Out-door iriiUcriiig of Bees. iji 



don't fly, he has only to remove the covering over the bees and allow 

 them to fly from the top of the hive. 



For several winters I left a few colonies unprotected ; and I dis- 

 continued the practice only when thoroughly convinced that, in this 

 localit}', the losses \vere lessened by protection. In mild winters the 

 bees came through in pretty fair condition. In severe winters the bees 

 in the outside spaces, or ranges of combs, died first ; the cluster became 

 smaller ; the bees in more ranges died ; and by spring all were dead, or 

 the colony so reduced in numbers, and the survivors so lacking in 

 vitality, as to be practically worthless. 



I have never seen any ill effects from dampness ; but I have always 

 given abundant ventilation above the packing. When the warm air from 

 the cluster passes up through the packing, and is met by the cold outer 

 air, some condensation of moisture takes place. This moistens the sur- 

 face of the packing, but it remains comparatively dry underneath. With 

 a good strong colony of bees, and ventilation above the packing, I have 

 never known trouble from moisture. 



In the giving of protection, chaff hives have the advantage of 

 always being ready for winter, and of doing away with the labor and 

 untidiness of packing and unpacking ; but they are expensive and cum- 

 bersome. It is some work to pack bees in the fall and to unpack them 

 again in the spring; but light, single-wall, readily movable hives during 

 the working season are managed with enough less labor to more than 

 compensate for that of packing and unpacking. Then there is another 

 point : The work of packing and unpacking comes when there is com- 

 parative leisure, while the extra work caused by great unwieldy hives 

 comes at a time when the bee-keeper is working on the keen jump. 



For packing material I have used wheat chaff, forest leaves, planer 

 shavings, and dry sawdust. I have never used cork dust, but it is prob- 

 ably the best packing material. Its non-conductivity is nearly twice 

 that of chaff, while it never becomes clamp. The only objection is that 

 it is not readily obtainable, and usually costs something, while the other 

 substances mentioned cost nothing. What they lack in non-conductivit}' 

 can be made up in quantity. And this brings up the point of the proper 

 thickness of packing. I have often thrust my hand into the packing 

 surrounding a populous colony of bees, and found the warmth percept- 

 ible at a distance of four inches from the side, and six inches from the 

 top. This would seem to indicate the thickness when sawdust or chaff 

 is used. I presume that packing has been condemned when it was not 

 more than half done — that is, when not enough material is used. I 

 don't appreciate the arguments of those who advocate the use of thin 

 packing. I don't believe that the benefit of the heat from the sun during 



