March 16, 190S. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



207 



during the past winter— is that as the moisture-laden air re- 

 turns to the colder part of the hive, it condenses and freezes, 

 the distance inside of the hive the moisture condenses de- 

 pending upon the cluster, the size of the hive, the si/e of 

 the entrance, and the efficiency of the packing. Such condi- 

 tions were common, and the cold and damp atmosphere with 

 the frozen entrance destroyed the bees. Let me say that 

 cold alone rarely kills bees. I saw in Norfolk during th.; lat- 

 ter part of March bees alive and apparently in fair condition 

 that had been standing out all winter in hives, with upper 

 stories, and a J^-inch hive-cover, the combs and the bees 

 in the lower chamber of the hive did not even have a thin 

 cloth above them, the nearest protection was the warped 

 ^-board at the top of the upper story. Cold was there surely 

 in abundance, but no moisture lingered in the atmosphere 

 about the bees. 



The right method is the chimney principle — the foul air 

 carried away at the top, packing enough to keep the liees 

 warm, but not so abundant or so compact that the foul air 

 could not rise through the packing on the hive. Here where 

 the moisture leaves the hive the hive is warrn, the heat of the 

 cluster and the air rising and no condensation takes place 

 until the moisture reaches the top of the packing, or until 

 it strikes the under side of the outside case-cover. Here it 

 can be disposed of at favorable periods by allowing moderate 

 ventilation under this cover. The common opening ventila- 

 tor is wrong in principle in any climate, but particularly in- 

 jurious and dangerous in a cold climate. I trust I have made 

 this clear. 



In inside wintering there have been heavy losses, chiefly 

 in respositories which could not maintain an even and suffi- 

 ciently high temperature. The moisture above-mentioned has 

 also not been carried off. This combination with low tem- 

 perature resulted in heavy losses. 



Our own repository, which will hold' 1,000 colonies, and 

 has this winter 700 in it, is especially built with the object 

 of securing a uniform but sufficiently high temperature. The 

 fresh and the foul air is not brought in at the same entrance, 

 but for convenience and economy of space the back of the 

 hive is raised two inches on the stand and }i inches from 

 the bottom-board. Through this rear-opening the foul air 

 escapes. 



In conclusion, let me say, not alone will these periodic 

 attacks occur to bee-keeping, but the cheapest production and 

 the best goods will not be secured, neither will we have our 

 markets developed to their best until we secure that recog- 

 nition for bee-keeping and that aid in the development of the 

 industry which has been given to other branches of agricul- 

 ture. We may bluster, we may make statements that bee- 

 keeping does not require such aid, but it cannot be shown by 

 a line of logic that in this respect the principles which gov- 

 ern its development are different from other branches of ag- 

 riculture. Dairying would not go back to the days before 

 it had no fostering care. Fruit-growers value the help they 

 are getting ; the poultry industry has been put upon a more 

 profitable footing; and so might bee-keeping have a new era 

 of prosperity under proper guidance. 



R. F. HOLTERMANN. 



J. K. Darling — Much loss of bees was caused by the 

 dearth of honey last season. The bees quit breeding too 

 early, and did not have enough honey for winter. 



J. B. Hall — They started breeding too early and ex- 

 hausted themselves. Old age comes not from the numher of 

 months bees have lived, but from the number of babies they 

 have reared. 



Mr. Holtermann — Top ventilation is not so necessary in 

 the cellar as out-of-doors. It is not a question of bringing 

 the bees out alive. They must be in good condition for best 

 results. 



Mr. Sibbald — They must have heat to expel the mois- 

 ture at the entrance. 



D. W. Heise — The loss was caused by the continued low 

 tem.perature. I had wintered successfully with no packmg 

 on the sides and bottom — only on top, but that was not suffi- 

 cient for the last winter. 



Mr. Chadwick piles his bees five high in the eellar ; 

 has ventilation all at the entrance ; and very little air is ad- 

 mitted to the cellar. He sets his bees out on April 27. 



Morley Pettit considered the cover might well be tight 

 when the hive is pried up J^-inch from the bottom-board at 

 the back. Of course some upward ventilation through a 

 chaflF cushion is good. The point to bfe observed is, warm 

 covering for hives in the cellar to raise the hive temperature 



above that of the cellar air. This facilitates change of air in 

 the hive. 



