854 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



those who rejoice in their prosperity, they bid be 

 charitable, and give m it is given unto you. 

 " Notes and Queries, " and your replies, have been 

 closely scrutinized. Humbugs and Swindles have 

 been exposed, and no reader of Gr.EANiNOS need 

 lose by them. Our Own Apiary has been closely 

 watched, and from its uuvnagcment have been 

 gathered many lessons of profit. " What to Do, and 

 How to be Happy While Doing It," gives us in 

 Florida more interesting reading than " How to 

 Winter Our Bees" does. How to grow good veg- 

 etables is now to us a question of very great im- 

 portance; for on that, to a great measure, depends 

 the prosperity of Florida. Myself and My Neigh- 

 bors—we are all neighbors, and I did hope that I 

 could meet them at the convention this week in 

 my native State, at Indianapolis, but I can not. 

 This brings me to Our Homes. " God Bless Our 

 Homes!" should be over every man's door, and 

 should be engraved on every man's heart; but, 

 alas! the "Blasted Hopes" that are in many 

 blasted homes, caused by intemperance. May God 

 so open the eyes of every praying Christian in this 

 land, so that he may see to vote as he prays, that 

 the cause of the curse may be removed from our 

 land. " Woe unto them that are mighty to drink 

 wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; 

 which justify the wicked for a reward, and take 

 away the righteousness of the righteous from 

 bin."— ISA. .5: 23, 28. John Cuaycraft. 



Altoona, Orange Co., Florida. 



I am sure, friend C, we are very much 

 obliged to you for your kind and encourag- 

 ing words ; and "we can say amen most 

 heartily to your closing text. 



UPWARD HIVE VENTILATION. 



CAN BEES WINTER IN HIVES ABSOLUTELY 

 ABOVE? ETC. 



ip LTHOUGH it has been stated so, yet I should 

 k be glad to know to a certainty whether a 

 K colony ever passed a confineriient of 9.1 days 

 ^ on natural stores, and without a particle of 

 upward ventilation to the hive, and came 

 out undiseased. Less than a week ago I chanced 

 to meet one of those cranks who always cling to 

 natui-e's methods, and winters his bees with (sup- 

 posed to be) tightly sealed brood chambers. He 

 said his method was the correct one, and that his 

 success attested the truth. I began to feel elated 

 at the ijrospects of learning something of this 

 vexatious method of wintering. But, lo! it was 

 found that his hives did have real upward ventila- 

 tion, as, when they were inverted, water went out 

 of them faster than it could be put in with a pint 

 cup. Then and there his cherished old-fogy notion 

 was shaken. It needs only a small amount of 

 ventilation for a colony of bees. About such a cir- 

 culation as would pass through 2 inches of loose 

 chaff is sufficient in a temperature of 45°. If the 

 temperature is above that point there shoiild be 

 less chaff, and a lower temperature would necessi- 

 tate more chaff. A very few open cracks in a hive 

 would provide that amount of ventilation, which 

 would be likely to be a sufficiency. It seems to 

 many, that a cluster of bees causes considerable 

 warmth and circulation; but the fact is, in the case 

 of a well-wintered colony, that there is as little 

 draft as possible, and yet be worthy of the name 

 of a draft. 



One would be led to believe that a '2-inch hole 

 above the cluster would admit sufficient draft to 

 carry off the overplus of moisture. The amount 

 of moisture generated by a cluster of bees is in- 

 considerable, with the outside temperature at 4.5°, 

 as the average temperature at the center of a 

 cluster is about 70°, which decreases until an inch 

 outside of the cluster finds it at .55^. So little 

 difference in temperature could not produce much 

 circulation; and without circulation, moisture will 

 not accumulate. Still, a certainty i-emains that 

 there is and must be some draft which must con- 

 dense its moisture either inside or outside of the 

 hive. Many apiarists know, and all observing 

 ones ought lo know, that when a colony clusters in 

 the top of the hives the lower parts of the combs 

 become covered with mold or moisture. Some- 

 times the moisture is of sufficient quantity to run 

 out at the entrance. This moisture never would 

 have accumulated there had there not been gusts 

 of air warmer than the outside air forced in that di- 

 rection. 



There is, it appears, a small amount of warm air 

 thrown off from a cluster of hibernating bees. 

 This warm air, if it can not proceed upward, will 

 go downward. A comparatively !ai"ge share of it 

 penetrates the solid board composing the side and 

 cover of the hive, but still there is room left for 

 disposal. What we need to provide is an arrange- 

 ment of the hive that shall allow the upward 

 movement of this surplus warm air. I call it sur- 

 plus, as that is what I consider all drafts that pro- 

 ceed in a downward course in the brood-chamber, 

 and do not pour out at the entrance. I feel safe to 

 say, that not one colony in 10), when they are in 

 the quiet state, will produce enough heat to fill an 

 ordinary hive and pour out at the entrance; so if I 

 am right we might as well give up ventilation at 

 the bottom of the hive. All the advantage there is 

 in leaving the bottom-board bff the hive is to let 

 out the foul air (which always sinks), and thereby 

 prevent molding of the combs; but mold does not 

 hurt bees, as thej' never consume it or attempt to 

 move it until a flight. What is needed is an 

 amount of ventilation at the top of the hive that 

 will cause all drafts of the hive to move in an 

 upward direction. Then there will be a constant 

 movement upward through the brood-chamber; 

 and if condensation takes place it will be above 

 the cluster; and if the cluster is situated just be- 

 low some loose chaff or forest leaves, the moisture 

 will be out of the reach of the bees. It is not the 

 results of cold air coming in contact with warm 

 air that condense moisture, but the coming of the 

 warm air in contact with the cold. When cold air 

 comes in at the bottom of the hive, and condensa- 

 tion does not take place until it goes out at the top, 

 if the outside air is not already saturated its 

 tendency would be to absorb rather than discharge 

 moisture. 



Some may be of the opinion, that the circula- 

 tion about the cluster would continually force the 

 condensed moisture beyond the reach of the bees. 

 This is partly the case. The heat and circulation of 

 the cluster of bees do render the combs dry for 

 some distance around the cluster; but, as I inti- 

 mated before, there is not enough of this circula- 

 tion of air, nor the force to drive it to all parts of 

 the brood-chamber; and a part, and often it is a 

 very large part, of the combs that is occupied by 

 inoistui'e, sometimes extending up at the side 



