192 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Wintering Bees in Cellars. 



Mr. E. Gallup's Letter on Ventilation 

 and Watering. 



Mr. Editor : — lu a former communicatiou I ! 



stated that I had united such of my colonies as 

 I Ihouglit were too weak to winter w^ell, and 

 removed them to the cellar, leaviug only two 

 holes in the honey-board open for ventilation, 

 and asking some of the readers of the Journal 

 for information whether this was sufficient. A 

 few days after sending off my letter, I examined 

 my bees, and found them all astir, trying to get 

 out at the entrance and the holes in the top. 

 As the weather was too cold to remove them to 

 their summer stands and let them fly, I used a 

 little smoke to drive them down below, and 

 made five more holes in the honey-board, cover- 

 ing tliem with wire cloth, to keep the bees in 

 and mice out. In a short time they became 

 quiet, and have remained so ever since, show- 

 ing clearly that they had not sufficient ventila- 

 tion at lirst. 



I found a large number of dead bees on the 

 bottom boards of these hives, some of which I 

 suppose had worried themselves to death in 

 trying to get out. But I thiuk it probable that 

 the larger part of them died of old age, as there 

 was but little brood fonnd in any of my colonies 

 after the 20th of September. And I am satisfied 

 now that it is of little use to build up strong col- 

 onies with old bees in the fall, expecting them 

 to come out strong in the spring, cither in 

 numbers or physical strength. These old bees 

 may live through the winter in a hive of proper 

 construction, and in an atmosphere of even 

 t(!mperature, but they will soon die off when 

 the busy labors of the spring commence, and 

 before a sufficient number of young bees are 

 reared to take their place. The only remedy I 

 can f-uggest is, to tempt the bees to continue 

 breeding as late in tiie fall as possible, by feed- 

 ing regularly a small quantity of honey or syrup 

 every few days, provided there is no forage for 

 them in the fields. 



Permit me, through the Journal, to return 

 my thanks to Messrs. E Gallup, T. F. Bingham, 

 Thomas L. Sydenstricker, and A. Grimm, for 

 tJieir kindne-s in answering my inquiries (by 

 letter) in regard to ventilation, temperature, 

 and Avater for bees. 



Mr. E. Gallup, in his letter, gives some ex- 

 periments in ventilating and icutering, that I 

 think will be of interest to the readers of the 

 Journal, and as Mr. G. has given me permission 

 to do so, I send you his letter for publication. 

 Will Mr. Grimm give us, through the Journal, 

 his manner of packing bees in his cellars ? In 

 one of these he is wintering three hundred and 

 ninety-three swarms, all of which were doing 

 finely at the time of writing, (January 13). lie 

 also ftates that he is wintering some forty 

 swarms uoderground, all in one pile, and cover- 

 ed with about twelve inches of straw and eight 

 or ten inches of earth ; but does not like the 

 plan as well as wintering in the cellar. 



J. 11. Gardner. 



CURISTIANSBUEG, W. Va. 



Dr. Donhoff regards the anteunael as the olfac- 

 tory organs of the honey bee. 



Mr. Gardner : — I will endeavor to answer 

 your enquiries in the January number of the 

 Bee Journal, and as you may need the infor- 

 mation before you get the next Journal, I pro- 

 ceed to give it "to you immediately. 



Your first enquiry is about feeding entirely 

 on molasses in winter. It is poor feed for the 

 inexperienced. You can feed on almost any 

 kind of sweet in spring or summer, when the 

 bees can fly out. If you have no honey, use 

 white sugar dissolved in boiling water and of 

 the consistence of honey, for Avinter. 



llow are you to know whether your bees 

 have ventilation enough ? I answer, by the 

 action of the bees. I have one small swarm 

 that I have closed the entrance, and have two 

 holes in the top about the size of yours. Then 

 I have two extra large swarms, from Avhich I 

 removed all the top, honey-board and all, and 

 then had to raise the hive three-quarters of an 

 inch from the bottom board on one side, before 

 they had sufficient ventilation. (I do not use 

 anj'thing to stop them in.) Your bees must 

 not shoAV any agitation, but be perfectly quiet. 

 On listening near the hive you can hear a gen- 

 tle humming, if all is right. Do not fasten them 

 in, but use 3:ou own judgment, governed by the 

 action of the bees. A small swarm must not 

 have a current of air through the hive ; neither 

 must they have too much air from any source. 

 A large swarm must be ventilated accordingly. 

 Any medium SAvarms have the common en- 

 trance, three inches by half an inch ; and a 

 five-eighths inch hole directlj^ aboA^e, three inches 

 from the top, and tAvo holes in the honey-board 

 tOAvards the outside, about one inch by three, 

 all open, varied a little to suit the swarm. 



The temperature of your cellar ranges exactly 

 like mine. 



Do bees want Avater, &c. ? Last Avinter was 

 the first time that I CA'er tried Avatcr for bees. I 

 fond that as soon as they commenced breeding 

 (Avhich a strong swarm will do about the first 

 of February,) every time I Aveut into the cellar 

 with a light, some fcAV of the bees would come 

 out of their hives. I then began giving them 

 a little fresh water every third evening, in a 

 small piece of comb laid close to the top ventil- 

 ation, and they kept quiet. But on stopping 

 the supply of water, they became uneasy again. 

 I kept up the supply and had no further trou- 

 ble. Your climate must be warmer than ours, 

 hence the bees Avould probably commence 

 breeding earlier. You can also set them out 

 earlier in the spring. 



Do not set your hives directly on the bottom 

 of the cellar, but have a beuch or something 

 two or three feet from the bottom, as the air is 

 dryer. 



A letter of enquiry, Avith stamp to pay post- 

 age for reply, will be cheerfully answered at 

 any time. My experience cost me considerable, 

 and I am Avilimg to impart it to all sincere en- 

 quiries. Yours, &G., 



E. Gallup. 



Osage, Iowa. 



