THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



313 



rocks piled up almost perpendicularly for 

 fifty feet or more. Thus the sun would beat 

 down upon the hives, and also generate and 

 reflect heat from these rocks, so that almost 

 every clear day those bees were warmed 

 through. There being the two covers on, 

 the outer one slightly telescoped and close, 

 tliere could not be any decided top ventila- 

 tion, but where the ventilation lacked, the 

 heat came to the rescue. Not one colony 

 perished although one or two were very weak 

 to start with in the fall. 



Another apiary was an open ground. The 

 hives were placed in double rows, back to 

 back, fronting east and west. These were 

 left with the summer quilts on, and a slightly 

 telescoping cover close on these. Most of the 

 quilts were more or less ragged. The most 

 of them had more or less top ventilation, 

 but none having very much. Cases were 

 about the hives, taking ten and twelve hives 

 to a case, half on one side and half on the 

 other. These cases came just about two 

 inches above the brood chamber, and had re- 

 movable roofs sloping both ways. About 

 two inches of space was between hive and 

 outer case. This and the spaces between 

 hives were packed with chaff, and about two 

 or three inches of chaff 6n top. Thus the 

 winter case cover lay upon the chaff at the 

 eaves, but rose to about six or eight inches 

 in the center, to give the pitch to the roof. 



Here the loss was about five or six out of 

 fifty-seven so far as winter losses were con- 

 cerned ; more, however, were lost by spring 

 dwindling. This dwindling we will discuss 

 farther on. 



Another lot previously mentioned in a hive 

 within a hive and sawdust packed, because 

 of much shade and covering, and being so 

 situated that the sun could not penetrate the 

 hives, suffered greatly with moisture and the 

 loss was about two-thirds. This lot was not 

 quite so strong to start with, which had 

 something to do with the difference in loss. 



Six colonies we put up-stairs in the honey 

 house. They were left with sealed covers. 

 Three faced east and three south. A four- 

 iuch space, vacant, was between the hive- 

 wall and siding. The room was unplastered. 

 Now notice that the location and arrange- 

 ment would in summer give a more even 

 temperature, and a warmer temperature at 

 night. The sun upon the roof would heat up 

 the room and contents during the day which 

 heat would largely continue during the night. 

 In winter, this same room would become 



very cold at night, while the sun's heat by 

 day would never reach the interior of the 

 hives. We put those bees in in the spring, 

 and were highly pleased with the results in 

 honey getting ; but, alas, spring again found 

 but one poor " starveling of a thing " to tell 

 the story. Ernest Root reported a similar 

 loss in his home apiary, but omitted par- 

 ticulars. 



We also put a lot of bees in the cellar in 

 December, just after a severe spell of intense 

 cold. Most of the covers were sealed on 

 close. There was considerable water in the 

 hives. Nearly all the bees had diarrhoea. 

 Loss about fifteen per cent. 



Now, friends, I feel almost like making a 

 positive assertion, that proper ventilation is 

 the main spoke in the wheel of successful 

 wintering. Read again B. Taylor's article 

 on page 129, current volume. Note the ac- 

 count of Mr. Hitt's successful wintering for 

 twenty-five years, by putting his bees in the 

 cellar and taking off the hive covers. Also 

 Mr. Taylor's own experience last winter 

 while experimenting with sealed covers ver- 

 sus upward ventilation. 



In Gleanings for February 1st, page 82, A, 

 E. Manum discusses the wintering question 

 and tells of buying a colony in the spring 

 because it was the strongest in the lot. There 

 was top ventilation. Also how he packed 

 one apiary in shavings so there was ventila- 

 tion through the cushions. These wintered 

 well. Five colonies that were left with 

 sealed covers all died, and were " a dauby 

 mess." 



On page 198. Vol. 20, Gleanings, C. P. 

 Dadant also gives us conclusive proof that 

 upward ventilation is safest. Holes in the 

 quilts showed him the difference between 

 sealed covers and ventilation. 



Although we find some good authorities 

 on both sides of this question, I think we 

 may sum it up about this way : Sealed cov- 

 ers in open winters, and upon all occasions 

 when the conditions do not favor accumula- 

 tion of moisture, will be O. K. Absorbents 

 when used in such a manner as to allow the 

 moisture to pass out and not be retained, 

 will winter O. K. But either one will fail in 

 extreme and long continued cold, when every 

 thing favors the retention of moisture. 



I would therefore recommend, in sunny 

 climes, to pack warmly all around the hive, 

 putting on top not over two inches of chaff, 

 and on the sides not to exceed four inches, 



