GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



November, 1917 



M 



C 



OST be- 



g i n n ers 



will win- 

 ter bees more 

 successfully out 

 of doors than in 

 a cellar. Bees 

 i n confinement 

 — that is, those 



in hives having no entrance to the outside — 

 should never be wintered in a room above 

 the ground where the temperature changes 

 from one extrem.e to the other. If the colo- 

 nies are left in such a room, each hive must 

 h? located close to the outside wall and must 

 have a separate entrance so that the bees 

 ■can fly whenever the weather permits. In 

 a cellar where conditions are right, bees 

 will Avinter in a semi-dormant state and 

 will require no entrance to the outside. A 

 cellar where vegetables keep perfectly is 

 usually considered safe for bees; but for 

 best results the temperature should not go 

 much below 40 degrees F. nor above 50, 

 For two or three colonies no special pro- 

 vision is needed for \i3ntilati0n; but the air 

 should be reasonably dry. It requires some 

 ex])erience, however, to know just wh|en con- 

 ditions are right — when to put the bees in 

 and when to carry them out in the spring; 



BEGINNERS' Lessons 



1 



so in the majori- 

 ty of instances 

 outdoor winter- 

 ing is the safleist 

 for a beginner. 



Except in lo- 

 calities far 

 south, extra pro- 

 teetiion o t h ie r 

 than that afforded by the single-walled hive 

 is necessaiy. Eviein in the south-central 

 states, winter packing is beginning to be 

 looked upon as a wise precaution — safety 

 first. 



Winter oases ai'^e usually for one hive or 

 four hives, altho two-hive eases are coming 

 into use somewhat. The amount of pack- 

 ing depends upon the latitude, also upon 

 the amount of eixposure to cold winds. A 

 colony in a spot protected by trees, build- 

 ings, or other shelter, and with only two 

 inches of packing, will winter better than 

 one in a hive having six inciiles of packing, 

 but standing right out in the open where 

 the bleak winds have a full sweep. For a 

 single hive, or even for two hives, a com- 

 mon store-box may often be used enough 

 larger to give about six inches of space at 

 the sides and top for packing material. Of 

 course the passageways into the hives must 



Special floor-board, cleated to liold two pairs o£ hives back to back.^ 

 held in position to show the relative position of tlie parts. " A bridge " 

 packing material fro-n closing the opening into the hives. 



Two sides of the winter cusu are 

 across the entrances prevents the 



