WINTBEING BESS 55 



he was away from home all winter. He was compelled to 

 adopt a method that would permit him to put the bees into 

 winter quarters in October, and leave them there without 

 further attention until the following spring. See what he 

 has to say on the subject a few pages back. 



But in view of the fact that the Holtermann cellar is the 

 most elaborate and best-appointed bee-cellar that wa^ ever 

 constructed in this country or Canada, we preserve its de- 

 scription with illustrations because there are doubtless some 

 who may be compelled to winter indoors where even the 

 tenement plan of outdoor wintering would not be adequate 

 to protect the bees from the severe cold that might prevail 

 in the locality. 



WINTERING BEES IN CLAMPS. 



In parts of the country where the soil is sandy and por- 

 ous, bees are often wjintered in trenches dug in the ground. 

 These are about 18 iinches deep, large enough to hold two 

 rows of ten hives each. The hives are set upon 2 x 4's to 

 keep them off the ground. Three of these are used, one at 

 each side and one in the middle, with the flat or wide side 

 down. The bottoms are removed from the- hives, and the 

 covers raised half an inch or so to provide upward ventila- 

 tion. About 18 inches of straw is thrown over the hives, 

 and then the dirt is shoveled on. The engravings shown on 

 next page illustrate the plan as practiced by E. D. Townsend, 

 of Remus, Michigan. The first engraving shows the dirt 

 partly shoveled away and some of the hives removed. The 

 next illustration shows all of the hives removed in the spring 

 from the pits or clamps, and set on their summer stands. 

 It would seem as though there ought to be some provision 

 made for ventilation; but when it is remembered that the 

 soil is sandy and very porous, it is seen that this is not 

 necessary. This plan can not be made use of in a location 

 where the soil is composed largely of clay. Mr. Townsend 

 thinks that it is weU to have surface drains along each side 

 of the pits to carry off any water that may come that way. 



