PACKING CASES 247 
One of the greatest advantages is in leaving the hives in one 
position the entire year. Winter preparations require but a few 
moment’s time with each hive. All that is necessary is to con- 
tract the entrance, put the inner cover in place, place the tray 
of chaff in position over the frames, and place the telescope cover 
over all and the job is done. The busy man who has but a few 
bees for diversion and who wishes to be relieved of unnecessary 
manipulations in caring for them will find the double walled 
hive to be ideal for his use. In fact the author feels that it is 
the best possible hive for amateurs generally, who do not keep 
more than twenty-five to fifty colonies. As to whether it will 
pay the large producer to use this type of hive is not quite so 
evident. Some find them satisfactory on an extensive scale, 
while others feel that they are not suited to the use of the exten- 
sive honey producer. 
Packing Cases.—Various kinds of packing cases have been 
in use for many years, so the idea is not new. However, the 
tendency of the time is to abandon cellar wintering in favor of 
packing cases. With proper preparation bees will be safer in 
winter cases than in a cellar and will reach the season of honey 
flow in better condition than by any other method of wintering. 
Bees are successfully wintered in packing cases as far north 
as Canada, and some of the most extensive honey producers have 
abandoned expensive cellars for their use. The most common 
plan is to pack four colonies in one box with entrances facing 
two to the east and two to the west, or two to the south and one 
each to the east and west. Less labor is required to prepare the 
boxes with only two openings. North openings are not to be 
recommended. 
Where four colonies are packed in a case, two sides of each 
hive have the additional protection of other hives warm with 
the clusters of bees. The colonies will thus be much warmer 
than when packed singly. 
Several years of observation indicate to the author that bees 
winter better in larger hives than in smaller ones. Unless the 
