76 THE beekeepers' DIRECTORY. 



than twenty-five pounds of stores for winter they are at once fed 

 up to that figure ; then I let them set until I get ready to pack 

 them, meantime throwing over the brood-chamber a plenty of 

 old woollen mats and other things (by the way, I am a great 

 hand to keep the bees covered up warm at all times, summer or 

 winter). Early in November, I pack for winter by filling the va- 

 cant space between brood-combs and outside case with shav- 

 ings. There is no particular merit in shavings, over other material, 

 only they happen to come handy to me. I now remove the 

 honey-board and cover the combs with a wire-cloth screen, al- 

 lowing a. bee-space between. This screen answers also as the 

 best possible winter fe.eder for feeding the sugar and honey mixt- 

 ure. If this screen is put on too early in the fall, or left on too 

 late in spring, the bees will propolize it badly. Over the screen 

 I apply plenty of comfortables or sacks filled with leaves or shav- 

 ings at least six inches thick. In the cover, ample ventilation 

 is provided by a two-inch hole on opposite sides and as near the 

 roof as possible. I never pack the cover solid full, because I 

 want space for the wind to blow freely through and through, in 

 at one hole and out at the.other. I count this veritilation over 

 the packing as very important, and not at all inconsistent with 

 keeping the brood-nest warm. Everybody knows that dry cloth- 

 ing is much warmer than damp, and this ample circulation of air 

 is just what kdeps them dry, and consequently warm and com- 

 fortable, if they have plenty of packing. It is surprising how 

 much dampness a colony can develop in cold weather, and I at- 

 tribute my success largely to the fact of knowing how to get it 

 out of the hive without chilling the bees too much. Keep them 

 warm and dry is a good motto. Sunshine never hanned my bees 

 in winter, but bleak and windy locations are bad. Snow and ice 

 ■ are harmless ; indeed, I rather like to see my hives well buried in 

 snow. However, I try to kee|) ice away from the entrance some- 

 what, and cant the hive forward a little to prevent any water from 

 running in, also raiss the hive from the ground just enough to 

 avoid snow water. I never cut any holes in the combs for win- 

 ter passages' (useless). I never pay any attention to pollen. It 

 is true my bees will spatter their hives quite a lot in spring when 

 taking their first flights, but it is seldom that I lose a colony from 

 this cause. But, says one, don't the rain and snow beat iii these 

 great holes in the cap ? I answer, yes, a very little at times, but 

 it soon dries out again, and withal, much more dampness passes 



