THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



thick enough to make into cakes, or 

 roll into sticks like candy. A cake 

 of tliis kind could be laid over the 

 cluster, or a stick of candy inserted 

 into it. In cold weather, bees might 

 perish with plenty of it in the hive, 

 if it was not close to them. 



We know a lady who fed liquid food 

 to bees all winter, by giving them 

 just enough each day for their wants, 

 and they came through all right. But 

 such feeding as this does not pay, as 

 it entails too much care and thought ; 

 and if they should be neglected or for- 

 gotten for a day or two, they would 

 die, and all the food previously given, 

 would be lost. In feeding, great care 

 should be given, lest cold draughts are 

 made, that would be fatal to tliem, 

 and in feeding liquid food, many bees 

 ■would perish in the feeders by getting 

 chilled, if everything is not snug and 

 warm. 



Peoria, 111. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Winter Ventilation of Bees. 



DR. G. L. TINKER. 



In the consideration of the winter- 

 ing problem tliere will be few to dis- 

 claim the statement that the only 

 really troublesome factor which bee- 

 keepers now have to contend with, is 

 the best mode of winter ventilation. 

 To this extent then, it may be well 

 said that the problem has been fath- 

 omed. In presenting this paper, it is 

 with the hope that it may soon lead to 

 a solution of the last remaining ques- 

 tion. 



No bee-keeper of experience has 

 failed to notice the fact that bees 

 wintered on the summer stands by the 

 old, unprotected method, require far 

 greater ventilation than is usually 

 given. Few colonies survived the 

 winter of 1880 81, that were not well 

 ventilated ; and those that came 

 through strongest generally liad free 

 ventilation at or near the bottom of 

 the hive, the top being sealed up as 

 tight as the bees could make it. 

 Several remarkable instances of win- 

 tering in box hives raised from the 

 bottom-boards % inch, or provided 

 with very large entrances, came to ray 

 knowledge, in one of which the space 

 allowed was nearly 50 square inches. 

 It has been stated that colonies have 

 been wintered in hives without bot- 

 tom-boards, giving aventilating space 

 of over 100 square inches (see article 

 by Mr. R. Corbett, page 21.5 of the Bee 

 Journal). It is my opinion that, in 

 wintering in the unprotected hive, no 

 upward ventilation should be allowed 

 even through a chaff cushion. 



If the inside capacity of the hive be 

 small the entrance sliould be quite 

 large, not less than 24 square inches 

 of space, if no upward ventilation is 

 allowed. Butif tlie hive be very large, 

 or if there be a large air-tight space 

 above the bees, the entrance may be 

 as small as ^ inch by 10 to 12 inches, 

 according to the strength of the colonv. 

 It does not appear that moisture col- 

 lects in a large hive as it will in a 

 small one with the same size of en- 

 trance. 



It is the instinct of the bees to seal 

 up air-tight every part of a hive but 

 the entrance, the object being appar- 

 ently to provide against the loss of 

 heat. They are especially particular 

 to seal up the upper parts of the hive. 

 The conclusion is therefore unavoid- 

 able that the natural mode or ventila- 

 tion is at the entrance or near tlie bot- 

 tom of the hive. We must further 

 conclude that if we regulate the size 

 of the entrance to meet their necessi- 

 ties and give tlie hive proper protec- 

 tion, we cannot fail to have success 

 in wintering, either in clialf hives, 

 cellars, bee-houses, or clamps. We 

 have the statistics, moreover, to 

 show that the latter conclusion is not 

 ill-founded. That the natural mode 

 of ventilation, however, will give 

 better results than any that the 

 ingenuity of man can devise, remains 

 for further experimentation to decide. 



If we change the conditions in which 

 bees are usually found in a state of 

 nature, if we enclose a colony in a 

 small space upon a few combs and 

 give proper protection, we shall un- 

 doubtedly change their necessities in 

 regard to ventilation. "Heat is life," 

 or one of the essentials of life, which 

 the i nsti net of the bees has taught them 

 to carefully conserve. If we conserve it 

 by the above means, or any other 

 means, then upward ventilation be- 

 comes of possible and advantageous 

 utility, otherwise not. 



" The prime object to be obtained by 

 any method of wintering, other things 

 being equal, is to prevent the accumu- 

 lation of dampness in the hive," ac- 

 cording to Mr. Poppleton, whose views 

 on this subject will stand the test of 

 time. The natural mode of ventila- 

 tion which may be depended upon to 

 prevent an accumulation of damp- 

 ness in a hive has been given. There 

 are two other modes that have been 

 successfully practiced, each having 

 distinct features, but providing for 

 upward ventilation to carry oil the 

 dampness. These modes are often 

 greatly varied or blended into each 

 other. Their distinctive features are 

 as follows. We will take the old 

 Langstroth hive for illustration. First 

 mode: The hive is left with the 

 bees upon all the 10 frames of comb 

 containing from 30 to .50 lbs. of honey. 

