NOVEMBER 15, 1912 



spected by lifting off the lid and taking 

 out the cushion of shavings and hive cover. 

 St. Louis, Mo. 



-•-•-» 



A LOW TEMPERATURE IN BEE-CELLARS 

 Not Much Harm Done if Air is very Dry 



BY ELMER HUTCHINSON 



On page 648, Oct. 15, the editor takes 

 exceptions to my statement that bees can be 

 safely wintered in a cellar with a long- 

 continued temperature as low as 34 de- 

 grees. 1 know that is the generally accept- 

 ed opinion. Mr. James Heddon once wrote 

 that cold in a cellar is a giant. But I 

 added several provisos; first, there must be 

 strong colonies of healthy bees; second, 

 thej' must be well suj^plied with good stores ; 

 and right here is where I believe a good 

 many fall down in wintering bees. They 

 don't make sure that the colonies have stores 

 enough. Where the bees are short they 

 seemingly consume more than if thej' had 

 plenty; and that very fact has a tendency 

 to keep them uneasy. Then if the combs 

 have at least 40 lbs. of good honey or thick 

 sugar syruj) in them they get warmed 

 through by the bees, and are a big help in 

 keeping an even temperature inside the 

 hive. I may say here that I have fed more 

 than 5000 lbs. of sugar this fall to put my 

 bees in that desirable condition for winter. 



Like Dr. C. C. Miller, I believe one of 

 the main essentials is inire air, and plenty 

 of it. I have always noticed that, when the 

 air gets foul in a bee-cellar, although all 

 the other conditions may be perfect, the 

 bees invariably become uneasy and begin 

 tc roar. The cellar I wintered those bees in 

 last winter was an old one that had not 

 been used for several winters, and was 

 somewhat out of repair, so that there was 

 plenty of fresh air. That was one reason 

 it was so cold. I had intended to fix it up 

 a little after the bees were in; but they 

 seemed to be wintering so well that I let 

 it go as an experiment. The thermometer 

 was a tested instrument, so there could be 

 no question about its being right. 



Now, don't think that I advise every one 

 to let the temperature of the bee-cellar drop 

 to 34 and stay there; for in the majority of 

 cases I know that it wonld make trouble. 

 There would be some necessary condition 

 lacking that would probably result in the 

 loss of the most of the bees. I know that, 

 when I lived further south in the State, I 

 never could let the temperature go below 

 40 degrees without having the bees begin 

 to roar; and if the cellar was not warmed 

 up at once there was a big loss of bees 



739 



before spring. I suspect that what causes 

 the difference is the dryness of our air here. 

 In this locality I can be out of doors when 

 the temperature is 20 below zero, and my 

 body never gets cold; and I never wear an 

 overcoat unless I am driving. When I go 

 back to the southern part of the State in 

 the winter, even with a heavy overcoat, I 

 can be out of doors but a short time before 

 I am chilled through and my teeth chatter, 

 even if it is only a few degrees below freez- 

 ing. It is all caused by the dampness of the 

 air there, and I think that is one reason 

 why the bees can stand more cold here in 

 the' cellar than they can further south. 

 Therefore if the temperature in the bee- 

 cellar "is lower than 40 degrees tlie air must 

 be very dry. 

 Pioneer, Midi. 



LIME OVER A BROOD CHAMBER IN WINTER 

 Its Use Advised Back in 1880 



BY ARTHUR C. MILLER 



In Gleanings for December 1, 1880, p. 

 579, is an article headed "A New Idea in 

 'Wintering." It is almost or quite worth 

 reprinting. It fits in with an article in the 

 Sept. 1st issue. It is interesting in sug- 

 gesting fused calcium chloride — a material 

 since used for the purpose by Mr. Latham 

 and others. 



[The following is the article referred to: 

 —Ed.] 



a new idea in w-inteking. 



This will be a hard winter on bees in most parts 

 of the country, on account of lack of good stores, 

 aiK' mostly old bees— a poor prospect certainly. We 

 must help* the little fellows, or make up our mind to 

 lose them. Last winter I kept ten stocks warm, 

 dr\ and in good health by chemical means; i. e., 

 by' generous use of quicklime. My other stocks had 

 the dysentery, and every one of the chaff hives was 

 mildewed and wet, in spite of three dryings during 

 the winter- while the ten cushions used on the hives 

 with lime were as dry and clean as when first 

 made No one will believe the amount of water 

 quicklime takes up by chemical aflfinity unless he 

 try the experiment for himself; therefore, take about 

 one quart of it in a basin, and V2 pint of water, 

 wMch pour slowly on the lime, stirring well ail the 

 time during the slaking: and if the lime was -prop- 

 erly made you will have a perfectly dry powder, 

 still capable" of absorbing more water before becom- 

 ing damp. The action of the lime is threefold: 



1. It absorbs moisture; 



2. It absorbs carbon dioxide (carbonic acid) ; 



3. It gives out a large amount of heat. 



This it does slowly, and in exact proportion as it 

 absorbs the breath of the bees; i. e., much moisture, 

 rapid chemical action, much heat. What is still more 

 sti ange, this is dry heat, not moist. 



This absorbing action is so slow, and the amount 

 of heat so small that nothing but scientific instru- 

 ments (hygrometer and thermometer) and the bees 

 c.-in appre'ciate the meaning of a constant, mild, dry, 

 pvre atmosphere. What is the use of making the 

 bees use up their honey, worth 15 cts. per lb., to 

 develop the requisite heat to keep themselves alive, 

 when it can be done with lime, worth less than one 

 cent per pound, and which is almost as valuable 

 after this slaking as before? Don't believe me when 

 I say not one of the ten hives above mentioned 



