WINTERING BEES. 355 



to a long rod may be introduced into the air-chamber, through the 

 chimney, on removing the cap. This should be done frequently, 

 to serve as a guide for opening or closing the mouths of the venti- 

 lating tubes. Ventilation seems, however, according to the nu- 

 merous experiments which I have made, to be of less importance 

 to the health of the bees, than to preserve the combs and interior 

 of the hives from dampness and mould ; and it is in view of this 

 fact, that I have adopted the peculiar arrangement of my clamps, 

 which places it in the power of the Apiarian, at almost any time, 

 to cause an adequate circulation of pure dry air within them. 



" Apart from their cheapness, these clamps are far superior, for 

 the purpose intended, to the best vaults or cellars ordinarily 

 accessible. It might be' objected to this mode of wintering bees, 

 that the hives cannot be inspected during the Winter, however 

 desirable such inspection might seem to be. That is so; but, in 

 devising my clamps, I really had no reference whatever to that 

 class of bee-keepers who are in the habit of operating among their 

 colonies in Winter. Their case, in fact, seems to me to be a rather 

 hopeless one at best, since colonies that are thus treated at that 

 season, will scarcely ever enable their owner to found an Apiary 

 worthy of the name. I prefer to let my bees remain undisturbed 

 during cold weather, satisfied that if they were in good condition 

 when inclosed in the Fall, thay will pass the Winter uninjured, 

 and be found with adequate supplies of honey even in April. Of 

 this I am the more assured, since I have ascertained that bees 

 preserved in clamps consume scarcely one-half of the quantity of 

 honey required by such as are wintered in the open air, or in the 

 Apiary. 



" To institute a comparison between different modes of winter- 

 ing bees, I placed a portion of my colonies in a clamp of the fore- 

 going construction, on the 17th of November, 1856, and transferred 

 the remainder into a well-protected dark chamber in my dwelling- 

 house. Of some of the latter, I closed the entrances, but gave 

 them air through a grate or ventilating-passage in the rear of their 

 hives. Of the remainder, the entrances, as well as the ventilat- 

 ing-passages, were shut close. Several of those placed in the 

 clamp were designedly selected as having only eight r r ten pounds 



