THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



429 



brushing off the bees. We extracted 

 the honey from such frames as con- 

 tained it, and those that had brood 

 were given to nuclei. Frames con- 

 taining empty comb were given the 

 bees, tlie surplus boxes replaced, and 

 they were soon working with energy. 

 If no empty comb or foundation are 

 at hand, frames can be given them. 

 It is very poor economy to have bees 

 clustered on the outside of the hive 

 during a flow of honey, and they 

 should be induced to go to work. An 

 extractor has tlie reputation of cur- 

 ing laziness in bees most effectually, 

 when it is rightly anplied. 



We have just now been reading in 

 the Bee Journal, how a swarm of 

 bees that clustered on the outside of 

 a hive, built comb in a box placed 

 near them. We once read of a jug 

 being found in the fall full of honey, 

 that liad been thrown carelessly down 

 near the entrance to a hive. 



The nights have been quite cool for 

 some time, and though the sun is hot 

 during the day, the air is cool. Poor 

 corn and lioiiey weather. To-day 

 (Aug. 3) the thermometer marked 

 about 60^ at 8 in the morning. There 

 is enough honey gatliered daily to 

 keep the queens laying, which will 

 insure plenty of workers for fall 

 bloom. Surplus boxes should be in 

 readiness, for if the weather is pro- 

 pitious a Hood of honey like that of 

 last year may soon visit us. The 

 rainy weather of the forepart of the 

 season was conducive to the growth 

 of fall (lowers. 



Peoria, 111. 



Kead at the New Jersey and Eastern Convention. 



Wintering Bees in Clamps. 



C. J. ROBINSON. 



The old problem— successful method 

 of wintering bees— is still a mooted 

 question, and we are justified in dis- 

 cussing the subject from eacli other's 

 standpoint of observation, take the 

 differing ideal modes and shake them 

 together in a bag, then dump and 

 mark the one that comes out first for 

 " the coming " method. Let us have 

 anything that tends to promote pro- 

 gress. 



My experience with bees began 

 while a youth, and dates farther back, 

 perhaps, than any other American 

 bee-keeper now living. 



Winters in this climate have ever 

 proved a serious drawback to success 

 in the business. Were I omniscient 

 in knowledge, I could not devise a 

 method of wintering that would be 

 exempt from death casualties incident 

 to the vicissitudes of a northern 

 climate. Situated in a cold region, 

 we must accept of the conditions, and 

 try again and again if we fail of suc- 

 cess. As yet we are ignorant of the 

 insect nature and natural history of 

 the honey bee. Indeed, who can an- 

 swer definitely three per cent, of the 

 questions that naturally arise in the 

 experience of beginners in bee-cul- 

 ture V One inquiry would be, " What 

 mode of wintering bees is a success 

 without casualties incident to boreal 

 winters V" Such question, however. 



is as absurd as would be the inquiry, 

 " How can we rear the cliildren to 

 have all arrive at adult age V" 



Many contrivers of hives claim that 

 their "invention" contravenes all 

 danger from cold, and renders nuga- 

 tory the ungenial winter. Yet the 

 bills of mortality and loss continue 

 about the same. 



The grand difficulty in the premises 

 lies in our acquaintance with the 

 faculty of the bee, and the science 

 pertaining thereto. We fancy that 

 bees are dependent for their well- 

 being on the same agencies and like 

 uses of those factors as ourselves. A 

 moment's reflection can scarcely fail 

 to make such supposition an obvious 

 error. It is well known that bees are 

 so constituted that tliey have the 

 faculty of remaining torpid (chilled) 

 during several days, and then from 

 genial warmth, revive again. More- 

 over, the normal condition of bees 

 while reposing in confinement caused 

 by a low temperature, is a semi-dor- 

 mant state in which there is scarcely 

 any animate action, and very little 

 consumption of vital air (oxygen) and 

 carbonaceous matter (food), nor much 

 waste of tissue. Hence the preach- 

 ing about " pure air," unless bees be 

 in a state of activity, is all bosh ; no 

 matter from whence it emanates. 



The more inanimate bees remain, 

 the less oxygen and food they require, 

 and the less consequent waste of 

 tissue and vitality (wearing out) dur- 

 ing a given period — during winter. 

