tHE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



in Gleaning[S for Jan. 1st. Here is what 

 he says : — 



During the last few years there has 

 been quite a change in the opinion of 

 many bee-keepers on this particular point 

 ': 1 wintering their bees. There is one 

 'ching. however, that we all agree on; and 

 that is, a wet cellar, with poor ventilation 

 and a lov/ temperature, is the worst place 

 that bees can possibly be put in to winter; 

 and some of us have found out, from long 

 and costly experience, that a wet cellar, 

 if properly ventilated, and kept at a tem- 

 perature varying only irom 44 to 48 

 degrees, is the best place that can possibly 

 be made for perfect wintering. 



With these dearly learned facts fresh 

 in our minds, a year ago we built a model 

 bee-cellar. 20x40 feet in size, which will 

 give ample room for 1000 colonies, and 

 at the same time give us a walk through 

 the center from one end to the other. 

 This is very handy in putting them in. in 

 the fall, or taking them out in the sr'''ng: 

 but its principal value is allowing a circu- 

 lation of fresh air through the center of 

 the cellar. We remove the bottom boards 

 from our hives, and set them directly over 

 each other, with four one-inch blocks be- 

 tween the hives. They rest on racks 8 

 inches high from the floor, v/hich is 

 covered with about 3 inches of chaff or 

 planer shavings. This makes a nice 

 covering to the floor, and enables us to 

 \velk among the hives without m.aking 

 any noise or jarring them in the least. It 

 also prevents smashing any bees on the 

 floor, wh'ch makes it much ea.sier to clean 

 up after they are taken cut in the spring. 

 The under course of hi'/es rests oa the 

 cleats of a bottom-board turned wrong 

 side up. This gives ten inches of spac.3 

 from the under part of the lower hive to 

 the floor, which allows a fine chance for 

 fresh air to cTculate over the botlom of 

 the v.'ho'p cellar. You will also notice 

 that, where we have left the under cover 

 on, we raise it from the hive and put a 

 piece of sect'on under it, form.ing a little 

 crack for the foul air of the hive to pass 

 off. But we prefer a pece of light "anvas 

 over the top without tiie under cover on. 

 In order to test this thoroughly, last 

 winter we left some hives vvfith both 

 canvas and under cover on. 



This cellar was built late la':t fa'!, and 

 the walls were laid up with stone and 

 Portland cement. It is 6^3 feet between 

 floors, and has about a foot of space 

 under the floor, which is of matched 

 lumber. Under this are two drains which 

 convey water out all winter. The walls 

 are very wet during the whole wintrr, as 



we had no time for them to dry, putting 

 the bees in only one week after they were 

 finished. Then in addition to these wet 

 walls wp put a building over it of green 

 lum.bpf, with a roof of galvanized iron. 

 The floor over the cellar was of matched 

 lumber, and double with bu.ikiing paper 

 between. This kept the cellar very warm 

 with so many colonies in it; but with the 

 perfect ventilation we gave it the bees 

 cam.e through the winter in as fine condi- 

 tion as I ever saw bees wintered, and 

 only two hives out of 725 showed a spot 

 of dysentery, although the bees were in 

 the cellar from the 1 1 th to the 1 4th of 

 November until Apn' 1 8th to t', ■ 2C'h 

 before the last were taken out. 



You may think this quite di^erent from 

 what I have recommended — that is. taking 

 them all out at one timie, and tliat at 

 night; but from April 7 to April 1 6 I was 

 not expected to live from one hour to an- 

 other, and consequently the bees got but 

 little attention during that time. 



Last winter we had very changeable 

 weather here. The tem.perature outdoors 

 varied from 20 degrees below zero to 72 

 above- a variation of 92 degrees--while 

 in the cellar it changed only from 44 de- 

 grees to 52, or a variation of 8 degrees. 

 This 44-degree temperature inside lasted 

 only about 24 hours, and was caused by 

 a temperature o^ 20 below zero outside 

 for two days, and the wind blowing a per- 

 fect gale. We kept a thermometer in the 

 cellar, and could seldom find the tem.per- 

 ature change more than one degree either 

 way from 46. 



In speaking of moisture in our cellar I 

 often think of a bit of experience I had 

 many years ago. I put 950 ouionies in 

 the driest cellar I ever saw. It was under 

 a dwelling-house where two fires were 

 kept burning nearly all the time. A short 

 time after we out the bees in they be- 

 came very uneasy, many leaving their 

 hives and flying about the room. 1 had 

 made a large tight room, inside the cellar, 

 of matched lumber, and put a plank floo*' 

 in-it. I kept the temperature about 4b 

 degrees, but still the bees became m.ore 

 and more restless, and, when taken out 

 in the spring, 1 shovelad up 14Vi bushels 

 of dead bees. That was the worst winter- 

 ing i ever had, and it was a sight to .see 

 those that lived through the winter go to 

 wet places after water as soon as they 

 had a change to fly. it seemed as if every 

 bee went for water before it returned to 

 its hive. Their honey was so dry and 

 gummy that the bees could hardly eat it 

 until it had been moistened with the 

 water they got outside. The dead bees 

 on the floor were so dry that, if you gave 



