778 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Topics of Iiiterest. 



Putting Bees into Winter Quarters Early, 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Although we have had an unusually 

 dry and pleasant Fall, in which it might 

 appear that it would be best to have bees 

 out on the summer stands a little later 

 than usual, when intended for cellar 

 wintering, yet, notwithstanding, I put 

 my bees into the cellar Nov. 8 and 9, in 

 as dry and nice a condition as they ever 

 were, preferring to do this rather than 

 trust to the chance of putting them in 

 while wet and frosty a few weeks later. 

 From the last of November until the 

 middle of December is the time given by 

 many as best for putting the bees in. I 

 formerly thought the same, being very 

 anxious to give the bees an opportunity 

 for the latest possible flight, so that they 

 could better stand their long confine- 

 ment. 



Up to a few years ago I had supposed 

 that a late flight was very beneficial, but 

 at that time I resolved to experiment a 

 little. So, on Nov. 3 I put one-third of 

 the colonies intended for cellar winter- 

 ing into the cellar. These bees had not 

 been flying since about Oct. 30, and this 

 caused me to hesitate a little. But I 

 had resolved to make the trial, even if I 

 was a loser by so doing. 



The morning they were put in the 

 mercury marked 4:4P in the shade, with 

 the sun shining through the clouds occa- 

 sionally, and I thought I should have 

 trouble while carrying them in, on 

 account of the necessary disturbance, 

 fearing that they might fly out badly. 

 However, much to my surprise, none 

 offered to fly, and were very much less dis- 

 turbed than any I had ever put in before. 

 Of the other two-thirds left out, one- 

 third was put in on Nov. 12, after hav- 

 ing a nice flight on the 11th. These 

 were also dry and nice. 



The last ''third" was left out until 

 the usual time of putting them in. There 

 had been rains and snows, but it was 

 quite cold when they were put in, so 

 that the hives were frozen down, and in 

 lifting they came up with a creak and 

 snap. Often I had to put my foot on 

 the bottom-board to separate it from the 

 hive, or else to pry the two apart with a 

 chisel. This jarred and disturbed the 

 bees so that they came out all over the 

 front of the hives after being put in place 

 in the cellar. 



I now learned that bees could be put 

 into the cellar with less disturbance 

 when the weather was about as warm 

 outside of the cellar as the mercury 

 marked inside of it, and my experience 

 since has proved that such is the case. 



Now for results : Of course, those put 

 in last must be put out first. Again I 

 found them more easily disturbed while 

 putting out than the others, showing 

 that they had hardly quieted down in 

 all the Winter, or else remembered their 

 experience of the Fall previous. 



On being put out of the cellar there 

 seemed to be little difference as to the 

 strength of colonies, although, if any, it 

 was in favor of those first put in. Later 

 on, however, those last put in suffered 

 considerably from Spring dwindling, thus 

 proving that they had not been as quiet 

 as the others in the cellar; at least I so 

 think, for I firmly believe that the life of 

 the bee is shortened just in proportion 

 to the amount of work (or what amounts 

 to the same thing, uneasiness or rest- 

 lessness while in Winter quarters), which 

 each individual bee does. A colony 

 which is quiet during the Winter rarely, 

 if ever, suffers from Spring dwindling, 

 but the colony that is always ready to 

 have individual bees fly to the light 

 when the apiarist goes into the bee-cel- 

 lar wears out, or, in other words, the 

 vitality of the individual bees composing 

 the colony becomes so exhausted that 

 they die of old age before many young 

 bees are reared, hence such a colony is 

 liable to dwindle in the Spring. Between 

 those first put in and the second lot, 

 which had a good flight, I could not see 

 a bit of difference, proving that a late 

 Fall flight was not at all necessary. 



I think there is nothing gained by 

 leaving bees out late in the Fall, but, on 

 the contrary, much is lost, and having 

 my bees Winter well every year since 

 putting them in early, proves that this 

 thought is correct. 



Again, all concede that bees will not 

 Winter as well with the insides of the 

 hives covered with frost, which melts as 

 soon as they are placed in the cellar, 

 thus causing the bees to be damp, even 

 if the hive is not soaked to quite such an 

 extent by wet weather, which is quite 

 likely to be the case. 



Besides putting bees in the cellar 

 early, while they are dry and nice, I 

 think the character of the cellar has 

 much to do with successful Wintering. 

 Unless it will maintain an even tempera- 

 ture of from 40O to 48°, standing most 

 of the time at from 43° to 45^, I should 

 prefer the bees to be outdoors in chaff- 



