No. 4.] BEE KEEPING. 87 



at the time when the bees work on the blossoms is not the 

 proper time to spray. But some of them, not understanding 

 that, sprayed at a time when they should not have done so, 

 and the result was they injured themselves, not only in 

 the crop of fruit, but also by destroying their co-operators, the 

 bees, that fertilize the blossoms, that carry the pollen from 

 flower to flower. 



Question. Can you tell what is the better way to winter 

 a lot of bees out of doors in single hives ? What protection 

 would you give them i 



Mr. Stewart. I am not familiar enough with Massachu- 

 setts to know how severe your winters are, but in New York 

 we should not consider it safe to winter them in single wall 

 hives out of doors without protection. There are two ways 

 in which this can be done: by setting in a box and packing 

 this box with plain shavings, leaves or something of that 

 nature, and excluding any water by covering it in. Another 

 way is, if you have a row of hives a short distance apart, to 

 set some sticks in the ground and have a row of boards behind 

 them, and also some in front, and pack with straw or leaves, 

 which makes a nice packing, and is one of nature's own 

 devices for keeping the frost out of the ground, if you use a 

 liberal supply of it. After packing these leaves all around, 

 over and in front of it, be sure to leave a little bridge, so the 

 bees can go out and in. When the temperature gets to 45° 

 the bees will fly, and get back to their hives as soon as a wind 

 comes up. Being wintered out of doors they get the benefit 

 of several winter flights, cleansing flights, which are very 

 beneficial. Your packing is around them in the spring, and 

 you won't need to unpack them until the cold weather has 

 passed by, and they will get along more raj)idly than in the 

 cellar. 



Warmth is a very essential feature in the spring of the 

 year. Some men use a paper cap the size of the hive, like 

 the hive, that slips down over the top, just leaving a little 

 space for entrance ; and this paper, being so constructed that 

 it is pretty near air tight for practical purposes, holds the 

 heat in. 



Question. Which have vou found the more effective, the 



