OR, MANUAI, OF THB APIARY. 467 



if we keep our bees breeding till autumn, prepare them well 

 and early for winter, and use a good cellar for wintering. It 

 may be further prevented by forbidding' late autumn flights, 

 frequent flights in winter, when the weather is warm, and too 

 early flying in spring. 



I am aware that this matter of sprinjf dwindling is most 

 stoutly urged as an objection to cellar-wintering, and as an 

 argument in favor of chaff-hives. I have had excellent success 

 in cellar-wintering, and never yet lost a colony by " spring 

 dwindling." Crowd the bees on a few frames when taken 

 from the cellar ; give them abundant food ; cover warmly 

 above and at the sides of division -boards with generous bags of 

 sawdust, and leave these on the hives if the weather remains 

 cool, until we wish to place the section supers or extracting 

 second story on the hives, and bees from the cellar — a good 

 cellar — will come through the spring in excellent condition. 

 In the winter of 1881-82, I put some chaff-hives into my cellar 

 alongside of my single-walled hives, arranged as just 

 described, and the bees in them did no better in spring after 

 removal from the cellar than in other hives. Be sure in early 

 spring that the bees have no more combs than they can cover, 

 and cover warmly, and spring dwindling will lose its terror. 

 Good wintering, and ample spring stores, are the antidote to 

 spring dwindling. Never set bees permanently on their sum- 

 mer stands from the cellar till the flowers and warmth will 

 enable them to work. Below 60 degrees F. in the shade is too 

 cold for bees to fly. At 70 degrees F. we may safely handle 

 our bees without chilling the brood. When not clustered, bees 

 chill at about SS degrees. 



I have little doubt but that bees will do better if no breed- 

 ing takes place in winter. Perfect quiet should be our desire. 

 If the bees have no pollen, of course no breeding will take 

 place, and so I advised its removal. It is not for winter use. 



