WINTERING 161 



The bees should be packed before the 

 weather becomes too cold in the fall. It 

 has been found that if packing is delayed 

 until cold weather, the bees may be so stim- 

 ulated by the sudden warmth that they 

 will start rearing brood and thus waste 

 their stores and perish before spring. 



The packing should be removed early 

 enough in spring to allow the beekeeper 

 to examine the colonies and to determine 

 their condition. I have already indicated 

 the value of this early spring inspection 

 and it should not be neglected. However, 

 if the weather remains cool the hive 

 should be given some sort of temporary 

 protection. 



The value of this spring protection is 

 often overlooked by the beekeeper who 

 has carefully carried his stock over the 

 winter. The colonies are to be protected, 

 especially on those cold raw windy days 

 when the cold "seems to go right through 

 one." It goes "right through" the hives 

 just as it does through your clothing and 



