358 



THE HIVK AND HONEY-BEE. 



paratively little honey, which was found to be the fact on open- 

 ing the hives and examining the condition of their stores. Those 

 colonies which had only eight or ten pounds of honey in the Fall, 

 had still a, surplus remaining,_and were healthy and strong; while 

 the poor little after-swarm had not only well preserved its num. 

 bers, but had the greater portion of its small supply of honey 

 still in reserve. Few dead bees were found, and those probably 

 died of old age. The loss of bees was very much greater in the 

 colonies which had been wintered in the house, and more than 

 double the quantity of honey had been consumed by each of them ; 

 so that a very important saving can manifestly be effected by means 

 of clamps, apart from the other important advantages which this 

 mode of wintering bees possesses. The combs in all the colonies 

 were clean and free from mould, and I could perceive no differ- 

 ence in this particular between the hives which had their entrances 

 and ventilating passages closed, and those in which the latter had 

 been left open, the pieces of old comb, even, having roraained dry 

 and free from mould. Satisfactory proof was thus furnished thnt, 

 where the temperature is moderate and uniform tlirougliout, eon- 

 deiisation of moisture will not result from close confinement. 

 Still, from various considerations, I would recommend ventilation 

 in every hive ; and previous experience has taught me that bees 

 will remain more tranquil during the Winter in hives duly venti- 

 lated, than in such as are closed. A number of ihe colonies 

 deposited in my dark room were purposely confined without ven- 

 tilation. Three of these became very restless, consumed a dis- 

 proportionatQ amount of their stores, and very many of the bees 

 perished. Piccisely these three colonies, though still strong and 

 healthy in the Spring, were yet the weakest of the whole lot, 

 though in as good condition as the others when removed from the 

 Apiary in Autumn. Nothing similar occurred in -tlie colonies 

 which had even partial ventilation. 



" Having thus, by these diversified experiments in wiuterin,' 

 bees, arrived at certain and satisfactory results, I shall nei** 

 hereafter winter my movable colonies otherwise than in clamps. 



" Since the publication of my mode of wintering bees in 

 clamps, some objections have been urged against it, which I shall 



