58 WINTER 



where draughts enter the hive or heat escapes, 

 therefore on every favourable opportunity bees go 

 forth to collect propolis with which to stop up 

 these cracks. In districts where trees such as the 

 horsechestnut abound the bees use an enormous 

 lot of this gummy substance. In my hives it is 

 used to such an extent as to be a perfect nuisance, 

 combs and sections alike being glued fast down to 

 the hive body, so that a chisel has to be used to 

 remove them. 



By the end of October all work is over for the 

 season. The last few batches of eggs have been 

 laid, and henceforth for the most part the colony 

 lives in a semi- torpid state for the whole of the 

 winter. They are not, however, as many people 

 may imagine, entirely quiescent. If they hiber- 

 nated perfectly, like the dormouse or their cousins, 

 the bumble-bees and wasps, there would be no use 

 in storing up such a vast quantity of food, for 

 a colony consumes during the winter very nearly 

 twenty pounds of food. Whenever the outside 

 temperature is about 45 to 50 in the shade, the 

 bees begin to move about freely. The cluster, 

 which during the preceding cold or wet days has 

 been lying packed together closely, spreads itself 

 out over the hive. The bodies of those who 

 have died are dragged outside and the place 

 cleaned up. 



About the middle of the day, even in midwinter, 

 should the thermometer go above 50, large 



