336 WINTERING. 



from returning to it. The number of combs in tlie united 

 colony can be reduced as soon as the bees have all clustered 

 together. 



In this manner a strong colony with little honey, and a 

 weak one with plenty of stores, can be united to form a 

 good hive of bees. 



OuT-DooE Sheltering. 



635. The moving of a colony to a warmer or better 

 sheltered place, just before Winter, is not advisable, for a 

 great many bees, not having noticed their new location, 

 would perish of cold, while searching for their home, and 

 the population would be greatly decreased.. 



In our Northern, Middle and Western States, the style 

 of hive used has a considerable influence on the safety of 

 out-door wintering. 



With hives that are single- walled all around, great care 

 should be taken to shelter the bees from the piercing winds, 

 which in Winter so powerfully exhaust their animal heat ; 

 for, like human beings, if sheltered from the wind, they will 

 endure a low temperature far better than a continuous cur- 

 rent of very much warmer air. 



In some parts of the West, where bees suffer much from 

 cold winds, their hives are protected, in Winter, by sheaves 

 of straw, fastened so as to defend them from both cold and 

 wet. With a little ingenuity, farmers might easily turn 

 their waste straw to a valuable account in sheltering their 

 bees. 



Not only can straw be used for this purpose with much 

 service, but also forest leaves, corn fodder, and rushes. 

 Snow is found to be a very good shelter, provided its suc- 

 cessive melting and freezing does not interfere with the 

 necessary ventilation. It must be removed from the en- 

 trance on the approach of a warm day. 



