290 FIFTY YEAES AMONG THE BEES 



CLEANING OUT DEAD BEES. 



Aside from atlending to warming and ventilating my cellar, 

 and waging war against the mice, I think of no other attention 

 given to the bees through the winter, except cleaning out the 

 dead bees. For cleaning them out of those hi\'es which have 

 them — for some reason of which I am not yet sure, there are 

 some hives which contain scarcely a dead bee — I have a very 

 simple tool. It is a piece of round, %-inch or smaller iron rod, 

 with one end hammered flat for about two inches and bent at 

 right angles, making something like a hook. With this hook I 

 can reach into the hive under the frames and scrape out the 

 dead bees. 



I have a common kerosene hand-lamp with a sheet-iron chim- 

 ney having a little mica window on one side — such as is used 

 for heating water on lamps. This serves as a dark-lantern, 

 making little light except in one direction. Holding the lamp 

 in my left hand, I look in to see whether any live bees are in 

 sight. Often I see the cluster near the front of the hive, oftenor 

 at the center or back part of the hive, the bees looking as if 

 dead, so still are they; but in a few seconds some one will be 

 seen to stir. Sometimes the cluster will come clear down so as 

 to touch the bottom-board, and sometimes not a bee will be 

 seen below or between the bottom-bars. When the cluster comes 

 clear down, there may or there may not be bees on the bottom- 

 board. In any case, all the dead bees are cleaned out that can 

 be got without disturbing the living. There is, as has been said, 

 a difference as to the number of dead bees in different colonies, 

 and there seems also a difference in different winters. In some 

 cases perhaps the dead bees all reach the cellar bottom, in 

 others staying in the hive. 



SWEEPING UP DEAD BEES. 



It is very unpleasant to have the dead bees under foot on the 

 cellar bottom. Some fasten them in the hive. Some sprinkle 

 sawdust on the floor. In either case they are left in the cellar 

 to foul the air. It seems much better to sweep out the cellar. 

 During the first part of the winter very few bees will be on the 

 floor, and sweeping once a month will be enough, or more than 



