1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



303 



committee appointed, and the matter made 

 a part of the records? It were far better 

 did the National take the initiative and open 

 up shop for business than to become thus in- 

 volved. In either event, as before stated, 

 the seeds of discord will have been planted 

 to ripen into bitter fruit. To both of these 

 propositions, as a member of the National 

 who desires nothing less than its complete 

 success, I most earnestly object. 



Now, Mr. Editor, but a few of the salient 

 points in this vitally important matter have 

 been hinted at. Much more may be said, 

 and yet the subject not become exhausted; 

 but as a member of the Association I am 

 anxious to hear what the majority think on 

 this subject; and if these few hints shall set 

 the members to thinking and talking, so 

 that the committee shall have the benefit of 

 the judgment of the rank and file, my object 

 will have been accomplished. 



Lake Geneva, Wis., Feb. 4. 



DOES FREEZING KILL BEES ? 



A Request for Scientific Investigation ; an Inci- 

 dent Showing that Freezing is only an 

 Indirect Cause of Winter Losses. 



BY WM. A. STEWART. 



The discussion on the subject of freezing 

 proves that there is at least one point in the 

 nature of the bee that is not fully under- 

 stood. I wonder if Dr. Phillips could not in- 

 vestigate this subject and tell us just how it 

 is. Meanwhile, since we are hearing opin- 

 ions based on practical experience, please 

 allow me space for a few remarks which I 

 hope will be UFeful. 



On page 11 Dr. Miller quotes Mr. Abbott, 

 and then asks, " What number of bees must 

 be reached before they will stop freezing 

 and begin to starve?" Now, doctor, I am 

 afraid he can not tell you; but, while it may 

 seem a paradox, I think we can find sub- 

 stantial data to support the theory that they 

 freeze first and then starve. It makes no 

 difference (except as to time) whether there 

 is one bee or a whole colony ; and, so long as 

 they are helpless, it makes no difference 

 whether they are frozen as stiff as icicles or 

 only chilled. In either case they will die if 

 not relieved soon enough, and in either case 

 they are all right if warmed in time. 



Feb. 14, 1904, I found a colony in the 

 yard, out of stores, and frozen. They were 

 discovered by listening at the entrance for 

 the slight sound which bees always make 

 when in normal condition. When the hive 

 was opened in a warm room the bees were 

 found so stiff they would make a noise like 

 some hard substance dropped on the floor. 

 The mercury that morning was five below 

 zero, and, after the bees became helpless, 

 the air inside the hive must have cooled to 

 about the same temperature, for they were 

 so cold that frost formed on their bodies in 

 the warm moist air. However, when taken 

 out of the hive, and well warmed near a 

 stove, nearly all the bees in the cluster re- 



sumed activity, and were ready for some- 

 thing to eat. They were put back on well- 

 warmed combs, given some unfinished sec- 

 tions, and put in a cellar. We did not find 

 that either queen or workers were injured 

 by the freezing, being a valuable colony the 

 past season. 



As to the length of time they had been 

 frozen, they were flying twelve days before, 

 and the cold spell had lasted five days when 

 they were found, the mercury being one 

 morning nine below. 



Now to draw our conclusions: 



1. These bees froze without starving, for 

 they were not dead. They froze because 

 they were out of food, which means in this 

 case out of fuel. They had gone safely 

 through colder weather, and been able to 

 take their honey, even from the remotest 

 corners of the hive. 



2. Freezing did not kill them; and proba- 

 bly no amount of freezing to which bees can 

 be subjected by the climate of the United 

 States will of itself cause their death. It is 

 fatal indirectly when there is honey which 

 they could otherwise reach. 



3. If the above colony had remained un- 

 aided they would have died by starving, or 

 possibly from the effects of the wetting 

 they would have received in thawing out; 

 and all frozen bees might be saved if taken 

 in time. 



I give this theory because it is in accord 

 with all the known facts in the case. If 

 any one can show it to be erroneous I shall 

 welcome better information. 



Elkin, Pa., Jan. 17, 1905. 



[I believe that Mr. Stewart is right— that 

 the bees do not freeze to death, for numer- 

 ous instances have shown where bees have 

 been frozen so solid that they were fairly 

 brittle, and remained so several days, but 

 when subjected to warmth would revive. 

 But if they go too long in a frozen condi- 

 tion without food, their vitality is weakened 

 and they die. I always feel that, in a very 

 cold winter, without an occasional warm 

 day, the outdoor bees are liable to suffer 

 because these bunches are not able to warm 

 up enough to move over where there is 

 honey. Last summer we put cages of bees 

 on blocks of ice in the refrigerator for three 

 days. They were stiff and cold, but invari- 

 ably revived on being warmed. We did the 

 same thing with queen bees, without appar- 

 ent harm. If I am not mistaken, Mr. Stew- 

 art states the exact position held by Mr. E. 

 T. Abbott, editor of the Modern Farmer and 

 Busy Bee. — Ed.] 



MIDWINTER FLIGHTS. 



A High Temperature Not Desirable; Importance 



of Having a Thermometer in the Proper 



Place; Hard Candy as a Food. 



BY ALLEN LATHAM. 



Mr. Root:— Two paragraphs by you re- 

 cently in Gleanings raise questions in my 

 mind, and I wish to say a word in opposition 

 to one or two statements. 



