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78 



HIVES. 



Double- Walled VN.^iiigle-AVallcd 

 Hives for Winter. 



Written for flic American Bee Journal 



BY DR. G. L. TINKER. 



In determining which is the better, 

 a double or .a single walled hive for 

 practical results, we are to consider 

 not alone the " winter problem." 



At the late International Conven- 

 tion, where the matter was fully dis- 

 cussed, it was not, nor can it be, 

 shown that a properly-constructed 

 double-walled hive, packed with suit- 

 able material, will not winter bees as 

 well as the single-walled-hive in the 

 best of cellars. Though it w.as shown, 

 I think conclusively, that there is a 

 small saving of stores bj- cellar-winter- 

 ing, I think it must also be conceded 

 that it is, on the whole, the most eco- 

 nomical system of wintering. Here, 

 then, are two points conceded in favor 

 of single-walled hives ; but I propose 

 to show that they are more than off- 

 set by the superior advantages of the 

 double-walled hive in spring and sum- 

 mer. 



The saving of stores by cellar win- 

 tering is not moi'e than four pounds to 

 the colony, and the saving in the cost 

 of hives is not more than the value of 

 four pounds of honey per year. 



Now we come to spring breeding, 

 and my experience is, that there is a 

 net saving of not less than ten pounds 

 of stores to the colony, by the use of 

 the double-walled hive up to the first 

 of June, in this locality, and I believe 

 the saving would be still greater at 

 any point further north. 



If we calculate, then, from Nov. 1st 

 till June 1st, we have a saving of at 

 least six pounds of stores, in double- 

 walled hives, over the best possible 

 showing in single-walled hives. But 

 we are not to stop here. There is 

 another advantage in double-walled 

 hives, that has not heretofore been re- 

 c&rded, and it is the chief considera- 

 tion with me, in deciding in favor of 

 them, viz : We can rear one-third more 

 brood and bees in a double than in a 

 single walled hive by the first of June ! 



The facts and figures to prove the 

 above point, will be given later. I 

 will here simplj' allude to the fact that 

 bees in protected hives in the spring, 

 are stronger, and are able to gather 

 stores and breast strong, cold winds, 

 when the bees from single-walled hives 

 being comparatively weak, fall to the 

 ground, or become chilled on the 

 flowers and die. The cause of this 

 state of things is undoubtedly due to 

 the greater labor required to keep the 

 brood warm during the cool nights 



and days of April and May, in single- 

 walled hives. 



Thus it will be seen that the two 

 points above conceded to the credit of 

 the single-walled hive, become a small 

 matter when we compare the grand 

 results that can be achieved with tlie 

 double-walled hive in spring breeding, 

 preparatory to securing a crop of 

 honey. 



But I shall fall short of doing this 

 subject justice, if I do not say some- 

 thing upon the proper construction of 

 double-walled hives, and their winter 

 and spring management. 1 know that 

 many have failed with such hives, and 

 I think that I know why. I have said 

 (and I desire to emphasize the fact) 

 that a chaff hive with damp packing, 

 and damp walls and combs, is a poor 

 place for bees. Indeed, it is far in- 

 ferior to a single-walled hive in out- 

 door wintering, if it is allowed to get 

 in such a condition ; and I know that 

 the ordinary management of these 

 hives leads to more or less dampness, 

 which is death to the bees, or there is 

 a partial or complete failure in results. 

 Double-walled hives, then, must be 

 kept Avy, and the packing must be 

 thoroughly dry to begin with. 



Again, the packing must be quite 

 porous, or it will require to be often 

 changed. Thus, fine sawdust, clover 

 and oat chaff, that mat down close, are 

 objectionable. Forest leaves, planer 

 shavings fi'om dry wood, and the ex- 

 celsior sawdust obtained in sawing sec- 

 tions, is preferred ; and from 2J to 3 

 inches of packing about the brood- 

 chamber is enough. 



DAMPNESS IN HIVES. 



In preventing dampness, I rely much 

 upon proper ventilation, and practice 

 two methods, both of which succeed 

 well. The first is free bottom ventila- 

 tion, and it seems best adapted to this 

 locality. The second is upward venti- 

 lation, in connection with a small en- 

 trance (2 inches by f). This latter 

 system seems better adapted to points 

 further north, but I am not sure that 

 it is. 



With free bottom ventilation there is 

 more and purer air furnished the bees, 

 and they appear to be able to keep the 

 hive as warm as by the other plan, as 

 the following will show : 



About 50 miles due west of here, are 

 quite a number of apiaries of from 10 

 to 50 colonies of pure black bees in 

 box-hives, where for more than fifty 

 years they have held their own, and 

 where, up to this time, the frame hive 

 and the modern system of bee-keeping 

 have been unknown, orignoi-ed. 



What impressed me the most was 

 the fact that all of these hives, without 

 exception, were placed on four small, 

 flat stones from f to 1 inch thick, and 



they were left so the year around. I 

 inquired of one old and intelligent bee- 

 keeper, why lie let so n)uch air in at 

 the bottom of his hives, and he replied 

 that th(;y coulil not winter their bees 

 in any other way (!) ; that the combs 

 and hives, without the large openings 

 at the bottom, would become damp, 

 and the bees would die ; that as long 

 as the hive and combs were dry, the 

 bees were never injured by the cold ! 

 I suppose I have seen the same fact 

 stated in the bee-papers a hundred 

 times, and yet it does not appear that 

 the mass of bee-keepers are profiting 

 by it. 



BEST METHODS OF HIVE-VENTILATION. 



It is now a well known fact that bees 

 in winter, at intervals of three to five 

 days, arouse from their torpid condi- 

 tion, and feed. During the intervals, 

 they take no food until the sense of 

 hunger again arouses them. This is 

 an interrupted hibernation. I have 

 thought that they often go as long as 

 a week without food, but when they do 

 rouse up, they raise the temperature 

 and warm up their stores before they 

 can feed, and in the operation they set 

 in motion active currents of air. 



Now I have shown that bees cannot 

 properly ventilate a hive except from 

 the bottom, and the experiments of 

 Mr. Cornell (see page 819 of the Bee 

 Journal for 1889), have shown that 

 free bottom ventilation cannot be had 

 through a horizontal entrance of the 

 usual size, without other openings in 

 the bottom or other part of the hive. 

 Bees, then, may at their feeding times 

 ventilate and dry out their hives in 

 winter to some extent, where free bot- 

 tom ventilation is provided for. 



The plan that I have tried, and 

 which seems to answer every purpose, 

 is to give a full entrance (|xl2 inches), 

 and in the bottom of the winter-case, 

 at the rear end of the brood-chamber, 

 make five one-inch augei'-holes, which 

 are to be covered with tinned wire- 

 cloth. Upvvard ventilation is prevented 

 as far as possible by the use of an in- 

 side cover for the brood-chamber, 

 made of wood. The hive rests near 

 the ground, and a few leaves are 

 placed loosely beneath, to keep the 

 bees from trying to get under the hive, 

 when they can fly, where the auger- 

 holes are located. The hives are 

 painted on the bottom, and the damp- 

 ness of the ground does not affect the 

 hive or bees. 



With the above arrangement, the 

 packing gets only a trifle damp, which 

 is soon dried out by taking off the 

 cover of the winter case once in two 

 or three weeks, when the sun shines 

 cleai'. If the packing gets quite damp 

 over the brood-chamber (and it often 

 gets so on the cool days of spring) , I 



