556 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



FIG. 1.- 



-CELLAR VENTILATING HIVE-STANDS, SHOWING THE NUMBER OF DEAD BEES 



HIVE. 



THE SHUT-IN PRINCIPLE OF HIVE- 

 STAND CELLAR AVINTER VEN- 

 TILATION. 



The Result of the Experiment. 



BY E. R. ROOT. 



FIG. 2.- 



when we used the ordinary hive-entrance 

 (superannuated bees tlying on the cellar bot- 

 tom), the result of the shut-in plan the past 

 winter is very disappointing. But we are not 

 disposed at present to lay all the blame of 

 this poor showing on the Hershiser principle 

 of ventilating hives in the cellar. A part of 

 the trouble may be due to too high an aver- 

 age cellar temperature. A report has just 

 been received from Mr. J. E. Hand, of Bir- 

 mingham, O., who has tried this shut-in hive 

 plan with flattering success. He says he will 

 use it in the future. An examination of the 

 Hershiser bees on the Hershiser stands in 

 Buffalo showed that the bees were doing fine- 

 ly; but in our cellar, at least, where the tem- 

 perature ranged from 45 to 65, the results 

 were as above stated. 



Up to Jan. 1 we found many bees dead 

 on the bottom of the ventilating hive-stands. 

 On the first warm day we took the bees out 



and gave 

 them a 

 11 i g h t ; 

 then we 

 put them 

 back o n 

 the hive- 

 stands, at 

 this time 

 putting 

 half the 

 bees in 

 one com- 

 partment 

 and half 

 in the 

 other. 

 We then 



-THE NUMBER OF DEAD*BEES ON A VENTILATED HIVE-STAND, AND THE put in a 

 NUMBER ON A BOTTOM WITH NO VENTILATION. Scheme of 



It will be remembered that, in our Jan. 15th 

 issue, page 83, we reported unfavorably on 

 this principle of wintering; but later on, 

 when the bees had had a flight, and had been 

 put back, we concluded that, perhaps, that 

 scheme of shutting the bees within the hive 

 was going to prove a success after all. Now, 

 however, we are again in a state of uncer- 

 tainty, with indications going to show that 

 for our conditions, at least, it is not a success. 

 We have just taken our colonies out of the 

 cellar, and find quite a number of them dead, 

 and all the rest in a greatly weakened con- 

 dition. As compared with former years 



