature will be but a few degrees below 

 that of the cluster center. 



These facts are the same whether the hive 

 has walls stuffed with three inches of saw- 

 dust or chaff, or are only half an inch thick. 



Now, if the thermometer within the clus- 

 ter is wiggled, the mercury begins to rise; 

 and within five to eight minutes it has risen 

 ten to twelve degrees. Remember this, for 

 it shows the cost of disturbance of the bees 

 in winter. That increased heat is expended 

 energy — bee life plus honey. 



If the bees are in thin-walled hives the 

 temjierature within the hive (and outside 

 the cluster) will closely follow that outside 

 the hive. In chaff hives, particularly with 

 small entrances, the fluctuation is slower, 

 and this is to the disadvantage of the bee- 

 keeper. If a blizzard has been raging, or 

 strong winds w^ith low temperature have 

 prevailed for several days, and then there 

 follows a still sunny day with a considerably 

 milder temperature, the inside of that "nice 

 warmchaflf hive" isnot pleasant tocontem- 

 plate. It is just as cold in there as it was 

 out of doors when the storm was raging, and 

 it stays so for a long time. On the other 

 hand, after an extended period of milder 

 weather the temperature inside reaches the 

 same level; and if a cold spell follows, the 

 inner temperature falls slowly. But winter 

 "mildness" is a long way below cluster 

 temperature. 



Bees in the thin hive get more rapid 

 change of temperature, but no greater ex- 

 tremes. If the entrance to their hive is suf- 

 ficiently large, little or no moisture will col- 

 lect on walls or combs. If the entrance is 

 small, moisture may collect; but the first 

 mild and sunny spell will dissipate much of 

 it. But not so in the thick hive. If mois- 

 ture collects in it, it stays. 



Just as soon as brood-rearing begins, in- 

 ternal conditions undergo a change. Clus- 

 ter temperature rises; and when the brood 

 occupies part of two or three combs, much 

 more moisture is given off. 



The exact temperature change within the 

 cluster after brood-rearing is well under way 

 is as yet a matter on which the several in- 

 vestigators are not agreed. Some note a 

 regular rising and falling of about ten de- 

 grees each day, the rise beginning about 10 

 A.M., reaching its maximum in about an 

 hour or a little more, remaining level until 

 nearly 1 p.m., and th^'n dropping until it 

 reaches minimum at about 2 p.si. This is 

 designated as a feeding fluctuation. Other 

 observers noted the ri.se of only about IS" F. 

 from the minimum of no brood, so that, in 



