14 ARKANSAS EXPERIMENT STATION 



or have been failing should be replaced by a young and vigorous 

 queen of good Italian stock. If a colony goes into ^mter quar- 

 ters with a strong force of young workers, and i^ well protectea 

 against extreme changes of weather, it will come thru the winter 

 with a sufficient force to care for young brood and bring m 

 stores. If in some sections of the state there should be a dearth 

 of nectar the bees will need to be fed in the fall in order that 

 young bees may be reared. Only the young bees live thru the 

 winter. Unlike practically all other insects, bees do not hiber- 

 nate during the winter. They remain more or less active, and 

 consequently require stores in order to live. Contrary to a 

 common belief, bees do not freeze to death; they either starve 

 to death or wear themselves out trying to keep warm. Bees are 

 much like a storage battery. They possess a certain amount of 

 energy, and when this is exhausted they die. In a sense bees 

 are coldblooded animals, that is to say, their body temperature 

 is about the same as the outside temperature. Under winter 

 conditions this statement must be modified. Whenever ,the 

 temperature drops below 59 degrees Fahrenheit, the bees be- 

 come active, generating heat to raise the temperature in the hive. 



As already indicated the life of a worker bee is about five 

 or six weeks of action, measured in amount of energy expended, 

 rather than in time. If the bees are kept busy generating heat 

 thru a large part of the winter, most of the workers will die be- 

 fore spring sets in. 



There is another reason why bees need protection in winter. 

 Warm weather continuing for several days will often stimulate 

 brood rearing long before the first honey flow sets in. Often 

 such warm weather is followed by severe cold spells, with a 

 result that is rather disastrous. Adequate winter packing serves 

 to protect the bees against extremes of temperature, warm as 

 well as cold, and serves to delay brood rearing until the proper 

 time for it has arrived, that is, after all danger of severe cold 

 spells is past. 



Winter Protection. A natural wind break, such as a thicket 

 of blackberry or other shrubbery, an evergreen hedge, or such 

 woods as will not allow the wind to sweep thru under the trees, 

 is essential for proper wintering. It is absolutely necessary that 

 the apiary be located in a place where the wind in winter is 

 practically eliminated. Artificial windbreaks such as closed 

 board fences often do more harm than good, by causing whirls 

 that destroy many colonies. Buildings are also unsatisfactory 

 since they usually serve only to divert the wind. 



Probably the best method of protecting bees during the 

 winter is according to the plan outlined in Farmers' Bulletin 

 1020 of the United States Department of Agriculture Brieflv 

 this plan is as follows: The hives are arranged previously in 



