Packing Box for Winter. 387 



tolerating feeble, impotent queens in the apiary, whose 

 ability can only keep the colonies alive. Never keep such 

 queens about. Here, then, is another reason for always 

 keeping extra queens on hand. Even with excellent queens, 

 a failure in the honey yield may cause breeding to cease. 

 In such cases, we have only to feed as directed under the 

 head of feeding. It is not true that very large colonies 

 will winter better than smaller ones. Yet it is important 

 that the bees be normal in age and condition. 



TO SECURE AND MAINTAIN THE PROPER TEMPERATURE. 



We ought also to provide against extremes of tempera- 

 ture. It is desirable to keep the temperature about the 

 hive between 38° and 50° F., through the entire winter, 

 from November to April. If no cellar or house is at hand, 

 this may be partially accomplished as follows: Some 

 pleasant, dry day in late October or early November, raise 

 the stand and place straw beneath; then surround the hive 

 with a box a foot outside the hive, with movable top, and 

 open on the east; or else have a long wooden tube, oppo- 

 site the entrance, to permit flight; this tube should be six 

 or eight inches square to permit easy examination in win- 

 ter. The same end may be gained by driving stakes and 

 putting boards around. Then we crowd between the box 

 and the hive either cut straw, chaff or shavings. After 

 placing a good thickness of cut straw above the hive, lay 

 on the cover of the box, or cover with boards. This pre- 

 serves against changes of temperature during the winter, 

 and also permits the bees to fly, if it becomes necessary 

 from a protracted period of warm weather. I have thus 

 kept all our bees safely during two of the disastrous win- 

 ters. This plan usually succeeds well, but will fail in a 

 very severe winter like that of 1880-81. As some may 

 wish to try, and possibly to adopt it, I will describe the 

 box used at our College, which costs but one dollar and is 

 convenient to store away in summer. 



BOX FOR PACKING. 



The sides of this (Fig. 186, a, a) facing east and west 

 are three and a half feet long, two feet high at the south 



