WINTERING BEES 23 



rear brood, while the exposed bees brought every thing to 

 a standstill. 



IMPOBTANCE OF LETTING BEES FORM A WINTEB 

 NEST. 



What do we mean by " winter nests " ? We mean a space 

 of empty brood-cells in one or more combs, such space ap- 

 proximating the form of a hemisphere in ordinary Lang- 

 stroth brood-nests. These empty cells surrounded by sealed 

 stores constitute the winter nest where the bees cluster when 

 conditions are ideal. As the stores are consumed, the num- 

 ber of empty cells increases either backward or forward, but 

 always upward. As a general thing we find the ball of bees 

 located near the front of the hive and regularly over the 

 entrance. As the stores are consumed they move upward 

 and backward; but the cluster in no case extends over the 

 sealed hoaey when the bees can have their own sweet will. 



Very often a well-meaning ABC scholar finds three or 

 four combs in the center of the hive, having a space of 

 empty cells as large as the hand spread out. He thinks this 

 is all wrong and will remove the combs containing such 

 spaces, and put in their place solid combs of honey. What 

 has he done? He has compelled the bees to cluster upon 

 sealed honey. The cluster is broken up into slabs approx- 

 imately % inch thick, each slab of bees separated by ap- 

 proximately an inch of solid honey. Instead of having one 

 solid cluster separated by only the midrib of the combs, he 

 has made a series of clusters, each within itself trying to 

 maintain its own body heat but at a very great disadvantage. 



Let us illustrate : Two people on a cold winter's night re- 

 quire less bed clothing than one person would in the same 

 bed. Now, then, suppose that, instead of having those two 

 bed^fellows separated from each other by only their night 

 clothing, we have a slab of metal or even wood between 

 them. If they are compelled to place their warm bodies in 

 contact with that cold surface they lose a great deal of their 



