323 



Read before the Central Michigan Convention. 



A Factor in Wintering. 



S. D. NKWIJRO. 



I think there is an important factor in the 

 wintering of bees that has never been 

 boldly presented to the consideration of 

 bee-keepers— at least. I have never read or 

 heard any person use language to the effect 

 — that is, that a colony of bees make 140 

 barrels of steam during the time they are in 

 winter quarters. When bee-keepers be- 

 come cognizant of this fact, they will turn 

 their attention, more to making their hives 

 of porous wood or other porous materials, 

 and to packing an abundance of porous or 

 absorbing substances around the bees- 

 means to conduct the steam or vapor away 

 from the hive as fast as they make it, and 

 radiate it to the outer atmosphere through 

 the pores of the hive ; and with the knowl- 

 edge that a good coat of oil and lead as ef- 

 fectually prevents the escape of vapor 

 through soft open-grained wood as if in- 

 cased in India rubber, they will paint their 

 hives less. 



The evidences that we should consider 

 that a fair, strong colony of bees will make 

 140 barrels of vapor, are founded on the 

 statements made by writers on bee-culture, 

 and by the current authority of brother bee- 

 keepers, that it is not entirely safe to put a 

 fair, strong colony into winter quarters with 

 less than 30 lbs. of honey, and for an extra 

 strong colony 40 lbs ; and, though many 

 colonies winter on a much less amount of 

 honey, yet there is no question but that 

 other colonies during long winters consume 

 30 lbs. and have to be fed in the spring. 



The visible and invisible manner in which 

 these 30 lbs. of honey change form or disap- 

 pear in the process of digestion are chiefly 

 these : First. The visible, in evacuations 

 when the bees are permitted to have " a 

 fly." After 90 or 100 days' confinement, if 

 the day is warm and nice, we contemplate 

 that almost every bee will take an airing, 

 and if there be snow on the ground we see 

 thousands of yellow specks. If these could 

 be collected and weighed, we know the 

 weight would only be a few ounces. If the 

 hive were weighed immediately before and 

 after taking "the fly," we might speak 

 more definitely as to the only visible thing. 

 Now, as to that which becomes invisible. I 

 must be excused for not being able to speak 

 with scientific accuracy about the chemical 

 constituents of honey. 1 have not seen any 

 statement, in any book on chemistry or 

 medicine, of the analysis of honey into 

 primitive elements. Medical works seem 

 to regard it about the same as sugar-house 

 syrup, only that it is flavored and scented 

 with the aroma of flowers, and there is such 

 a difference that there cannot be a standard 

 for honey, as there is a standard for sugar 

 with which it is related. .Refined dry sugar 

 (so-called) contains 43 per cent, of carbon 

 and 57 per cent, of oxygen and hydrogen- 

 equivalents of water. If such sugar con- 

 tains 57 per cent, of the element of water, 

 most persons will be willing toconcede that 

 honey must contain 65 to 80 per cent, of 



water according to its age and limpidity. 

 Provided average honey contains 70 per 

 cent, of water, then 30 lbs. will yield 21 lbs. 

 of water and 8 lbs. of carbon and effete 

 matter. 



In respiration the bees absorb oxygen 

 from the air. Oxygen has weight, so, in 

 point of nicety, the weight of the honey is 

 not all that the bees consume. The oxygen 

 that is taken from the air unites with the 

 carbon and evolves warmth, while the union 

 makes the deadly carbonic acid gas, which 

 is harmless to the bees, for it is heavy and 

 falls to the bottom of the hive and flows 

 out at the lowest aperture. As the carbon 

 is taken from the honey in the above pro- 

 cess, the water is left, and the heat starts it 

 off as vapor, and it would go up and unite 

 with the rain clouds if there were ample fa- 

 cilities to fiiter through porous substances, 

 without choking and being held back till it 

 collects as sensible moisture on the comb 

 and all the interior of the hive, circumscrib- 

 ing the power of the bee more and more till 

 finally they die of dampness, and that, too, 

 in cellars that never freeze. Sugar diluted 

 so as to raise the per centage from 57 to 80 

 per cent, of water makes a food for bees 

 that many bee-keepers think nearly as good 

 as honey, and certainly sometimes better 

 than late-collected honey. If sugar diluted 

 witli water makes it the equivalent of honey 

 with the aroma of flowers omitted, it cor- 

 roborates the estimate of 70 per cent, of 

 water, or that 30 lbs. contain 21 lbs. or pints 

 of water. 



Those who made the subject of steam and 

 steam power, matters of study and experi- 

 ment, have demonstrated, times without 

 number, that water in being converted into 

 vapor expands 1,700 times. A convenient 

 and good authority which may be consulted 

 can be found at every drug store, is the 

 United States Medical Dispensatory. The 

 21 lbs. or pints therefrom will make 35,709 

 pints of vapor, rather over 140 barrels for 

 120 days between November and April. 

 But cail it a barrel a day, and the question 

 will be, How to make hives that will permit 

 a barrel of vapor per day to filter through 

 and radiate from the hive. 1 have essayed 

 to make a bag hive with the foregoing ideas 

 in my mind, and I have placed this hive be- 

 fore the convention for examination and 

 study. 



It is my desire that it may be called the 

 bag hive as a contra-distinguishing name 

 that will prevent it being confounded with 

 any other style of hive, a matter that will 

 be of much convenience, provided the hive 

 has merits to rise into favor before the pub- 

 lic as a wintering hive. It is the smallest 

 and lighest form of hive for carrying in and 

 out of cellars, and probably the best inven- 

 tion for out-door wintering by placing in a 

 box or summer hive and packing chaff all 

 around the cushion, and thus abundance of 

 absorbing material as close to the bees as it 

 is possible to be placed. I add one remark, 

 that I think dried bog earth will, on trial, 

 be found to be one of the best of packing 

 materials, as it will absorb 3 or 4 times its 

 weight of water, and is at the same time 

 one of the best non-conductors of heat and 

 cold. 