 The honey-board is left on with 

 two Ua inch holes through it and 

 sealed to the hive air-tight. Nothing 

 whatever is placed in the cap 

 which tits loosely, or it may be 

 raised slightly by small nails at the 

 corners. No opening in the caps, 

 or auger holes, to iiermit free move- 

 ment of air, is allowed, but the small 

 crevices permit a very gradual but 

 certain egress of the dampness from 

 the hive. The entrance is left open 

 the full width of the hive, or not less 

 than % inch by 10 inches. This is es- 

 sentially the mode practiced by Mr. 

 Ileddon, who varies it only as follows : 

 He leaves off the honey-board and 

 places burlaps over the inverted honey- 

 rack, leaving a space of ?4 inch above 

 the frames. A case 4 inches deep is 

 put on top and filled with chaff, 

 planer shavings or leaves. The cover 

 of the case is raised at the corners by 

 small nails, and the entrance left % 



inch by 10 inches. Only forest 

 leaves or other loosejjadking over 

 tlie burlap is prQpBr»b% (jprs mode, 

 for the reason^thaw'^^iolouy of 

 bees in a lafgd^ /-lapace do no^ 

 generate heat «ioiii|li5*JtQ-, force thejr-.^^ 

 dampness upwaMs thfovig'JJ r heavy^/>^ 

 packing. If hea!t^ ipcking dver the ^■'' 

 frames is desiredNifh^& all of the , 

 brood combs are to be"" leitiii the hive, 

 the ventilation could be secured by 

 two \% inch tubes to connect with -the 

 openings in the honey-board. These 

 would permit the dampness to pass 

 upwards into the cap as in the typical 

 mode. A ease to hold the packing 

 would be required, in addition,the cap 

 to be fitted over it. It will be noted 

 that the ventilation is free as in the 

 natural mode, but no draft of air 

 through the hive is possible. That it 

 is any improvement over the natural 

 mode is very doubtful. 



The second mode is as follows : In- 

 stead of leaving the bees upon 10 

 frames of comb they are crowded upon 

 only 5 by division-boards, the space 

 between the division-boards and the 

 sides of the hive are well packed, as 

 well as the outside of the hive. The 

 honey-board is left off, and a few J^ 

 inch square pieces of wood are placed 

 over the frames crosswise. Stout, 

 porous cloth is laid over them and a 

 case 10 inches deep is set on top to be 

 filled with chaff or dry sawdust. The 

 cap, with a 2 inch auger hole in each 

 end, allowing a free movement of air 

 through it, is placed over all, and the 

 entrance left )4 inch by the distance 

 between the division-boards. By this 

 mode- the heat of the bees will drive 

 the dampness out of the hive and up- 

 ward through the packing most effec- 

 tually. Upon passing the hand down 

 into the packing next to the frames it 

 will be found sensibly warm and dry 

 all winter. That it is the heat alone 

 that forces out the dampness it seems 

 to me most probable. At all events, 

 a colony of bees prepared in this man- 

 ner arein a most formidable condition 

 to withstand cold and dampness, wliich 

 are the primary causes of dysentery. 

 It is provided, "in this mode, as well as 

 the others, that the colony has plenty 

 of young bees, plenty of stores, and 

 winter passages through all of the 

 combs ; and also that high winds are 

 prevented from striking the entrances 

 of the hives by suitable means. That 

 tlie latter mode above described 

 is the best for out-door wintering ad- 

 mits of little doubt, but it requires 

 more labor in preparation for winter. 



The plan of "crowding the bees upon 

 a few combs " is recommended by 

 Mr. D. A. Jones, Mr. Foppleton,aiida 

 number of other prominent bee-keep- 

 ers, the former holding that in in-door 

 wintering it is advantageous also. I 

 have many very interesting statistics 

 obtained in 1881 that demonstrate 

 the advisability of crowding a colony 

 of bees upon a few combs in out-door 

 wintering. But it is deemed unneces- 

 sary to give them, as the measure is 

 well nigh self-evident, if we place any 

 considerable packing over the bees, 

 with the expectation to get upward 

 ventilation. 



But all this will apply only to those 

 plans of wintering which involve a 



