56 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION 



running too fast. These same feeders may be used at the entrance 

 by having an enclosed passage about the opening of the jar leading 

 into the entrance. The plan of feeding at the entrance is not sc 

 good if the nights are cold. 



It is needless to say, that in preparing bees for the winter one 

 should be sure to have in each colony a good prolific queen, prefer- 

 ably of the current year's raising. This is necessary to insure 

 that brood rearing will begin at the proper time in the spring there- 

 by replacing the old bees which die off rapidly at that season. 



With these matters attended to, the next essential is to nave a 

 \varm, dry and quiet place in which the bees may pass the winter. 

 It has been our experience that with a colony that is strong enough 

 to generate sufficient heat the matter of guarding against dampness 

 becomes the all important matter. If bees are disturbed during 

 the winter months they move about generating an undue amount 

 cf heat and at the same time a considerable amount of water vapor 

 v, hich condenses, coming in contact with walls of the hive, produc- 

 ing dampness. More than this, the bees consume more food when 

 moving about and from this excessive feeding, diarrhoea may re- 

 snlt, for normally the bee retains the feces in its body until buch 

 weather conies as will permit it to fly out of the hive and cast it 

 out. In the case of diarrhetic bees the best remedy is a cleansing 

 flight and if the weather will permit, bees wintered in cellars should 

 K carried out for a few hours flight in the midddle of the day, in 

 case of infection with this malady. 



Outdoor wintering is usually accomplished in chaff hives and one 

 great objection is the expensiveness of these hives. Otherwise since 

 it is the most normal condition for bees, this method is to be recom- 

 mended for inexperienced beekeepers. The feature of these chaff 

 hives is a double wall with from three to eight inches of space be- 

 tween the walls on all sides including the bottom, filled with some 

 non-conductor of heat like straw, chaff, paper or ground cork. The 

 effect of this packing is to retain the heat and at the same time per- 

 mit the moisture produced by the bees to pass off. To further per- 

 mit this moisture to escape the oil or carriage cloth quilt used in 

 summer is removed and a canvas quilt placed over the frames. 

 Above this, newspapers, a piece of old quilting, or a chaff tray 

 be used to retain the heat. Then, above this material to re- 

 tain the heat there should be an open space with free ventilation 



