Out-door JViutcriiig of Bees. 169 



of age he had 150 colonies, and had never lost a colony wintering them 

 out of doors. His method of protection was very thorough. He packed 

 four colonies in one box, putting packing not only at the sides and on 

 top, but also below the hives. The packing was fine dry sawdust, and 

 the roof of the box had eaves that extended over like the eaves of a 

 railroad station, which allowed the roof to be raised up a short distance 

 above the box, for ventilation ; yet the snow would not get in to any 

 great extent. There was a sort of vestibule in front of the entrances, 

 and this vestibule was kept closed by means of a board, it being removed 

 only when there came a day warm enough for the bees to fly — something 

 that rarely occurred in the winter. So warm and comfortable were the 

 bees when so snugly housed that they even brought the dead bees out 

 and dropped them in the vestibule. I suspect that the thorough pro- 

 tection, combined with the perfect ventilation, allowing no accumulation 

 of moisture, is the secret of this wonderful success. 



Another instance was that of two ladies w ho began bee-keeping 

 in Northern ^Michigan before the iron hor.^e had invaded that region, 

 and who were uniformly successful, for a long series of years, in win- 

 tering their bees out of doors, packed in chaff. I^ike .Mr. Bartlett, they 

 furnished abundant upward ventilation, above the packing. An opening 

 a foot square was cut in the top of the box containing chaff that was 

 placed over the colony, and this opening was covered with wire cloth to 

 keep out mice; and then, over all, t<i keep out the storms, was a large 

 roof. So successful were these ladies, that, from first to last. I have paid 

 them nearly $1000 for bees. 



It does not seem as though the question of -whether bees should be 

 protected here in the North need receive an\- consideration whatever ; 

 yet it has been objected to on the groimd that the packing becomes 

 damp, that it deprives the bees of the warmth of the sun, and that they 

 sometimes fail to fly in the winter, because the outside warmth is so 

 slow in reaching them, when bees in single-wall hives may be in full 

 flight. There is occasionally a still mild day in winter, upon which the 

 sun shines out bright and strong for an hour or two, and bees in single- 

 wall hives enjoy a real cleansing flight, while the momentary rise in the 

 temperature passes away ere it has penetrated the thick walls of a chaff 

 hive. On the other hand, there are da3's and weeks, and sometimes 

 months, unbroken by these rises in temperature ; and the bees must depend 

 for their existence upon the heat generated by themselves ; and the more 

 perfect the non-conductor by which they are surrounded, the less will be 

 the loss of heat. When bees are well protected, there is less necessity 

 for flight than when the protection is slight. If a bee-keeper thinks, 

 however, that bees in a chaff hive ought to fly on a warm day, and they 



