WINTERING BEES 1 



a general rule, in the Northern States brood-rearing ceases 

 right after the honey-flow. This is perfectly normal where 

 there is no late summer or fall pasturage like buckwheat; 

 but during the latter part of August and the early part of 

 September, brood-rearing should begin again; and unless 

 there are natural sources of nectar the bees will require 

 feeding with thin syrup given in small quantities daily to 

 stimulate. This stimulative feeding should be continued 

 long enough to get a lot of brood in the hive so there will 

 be a strong force of young bees to go into winter quarters. 

 In many localities colonies will be able to gather enough 

 nectar daily to supply themselves with young bees without 

 any special feeding. So far the scheme of raising a large 

 force of young bees is an important requisite for either 

 method of wintering, but especially important where bees 

 are wintered outdoors subjected to extremes of temperature 

 requiring a large consumption of stores in order to keep 

 up necessary heat. 



It is unwise to attempt to winter bees outdoors in single- 

 walled hives north of 40 degrees north latitude While the 

 colonies may come through after a fashion, the shock of the 

 exposure will be so great that they probably will not be good 

 for much to gather honey. It is also highly important that 

 the hives be protected from high winds, and that the walls 

 surrounding the hive be double and warai. Colonies in dou- 

 ble-walled hives out in the open, and where there is a strong 

 windsweep, may not survive, while those in single-walled 

 hives screened by buildings, woods, or dense shrubbery, may 

 winter well. To say the least, it would appear that protec- 

 tion from the prevailing winds is just as important as hav- 

 ing the walls of the hives double. Special double-walled 

 hives are manufactured, having the space between filled with 

 chaff, planer-shavings,, leaves, or other, suitable naaterial, 

 The cover or roof should also be double so that the heat of 

 the cluster will not too readily radiate away^ thus ca,using a 

 great- consumption of stores in order to keep up the neces- 

 sary animal heat; for it should be remembered that, the 

 warmer and better protected the cluster, the less honey they 



