VENTILATION, 83 
It should be pasted to the box to exclude the air, ants, &c. Boxes 
with bottoms having holes bored in them from the passage of the bees, 
should also have paper pasted over the holes. 
CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
VENTILATION. 
Bexs, as well as mankind, in order to be healthy and vigorous, re- 
quire a pure and healthy atmosphere. And a suitable degree of ven- 
tilation, at all seasons of the year, is not only desirable, but absolutely 
necessary, in order to secure the health, comfort, and prosperity of 
the bees. It will also add much to the amount of honey produced by 
them, as in a well-populated hive, not sufficiently ventilated, many of 
the bees, during warm weather, are compelled by the heat in the 
hive, to leave the interior of it, and cluster and idle away much of their 
time, when they would be gathering and storing honey ifsuitable accom- 
modations were afforded. During warm weather, there is no danger 
of an excess of ventilation, provided in so doing the bees are not too 
much exposed to the attacks of robbers and moths. Strong and pop- 
ulous families require a greater amount of ventilation than weak ones, 
at all seasons of the year; and both require less from the last of Feb- 
ruary to the lst of May than during the remainder of the year; for 
during this time the stocks are generally reduced in numbers, and 
they require all the heat in the hive that they can possibly generate, 
in order to mature the young brood. Therefore I do not consider it 
advisable to raise the hives of weak stock only a little at the front 
side, until they have increased so as to nearly fill the hive; then the 
rear may also be raised upon small blocks, and the air permitted to 
pass freely under the hive. 
Bees, when oppressed with heat, possess the power of ventilating 
their domicil; or, in other words, of fanning themselves with their 
wings. Hundreds of bees may frequently be seen in the operation, 
on the floor of the hive. 