RESULTS OF APIARIAN EXPERIMENTS AT THE 

 CENTRAL EXPERIHENT FARM— CELLAR WIN- 

 TERING OF BEES-DESCRIPTION OF CEL- 

 LAR AND GENERAL ARRANGE- 

 MENT OF HIVES. 



The cellar is below a private house. The walls are of 

 stone and the floor of cement. The bee-room, 11 feet 6 inches 

 wide by 15 feet long and 7 feet high, allows three tiers of 

 shelves and two passages. It is boarded off from the re- 

 mainder of the cellar by a partition which extends all around 

 the chamber, and far enough from the stone wall to allow 

 of an air-space. Should there be enough bees to fill the cellar 

 the boarding could be left out. Under the cement floor a 

 layer of one foot of stones varying in size acts as a drain and 

 keeps the cellar perfectly dry. The lowest shelf is 18 mches 

 from the floor, the second 20 inches in the clear above, and 

 the third 20 inches above that. Neither the hives on the 

 third or uppermost shelf nor the uprights supporting the 

 shelves touch the ceiling, so that no vibration can reach the 

 hives from above. This chamber is thoroughly ventilated, 

 as is also the whole cellar. Before entering the bee-room 

 is a smaller compartment with a door leading outside and 

 another leading to the bee-room. Both rooms have sliding 

 ventilators in the doors, so that outside air may be let in at 

 will. Ventilation is carefully attended to and sudden changes 

 of temperature are avoided; for this, a thermometer which 

 is always kept in the cellar, is watched. The best tempera- 

 ture for the bee-cellar has been found to be from 42 to 48 

 degrees Fahrenheit. This arrangement has given entire sa,tis- 

 faction. In former years there was not proper ventilation, 

 and the cellar was always damp. Since the concrete floor 

 has been laid and the ventilators put in, the cellar has been 

 much drier and cleaner. It is also rat and mouse-proof, 

 which is a very great advantage. 



Experiment No. i. — Six colonies were put into winter 

 quarters in the cellar and placed on the shelves. Under the 

 back end of each hive was placed a 2-inch block, each hive 

 was besides raised from its own bottom-board by a one-inch 

 block being placed at the back so as to insure free ventilation. 

 All front entrances were left wide open, the wooden covers 

 were all removed, and replaced with cushions made of chaff 

 4 inches thick, sufficiently wide and long to lap over the hive 

 2 inches. Temperatures were taken once each week all 

 through the winter and were kept very even, from 44 to 48 

 degrees. The bees were quiet, only a very slight hum being 

 noticeable up to February, when, the temperature having 

 risen to 48, the bees began to get uneasy and made consid- 

 erable hum. Cold air was carefully let in during the night 

 by opening the slides in the doors and closing them in the 

 morning; this of course lowered the temperature and the 

 bees quieted down. During the past winter [1903-'0tl] every 

 colony in this experiment was perfectly dry and clean, and all 

 came out in excellent condition. Average weight of each 

 hive when put into winter quarters, 58^. pounds ; when taken 

 out on April 22, 491-^ pounds per hive; showing that each 

 hive had lost 9^ poimds on an average. 



Experiment No. z. — Six colonies were put into the cellar 

 and placed on the shelves, a 3-inch block being placed be- 

 tween the bottom-board and the brood-chamber only in front, 

 making the full entrance 3 inches high across the whole 

 front. The wooden covers were removed and replaced with 

 a chaff cushion. Temperature same as in Experiment No. 1. 

 During the whole winter all the colonies in this experiment 

 were perfectly dry and clean, and showed no uneasiness of 

 any kind. The bees could be seen hanging in a quiet cluster 

 below the frames any time during the winter. The average 

 weight when put into winter quarters on Nov. 23 was 59 

 pounds and 12 ounces; when taken out April 22, 51 pounds 

 and 8 ounces ; showing that each hive had lost on an average 

 8 pounds and 4 ounces. 



Experiment No. 3. — Six colonies were put into the cellar 

 and placed on the shelves, with tops and bottom-boards of 

 the hives left on, just as they were brought in from the bee- 

 yard. They were watched for dampness, mold, or dysentery, 

 also to compare the amount of honey consumed. Tempera- 

 ture of cellar the same as in Experiment No. 1. During 

 December and January all were very quiet. During February 

 there was considerable humming. Drops of water were 

 noticed along the entrances of three hives. There were but 

 very few dead bees on the bottom-board and no sign of 

 dysentery. On examination when put on the summer stands, 

 two of the hives had considerable molded combs. The aver- 



