1312 



GLEANINGS JN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



item; aud, taken through a series say of ten 

 years is of doubtful economy, for they would 

 ordinarily winter just as well seven years 

 out of the ten if proper precautions are 

 taken; besides, it gives a bad look to the 

 business for a honey-producer to be using 

 sugar l>y the ton. An outsider would think 

 he had proper evidence of fraud and adul- 

 teration. 



YOUNG BEES FOK W^INTEKING. 



Bees to winter well, and be strong and 

 vigorous in the spring until others are raised 

 to take their place, must not be too old when 

 put in the cellar or they will either die there 

 or soon aftei setting out in the spring. Con- 

 trolling this essential is the easiest of all the 

 three named; for if nature does not furnish 

 nectar enough to keep the queen laying, 

 then it behooves the bee-man to supplement 

 nature by daily feeding of some pure hcmey 

 or sugar syrup. I like outdoor feeding best 

 where other people's bees do not interfere. 

 The amount of feed should be just enough 

 to stimulate the queen to work, say J lb. to 

 each colony for ten days during September 

 or even later if weather is not too cold. 



FEEDING IN THE CELLAR. 



This should never be done except as a 

 necessity, and then only with coombs of honey 

 or cakes of candy hard enough so it will not 

 run. Liquid feed should never he used, as it 

 gets too cold, and chills the bees to death to 

 fill up on it. In feeding frames of honey 

 they should be put as close to the cluster as 

 possible, and candy should be either molded 

 into a frame so as to hang next to the cluster 

 or be laid just over it under the quilt. 



WHEN TO PUT IN. 



After various experiments I have come to 

 the conclusion that November 20 is about the 

 proper time to put bees in the cellar, prefer- 

 ably when the weather is dry and cold, and 

 I would let them remain there with as little 

 <listurbance as possible until settled weather 

 in the spring, which is usually here between 

 April 1 and 10. 



WINTER- FLIGHTS. 



To take bees out of the cellar and return 

 them so as to bi'eak the long confinement 

 into two short ones seems all right in theory, 

 but experience has caused me to think it 

 does actual harm unless it is deferred until 

 they can be set out for good in at least 15 or 

 20 days. If your bees are uneasy and dying, 

 it seems only to aggravate the ti-ouble after 

 a few <lays, and the best thing to do is to 

 wait until there is something for them to 



father pollen from before disturbing them, 

 know it seems hai'd to see your pets dying 

 by the thousand, and do nothing; but better 

 do nothing than something which does no 

 good. There are winters, even in this lati- 

 tude, when bees properly packed would win- 

 ter just as well out of doors as in a cellar, 

 but one can never tell beforehand what the 

 winter is going to be; and with a hard win- 

 ter bees with poor stores would be cut otT 

 from fiight as much out of doors as in a cel- 

 lar: and for all years indoor wintering is 



safest, and the less amount of feed consumed 

 in the cellar will always pay for carrying 

 them in and setting out. As to the exact 

 amount in pounds saved, I am unable to say; 

 but I think 8 lbs. would not l^e too high a 

 figure. I have yet failed to see any differ- 

 ence in the condition of bees due to" winter- 

 ing in a cellar or packed out of doors. I 

 have had success with both ways and failure 

 with both; luit poor honey has caused me 

 more loss than all other things combined. 

 Moral — give sugar, perhaps. 

 Richland Center, Wis. 



CELLAR AVINTERING OF BEES. 



A Vestibule Containin;2; a Stove Necessary ; 

 the Advanta/Efe of Specially Designed 

 Bottom-ltoards Providing an En- 

 closed Space Under the Hives. 



BY O. L. HEKSHISEK. 



The three most essential requirements in 

 successful wintering of bees in the cellar or 

 special repository are, even teiuperature at 

 about 43 degrees F. ; pure and moderately 

 dry air, and good and sufficient stores of 

 honey. 



To obtain the proper temperature the cel- 

 lar may be built entirely beneath the surface 

 of the ground; or if above ground, wholly or 

 in part, that the walls above the surface be 

 of sufficient thickness to resist the infiuence 

 of the outside temperature. It is difficult to 

 construct a cellar or repositoiy in which 

 there will be absolutely no variation of tem- 

 perature. If the variation amounts to but Jj 

 few degrees and is gradual, requiring a long V 

 time to make a slight variation, the bees will 

 adjust themselves to such slight change with- 

 out serious consequences. 



There should be little or no difficulty in 

 maintaining a pure and sufficiently dry at- 

 mosphere in a cellar built in dry sandy or 

 gravelly earth where the drainage is perfect. 

 Such earth, being porous, the air makes its 

 way into the cellar fast enough to meet the 

 requireiBents of the bees. It is likely, also, 

 that such loose porous earth absorbs much 

 of the impurities of the cellar air arising from 

 the respiration of the bees. It is assumed 

 that the retaining-walls will not be built so 

 tight ))elow the outside level of the ground 

 as to resist the passage of air through the 

 crevices. There seems to be a diversity of 

 opinion as to whether a specially constructed 

 ventilator to admit fresh outside air is nec- 

 essary or desiraljle, but probably all authori- 

 ties will agree that pure and wholesome air 

 is necessary to good wintering. Wlien the 

 bees are in the most quiescent and dormant 

 state, respiration (and consequently the con- 

 sumption of air) is the slowest; and the quiet- 

 er the bees are kept in the proper tempera- 

 ture, the longer will the air remain fresh 

 and pure. Cellars under dwelling-houses 

 usually have the chimney built up from the 

 bottom of the cellar with an opening near 

 the cellar ffoor. Whenever the chimney is 



