WINTERING 159 



known that insulation played such an im- 

 portant part in the winter protection of 

 the colony and the beekeeper attempted 

 only to keep the top of the hive warm. 

 There was a very good reason for this. 

 During the winter the bees give off moist- 

 ure just as they do at any other season 

 of the year. In breathing they exhale 

 moisture as we do. If you will blow your 

 breath against a cold piece of glass you 

 will notice that the moisture condenses 

 and forms tiny drops of water. In the 

 hive this same process goes on and, as the 

 hive is tightly sealed, there is no way for 

 the moisture to escape. Consequently it 

 condenses and accumulates on the cold- 

 est surfaces. If the coldest surface should 

 be the roof we would have actual drops of 

 water falling upon the cluster and caus- 

 ing the bees discomfort, need for addi- 

 tional activity, and perhaps death. 



Therefore the old way of packing a 

 hive of bees for winter was to supply an 

 abundance of insulation on top of the hive, 



