Ootohkk 19'20 



OliKANINCt.S IN BKK U L T U K K 



595 



muus ainuuiits of stores. A iiuinber of our 

 most observant beekeepers say that these 

 eolouies used an average of 40 jtouiuls of 

 honey between Dee. 1 and Feb. 1. 

 Close Extracting Causes Shortage of Stores. 



The I'ause for the large winter loss of 

 hist winter is easily seen on examining the 

 reeords of the weather conditions of last 

 fall and of the beekeepers' activities. In 

 Sejitember, 1919, honey had a good price 

 and was in demand. The hives had a gootl 

 supply in them, and there was promise of 

 an ai>undant honey How. The beekeepers 

 extracted very closely, expecting the Ijees 

 to get winter stores from the fall llowers. 

 It rained, however, and then rained some 

 more. From Sept. 15 until Nov. 20 there 

 was hardly a day during which a bee could 

 work. Following this wet fall came the 

 winter with its many periods of cold. 



By Feb. 1, stores were exhausted and 

 most of the beekeepers were feeding. 

 Because of rains and the cold this feeding 

 had to be kept up until April and in some 

 ]daces until June. 



Lack of Room in Fall Causes Loss. 



As late and too close extracting is the 

 cause of much winter loss, the lack of room 

 has been the means of losing many stands 

 of bees in yards of good fall flow. It is 

 a common practice here to extract about 

 the middle of August and cut down the 

 si7-e of the hive to the brood-chamber. In 

 many instances, especially in the fall of 

 1918, this resulted iu the death of many 

 colonies. These colonies had their quar- 

 ters cut down to the brood-chamber in 

 August. In September and October, there 

 was a heavy flow from cotton and fall 

 flowers, and, as a result, these bees so 

 filled the brood-chamber with honey that 

 there was no place to raise brood. In the 



spring of 1919, these hives were still full 

 of honey and had but fcAV bees, and in 

 many of them there was none. 



Kinds of Winter Protection. 



Several of our beekeepers have tried out 

 various kinds of winter protection, the 

 windbreak being the most popular. Some 

 of these men report that the stores are used 

 up in the protected colonies first. We can- 

 not believe that this statement is correct. 

 However, as no data are yet on hand rela- 

 tive to the results of winter packing, we 

 make no statement. 



A large number of our commercial bee- 

 men arc agreed on this i)oiut, that from 

 the standpoint of economy the only winter 

 packing necessary is to restrict the hive 

 opening to one-half an inch by six inches 

 and have in the hive, December 1, 40 

 pounds of honey for each one-story ten- 

 frame hive and 90 for each two-story hive, 

 as a two-story hive is supposed to contain 

 over twice as many bees as a one-story. 

 The Situation in a Nutshell. 



It will thus be seen that the wintering 

 problem of the commercial beekeeping part 

 of Texas is very complex and acute. Its 

 solution requires much additional fall care 

 of the colonies, a large amount of winter 

 stores, and a very early spring inspection 

 to find if feeding must be carried on. It is 

 the belief of many that winter packing 

 which will hold the temperature just above 

 the clustering point will save bees but will 

 require more stores, and that the only way 

 to save the bees and the stores would be 

 to put the colonies in refrigeration. This, 

 of course, is out of the question, but we 

 believe that the packing of bees in such 

 a way that a uniform temperature of about 

 fiO degrees F. is secured, is worthy of trial. 



College Station, Tex. H. B. Parks. 



Till] best cel- 

 lar for this 

 climate that 

 I have yet seen 

 is the kind used 

 by K. L. Hof- 

 mann of Janes- 

 ville. The one at 

 his home apiary 

 is 30x20x8 witii 

 cement walls 

 an<l floor. The 

 ceiling is made 

 of boards loose- 

 ly laid and on 

 this ceiling is 

 about two feet 

 of clover chaflf. 

 The sides ami em 

 and the ror)f are 

 The .ciliiig .ibovc 



CELLAR WINTERING 



'Description of T-wo Good Cellars 



and How to Winter in Them. Time 



of Putting in and Taking Out 



By Chas. D. Blaker, J. C. DufF, and B. F. Kindig who 



Quotes David Running, Ira Bartlett, and J. D. 



Robmson 



( A hiilf-clozen hish authorities on cellar winter- 

 ing have been ushered into this article and seated 

 .side hy side in print, without conspiracy on our 

 p.irt to brini; them together in a discussion of lel- 

 lar wintM-ins;. They just happened along, all talk- 

 ins? oil the same subject, so we put tliem in com- 

 pany with each other, and allow our reiiders t<i 

 hear what'.s said. — Kdilor.) 



Is above the ground 

 of galvanized iron, 

 nic'iitiont'd is bflf.w 



honey-house may be built 

 leaving the clover-chaff 



the ceiling of the ceilai 



the frost line. 

 The door is at 

 the east end, and 

 at one side of 

 the door is the 

 e n t r a n cc of a 

 sub-earth venti- 

 lator. The out- 

 let pipe is at 

 the west end 

 and passes thru 

 the roof. Mr. 

 Hofmann g e t s 

 practically 1 u 

 per cent results 

 from this cellar, 

 barring queen- 

 less colonies. A 

 over this cellar 

 packing between 

 and the floor (»f 



