JANUARY 15, 1916 



55 



Fig. 3. — Looking on the entrances of two hives in one of the packing-cases. In the picture the hives are 

 shown with the three-eighths side of the bottom up. It was our intention to put the deeper side (% inch) 

 up, to give more room for the accumulation of dead bees under the frames. There were a few hives packed 

 with the narrow entrance, and our artist happened to get one of these groups. 



that it does no harm to err on the side of 

 getting too much. Six inches around the 

 hives, eight to ten on top, and three or 

 four under, would make a case that would 

 give sufficient packing for most localities, 

 altho he was free to say that in more north- 

 ern locations, especially Canada, six inches 

 might not be enough. But in the colder 

 climates there is usually plenty of snow ; 

 and snow packed around the hives makes a 

 good insulator providing the entrances are 

 not closed by ice. 



In order to provide packing under the 

 hives, and to prevent the entrances from 

 getting out of alignment Avith the openings 

 in the sides of the cases, some cleats or 

 supports must be provided of sufficient 

 height to provide the amount of packing. 

 Last year we used only 2V2 inches ; but this 

 year we are using 3 inches. In Figs. 1 and 

 2 can be seen the supports or parallel cleats 

 that run lengthwise of the bottom-board oi- 

 floor of the large packing-case. On these 

 the hives rest, and also the board reaching 

 from the projection of the bottom-board to 

 the slots forming the entrances of the case 

 itself. Over tliis board that closes the gap 

 between the bottom-board extension and the 

 outside entrance is placed a housing, so 

 constructed that it fits the bottom-board 

 projections, making a space of two inches 

 deej). We made the space deeper this year 

 to provide for the accumulation of dead 

 bees that would otherwise close the space 

 entirely. Just above the horizontal slot of 

 the winter ease will be seen three % auger- 

 holes — see Fig. 1. The purjjose of these is 

 to afford entrances and ventilation in case 

 llie lower horizontal slot is closed by the 

 accumulation of dead bees. This is Mr. 

 Holtermann's idea, and in the light of our 



experience last winter we believe it to be 

 good; in fact, it might be the means of 

 saving not one but many good colonies. 



In Fig. 3 we are looking down on the 

 fronts of a pair of hives with the bottom- 

 boards abutting up against the floor that 

 reaches to the front of the case. This pic- 

 ture was taken before the roof or horizontal 

 part covering the runway from hive to case 

 was put in place. 



The spaces over the entrances must be 

 very carefully and completely closed so the 

 packing material will not filter down and 

 close up the entranceway from the hive 

 proper to the entrance of the case itself. 



In Fig. 4 we show a view of the floor 

 before cleats were put in position. 



In Fig. 5 we show four hives placed end 

 to end and side by side, as we placed them 

 last year on the floor of the case, and be- 

 fore the sides and ends were put on. Last 

 year we used the sujoporting-cleats cross- 

 wise of the floor. This year we ran them 

 lengthwise as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The 

 latter arrangement is an improvement in 

 that it keeps the runways between the hives 



Fig. 4. — Floor for four-hive winter case. 



and the ends of the case in better align- 

 ment. Last winter we had some trouble 

 with tlie outside entrances not matching 

 with the inclosed housing to the enti'ances 



