PEEPAEATION OF BEES FOE OUTDOOE WINTEEIFG. 5 



of tlie mside of the packed Myc may be greatly reduced and may 

 even fall as low as that of an unpacked hive. Too much reliance 

 diould not be placed in buildings as windbreaks, for they often serve 

 bimply to divert the wind slightly and may even make conditions 

 worse. A fence made of close boards usually is unsatisf actoiy for 

 H causes whirls that may destroy many colonies. A heavy blanket 

 of snow serves to reduce the effect of the wind. 



ARRANGEMENT OF THE HIVES. 



In arranging the hives in an apiary it is necessary to take into 

 accomat the method of wintering to be followed. If the bees are to 

 be wintered in the four-colony cases to be described later the hives 

 should be kept in groups of four all the season (fig. 1), for if colonies 

 are moved more than a foot just before packing and then moved 

 again as they are unpacked there is a considerable amount of " drift- 

 -that is, bees from some colonies joni other colonies during 



liifif 



?? 



Fig 1' — Colonies of bees in summer pofeition m groups of 

 four This aiiangement is advantageous whetliei oi not 

 the bees axe wmteied xn four colony packing ca&es 



flight, and the result is an actual reduction of the number of colonieb 

 and of bees m the apiary. A failure to keep the colonies properly 

 arranged for their winter stands during the entire summer is a 

 common cause of failure in using the four-colony cases. Wliatever 

 type of case is used for outdoor wintering, the bees should occupy 

 the same place during the entire year. 



Since the outside of the winter case is quite different in appearance 

 from the hives the bees often are somewhat confused. To prevent 

 drifting from this cause it is a good plan to set a large stake between 

 the two entrances on each end of the four-colony winter cases; this 

 will serve to help the bees in orienting themselves during flights in 

 winter and especially in spring. If it is possible to plant some shrub- 

 bery among the hives it is a good plan to have the plants arranged 

 so that they will act a. marker^s for L bees during these early flights 

 (fig. 8). They will not be amiss during the summer, and, if properly 



