Wintering in Cellar. 301 



be done by means of an ice-box or refrigerator, filled with ice 

 or snow, and suspended at top of room in close proximity to 

 the ceiling. The bottom of the box must be so constructed 

 that while the warm air may be allowed to pass up through the 

 refrigerator, the drippings will not drop to the floor and create 

 moisture. This latter may be prevented by means of a tube 

 running from the box down through the floor. 



' 'Winter passages should be made through combs, between 

 which a space of half an inch should be left. During the last 

 sunshining days in fall remove the lid and cloth from hive and 

 allow the sun to shine in ; this purifies and dries them. Then 

 put on cloth free from propolis; that same evening carry bees 

 ■carefully into the house, placing them on a bench 10 to 12 

 inches from the floor or ground ; this keeps them out of the 

 <;arbonic acid gas, which is given ofi" by the bees in the hive, 

 and which sinks to the lowest part of the bee house. • The lids 

 should be removed, and only cloth or cushion of chaff" or saw- 

 dust allowed to remain on hive. Leave entrance wide open. 



' 'If more than one row of hives are placed in the house, place 

 them one above the other, arranging so that the hives shall 

 break joints. Place the weaker colonies at the top and keep 

 two thermometers in the room, one at the level of the lower 

 row and the other on a line with the highest hives." 



WINTERING IN CELLAR. 



With only a few^ colonies, a cellar is not only more conven- 

 ient, but I think it is safer than a house entirely above ground. 

 In fact, I fully believe that a good cellar, thoroughly ventilated 

 with a sub-earth ventilator, so as to always give a uniform 

 temperature, is unsurpassed for wintering bees. Our cellar 

 thus arranged has given perfect success. We have yet to 

 lose our first colony in it. I know of several similar cases. 

 I know of no exception. 



A cellar in which we are sure of our ability to control the 

 temperature, needs to be dark and quiet, and ventilated as 

 described above. As already stated, the ventilator to bring 

 air may well be made of tUe, and pass through the earth for 

 ■one or two hundred feet and then open at the bottom of the 

 ■cellar. If possible, the ventilator that carries the foul air 

 ofi' should be connected with a stove-pipe in a room above, 

 "with its lower end reaching to the bottom of the cellar. 



