42 CONSTRUCTIVE BEEKEEPING 



varnished with propolis, the insulation is good, which conditions 

 keep the hive air at a proper humdty. 



The temperature of an nsulated wall, which has an unequal 

 temperature on its opposite sides, will at the points within this 

 wall be influenced by the distance that these points are from 

 the surface. If the outside temperature is 10 below zero the 

 first quarter of an inch on the outside part of this insulation 

 will be about 10 below zero. The inside surface would be about 

 hive temperature. Unless the laws of nature are bent or broken, 

 water vapor would not travel far in this material, under these 

 conditions, without being condensed. 



In winter as well as summer, the big part that a well var- 

 nished hive and the consequent condensation play can be seen. 

 Most beekeepers winter their bees in hives used a year or more. 

 These hives give results in proportion to the way they are var- 

 nished with propolis and sealed at the top. When all hives are 

 well varnished inside, a seal-tight cover provided, and other nec- 

 essary things pertaining to good wintering, such as bees, food, 

 sheltered location, insulation and a clear entrance, bee conserva- 

 tion will have advanced. 



INDOOR WINTERING 



Indoor wintering differs from outdoor wintering in that 

 the repository where the hives are stored is the regulator of the 

 temperature and moisture, instead of each individual hive. A 

 good cellar or other repository where a nearly uniform tempera- 

 ture of 50 to 57 degrees is maintained, and well ventilated, is an 

 ideal place to winter bees. 



When setting the hives in the cellar remove the bottom board 

 from each hive ; then forget that the bees are in individual hives, 

 and think of your cellar as one big complex hive. About the only 

 use there is for a hive in the cellar is that it is a convenient 

 place to hang the frames. If the temperature and ventilation are 

 good, and the cellar dark, the bees will wniter as well if the 

 frames are taken out of the hive and hung on a rack, and prop- 

 erly spaced. 



