Packing Box for Winter. 387 
tolerating feeble, impotent queens in the apiary, whose 
ability can only keep the colonies alive. Never keep such 
queens about. Here, then, is another reason for always 
keeping extra queens on hand. Even with excellent queens, 
a failure in the honey yield may cause breeding to cease. 
In such cases, we have only to feed as directed under the 
head of feeding. It is not true that very large colonies 
will winter better than smaller ones.. Yet it is important 
that the bees be normal in age and condition. 
TO SECURE AND MAINTAIN THE PROPER TEMPERATURE. 
We ought also to provide against extremes of tempera- 
ture. It is desirable to keep the temperature about the 
hive between 38° and 50° F., through the entire winter, 
from November to April. I£ no cellar or house is at hand, 
this may be partially accomplished as follows: Some 
pleasant, dry day in late October or early November, raise 
the stand and place straw beneath; then surround the hive 
with.a box a foot outside the hive, with movable top, and 
open on the east; or else have a long wooden tube, oppo- 
site the entrance, to permit flight; this tube should be six 
or eight inches square to permit easy examination in win- 
ter. The same end may be gained by driving stakes and 
putting boards around. Then we crowd between the box 
and the hive either cut straw, chaff or shavings. After 
placing a good thickness of cut straw above the hive, lay 
on the cover of the box, or cover with boards, This pre- 
serves against changes of temperature during the winter, 
and also permits the bees to fly, if it becomes necessary 
from a protracted period of warm weather, I have thus 
kept all our bees safely during two of the disastrous win- 
ters. This plan usually succeeds well, but will fail in a 
very severe winter like that of 1880-81, As some may 
wish to try, and possibly to adopt it, I will describe the 
box used at our College, which costs but one dollar and is 
convenient to store away in summer. 
BOX FOR PACKING. 
The sides of this (Fig. 186, a2, @) facing east and west 
are three and a half feet long, two feet high at the south 
