82 



TIIE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Oct., 



Thus says Riem : "When there is no snow 

 on the ground, and the weather warm, and no 

 wind stirring, the bees should be suffered to 

 ily." Danerhaf e B- enerzuch', 171)5. 



In opposition to this, Dizierzon and Sehimed, 

 Kleine, teach : "The bees must be kept as long 

 as possible in their winter rest, and prevented 

 from a too early flight. It is no injury to the 

 bees should they not leave their hives for four 

 months. The earlier the bees flight, so much 

 the sooner will they begin to rear brood, and 

 most of the young bees, owing to the cold weather, 

 will be lost, and in May those hives which have 

 been permitted to fly early and often, will be 

 mostly weaker than those which enjoyed their 

 Mist flight a month later, and have also needed 

 more honey for the brood which was lost." 

 My experience teaches otherwise, 

 a. Even though it be true that many 

 stocks could without injury endure four, perhaps 

 more, months confinement without any apparent 

 injury, nevertheless it is true that the average 

 would wiuter better when they have been allowed 

 one or more purifying flights. The longest con- 

 finement which, in my 40 jears experienc* as 

 apiarian, (my birthday as a bee-keeper was on 

 June 22, 182-'), I allowed, was in the winter of 

 1804 and 1805, when the bees were -confined over 

 5 months, or 154 days, from 29th October, 1804, 

 to 2d April, 105 ; while in the winter of 1 44- 

 1845, they were only confined from October 28, 

 1814, to March 25, 1845. 14-! days. But by far 

 the severest weather which this generation ever 

 experienced, was tli.-<t of 1829-1830, which lasted 

 from the middle of November to the middle of 

 March, nearly 4 months In all these winters, 

 even in swarms protected against the cold, there 

 were many dead bees, and here and there dys- 

 entery appeared, and caused the loss of many 

 swarms. Mow different in the winters of 1842- 

 43, 1845-40, 1802-03, 1800-07, when the bees 

 could frequently fly out and purify themselves. 



b. Is it not natural that the rearing of brood 

 should commence with the first flight of the 

 bees? Strong stocks with proper supplies of 

 honey and pollen, and the weather not too cold, 

 and the moisture sufficient for the preparation 

 of the food, begin rearing large quantities of 

 brood some six weeks and longer before their first 

 flight— have from 10 to 12,000 cells of brood and 

 young bees, and are all in a healthy condition. 

 Is the honey pure, and have the bees, either 

 owing to cold or disturbance, been induced to 

 consume more than usual, there is not much 

 danger of tie dysentery, and the nurses and 

 their hatching bees can readily endure without 

 injury, conhncment of four weeks or more. 

 Weaker stocks usually commence brood rearing 

 only after their first flight. 



c. The young bees are in less danger than the 

 old ones of being lost in the colder days of the 

 year, as they only fly out when the weather is 

 suitable ; and old bees would not fly out unless 

 there is a want of moisture in the hive. The 

 most bees are lost in spring, in their searching 

 for water. 



d. By closing the entrance and the slats of the 

 bee-house, the flight of the bees on raw and 

 windy days is easily prevented. 



4. Often the bees remain in their hives until 

 the end of February, yes, until far into March, 

 without any opportunity of a purification flight, 

 owing to the cold weather, and through distur- 

 bance is this desire greatly increased. The fol- 

 lowing suggestions are then to be observed. 



a. Whenever a day free from strong winds oc- 

 curs, and the thermometer stands 0" Raumer 

 above zero, in the shade, preparations should be 

 made for the flying of the bees. Even should a 

 few bees be lost, that is better than to lose all 

 through dysentery. The bees attacked with dys- 

 entery will linger long, and in the end die, while 

 even several hundred bees lost can readily be re- 

 placed. 



b. It is far more dangerous, when tho bees 

 from necessity are allowed to fly when the roofs, 

 fences, trees, &c, are covered with fresh fallen, 

 white, soft snow. It is not so much the cold- 

 ness of the snow, as its dazzling while, which 

 blinds the bees and causes their destruction. 

 They being blinded, lose their way and becomo 

 confused, and unable te recognize their place. 

 The snow reflecting the sun in a very powerful 

 manner, they seeking to fly from the sun, pitch 

 into the snow and are benumbed before they are 

 able to guide themselves. If there has been 

 thawing weather or rain, the snow may have 

 changed its color somewhat, and moreover, if 

 the roofs and fences are free from it, there is 

 not so much danger from the flight of the bees. 

 They can rescue themselves better even than 

 from wet ground, and those benumbed are more 

 readily seen and helped. Before the bees are al- 

 lowed to fly, the roofs of the hives should be 

 freed from snow, so that they may have their 

 accustomed appearance to the bees ; shovel "the 

 snow away or pound it hard, if it be loose im- 

 mediately around the stand, and sprinkle ashes, 

 sand, chaff, etc., over it, to remove the blinding 

 color. The snow should be shaken from the 

 nearest trees and fences. Is the wind quiet and 

 waim, and does the sun shine, not many bees 

 wdl remain on the ground, as they can help 

 themselves on the snow and again fly away. I 

 must, with Vogel, protest against the use of 

 loose straw before the hives, since, unless the 

 sun shines upon it, it will not prevent the bees 

 from becoming benumbed. 



5. It is advantageous, also ( if before tho first 

 flight of the bees, the floor of the hive would be 

 cleared of bees and old rubbish. Grutzmann's 

 new built bee-house, 1009, p 02. At no work 

 are the bees more awkward and clumsy than in 

 the burial of their dead. They fall with the 

 dead bee upon the cold, damp, often snow cov- 

 ered ground, andean with difficulty loosen them- 

 selves from their burden, their claws becoming 

 fastened to its body, and thus we have alongside 

 t i-e corpse a second one. In cleaning the bottom 

 boards, one must work rapidly, and withaslittle 

 noise as possible, and when cleaning a large 

 hive, should have the assistance of a second per- 

 son, because when the bees once begin to fly, 

 this work is useless, as the bees will immediately 

 undertake it themselves. Are the bees kept in 

 a wintering house, they should be attended to 

 first, leaving those on their summer stands for 

 the last, because the former will become restless 



