298 PlI'TY TfiAES AMOUG THE BEES 



five minutes I counted five bees flying to the door. The light 

 does not shine directly into the room where the bees are, they 

 being in an inside room. I can see to read easily at the hives 

 nearest the door. At 3:20 it was 55 degrees outside and 50 

 degrees in cellar. In five minutes I counted three bees flying 

 to the door. It was then getting cloudy, the sun having been 

 shining most of the day. I opened the window for five min- 

 utes and twelve bees flew to it. At 6 p. m. the window was 

 opened again, leaving all wide open till it should again be- 

 come bright enough on the next or some following day to make 

 the bees fly out, or cold enough to bring the mercury down too 

 far in the cellar." 



I have not given this as an example of the perfection of 

 wintering. It is far from that. But it shows that after 119 

 days of confinement the bees will stand a good deal of light 

 and warmth without showing much insubordination, provided 

 they have an abiindance of good air. It must be higher than 

 45 degrees to induce them out when in good condition. 



SUB-BAETH VENTILATOR. 



Some years ago I put in a sub-earth ventilator of 4-inch 

 tile, 100 feet long and 4 feet deep. It was of common porous 

 draintile, and becoming a little skeptical of the quality of the 

 air admitted I allowed it to become filled up. I am not sure 

 that I did wisely. I am strongly of the opinion that an air- 

 tight pipe large enough and deep enough would be a great aid 

 to successful cellaring. , • 



MICE IN BEE-CELLARS. 



Mice are troublesome denizens of cellars in winter. Even 

 if a cellar should be entirely free from them, they are likely 

 to be brought into the cellar with the bees when the hives are 

 brought in. Some winters I have closed the entrances with 

 heavy wire-cloth having three meshes to the inch. This shuts 

 out mice without hindering the free passage of bees. Even 

 if a mouse is shut up in a hive, it will not be so bad as to let it 

 have the free run of the cellar. Other winters traps have been 

 used and various poisons, perhaps the most satisfactory poison 

 being strychnine thinly spread upon very thin slices of cheese, 

 the cheese being then cut into tiny squares. 



