86 A Modern Bee-Farm 



rubbish remain untouched, only to be added to during the next 

 cold spell. Insufficient ventilation and foul matter now begin to 

 tell upon the constitution of the population, and there is little 

 chance that the stock will ever be of much use unless it has 

 immediate attention, as many of the bees are now unable to fly 

 when warm days do offer them a chance ; particularly is this the 

 case where the frames run across the entrance with double walls. 

 With single walls and the frames end on to the entrance the bees 

 are not so liable to be blocked in. 



Covering above Frames. 



Much uncertainty exists among novices as to whether the frames 

 should be covered with porous or non-porous material ; but, dear 

 Reader, it is just this : if you use porous material above your 

 winter cluster, an entrance not more than three inches in width 

 should be allowed ; if a non-porous covering such as American 

 oilcloth be used next above the frames (of course with warm 

 material above that), then a wider entrance must be provided 

 according to the strength of the colony. 



Again, where the form of hive will allow it, I have found the 



Most Perfect System of giving Winter Ventilation 



to be as follows. Place the combs to one end farthest from the 

 entrance ; there may or may not be a dummy on that side nearest 

 the vacant space, but such dummy must not touch the hive side, 

 and will hang as an ordinary frame ; for ray own use I prefer no 

 dummy. Cover the frames with non-porous cloth as usual, but 

 allow clear communication from the entrance to the roof, which 

 is of course ventilated. Thus we have no draught through the 

 brood nest, but a thorough ventilation in front of the same, with 

 a certain change of air for the occupants of the hive. 



As an instance, I have put up driven bees in Autumn on 

 standard frames of empty combs ; closed up with chaflf-packed 

 dummies ; a medium entrance, and warm porous covering on top, 

 with no direct through ventilation. They were fed carefully and 



