1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



269 



cold does not kill bees when they are 

 properly protected ; and that we can 

 protect them in single-walled shallow 

 hives as safely, and much more easily 

 than in any other style. If cold does 

 not kill bees, what, then , does ? My 

 answer to this is, that at least 90 per 

 cent, are starved to death, simply be- 

 cause they are not so prepared for 

 winter as to have stores at all times 

 within reach. 



It is well to know that on the ap- 

 proach of cold weather the colony be- 

 gins to cluster, and as the weather be- 

 comes moi'e severe, that they draw as 

 closely together as it is possible for 

 them to do. I have seen colonies in 

 January in a cluster not five inches in 

 diameter, that in September would 

 cover fully ten L. frames. This clus- 

 ter, though, is constantly in motion ; 

 the inside bees striving to get outside, 

 and the outside within, thus keeping 

 up heat sufficient to preserve life, and 

 the honey in condition such that they 

 can use it for food. The cluster under 

 proper conditions will not break ; a 

 break would be suicide. It hangs to- 

 gether and follows the stored honey. 



Any preparation in the fall that 

 will allow the colony to hold its clus- 

 ter, and still be able to reach its stores, 

 will enable it to live through any de- 

 gree of cold that I have ever known 

 in my locality, and 20 degrees below 

 zero F. is not uncommon. What, then, 

 does cause winter mortality ? To this 

 question I can only give my own an- 

 swer, and as the answer is the basis 

 on which I prepare my bees so that 

 they winter with scarcely any loss, I 

 may be excused for considering cor- 

 rect. Moisture, causing frost, I be- 

 lieve to be the cause. 1 prevent ex- 

 cess of moisture, and thus save my 



bees. Some one asks, " how do you 

 do it?" I will endeavor to answer, 

 viz : As soon as the fall honey ceases 

 to be secreted, I begin to prepare for 

 winter, say in September, middle or 

 latter part. I carefully examine each 

 colony, and endeavor by feeding to get 

 them all into condition, and strong 

 enough in numbers to go safely 

 through, and also so arrange the combs 

 that the cluster will be either on one 

 side or the other of the hive. Each 

 comb should be at least half full of 

 sealed stores at the top, giving about 

 30 pounds to a colony. On top of the 

 frames I put a " Hills device," or some 

 substitute therefor. I have used for 

 the purpose a \ inch frame, just fit- 

 ting into the top of the hive, and cov- 

 ered with wire cloth, placing over this 

 a piece of old carpeting, or some other 

 porous fabric, and filling five or six 

 inches in thickness of forest leaves on 

 top of that ; then I cover in the hive 

 and that is all. For entrance I give 

 at least f the width of an L. hive. I 

 don't use dummies now at all, as I be- 

 lieve a sheet of comb will prove as 

 warm a thing for bees to cluster 

 against as any other that can be used. 



I use the 10-frame L. hive, and 

 with preparation such as I have indi- 

 cated above, I would not give five 

 cents a hive to be insured against loss. 

 I forgot to say that in preparing for 

 winter I take out one frame, leaving 

 only nine inside, and space them even- 

 ly in the space occupied ordinarily 

 by ten. 



Ventilation and ample stores is the 

 solution of the problem; this ventila- 

 tion, however, should come from be- 

 low. The porous top only allows ex- 

 cess of moisture to escape. If the 

 bees keep up heat sufficient to prevent 



