642 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



In some cases where the cushions 

 were arrranged to absorb, and where 

 they were found to have absorbed mois- 

 ture until they had become wet, there is 

 complaint that the cushion was at fault 

 on that account. It is not reasonable to 

 suppose that a cushion shall absorb 

 moisture all Winter, and still come out 

 dry in the Spring. 



I remember plainly when I used to 

 put absorbents over the cluster of bees 

 to take up and retain the moisture, but 

 how or when I became changed over in 

 favor of conductors, I do not know, 

 unless it is from the following ex- 

 perience which happened in 1884. 



Up to that time I had wintered all 

 the bees in the cellar, but at that time 

 there were 5 or 6 colonies more than 

 could be conveniently put into the cel- 

 lar, and I thought it would be a good 

 chance to try out-door wintering. Dry 

 goods boxes were used, which were 

 about 8 inches each way larger than 

 the hives, and after providing a passage 

 for the bees from the hive to the outside, 

 it was packed around with forest leaves. 



The boxes were a foot or more deeper 

 than the hives were high, so that there 

 was 8 inches of leaves placed over the 

 bees, and still left a vacant space below 

 the cover. Before the leaves were 

 spread over the brood-frames, every- 

 thing was taken oflp, and a piece of new 

 muslin laid on top of the frames. The 

 leaves over the bees were not pressed 

 down, but were just thrown in loosely. 



The cover consisted of two or three 

 wide boards laid across the the top of 

 the boxes with two or three stones to 

 hold them in place. I really like to see 

 a nicely-painted, close-jointed hive built 

 so true and square, but they cannot com- 

 pare to these dry-goods boxes as confi- 

 dence receptacles. 



I have several kinds of hives wliose 

 construction is perfect, and where 

 material alone in some of them cost 

 from $4: to $5 each, with roofs of tin, 

 shingles and sheet iron, but when I wish 

 to examine a clean, dry and rousing 

 colony, my confidence points toward a 

 dry-goods box, and it has never yet been 

 misplaced. 



To return to the subject in question : 

 After preparing the colonies for Winter 

 in the dry-goods boxes, as usual, and 

 the leaves had b©en loosely thrown in, I 

 thought, as I started to go away, "Now, 

 as those loaves are so loose, the heat will 

 pass quickly through them, and the bees 

 will become cold and uneasy ;" so I laid 

 upon the leaves, under the cover, a 

 board about 20 inches square, and left 

 them so about a month. 



On examination, under this board, the 

 leaves were quite wet for about 2 inches 

 downward toward the bees. Two weeks 

 more, and the leaves were found to be 

 soaked for about 4 inches in depth. 

 When the board' was taken away, the 

 leaves became dry again, as were the 

 leaves over other colonies. 



From this time I began to arrange 

 matters so that all moisture that came 

 into the packing above the bees would 

 move on, and leave the packing dry. 

 This was exactly what had been done 

 before, but I had not discovered that 

 laying a board on the leaves would cause 

 the moisture to accumulate. Further 

 experiment has proved that one inch of 

 porous packing, and an absolutely tight 

 cover is dangerous, and it matters but 

 little how much empty space there may 

 be inside the cover ; the moisture will 

 accumulate in the cushion and destroy 

 the bees. 



With an open cover, and too much 

 packing, the effect is the same. 



The point to be aimed at is to put on 

 enough packing, and to have the pack- 

 ing porous enough, that all the drafts 

 that arise from the bees will proceed 

 directly upward, and not any of it be 

 forced backward, downward, or toward 

 any corners of the hive. 



It might be supposed that so rapid an 

 escape of warmth would be detrimental, 

 but it is not so ; the bees only cluster 

 closer together as the cold is increased. 

 They can endure this close clustering 

 for a month or so very well, it seems. 



In very cold Winters I find 8 inches of 

 loose forest leaves about right on the 

 42'^ parallel. With this same amount 

 of packing, and the other preparation 

 the same, when it is a warm Winter the 

 8 inches is too much, and it turns the 

 currents downward amongst the combs, 

 and towards the corners of the brood- 

 chamber, and around the edges of the 

 packing, and the hive becomes damp 

 and moldy, and honey sours. When the 

 Winter is a warm one, 5 or 6 inches 

 would be nearer right. 



I always pack my bees for a medium 

 Winter, or one that is colder than a 

 medium. Then if the Winter proves to 

 be a warm one, some of the packing can 

 be removed, and if there is more cold 

 weather, boards or sticks can be laid on 

 the packing to compress the leaves, or 

 when there is enough snow, I cover up 

 the hives entirely with it. If continued 

 warm weather sets in, the snow and 

 sticks should be taken away. By vary- 

 ing these several conditions rightly, the 

 (;olonies are sure to come out bright, 

 shining and swoict. 



