■WIKTEBING BEES. , 846 



yrould induce a good many bees to leave the hive, 

 whi]e the light was admitted, and which would be lost. 

 It will be supposed generally that their long confine- 

 ment makes them thus impatient to get out; but I 

 have frequent!}' returned stocks during a cold turn of 

 weather after they had been out, and always found 

 such equally as anxious to come out, as those which 

 had been confined throughout the winter; without 

 the airings, I have kept them thus confined, for five 

 months, without difiiculty ! The important requisites 

 are, sufficient warmth and perfect darkness. 

 • 



DOES NOT ANALOGY PROVE THAT BEES SHOULD BE KEPT 

 WARM IN WINTER 1 



Opposition to this method of wintering will arise 

 with those who have always thought that bees must 

 be kept cold ; " the colder the better." I would sug- 

 gest for their consideration the possibility of some 

 analogy between bees and some of thei warm-blooded 

 animals — ^the horse, ox, and sheep, for instance, that 

 require a constant supply of food, that they may 

 generate as much caloric as is thrown off on the cold 

 air. This seems to be regulated by the degree o|'; 

 cold, else why do they refuse the large quantity of 

 tempting provender in the warm days of spring, and 

 greedily devour it in the pelting storm? The fact is 

 pretty well demonstrated, that the quantity of food 

 needed for the same condition in spring, is much less 

 when protected from the inclemency of the weather, 

 than when exposed to the severe cold. The bee, un- 

 like the wasp, when once penetrated with, frost, is 

 15* 



