FIFTY TEARS AMONG THE BEES 



CLEANING OUT DEAD BEES. 



Aside from attending to warming and ventilating my cel- 

 lar, and waging war against the mice, I think of no other at- 

 tention given to the bees through the winter, except cleaning 

 out the dead bees. For cleaning them out of those hives which 

 have them — for some reason of which I am not yet sure, there 

 are some hives which contain scarcely a dead bee — I have a 

 very simple tool. It is a piece of round, %-inch or smaller 

 iron rod, with one end hammered flat for about two inches and 

 bent at right angles, making something like a hook. With this 

 hook I can reach into the hive under the frames and scrape out 

 the dead bees. 



I have a common kerosene hand-lamp with a sheet-iron 

 chimney having a little mica window on one side — such as is 

 used for heating water on lamps. This serves as a dark- 

 lantern, making little light except in one direction. Holding 

 the lamp in my left hand, I look in to see whether any live 

 bees are in sight. Often I see the cluster near the front of the 

 hive, oftener at the center or back part of the hive, the bees 

 looking as if dead, so still are they ; but in a few seconds some 

 one will be seen to stir. Sometimes the cluster will come clear 

 down so as to touch the bottom-board, and sometimes not a 

 bee will be seen below or between the bottom-bars. When the 

 cluster comes clear down, there may or there may not be bees 

 on the bottom-board. In any case, all the dead bees are cleaned 

 out that can be got without disturbing the living. There is, as 

 has been said, a difference as to the number of dead bees in 

 different colonies, and there seems also a difference in different 

 winters. In some cases perhaps the dead bees all reach the 

 cellar bottom, in others staying in the hive. 



SWEEPING UP DEAD BEES. 



It is very unpleasant to have the dead bees under foot on 

 the cellar bottom. Some fasten them in the hive. Some 

 sprinkle sawdust on the floor. In either case they are left in 

 the cellar to foul the air. It seems much better to sweep out 

 the cellar. During the first part of the winter very few bena 

 will be on the floor, and sweeping once a month will be enough, 

 or more than enough. Toward spring the deaths will be very 



