ay) 5 
15% TREATISE ON THE 
placing them in cellars, barns, &c. but the 
result proved to my satisfaction, that all in- 
terference, however humane, is attended with 
consequences fatal to them; from my own 
observation, the hives which are best covered 
during winter, always prosper most the fol- 
lowing summer. 'The warmer hives are 
kept in March and April the better, as it ac- 
celerates the hatching of the eggs and pro- 
motes the prolific nature of the queen. It is 
almost needless to say, that feeding during 
winter is out of the question, even though 
the season should be mild. It is unnecessa- 
ry, and would prove injurious, tempting the 
insects to leave the comparatively warm at- 
mosphere of the center of the hive where 
they are congregated in dense clusters, and 
to expose themselves to the colder tempera- 
ture below, which chills, and ultimately de- 
stroys them. At the same time I must not 
be understood as recommending the shutting 
them up altogether, so that they cannot take 
the advantage of an occasional interval of 
sunshine. Leave the narrow apertures free, 
