I ICIHIIKK l':l: 



<1 I, K A X 1 N (i 



(• i; 1,'i' i: i; V. 



59 :i 



are kfjit too warm, ami we know of several 

 failures wherein tlio bees eanie out of tlieir 

 hives in thousands and died upon the eel 

 lar floor before the winter was over, leav- 

 ing by spring mere nuclei or empty hives. 



Where, however, a separate room can bo 

 partitioned off for the bees and provided 

 with ventilation direct to the outside, colo- 

 nies can be wintered with good success, 

 and one beekeeper we know, W. G. Stan- 

 bridge of Winnipeg, has several times 

 wintered 100 per cent in this way. His 

 bee-room is bricked off from a large eon- 

 erete basement with a furnace, and has 

 a shutter giving direct access of fresh air. 

 His experience agrees with our own, that 

 the best temperature for a long winter is 

 around 40 degrees, going rather under than 

 over this figure. 



Cellars without furnaces are rather hard 

 to keep from freezing, unless they are 

 ' • tight ' ' from the outside winds and 

 lianked around to keep out the frost. 

 Many farm cellars are made like this, and 

 being deep and tight are used to store 

 vegetables. 



In the cases of which we have direct 

 information of colonies ' being wintered in 

 such cellars, we hear that the method is 

 successful even with 30 or 40 colonies. 

 One would think the lack of ventilation 

 would injure the bees, and that the daily 

 visits to get potatoes, etc., would disturb 

 them; but perhaps the fact that access is 

 obtained thru a trapdoor in the kitchen 

 tloor, or down a stairway beneath the reg- 

 ular stairs, may result in giving ventila- 

 tion thru the crevices of these doors. 



At my home here we have 46 colonies in 

 a "dug-out" that is not even concreted, 

 the earth being held back by lumber. 

 Around the place the earth dug from the 

 cellar is banked to keep out the wind, 



Interior of the cellar. 



and we have a small stove that is lighted 

 whenever the thermometer goes very far 

 below 40. Ventilation is obtained thru a 

 3-inch pipe leading directly to the outside, 

 but this is closed iu very severe weather. 

 In this simple way we have had good suc- 

 cess for several winters. 



Outside Cellars. 

 We have also a number of our colonies 

 in the cellar, built outside by W. Pink of 

 Sturgeon Creek. The accompanying pic- 

 ture will give some idea of this place, 



Outaide wintering expcrinu-ni at Mamioliu Asrirnltiii :il College. 



