164 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



iu the thin hive have been warmed, but be- 

 cause the conditions surrounding them are 

 such that repose is impossible, and that in- 

 stinct determines their hazardous liight. 

 Not so with the judiciously protected bees. 

 Their surroundings have been such that they 

 have no disposition to fly. They do not feel 

 the instinct to fly. They need not fly. Un- 

 like their fellows in a thin hive, their com- 

 fort and safety have been and now are 

 most conserved by repose. 



The usual recurrence of cold, weeks after 

 bees have been taken from the re- 

 pository, has led to almost indefinently re- 

 taining them in the repositories to avoid the 

 exposure incident to thin hives. Any meth- 

 od of packing requiring its removal to ma- 

 nipulate the combs has also ncessitated the 

 later continuance of protection. And while, 

 in the out-door method, this, 'later is not 

 usually of importance, yet, in some instan- 

 ces as, for instance, last spring, when the 

 extreme wet and cold swept down upon us 

 after a season much advanced and full of 

 promise, much loss and inconvenience oc- 

 curs from unpacked hives. 



Heavy hives have objections, and to avoid 

 these objections, other not unobjectionab e 

 devices have been attempted. And while 

 successful in a certain sense, not much head- 

 way has been made in securing the advanta- 

 ees of packing without a corresponding in- 

 convenience, either in weight and ponder- 

 osity of hive, or spring and autumn handling 

 of material used. ' 



One fact, however, of paramount impor- 

 tance, is that of spring protection. In the 

 Northern honey-belt it is a desirable adjunct 

 and cannot be omitted either in hives win- 

 tered in the cellar or upon their summer 

 stands, with confident assurance of the best 



results. , , J- J. • 



One feature must always be a factor m 

 Northern wintering, that of an ample space 

 below the combs. Such space should be 

 large enough to hold all bees that may die. 

 It should be of two or more inches, whether 

 in the cellar or out of doors, and susceptible 

 of being reduced to the usual half inch m 

 summer. Such a space below the combs, a 

 foot or more of sawdust or chaff over the 

 bees and as much elsewhere about them as 

 can be stored, with good goldeiirod honey, 

 thirty pounds to the colony, the hive having 

 a hole an inch in diameter for an entrance, 

 will, as a rule, accomplish successful winter 

 and spring wintering. 



Abeonia, Mich., Aug. 28, 1889. 



Good Food and Protection Furnish the Key 



Note— A few Other "Kinks " 



That Help. 



E. A. MANUM. 



■^T IS purely your fault, Friend Hutchin- 

 m) son that this article appears upon the 

 Jl otherwise clean and comprehensive 

 ^ pages of the Review, you have proven 

 yourself to be such a " sticker" that I finally 

 decided to place my poor, feeble shoulder to 

 the wheel and do what little I could to help 

 you up the hill, I notice, however, that you 



already have some powerful men, and it is 

 ditticult to find a vacant place where I can be 

 of any service, as they, with yourself at the 

 lead, have covered nearly the whole ground. 



But I will try to give you my metliod of 

 out-door wintering. I agree with your 

 friend Heddon that " success is largely a 

 question of locality." I believe it is not 

 only the locality— or place— where the apiary 

 is situated, but the quality of honey which 

 the locality furnishes for winter stores, that 

 has much to do with the successful winter- 

 ing of bees. I prefer a locality where no 

 honey-dew or but little pollen are gathered 

 late in the fall : as I prefer to feed sugar 

 syrup rather than risk my bees on honey- 

 dew. In either case, however, I would choose 

 a well sheltered spot for the apiary. It is 

 not always an easy matter to find exactly 

 the right spot, but if not already well pro- 

 tected by nature, I would construct artificial 

 wind breaks by setting out a hedge or build- 

 ing a tight board fence. I have already 

 done this to protect the bees from the chilly 

 winds of autumn and spring, as well as to 

 prevent the snow from drifting around, and 

 over the hives as much as possible. 1 once 

 thought that when the hives were well 

 covered with snow the bees were better ott 

 than in those that were not so covered, but ex- 

 perience has tauaht me that too much snow 

 is a damage, especially when drifted over 

 the hives. , ,. . , 



I use chaff hives, packed on four sides 

 with planer shavings made from kiln-dried 

 pine or poplar lumber. The packing is two 

 inches thick at the sides and three to tour 

 inches at the ends. These hives after once 

 being packed remain so summer and winter. 

 I believe the packing is beneficial not only 

 in winter but in fall and spring as well, as it 

 prevents the bees from flying out when he 

 weather is not suitable. With thin packing, 

 or single-wall hives, the sun shining on 

 them, even on a cold day, has a tendency to 

 make the bees uneasy ; but with thick pack- 

 ing a few hours of sunshine seems to have 

 no^effect upon the bees, hence they remain 

 quiet until the weather becomes warm 

 enough for them to have a good flight and 

 return to the liives in safety. I aim to put 

 on the top packing just before winter sets m. 

 I usually do this work about the first of No- 

 vember in order that the bees may have at 

 least one good flight after they are prepared 

 for winter, that they may form their winter 

 cluster after the top cushions are put on and 

 not to be disturbed again and the cluster 

 broken. I prefer not to go near my bees 

 a<'ain after this work is done, until it is 

 warm enough for them to fly, even if not 

 until April. . ^ ... 



Believing that dampness or moisture m the 

 hives is detrimental to the welfare of the 

 bees, I aim to prepare them for winter in 

 such a way that the excess of moisture may 

 escape before it condenses inside the hive. 

 This is done by placing a sheet of cotton 

 cloth directly on the top bars of the frames 

 and over this a cushion six inches thick made 

 of cotton cloth and filled with planer shav- 

 ings. When the cap is placed on the hive 

 there is a large vacant space over this cush- 

 ion for the full circulation of air, there be- 



