WINTERING. 
25 
WINTERING. 
On wintering bees sucb a variety of plans have been sug- 
gested that the inexperienced are puzzled to determine which 
is best. Some recommend burying them in grain, burying 
them in the earth, bousing them in a room, or keeping them 
in a cellar ; whilst others maintain that it is more natural to 
leave them out of doors on their stand. I have myself prac- 
tised all of these plans, and doubt not that bees have been 
wintered well on each of them. But I do not consider them 
all alike good; and it would be as well to adopt the best 
plan at once. What we wish to accomplish is to give com- 
fort to our bees. Our cattle, sheep, and bees may all winter 
in the open air, if- they are strong and vigorous, and have 
plenty of food ; but they will surely all winter more comfort- 
ably and eat less food if somewhat protected. Some wislv_to 
keep their bees in a dormant condition during cold weather, 
like other insects, and thus lessen the consumption of honey. 
When the bee keeper succeeds in stupifying his bees by cold 
for a short time, he will suddenly arrive to the unhappy con- 
sciousness that they are past recovery. Bees are different 
from most other insects in this, that they live in families and 
cluster together to economize heat in winter, besides being 
prepared at all times to defend their stores and their young. 
Out-of-door wintering is subject to the difficulties arising 
from external cold ; and the bright lights and moderate heat 
inducing the bees to fly out when the weather is yet so cold 
as to chill them. Besides, the ground around is so wet that 
they may perish on it ; and when fresh snow has fallen and 
is yet light, bees will alight upon it, and sinking in it will 
perish. However, if the snow has a crust on it, or has be- 
come compact, bees will rise from it as easily as from dry 
ground. There are many colonies of bees smothered to 
death by the rain and snow having frozen closely around the 
bottom and entraDco of hives, making them air-tight. It is 
not an unfrequent occurrence that the exhalations from the 
gires them the disease also. Many extensive bee-keepers in Germany have 
lost hundreds of colonies from this cause; and in the State of New York it 
prevails extensively. 1 know of several cases in Western Pennsylvania. There 
is little or none of it in Ohio, and I hope there never will be. It has been 
transmitted by shipment to California. The cause seems to be a mystery. The 
remedy is to drive all the beos of an affected colony into an entire new hive 
and render the honey, bringing it to a boil, to purify it for use. 
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