NOVK.MHKR, 19'2(1 



I. K A N I N G S IN BEE C U .. r U R E 



663 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



but no special damage. 1 took them out 

 soon after, April 1. In some of the hives 

 there was a tendency to mold but not 

 enough to damage the combs. Only two jier 

 cent had died — a few of these from foul 

 l>rood, but not a robber bee had entered thru 

 the tubes. The hives apparently had all the 

 hers and honey they had in the fall. I car- 

 ried them to their summer position on a 

 cool day, and to my knowledge there was no 

 confusion nor drifting. 



This plan of wintering, I have found, has 

 a number of good points in its favor. When 

 there are warm days in winter the hives 

 will not warm up at that depth unless the 

 temperature is such that the bees can take 

 a good flight. In cold weather, with the 

 amount of heat that each hive would give 

 off I do not think there would be a freezing 

 temperature. If they are dry, the bees can 

 be kept where the cold winds wull not hit 

 them. The entrance and bank facing the 

 south will absorb some heat. One can leave 

 the bees, and foul-brood hives will not be 

 robbed out. There is no damage from fire, 

 nor of thieves pilfering the combs. In cold 

 weather they would be hard to get while 

 under six inches of frozen ground. This 

 thieving of combs is getting to be quite a 

 nuisance in many localities. 



This is certainly a good and cheap meth- 

 od for all dry and cold climates. In warmer 

 and moister climates one must use judgment 

 and go slow. I should like to see it tried in 

 cold climates like the Dakotar, and IMinne- 

 scta, and also some parts of California. I 

 remember visiting an apiary in Berkeley in 

 early spring, alid I was surprised to see only 

 a handful of bees in each hive. They proba- 

 bly wore themselves out flving in the winter. 



Having the bees down in the ground pre- 

 vents their warming up; and yet the venti- 

 lation being at the top the foul air all passes 

 out. The expense of this kind of wintering 

 is very small. For a hundred hives a ditcli 

 nearly 150 feet long will be needed. I had 

 a farmer plow the trench. A helper and my- 

 self put in 100 hives in two hours. I then 

 shoveled on the earth at my leisure, but a 

 plow might be used to good advantage to 

 throw the earth up to the back. The tube 

 and work did not exceed ten cents per hive. 

 The saving of honey that the bees would 

 consume might amount to $7.00. The bees 

 can be put in at any time after the honey 

 flow is over until the ground is frozen. But 

 I prefer putting them down early so they 

 may become settled to their condition before 

 winter. 



If the reader wishes to try this on a small 

 scale, a small trench can be dug with pick 

 and shovel to hold a few hives. 



Caldw^ell, Ida. W. L. Porter. 



LOW-PRICE HIVE-PRESERVATION 



Better Preservation of Hive Parts with Greater 

 Economy 



To the man who uses but few hives year- 

 ly, the subject of hive-preservation may be 

 of small interest, even with paint at the 

 present high-price level. But to the ag- 

 gressive commercial beekeeper, wdth hun- 

 dreds of new hives and supers yearlj^ the 

 subject of more economical efficient hive- 

 preservation from the effects of weather is 

 of no small importance. 



It is customary, with most beekeepers, to 



il .\-.-.. 1, .iiul (II.!.. Iwo >ii:i<l «lirii l;il,iMi uiU .M.i_, 1 .-.. ( i u.^.m;:. .^Iiuw u licit 



iiucs are buried. 



