THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 91 



should l)c raised and another one pL'iced under it, so as to pull the 

 bees out as much as possible at the beginninij of the season. 



It is a fact that the average bee-keeper in the south only has 

 one super for each colony when he should have not less than three, 

 and it is not too late to order more now. 



Wintering Bees and Some Other Things 



By C. F. SMITH, Cheboygan, Mich., President N. B. K. A. 



-^^^1 T is certainly surprising" and, 1 should think, confusing" to the 

 Tl mind of the beginner, to read the conflicting statements of men, 

 especially of long experience in a northern latitude, on this "win- 

 tering problem. Mr. Pearse's statement in January Rf.view^ "To 

 leave them, (the bees) out in a snowdrift, exposed to all the storms 

 that blow, is equally as bad as putting them down cellar for four or 

 five months among" the dead and dying" with no chance for a flight 

 until spring"," is in direct variance with my experience, covering as it 

 does thirty-seven winters. That experience says that the best place 

 to winter bees (in single-walled hives) is in an all underground cel- 

 lar, made as warm as possible, without artificial heat. In such a cel- 

 lar the temperature will not vary much either way from 50°. If they 

 have plenty of food (ripe honey or syrup) and good queens and are 

 put in right, not a colony should be lost. 



Look after the feeding" and queens in September, or as soon as 

 the fall flow is over. In the latitude of central Michigan, they should 

 be put in cellar just after the first fall of snow after the 2oth. of Octo- 

 ber, using the snow to stop up the entrances. Leave all hive covers 

 out, covering the bees with one or two thicknesses of burlap, or any 

 other cloth or blanket not gummed. The windows must be blinded 

 thoroughly to exclude every ray of light and retain heat. No matter 

 whether the cellar is wet or dry, leave them in 'till the first bloom 

 appears, which in my case means five to six months. 



Bees cannot stand this long confinement under gummed or tight 

 covers, for the reason that the moisture from the bees (not the cellar) 

 condenses and falls back on the bees, causing great discomfort, dis- 

 ease, death and mouldy combs. It took me fifteen years and cost 

 me several hundred dollars to find this out. No regular ventilator 

 is needed, though the air might be changed nights during" warm spells 

 through the winter, and especially in April. A variation of 25° does 

 no harm ; if too low they cluster closely, and if it gets to 60 or 80° 

 they simply spread — even cluster out, with no harm or even uneasi- 

 ness. 



I fully solved the wintering problem and covered this ground ex- 

 haustively, ten years ago, (see Jan. Review, 1904), and have spoken 



