the presence of brood, the temperature of 

 the cluster stands steadily at about S8° F. 

 And thus matters remain until the cluster 

 "breaks." 



When the bees cease to pack into the cells 

 and spread out over the combs (break clus- 

 ter), conditions within the hive are materi- 

 ally changed. El very thermometer will give 

 nearly the same reading (if the colony is 

 normal) ; those next to the brood, reading a 

 little above the others. In other words, the 

 bees are keeping the whole chamber warm, 

 and the chaff-packed walls become a very 

 decided help to the bees. 



The bees in the unprotected thin-walled 

 hives can not keep the whole brood-chamber 

 warm, so that, from the "breaking of the 

 cluster" until settled warm weather, they 

 are kept much behind colonies in protected 

 hives. But if a single-walled hive is proper- 

 ly covered with a black water-proof paper, 

 the results are even better than in the more 

 expensive and more cumbersome chaff hive. 

 Paper to be "properly put on " should be so 

 adjusted that no drafts can enter or leave 

 the hive except at the entrance, which should 

 be left open to a size not less than one by 

 fourteen inches. 



Before brood-rearing commences, the tem- 

 perature within a hive thus protected fluctu- 

 ates more widely than out of doors, and 

 w'ith this difference: When the sun shines, 

 the black paper absorbs much heat; the hive 

 is warmed through, and the condensed 

 moisture is dispelled. As the season ad- 

 vances and the sun gets higher, the increase 

 of temperature within becomes greater, even 

 up to a point where the bees are incited to 

 considerable activity. If now the entrances 

 are small, the whole chamber becomes so 

 warm that the bees will come down and 

 start out as in summer, only to plunge into 

 a chilling atmosphere without, and perish. 

 But if the entrance is as large as indicated, 

 when the bees reach the bottom of the 

 frames they encounter a stratum of cold air, 

 and, hesitating, start out slowly, if at all. 



When the sun passes, the radiation from 

 the paper-protected hive is slow — very much 

 slower than the absorption of heat from the 

 sun. When the cluster finally breaks, the 

 bees can keep Ihis hive as warm as the 

 chaff-protected one. And they have the ad- 

 ditional help of the sun's heat which is ab- 

 sorbed by the black paper. 



There is a vast difference between a hive 

 painted black and one covered with paper 

 that is black. But w here a l hin telescope 

 cover is used, and that is covered with black 

 pai)er, all the advantages of the paper-cover- 

 ed hive are secured w-ith the additional ad- 

 vantage of convenience and permanency. 

 Only two additional items have to be con- 

 sidered with it — namely, having it deep 

 enough to cover the whole hive-body, and 

 having some sort of weather-strip around 

 the bottom edge so air can not blow up un- 

 der it. 



In the spring, after the cluster breaks, it 

 is safe to contract the entrance to suit the 

 owner's fancy; but experience has shown 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



that no real gain was made by such proced- 

 ure, if the colonies were of normal size. 

 Providence, R. I. 



[When we received the above article we 

 felt that the importance of the question at 

 stake was such that the other side should 

 be presented at the same time; accordingly 

 we sent a copy of it to Mr. Holtermann and 

 Mr. Byer. Their replies follow. — Ed.] 



HIVE PROTECTION. 



Though the Temperature Outside the Cluster of 

 the Interior of a Thin Hive with a Large Entrance 

 May Vary Little from that Outdoors, does this 

 Prove that Ample Packing is Useless? 



BY R. F. HOLTERMANN. 



STORES. 



Mr. Miller says, "If such [a natural colo- 

 ny of average size] is opened and examined, 

 it will be found to be nearly spherical in 

 shape, and usually the cells within the 

 sphere contain each a live bee, and between 

 these bee-filled combs other live bees are sol- 

 idly 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." It is a mighty difficult 

 matter to say what "a normal colony of 

 average size" is; but the description which 

 follows would, in my estimation, picture a 

 colony not well equipped for winter. (It 

 may be insisted that, as I use a large hive 

 (twelve-frame Langstroth), and do not al- 

 low my bees to swarm, a description of my 

 bees would not give an average colony. Let 

 me say that there are many bee-keepers who 

 liave adopted this system, or are aiming at 

 it with a large measure of success, and 

 many ruore are convinced of the economy 

 and desirability of such a system, but do 

 not yet know how to make a success of it.) 

 I will guarantee now in early .January (for 

 I have had such for years) to take a com- 

 mittee to some of my apiaries in the early 

 spring and show them many colonies that 

 have bees on all of the twelve combs — colo- 

 nies which ran in weight, without cover, 

 100 lbs. or even more in the fall of the year. 

 Such colonies we all know- must cover a very 

 considerable portion of the capped honey in 

 the fall and early winter. Colonies and 

 their stores should be so arranged that they 

 cover as nearly as possible all of the winter 

 stores in the hive, as stores not covered by 

 the bees during cold and damp weather de- 

 teriorate, and so much the more if there is 

 much entrance or other opening to allow of 

 the free circulation of air. It does not take 

 a very good judge of honey to distinguish 

 between honey w^hich has been covered by 

 the bees and that outside of the cluster in 

 the hive during the winter months. The 

 uncovered stores simply absorb moisture 

 and atmospheric impurities, and granulate 

 or deteriorate. 



