February, ’20] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 
107 
A study of this figure will show that during the months of December, 
January, and February, when stores were being consumed only to 
maintain the life of the bees that were already in the hive, those which 
were in sheltered positions did not consume as much honey as those in 
the open. However, during the month of March they consumed so 
much more honey than did the other colonies that the total amount 
consumed was about equal in both cases, the difference being that the 
colonies in the sheltered positions consumed their greater amount of 
stores for the purpose of brood rearing. Had weights been taken only 
at the beginning and end of these periods, the fact that the unshel¬ 
tered hives consumed more at one time than the sheltered, and less at 
another, would not have been noticed. 
Table III. Monthly Change in Weights 
In the upper column for each month are placed those colonies protected by a wind¬ 
break and in the lower those not protected. Unless otherwise stated, the figures 
given represent a loss in pounds of weight. 
One-story 
Two-story 
December, 1918, to January, 1919 
Packed k 
2 6/8 
3 2/8 
3 4/8 
3 2/8 
3 
January, 1919, to February, 1919 
4 2/8 
3 5/8 
5 1/8 
5 4/8 
4 6/8 
5 2/8 
February, 1919, to March, 1919 
8 1/8 
4 1/8 
3 4/8 
5 4/8 
3 7/8 
3 3/8 
March, 1919, to April, 1919 
4 3/8 
6 2/8 
5 5/8 
10 7/8 
4 3/8 
6 5/8 
April, 1919, to May, 1919 
9 2/8 
4/8 gain 1/8 gain 
4 1/8 
2 5/8 
2 5/8 
Total for 151 days 
11 5/8 
16 2/8 
17 3/8 
24 4/8 
18 7/8 
20 7/8 
Average Daily Consumption 
37 5/8 
1.6 oz. 
1.8 oz. 
2.6 oz. 
2. oz. 
2.2 oz. 
3.9 oz. 
Table III shows that the total amount of stores consumed for a 
period of 151 days was less for the one-story hive in the open, being 
16 2/8 pounds, and greatest for the packed hive in the sheltered posi¬ 
tion. Reference to Figure I will show that the number of bees in 
the spring is proportional to the amount of stores consumed. The 
one-story unpacked hive lost 3,282 between fall and spring, while the 
packed hive gained 24,844. The difference between the sheltered and 
unsheltered colonies, as regards daily consumption, was 4/10 of an 
ounce for the one-story hives, 4/10 of an ounce for the two-story hives, 
and 1 3/10 ounces for the packed hives. It has been shown that less 
honey will be required to winter bees in a one-story hive than in either 
the tw'o-story or packed hive; that less will be required in a tw T o-story 
