908 
WINTERING OUTDOORS 
NON-POROUS COVERS OR 
ABSORBING CUSHIONS. 
There has been considerable discussion 
in the bee journals over the question of 
whether there should be loose porous ab¬ 
sorbing cushions or other material placed 
above the cluster of bees so that the mois¬ 
ture from a cluster can pass up into the 
packing; or whether, on the other hand, 
the top of the hive should have a thin 
board or super cover on top. If there is 
danger of the entrance becoming closed by 
deep snows or ice for weeks at a time, up¬ 
ward ventilation thru porous packing would 
probably be safer, for bees must have air. 
It is a recognized principle in science 
that warm air can hold a large amount of 
moisture. This moisture is immediately 
condensed when it comes in contact with a 
cold surface, such as the side of a pitcher 
of ice water on a hot day. The same prin¬ 
ciple applies in a beehive. If the inner 
walls for any reason become cold, and the 
air in the hive, heavily laden with moisture, 
is warm, this moisture is condensed, form¬ 
ing drops of water oh the insides and un¬ 
derside of the cover of the hive. On a 
cold day there is nothing to prevent mois¬ 
ture from forming on the inside walls of 
the hive if they are not properly packed 
or protected. In very cold weather, if the 
packing material is not thick enough the 
cold will penetrate into the inner walls, re¬ 
sulting in condensation just the same. It 
is, therefore, plain that, in oi’der to stop 
condensation, there must be enough pack¬ 
ing material to keep the inside of the hive 
warm. In the colder climates, as in Cana¬ 
da, it has been the practice to use absolv¬ 
ing cushions right over the cluster of bees 
in order to let the moisture from beneath 
escape upward. It would be better to use 
enough packing material so that the cold 
can not penetrate, when no condensation 
would form either with or without a sealed 
cover. If the packing material is not 
enough to prevent condensation inside of 
the hive, the moisture will pass up thru 
the material and freeze, thus making a mass 
of semi-ice. It would seem, therefore, tak¬ 
ing everything into consideration, that the 
question whether one should use the sealed 
cover or not is unimportant. But it is im¬ 
portant to have enough packing material so 
that the cold may not penetrate into the 
inner part of the hive, forming condensa¬ 
tion or frost. It is equally important to 
have the entrance contracted enough to 
prevent the cold air from blowing in, thus 
defeating all the good that might accrue 
from plenty of packing. 
To determine when the packing is thick 
enough, select a good colony and over the 
top of it imbedded in putty put a sheet of 
glass. If on the coldest days in the win¬ 
ter no moisture nor frost is shown on the 
underside, when the packing is lifted, it 
may be assumed that there is enough. 
IMPORTANCE OF WINDBREAKS. 
In various places leading up to this has 
been mentioned the importance of wind¬ 
breaks to screen the hives from a strong 
windsweep. A bad location for wintering 
bees outdoors is on top of a hill with a 
clear stretch of country for a mile or two 
in the direction of the prevailing winds. 
Altho the bees may be nicely housed in 
double-walled hives, the high winds during 
cold or chilly weather may and probably 
will have a disastrous effect on the bees. 
Many of them, lured out by a bright sun¬ 
shine on certain days, will be caught by a 
chilling blast. They will drop to the 
ground; and, unless there is a change in 
the temperature or the wind they will 
never come back. On the other hand colo¬ 
nies screened in by farm buildings, by a 
growth of woods or dense shrubbery, will 
be able to withstand the cold much better. 
Likewise there may be certain spots in an 
apiary where some hives are exposed to a 
long windsweep, while others are in a more 
protected position. Observation covering 
a period of years has shown that the lat¬ 
ter winter much better than the former. 
Nature will very often furnish natural 
windbreaks that are much superior to any¬ 
thing man can put up where there is noth¬ 
ing. A sideliill gradually slanting down 
from the north to the south, with shrubbery, 
fence, or trees on top, makes an ideal wind¬ 
break. Sometimes a location can be found 
where the hill on the windward exposure is 
in form of a semicircle. Cases in point are 
the apiaries shown in Figs. 3 and 4, these 
being well protected by a hill. The small 
trees in the background and down among 
