Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-12-18
" interin@ Bees.
servant

For ten years in succession | have wintered
my bees in dry, dark cellar. the tempera-
ture of which was kept not much above the
freezing point About 30 deg. Fahrenheit is
near the average warmth. If it is much
warmer than that the bees become excited.
put them III the first severe cold - snap
In Iowa that usually comes the last of No
vember. have put them in ~ early as Nov.
18th and a. late rs Dec. l2th. IL is neces
sarv t. choose severely col dav to move
them with ease When kept bees in com
mon box hives simply inverted them, lcay
ing them thus upside down > and all open
Tins Is necessary t. allow the moisture from
the bodies OF the bees and their breath. to
PASS Off freely Many who have tried t.
winter bees IN cellars. left them right side ur
and then complained that the dampness OF
the cellar caused the combs - mould, where
as the dampness came from the bees them
selves and caused mold because il was not
allowed To pass off. Now that [ use movable
comb hives, still winter most of them in
cellars, and as cannot invert them, | secure
free upward ventilation by other methods
The first time that put Langstroth hives
into the cellar, allowed too much ventila-
tion. Removing the honey boards, | also
left the lower entrance open. This caused a
draught through the hive. and on examina-
ton few weeks after found them suffering
from this course. | nearly closed the en-
frances and pat on the honey boards, leaving
the holes therein open, and found the evil
renicdied. | have made various experiments
IN wintering bees out Of doors on their sum-
mer stands. They may be wintered thus
with perfect safety, in hives of some forms.
but much more honey must be allowed for
their consumption than when wintered in a
house or cellar. In the winter of 1865
thirty stands OF bees lost only six and one
third pounds on an average in weight during
the three months and five days they were in
the cellar, while six hives out Of doors the
same time, averaged a loss in weight of
twenty-six and half pounds each. The
next winter the consumption of honey by
hoes on their winter stands was much less in
proportion, though the winter was colder.
1t will be found. however. that where
many bees are kept, the extra honey con-
sumed in out door wIntering would soon pro
vide means to build a cellar house for
their use. There viii always be many, how
ever, especially In new countries, who desire
- know how to keep their bees in safety
without removing them from their summer
stands. The Langstroth hive, as that hive
Is usually made in the shallow form, is not
safe for this purpose Bees instinctively
store their honey, when the form admits of
II, in the upper part of hive and cluster be-
ascending, keeps the frost from the combs
containing honey, SO that the bees can have
access to it with safety. When the hive is
shallow, they cannot cluster in the way they
naturally do and have much honey above
them, most of the stores will be at the sides
Of the cluster and many bees freeze in at
tempting to reach food. / have known bees
10 starve in this form of hive with many
pounds of honey in it which they could not
get at in prosraeted cold weather Some
have advised to get these hives on end through
the wintcr-but my caution to all using
them is. to make abundant winter passages
through all the combs and then keep them
through the coolest weather In some warm
place. If bees are in hives square or little
higher than square twelve inches square by
fourteen high is about the right size and
shape) they can be wintered safely anywhere
If provided with honey enough and the
cluster of bees is sufficiently large.
To determine the first point, be sure that
the hive weighs from thirty Eir to fifty pounds;
light, and allowing something for age of
comb, as old comb weighs much more than