1354 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



i^oncerned about the matter this year. Do 

 you know at what temperature the bees keep 

 the interior of the cluster during winter?" 



"For many years the temperature inside 

 the cluster of bees while in winter quarters 

 was unknown, as it was hard to get this 

 temperature with an ordinary thermometer; 

 for as soon as the thermometer was taken 

 from the cluster it would commence to lower 

 so fast that, on a cold morning, it would run 

 down from three to five degrees while taking 

 from the cluster and looking at it." 



"But there must have been some way to 

 overcome this matter?" 



"Certainly. But it was not so easy as you 

 may think. To do this I procured a self-reg- 

 istering spirit thermometer, and had no idea 

 but that I should have an easy job with this 

 in getting the lowest temperature inside the 

 cluster on any cold day. In this I was mis- 

 taken, however, for in putting it in the hive 

 the bees were aroused from their quiet slum- 

 ber, which they usually take during the win- 

 ter, to an activity nearly equaling that of 

 summer. ' ' 



"Ah! I see. An element comes in there 

 which I had not taken into consideration." 



"The thermometer was put in at about 

 four o'clock one afternoon when the mer- 

 cury outside marked six degrees below zero. 

 The next morning it was still colder, so I 

 concluded that, if 1 got the temperature when 

 it was as cold as this, it would not be far 

 from what it would average, taking the very 

 coldest weather together with that more mild; 

 Imt when I went to take the thermometer 

 out I saw that I could take the degree regis- 

 tered only when the bees were at their warm- 

 est point of excitement, caused by my open- 

 ing the hive, for the registered heat stood at 

 87 degrees, while that at which it stood on 

 taking the thermometer from the hive was 

 much lower." 



" As I should expect, after the thought I 

 had a moment ago. How did you overcome 

 this?" 



"I now saw that I must work my ther- 

 mometer the other way, so I placed it near 

 the stove until 100 degrees above zero was 

 marked, on the cold side, when I set it, wrap- 

 ped it in a warm cloth, and took it to the 

 hive." 



' ' That would accomplish what you desired, 

 I am sure. What was the result?" 



"The weather now became severe and 

 blustering, so that I thought it best to leave 

 the hive undisturbed for five days. During 

 this time the mercury went as low as 16 de- 

 grees below zero, but on the afternoon of 

 the fifth day it stood at 18 above. I now 

 took out the thermometer, having a hot cloth 

 ready to put it in the instant it was out from the 

 cluster. It was immediately taken to a warm 

 room where I had a perfect register of 63 de- 

 grees as the lowest point reached during the 

 hve days of extreme cold." 



"That test must have been conclusive." 



" But I was not satisfied till I had tried 

 further. In this way I kept on experiment- 

 ing for several weeks, using several different 

 colonies during the time, until I arrived at 



the following, which I think is very nearlj^ 

 accurate, when a colony is in perfect quiet- 

 ude. When the mercau-y stands at zero out- 

 side, the temperature in the cluster of bees 

 is 64 degrees, and for every 15 degrees of 

 change from this point (outside), the change 

 in the cluster is one degree. Thus 16 degrees 

 below gave 63 degrees; zero gave 64 degrees; 

 15 degrees above gave 65 degrees; while 38 

 above (the highest it has been during any of 

 my winter experiments) gave 66 degrees in 

 the cluster." 



"That temperature is somewhat higher 

 than I expected to know was maintained 

 during winter. I should have guessed it to 

 be about 50 degrees." 



"Very many guess from 45 to 50 degrees. 

 But guesses and actual tests do not always 

 agree. But listen: By the above figures it 

 will be seen that the bees must burn much 

 fuel in times of extreme cold, in order to 

 warm the temperature of the cluster up from 

 away below zero to 63 above that point. 

 This fuel is, of course, honey or some substi- 

 tute in the sugar line." 



"I see. The bees certainly can not use 

 any other fuel than what they have stored 

 in their combs." 



"You are right. And from this the ques- 

 tion naturally ai'ises whether you have not 

 been making a mistake in wintering your 

 bees outdoors during the past, and losing in 

 dollars and cents by the extra amount of 

 honey which must be consumed in this way 

 over cellar wintering." 



"This is what I have been thinking about 

 during the last few days; but I have never 

 boiled the matter down to so fine a point as 

 you have done." 



"You can not but admit that there must 

 be a loss in honey in outdoor wintering in 

 such a climate as we have in these northern 

 States of ours; for surely it can not take as 

 much fuel to warm a temperature of 45 de- 

 grees (the temperature usually conceded to 

 be right for cellar-wintering) to 65 degrees, 

 as it does one from zero to 20 below, to the 

 same point." 



"That certainly must be right." 



"Yes. And there is another item in this 

 juatter, of more import, often, than the mere 

 saving of honey." 



"What is that?" 



"Where bees consume a large amount of 

 honey as fuel there is a certain amount of 

 soot and ashes left in the stove, or heater, 

 after each burning." 



"Ah! I see again." 



"Yes: and unless there comes a chance 

 when this accumulation can be disposed of 

 in the natural way, which is a mid-winter 

 flight or two, this accumulation brings on a 

 waste of tissue by the strain on the bees; 

 diarrhea sets in, the result of which is loss in 

 colonies, or. what is nearly as bad, spring 

 dwindling, to an extent which makes the 

 colonies practically useless for surplus hon- 

 ey the next season." 



"I am glad to have had this little talk with 

 you: and as I have a fairly good cellar I am 

 resolved to try cellar wintering." 



