THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



More About the "K. D." Hive.— Top Ven- 

 tilation and its Importance. 



R. O. AIKIN. 



rn HE query of 

 'T M r. Thomp- 

 son, of Denver, to- 

 gether with your 

 p rmisBiou to re- 

 ply to it, just re- 

 ceived. Here is 

 the query. "How 

 will the top venti- 

 lation and conse- 

 quent letting off of 

 a certain amount 

 of heat accord with 

 the greatest possible amount of brood-rear- 

 ing in the cold nights of spring ?" 



Here is another query from Newport. R. 

 I., just received: "I presume the hive is 

 not intended to winter bees on the summer 

 stands as the location of the entrance for 

 brood chamber allows the free escape of the 

 heat generated by the bees ?" 



The friends are both mistaken. We claim 

 the top-entrance-hive better for both in and 

 out door wintering. Neither will there be 

 any detriment in the matter of brood rear- 

 ing in spring. 



In "Advanced Bee Culture," page 80, the 

 2nd and .3rd paragraphs read thus : " Wheth- 

 er bees can be successfully wintered in a 

 damp cellar, depends largely, almost wholly, 

 upon the temperature of the atmosphere. 

 ' If the repository be damp, a degree of tem- 

 perature higher in proportion to the damp- 

 ness should be maintained. '— N. W. MoLain. 

 Referring to this statement Mr. Frank Chesh- 

 ire says : ' The reason being that water has 

 an enormous capacity for heat (specific 

 heat) whether in the liquid or vaporous 

 form ; the latter abstracts heat from the 

 liees and intensifies their struggle.' Dr. 

 Youmans says : ' Air which is already satu- 

 rated with moisture refuses to receive the 

 perspiration offered it from the skin and 

 lungs and the sewage of the system is 

 dammed up.' A moist air very readily ali- 

 sorbs heat, and more quickly robs the bees 

 of that element so essential to life : hence it 

 will be seen why a moist atmosphere must 

 also be a warm one if disastrous results are 

 to be avoided." 



Now, suppose a temperature in the open 

 air of 40", and the atmosphere at rest, and 

 dry. I go out in my shirt sleeves and work 

 with perfect comfort. Two hours later with 

 the temperature the same and the atmos- 

 phere in motion at the rate of 12 to 15 miles 

 per hour, I am obliged to wear my coat to 

 keep warm. Now saturate this air with 

 moisture with the same temperature 

 aud motion and I must wear my over- 

 coat to keep warm. You will now see what 

 I mean. 



Read four chapters in " Advanced Bee 

 Culture," viz.; "Out Door Wintering," 

 "Ventilation of Bee Cellars," " The Rela- 

 tion of Moisture to the Wintering of Bees," 

 and "Influence of Temperature in Winter- 

 ing of Bees." 



The entrance at the top, no doubt, will 

 permit the escape of some heat ; but with 

 weak colonies, or in winter, we want the en- 

 trance contracted. Suppose it be 9g xl inch, 

 there being no other opening sufficient to 

 cause a direct draft through the hive, there 

 cannot be any perceptible motion or cur- 

 rent of air within the hive, yet there will be 

 a gradual change taking place, thus freeing 

 the hive of moisture laden air that would 

 necessarily accumulate in a close top. 



Just last week we built a fire in our house 

 cellar where we have over 100 colonies of 

 bees ; and with the temperature above .50° 

 I saw moisture condense on the hive fronts 

 just over the lower entrance (these colonies 

 have no top entrance), showing a very moist 

 air escaping from the hive. Keep the hives 

 free of moisture and we don't need so high 

 a temperature. But in order to help the col- 

 ony in the matter of heat, we strongly ad- 

 vise the use of packing that will absorb the 

 heat of the sun and bees by day, and give it 

 off at night thus helping to equalize the tem- 

 perature. 



But the idea that a small upper vent, with 

 none below to permit a draft, will allow of 

 an undue escape of heat necessary to brood 

 rearing is incorrect. 



One of Colorado's foremost apiarists, Mr. 

 W. L. Porter, of Arvada, after seeing the K. 

 D. hive at our State convention, went home 

 and looked through his apiary. He found 

 every hive having a vent at the top dry and 

 healthy ; but those with no top vent were 

 damp and in much worse condition. Not 

 only were the top-ventilation colonies drier, 

 but they had more brood. 