 Tlierefore, the conditions that afford 

 bees the most perfect tranquil repose 

 through winter is the most advanta- 

 geous. Bees in a torpescent state 

 repose safely in a dead-air chamber, 

 in which there is no oxygenated at- 

 mosphere to excite vitality. They 

 must consume oxygen, however, have 

 pure air to respire when not in a 

 quiescent state. The stupid reason- 

 ing that honey bees require " pure 

 air " and " ventilation " through the 

 winter's reign is as fallacious as would 

 be a theory set up tliat " sleepers," 

 the bear and the marmot, require 

 fresh air for respiration during their 

 dormant state. In studying the sub- 

 ject of safe wintering, we should bear 

 in mind that the normal condition of 

 bees is not at all times the same, but 

 that they are in some respects like 

 the animal sleepers and unlike other 

 animals. It is well known that bees, 

 wliile clustered in a circulating at- 

 mosphere, do not repose quietly in a 

 temperature considerably below the 

 freezing point. The colder it is, the 

 greater the action — consumption of 

 oxygen and food— to generate warmth 

 needed to sustain life. It is the 

 " happy mean "—near the freezing 

 degree of temperature that affords 

 tlie desideratum — quiescent state. A 

 variation of a few degrees either 

 above or below freezing, changes the 

 circumstances of condition very ma- 

 terially. It would be the same with 

 " sleepers." If, during the vi'inter, 

 the condition of bees be such that 

 tliey consume large quantities of 

 food, they thus live fast and grow old 

 from the required expenditure of 

 vitality and tissue, consequent on the 

 taxation of generating warmth, or 



active occupations in or both in or 

 out of the hive ; that is, they run their 

 allotted race sooner, a sequence that 

 is one of the factors of " spring 

 dwindling." 



It is obvious from the view pre- 

 sented in the foregoing that the suc- 

 cessful mode of wintering is attained 

 ouly, if at all, by the bees reposing in 

 "an atmosphere but slightly charged 

 with oxygen, and the temperature as 

 indicated. This end is best attained 

 by means of " clamps " so-called, for 

 winter quarters. 



My experience with clamps extends 

 over a period of a quarter of a cen- 

 tury. I derived my knowledge of the 

 clamp method first from Rev. L. L. 

 Langstroth's manual. Mr. L. got 

 the plan from a German (indirectly, 

 I believe) who practices wintering 

 bees in clamps— burying hives in 

 about the same way potatoes are kept 

 in " holes." 



In my first experience with clamps 

 I missed the mark — the end I now 

 have in view for success. Through 

 my ignorance, a failure on the part of 

 " mother nature," I fancied that my 

 repository for bees must be ventilated 

 else respiration would cease, followed 

 with death. I discovered that in such 

 supposition I was in error. I con- 

 structed my clamps at first with air- 

 tubes at the bottom of the clamps, 

 and placed a chimney ventilator in 

 the top, so as to provide fresh air 

 circulating through the interior of 

 the clami). Such arrangement de- 

 feated the valuable points gained 

 by a different arrangement which ex- 

 cludes the external atmosphere and 

 provides a partial vacuum surround- 

 ing the hives. My first clamps, and 

 such as was described in said manual, 

 are substantially the same sort of re- 

 pository as cellars. 



My mode of constructing clamps is 

 quite simple in arrangement. I first 

 dig a pit in mellow earth some 20 

 inches deep, in the form I purpose 

 packing or placing my hives to bury. 

 Then nearly fill the pit with dry straw, 

 thrown in loosely, place strips across 

 the pit, on which place the hives. 

 Now start walls made of boards, so as 

 to provide a dead-air space all about 

 the hives. The walls need not be 

 nicely made, a skeleton frame work 

 that will keep a coat of dry staw a 

 little distance from the hives is all 

 that is rqiiired. The vacant space in 

 the clamp should be about equal to 

 one half the space occupied by the 

 hives. All of the earth on the bottom 

 of the clamp should be covered with 

 straw, so as to prevent moisture from 

 getting within tlie hives. A covering 

 of earth should be put over all in the 

 way potatoes are covered in what is 

 called "i)otato holes." When the 

 hives are deposited over the pit where 

 they are to remain, I arrange for ven- 

 tilating, that is. do not close entirely 

 the entrance at the bottom, and have 

 on top a " burlap," or something that 

 allows rarilied moist air to permeate 

 upwards. 1 put a tube in the top of 

 the clamp, and let it remain open 

 until the bees within become quite 

 dormant, and cold winter sets in, 

 then close the ventilator until spring- 

 like weather, wlien it may be opened. 



