60 



THE BEE-KEEPER'S REVIEW 



dwindling- in its worst form. So when 

 you build a bee-cellar don't be afraid of a 

 little extra labor or expense, but make 

 both it and your store-room for the 

 thousand and one things necessary in a 

 large apiary as near perfect as possible; 

 then you will find that you can save 

 many steps and receive better results in 

 the end. 



Editor Root comments as follows :- 



[This is one of the best articles we ever 

 published on cellar wintering, in my 

 opinion; and 1 say this, even though some 

 of its teachings may run counter to some 

 things 1 have said on the same subject. 



In the first paragraph Mr. Alexander 

 speaks of the fact that a wet cellar with 

 a low temperature, with poor ventilation, 

 is the w^rst place bees can be kept for 

 wintering, and we all agree with him on 

 that proposition; and yet, knowing- that 

 fact, many bee-keepers are unable to 

 control the temperature, and the result is 

 disaster. 



On the other hand, our correspondent 

 says a wet cellar, if properly ventilated, 

 and kept at a temperature of from 44 to 

 48 degrees, is the very best place to 

 winter bees, I agree with him in the 

 matter of ventilation and temperature, 

 and I also agree with him // he does not 

 mean to have his cellar too wet. The 

 term "wet" as applied to a cellar might 

 mean one slightly damp, and another one 

 with pools of water standing on a muddy 

 floor. 1 can hardly believe that Mr. 

 Alexander means this. The average 

 cellar will not be absolutely dry. if under 

 ground, where a lot of bees are confined. 

 To my notion, if we specify a dry cellar 

 we shall get one wet enough to conform 

 to the requirements of our correspondent. 

 A hundred colonies of bees, for example, 

 in a cellar 15 x 20, will give off a large 

 amount of moisture through their breath. 

 This moisture will condense against the 

 sides of the hives and against the sides of 

 the cellar or any surface cooler than the 

 cluster of bees. 



It is not clear just how much ventilation 

 Mr. Alexander allows. 1 infer, however, 

 he does not change the air in the cellar 

 very much, but leaves the hives so open 

 that there is a circulation of air in the 

 cellar, or from within the hive to without 

 the hive. 



With regard to disturbance, what Mr. 

 Alexander says is true, and yet it may be 

 a little hard to harmonize his statements 

 with the fact that our shop-cellar bees 

 have all kinds of racket above them and 

 yet they winter nicely. Right over our 

 cellar where our bees are, there is the 



rumbling of machinery and the dropping 

 every now and then of a heavy truck; 

 and the vibration of the building, and 1 

 might say of the foundation, is continuous. 

 But here is where the explanation lies : 

 The continuous noise does not disturb 

 bees nor human beings like a sudden 

 shock after continuous quiet. I have been 

 in cellars, which on entering as quietly as 

 i might, caused no little disturbance on 

 the part of the bees; and on the other 

 hand we could go into our cellar and 

 wheel heavy trucks through it all day, and 

 the bees would scarcely notice it, because 

 they have become accustomed to it. 1 

 suspect the case is something like this : 

 My dwelling house is located close to our 

 factory, and only about 500 or 600 feet 

 from the B. & 0. railroad, and 700 or 

 800 yards from an east and west road, 

 the Northern Ohio, and on these roads 

 trains are snorting through at almost 

 every hour of the day, and at times in the 

 night; and yet those of us who are 

 accustomed to it very seldom notice or 

 hear it. Another fact : Some thirty 

 years ago 1 used to sleep in our factory 

 when we were running night and day. 

 My room was directly over several buzz- 

 saws and a planer; but very soon 1 be- 

 came accustomed to the noise so that it 

 did not disturb me. Going back to the 

 bees in the cellar, 1 suspect that the 

 occasional romping of children directly 

 over a bee cellar would cause more dis- 

 turbance than if the children romped on 

 the floor every hour of the day. 



1 notice that Mr. Alexander does not 

 advise winter flights except toward 

 spring, and even then only when the bees 

 become uneasy or affected with dysen- 

 tery. I agree with him exactly here, and 

 his recommendation has been right along 

 with our recent practice. Whenever bees 

 become uneasy it has been our experience 

 that a good fly restores them to quiet. 



This whole article is based on an ex- 

 tensive and long experience, and it will 

 bear careful reading, both on the part of 

 the veteran and the beginner in the 

 business. 



SECTIONS 



sand for No. 

 tions 25 cts. 

 2-07-tf 



One-piece, strictly first-class, of all 

 standard sizes, at $4.00 per thou- 

 l,and S3. 50 for No. 2. Plain sec- 

 less. Other supplies at low prices. 

 J. E. MORGAN, Dansvlila, Ingham Co., Mich. 



nilFFN^ Nlini Fl By uniting the swarms from 



gULCnO, nUULLI ,000 colonies the coming 

 season, 1 shall be able to sell queens, after March 

 1st, at 25 cts each $3.00 ser dozen. One-frame 

 nucleus with the queen, $1 .25;two-frame, SI .50; 

 three-frame $ 1 .75. 



2-07-3t R.M.SPENCER, NordhofT, Calif. 



