602 



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it may benefit some readers, and save 

 me the writing of a few more letters 

 on the same subject. It is as follows : 



Wintering of bees is the easiest and 

 most successful part of my bee-keep- 

 ing, and I am surprised at the trouble 

 it causes many of our brethren, often 

 to those whose long articles in bee- 

 papers and other periodicals seem to 

 show that they know all about the 

 subject. 



I winter my bees on the summer 

 stands, and in single - walled hives. 

 The only extra work caused by my 

 preparation for the winter is, to re- 

 move the honey from the second story, 

 cover the brood-chamber with a wood- 

 en cover (3 third-covers), place a 

 straw mat on the same, and open the 

 entrance to its full \vidth. Be sure 

 that the colony has plenty of honey, 

 and give the hive a pitch towards the 

 front, of at least 2 inches. 



If prepared in this manner, your 

 bees have given you no trouble at all, 

 and will winter more successfully than 

 your neighbor's bees in the cellar, or 

 in their cellar-like chafif hives, even if 

 the mercui-y ranges between 16° and 

 223 below zero for thirtydays or more. 

 Colonies may starve to death for me in 

 March, April or May, and such has 

 happened, but I shall not lose a colony 

 in wintering. 



Your colonj' must have plenty of 

 honey. Let every one of the 10 combs, 

 or less, according to the size of the 

 colony, be partly filled with honey, 

 and place the heaviest combs towards 

 the middle. Winter passages may not 

 be necessary in mild winters, but may 

 save the colony in a protracted cold ; 

 so, cut a winter-passage through the 

 middle of every comb, by putting a 

 pocket-knife blade through and turn- 

 ing it. 



The entrance of every hive should 

 be open its entire width, during the 

 winter months. Your bees will feel 

 comfortable if they have honey enough, 

 and I am not very sure that they have 

 consumed more honey than the bees of 

 cellar-winterers, by the time that honey 

 comes in again. 



We use 3 third-covers to cover the 

 brood-chamber, and place a straw-mat, 

 or its equivalent, on these wooden 

 covers, to protect them against the 

 cold air, because the bees cluster be- 

 low, and would chill if this protection 

 were denied them. If on any cold day 

 you want to find the spot under which 

 your bees cluster, raise the straw-mat, 

 and pass your hand over the boards. 

 This will show you the necessity of 

 keeping the boards warm, and it will 

 convince you that " board" next to the 

 bees, is just as practical as the absorb- 

 ing-cloth, and more so, if your hive 

 has a pitch to the front, of at least 2 

 inches. 



The exhalations of bees condense 

 into water during cold spells, which 

 hangs, in big drops, under the cover- 

 ing-boards, and runs down the combs 

 and the sides of the hive to the bottom. 

 From here it would be absorbed again 

 by the bees, combs and honej% if it 

 could not run out. It would create, 

 thereby, dampness above, and cause 

 the honey to sour under and near the 

 cluster. Diarrhea would be the con- 

 sequence. 



You will be surprised at the amount 

 of water running out in front of the 

 hive, when raised at the back, some 

 mild day following a cold spell. It will 

 convince you that the pitch to the 

 front should be at least 2 inches in 

 winter. 



As stated before, I am surprised at 

 the vexation and expense that some of 

 the brethren undergo, when attempt- 

 ing to winter their bees, while they 

 could accomplish tlieir object in so 

 simple a manner, as I have described — 

 at least in this latitude. 



Cincinnati, O. 



BEES IN" WINTER. 



Some Hints About Bees in Cel. 

 lars or Out-of-Doors. 



Writteyi for the City and Country 



BY A. H. DUFF. 



If bees are wintered in cellars or 

 underground repositories of any kind 

 it would be much better if some ab- 

 sorbing material were used over the 

 frames, and directly against them, just 

 over the cluster of bees. 



There is a great benefit in keeping 

 the bees dry, by absorbing all damp- 

 ness that arises therefrom ; hence, in 

 cellar as well as out-door wintering, 

 this will be found a great benefit. This 

 can readily be accomplished by leav- 

 ing the cover off and placing a chaff 

 cushion on the hive instead. 



It is almost impossible to winter bees 

 successfully in cellars that ai'e used for 

 other purposes, such as those used un- 

 der dwellings for keeping vegetables 

 and other commodities for family use. 

 The unceasing interruptions by enter- 

 ing and re-entering will prove an an- 

 noyance to the bees to such an extent 

 that trouble is likely to follow. This 

 is against the most important point in 

 successfully wintering bees, and that 

 is perfect quietude during winter, both 

 in and out-of-doors, and our advice is 

 to those who do not have cellars or 

 caves especially fot" bees, and for no 

 other purpose, to winter out-doors. 

 Cellars, properly arranged, are no 

 doubt ahead of any other method of 

 wintering, but every point in connec- 

 tion must be strictly adhered to. 



Bees in underground repositories 

 should remain in them the entire win- 

 ter, in an undisturbed condition, and, 

 if their condition will allow, they 

 should not be removed therefrom much 

 before the first of May. If they are 

 put out before this, cold snaps are very 

 hard on them, and may result in their 

 destruction. If they are found in such 

 condition as their confinement longer 

 is impossible, thej' may be put out on 

 a fine day to give them a purifying 

 flight, and placed back in the cellar 

 thereafter. This is the only safe 

 method of handling them. Thus, if 

 bees are in proper condition in the 

 fall when placed into winter quarters, 

 but little work during winter is re- 

 quired, although a few details cannot 

 be dispensed with. Thej' must have 

 an overseer to keep everything in its 

 proper place. 



Bees wintered out-doors should have 

 protection from the cold of winter, and 

 as it is now a very uncommon thing to 

 find them in any other way, it is not 

 necessary to say anything on the 

 method of protection. During winter, 

 upon days that thej' can fly, it is very 

 necessary to have prepared alighting 

 places for them about the entrance, as, 

 on such weather as bees ai'e able to 

 take a flight, it often occurs that the 

 weather suddenly turns cold and chilly, 

 and bees coming in fall at the en- 

 trance, and if they cannot travel 

 directly into the hive by means of a 

 sloping bank of some prepared ma- 

 terial, or a board, they are lost, being 

 unable to take wing the second time 

 to gain an entrance ; hence the neces- 

 sity of an alighting-place. This may 

 be made by banking up of earth to the 

 entrance of the hive. A covering of 

 sawdust, sand or gravel is very good 

 to cover the surface. 



Snow about the hives will do no 

 harm, even if the hives are totally 

 covered. Many are foolish in remov- 

 ing snow from the entrances of hives 

 during winter, thinking that the bees 

 will suffocate. There is no danger of 

 this. It is more of a protection, and 

 should not be meddled with. 



Any warm day, when the bees are 

 flying freely, they may be examined 

 by the apiarist, but only on such days. 

 We should not, however, put off until 

 spring to make examinations, but take 

 advantage of the occasion wlien a 

 warm day comes. If we find that any 

 colony lacks stores during winter, we 

 can furnish them food in the shape of 

 candy, but only in cold weather, when 

 syrup feeding will not answer. Syrup 

 will have a tendency to produce diar- 

 rhea ; thus candy only should be used. 

 The candy should be made from gran- 

 ulated sugar, and i)laoed over the 

 frames. 



Larned, Kans. 



