ADVANCED BEE CULTURE. 185 



TIae Relation of Molsttsre t© tlie 

 InieriaM of Bees. 



S IT an advantage to have the air of our bee cellars dry ? Or, do 

 the bees winter more perfectly in a moist atmosphere ? Or, is 

 ._[ this an unimportant factor? If it is important, how shall we 

 determine what degree of moisture is most conducive to the 

 health of the bees, and, having decided this point, what shall we do 

 about it ? How can we control the amount of moisture in the air of 

 our bee cellars? All these queries, and many more, come to the 

 man who is thinking of wintering his bees in a cellar. 



Whether bees can be successfully wintered in a damp cellar, 

 depends largely, almost wholly, upon the temperature of the atmos- 

 phere. "If the repository be damp, a degree of temperature higher 

 in proportion to the dampness should be maintained." — ^V. W. 

 McLain. Referring to this statement, Mr. Frank Cheshire says: 

 "The reason being that the water has an enormous capacity for heat 

 (specific heat) whether in the liquid or vaporous form; the latter 

 abstracts heat from the bees, and intensifies their struggle." Dr. 

 Youmans says "Air which is already saturated with moisture 

 refuses to receive the perspiration offered it from the skin and 

 lungs, and the sewage of the system is dammed up." 



A moist air very readily absorbs heat, and more quickly robs 

 the bees of that element so essential to life; hence it will be seen why 

 a moist atmosphere must also be a warm one if disastrous results 

 are to be avoided. 



There is also another point, in the wintering of bees, upon which 

 moisture has a bearing, and that is in regard to its effects upon the 



