56 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Sept., 



time. According to these principles, that hive 

 is best, which as far as possible prevents the 

 escape of heat. Any one would just as soon 

 complain of a room being too comfortable, as to 

 complain of a bee hive being too warm, or more 

 properly, retaining too much heat ; in that the 

 sides themselves develop no heat r but only retain 

 that arising from the bees and preventing it 

 from being lost by radiation. The bees will 

 never develop more heat than is needed, and if, 

 owing to the casual stopping of the entrance, or 

 some other disturbance, the bees should raise 

 the temperature of the hive to the highest de- 

 gree, they will drive out the surplus heat by 

 ventilation, and in a short time resume their 

 natural quiet. 



A bee hive may be too contrasted for a very 

 large swarm when it is too small in itself or 

 contains too much honey. Since one is not able 

 to foresee the amount of room that will be occu- 

 pied by honey and combs, it may readily happen 

 that the need of necessary air — that indis- 

 pensable element of life— will appear, and unrest 

 and its consequent evils, especially dysentery, 

 will be brought on. The discussion can clearly 

 not be concerning the too great and injurious 

 heat retaining qualities of the bee hive. In the 

 thickest and warmest logs, according to actual 

 observation, bees winter best. Such hives are 

 dangerous in the summer rather thau in the 

 winter. While, especially if they are rounded 

 or four sided, will the temperature be equal 

 throughout the hive, and hence the brood be 

 spread throughout the hive in all directions, and 

 especially drone brood in large quantities, so 

 that the possessor of these stocks will, in au- 

 tumn, have to be satisfied with many empty 

 combs, unless the honey harvest be unusually 

 favorable, whereas in spring they promised most 

 profit from rational management, viz. : the con- 

 finement of the brood space, especially drone 

 brood, the arrangement of a particular honey 

 space or magazine, and the transfer of a large 

 portion of the population of the hive by means 

 of artificial swarming, &c. 



One can readily see how advantageous the 

 bees may be wintered when the wails of their 

 hive, not only do not obstruct heat, but rather 

 bring in heat ; thus in hives containing several 

 swarms they gladly place their winter quarter 

 against the common partition, and in hives con- 

 taining three swarms, a very weak swarm will 

 winter exceedingly well in the centre division. 



At all events, such bee hives are very dry, and 

 the bees must not be left without water, espe- 

 cially if they have candied honey or pure candy 

 for their winter food. With ordinary fluid honey 

 they will remain perfectly quiet until the com- 

 mencement of brood rearing. A little thirst 

 will work no injury, but, on the contrary, it has 

 the advantage to prevent the bees from beginning 

 the rearing of brood too early. That bees should 

 so suffer from thirst, that they will drink eagerly 

 every drop of water, bustle about and make a 

 noise, has never been an observation of mine ; 

 they conduct themselves more like bees suffer- 

 ing from hunger. Individual ones may fly out, 

 or crawl around the hive like ants, seeking to 

 drink any water they may find, but the great 



mass of the bees will remain in perfect quiet. 

 The warmer the hive is the less will the bees be 

 affected by any change of temperature, and 

 therefore it will keep the bees in the greatest 

 degree of rest. 



How Herr Schonfeld can maintain the direct 

 opposite as the consequences of the warmth-re- 

 taining qualities of the hive, and can declare 

 that the bees will become restless when too warm, 

 I am unable to comprehend. Let the tempera- 

 ture within the hive, and outside be what it will, 

 and vary from 20" to 30" R., the bees will show signs 

 of wakefulness and remain quiet, should they 

 have nothing outside to fetch. This is seen late in 

 summer and in autumn, and is also seen in the 

 tropics during the hot summers, which answer 

 to our winters. Sometimes the bees make a 

 start for purification, but soon return and re- 

 sume their normal state ; in the hive they nat- 

 urally do not gather themselves in a cluster, but 

 spread themselves over the combs. Their rest 

 and idleness is, however, the same as that which 

 we see in our bees in autumn and winter. Indi- 

 vidual bees will, of course, be seen flying about 

 as scouts, and only when they bring the intelli- 

 gence that there is something to be made, will 

 the majority take to the wing. 



I can attribute this disturbance of the bees, 

 not as Herr Schonfeld, to the overheated condi- 

 tion of the hive, but to a lack of air, or confine- 

 ment, though it might be the consequence of 

 queenless or some accidental disturbance from 

 the outside. In a tightly and well built hive, 

 with perhaps double doors, especially when 

 placed in a close room, may the bees suffer from 

 a want of air. The carbonic acid gas, being 

 heavier than air, gradually flows off ; but as the 

 much heavier water will not flow readily from 

 the spigot when the bunghole is hermetically 

 sealed, so in the bee hive, the oxygen may be so 

 .consumed, that the carbonic acid gas will rise, 

 and the bees become very uneasy and anxious. 

 Besides, when the entrance is closed by perfora- 

 ted bar, the population of the hive may soon be 

 in the greatest agitation. The bees buzz around 

 and bite the do >r, without one showing itself at 

 the entrance. The bees appear to have conducted 

 themselves thus on the occasion described by 

 Herr Schonfeld. When the bees rush against the 

 glass door, they desire to get out into the open 

 air, and should they not appear at the entrance, 

 the reason is that it is inaccessible. If the bees 

 are not to destroy themselves, through anxious 

 and fruitless efforts to escape from the hive, 

 help must be extended to them without loss of 

 time. In favorable weather the entrance to the 

 hive should be opened, and if possible, be 

 opened early, so that the entrance may be read- 

 ily seen. In cold weather the bees may be 

 brought in a warm room. If neither the one nor 

 the other is possible, then the openings around 

 the entrance through which the bees may escape, 

 are tightly closed, and a more favorable season 

 awaited for performing further operations. The 

 chief aim of the operation is that the bees be so 

 moved that they are placed near the entrance of 

 the hive. It is of no use to attempt to drive them 

 away with smoke alone, they will return to pro- 



