ALEXANDER’S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 87 
had was in cellars where there was running water, and the temperature 
kept at from 45 to 48 degrees. Many years ago, when father Quinby 
used to meet with us at our conventions, this wintering question was 
frequently brought up; and it was the opinion of us all at that time 
that, if a hive were made with double walls, and well protected on the 
top so the bees could keep the inside of their hive warm at all times, 
then they would winter well in a cellar at a temperature just above 
the freezing-point. But if we used single-walled hives with their bot- 
tom-boards removed, and on top had only a piece of cloth over the 
bees, then we must keep our cellars at from 45 to 48 degrees tempera- 
ture, otherwise we might expect to have our bees somewhat affected 
with dysentery long before spring; and I am still of the opinion that 
the construction of the hives we use has much to do with the necessary 
‘temperature of our bee-cellars. Two very important requirements are 
perfect quiet and total darkness. These we can have much better in 
a cellar built in a side hill, expressly for our bees, than we can possibly 
have under our dwelling-houses. I think the amount of honey that is 
saved where bees are kept perfectly quiet will go a long way in three 
or four years toward paying the expense of building a special cellar. 
Shortly after putting our bees away last fall I noticed a small bunch 
had gathered on top of one of the upper hives directly over the cluster. 
There was only a piece of canvas between the cluster in the hive and 
this little bunch on top. The canvas was well coated with propolis on 
the under side, and was tight all around, and had no holes in it so 
one bee could feed another, but still they lived without any thing to 
eat until the 10th of January, when I disturbed them so that they scat- 
tered themselves over the hive, and some crawled down and in at the 
bottom. I think there were about 30 bees in this little bunch, and 
I am sure they had nothing to eat for nearly two months unless their 
honey-sacs were full when they clustered on top. I speak of this inci- 
dent to show that, if our bees can be kept at a proper temperature, 
and perfectly quiet, and so dark that the whole winter seems like one 
long night, it requires but little honey to take them through the time 
that they are confined in the cellar. 
Now in regard to giving them a mid-winter flight, 1 am not at all 
in favor of it unless they are suffering with dysentery caused either by 
improper food or too low a temperature and bad ventilation. Several 
times I have set some out for a mid-winter flight on a nice day, but 
usually lost about all that were so treated. The principal trouble is 
that, after they are returned to the cellar, they never again quiet down 
and form a compact cluster as they do if not disturbed. 
Last winter, about Feb. 1, we thought it best to put mats on about 
200 colonies that had been left with the under covers on; and, although 
we had the floor covered with about three inches of chaff, as we always 
do to prevent any jar or noise when going into the cellar, and we 
handled them as carefully as possible with but little light, it disturbed 
these colonies so that they were quite uneasy for the rest of the winter, 
