CONSTRUCTIVE BEEKEEPING 



35 



WINTERING 



So much has been written on wintering bees that it is not 

 necessary to try the reader's patience by restating what has aW 

 ready been proven of the conditions that give best results. 



Just an enumeration : 



Outdoor Wintering: 



Strong in your bees. Sufficient honey of good quality. No 

 disturbance: Entrance and hive in proportion to the number of 

 bees. Hive. Sufficient insulation. Sealed covers. Absorbent 

 cushions ? 



Inside Wintering : 



Strong in young bees. Sufficient honey of good quality. No 

 disturbance. Large entrance. Ventilation of room good. Tem- 

 perature of room 57 degrees. 



Poor wintering is due to disturbance. Disturbance can be dia- 

 gramed as follows: 



Jaring. 

 Light. 

 Noise. 

 Poor honey. 

 Temperature of air 

 surrounding the hive. 

 Humidity of air 

 surrounding the hive. 



> 



'35 



3 



ID 

 P. 



S 



<D 



a 



3 



IK 



High: Disturbance. 



57 deg. F. : Comfortable. 



Low: Disturbance. 



High: Disturbance. 



70 to 80% Comfortable. 



Low: Disturbance. 



•- The bee is so constructed that the temperature of its body 

 can be reduced to 57 degrees.* This reduction of body-temper- 

 ature the bee does not control, but it is the result of reduced 

 temperature of the air surrounding the bee. The tmperature of 

 the bodyof the bee can be raised in two ways ; first, bj* the tem- 

 perature of the air surrounding it; second, by a power, inherrent 

 in the bee. The bee cannot of his own volition lower his tem- 

 perature below that of the surrounding air, hence, to attain that 



*U. S. Farmers Bulletin, 695. 



