Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-01-15
Voices from the Hive.

ings, lead me to believe that | can faithfully
report what is done within the hive. There
can be no doubt that bees have what answers
them the purpose Of language, but these re-
ports will give what is seen quite as much as
what is heard.
How cold the weather is! No man, unless
he be a perfect coward, will be afraid of
stings at this season. Indeed it is the fault
Of his own carelessnes, il he ever gets stung
at all. We love warmth, and the colder it
gets, the closoriwe cluster together. One of
US, exposed alone at freezing temperature,
would soon grow stiff, aud then die outright.
If half dozen were grouped together, they
could endure it longer, as they would help
X ,ep one another warm, but the heat Great
cd by these few bees would amount to very
little ; we must be in large cluster in order
TO help one another much. The bees of q
full colony create heat enough to allow us to
10 withstand the coolest weather Of this cli-
mate for a short time at least the more
there arc, of us, the warmer we are. The
colder the weather, the denser we cluster.
But those on the outside have the worst of
it; whatever they may do, their backs will
be cold, and unless they can change places
with some Of those on the inside, they must
drop, aud expose those next below them to
the cold air. We understand this, aud as
soon as those on the outside become chilled,
they change places with those on the inside
Of the cluster, and so matters are equalized.
The colder it is, the more we must eat to
keep up the animal heat, and food must be
close at hand, aud we must change places so
that each one can get his share A family
Of us clustered between the combs generate,
no little heat, which is confined to the hive
consequently the air which surrounds us,
provided our hive be properly built, is very
much milder than that outside. If the tenn
perature is such that we can change places
frequently, we keep in perfect health. Our
food being honey, is, Of course, liquid, and if
the temperature is not too low, much Of the
awatery portion OF this passes off through the
pores Of our bodies and the solid portion is
evacuated in dry state. As long as we arc
in health, this natural condition of things
CONTINUES. The bee keeper can readily
know our sanitary state, by examining the
bottom board Of the hive if he finds one
single drop of liquid excrement, he may be
sure that one Of us is sick, and if there are
several drops there is trouble among u.s. for
the liquid excrement will be in proportion to
the amount OF disease. My physicians tell
me that they know of no other cause of diar-
rhea than low temperature, aud that when
the cluster is large enough to sufficiently
warm the interior of the hive, the disease
never occurs. But in the extreme cold wealth
iher yes, there is where We have the most
trouble, especially if it is long continued.
You who have stoves eau warm yourselves,
but we have to be our own stoves, and warm
not only ourselves, but the air around us,
which is constantly getting cool from contact
with the cold sides of the hive. When it
becomes so cold that the evaporation can not
take place through the pores Of our bodies
no matter where the hive may be, then dis
ease appears In the old box hive, in the
open air, the sun would shine upon it for most
OF the day, and the little warmth that would
strike through the sides, together with what
we could make ourselves, kept the interior
warm enough to allow us to change places
frequently, and keep in perfect health
People should consider the tempera'
ture in shading the hives; | know that
fewer bees are lost on the snow when hives
have the full sun, than when they are shad-
ed.
In your living rooms the air is full Of va
por you do not notice it until the outdoor
air cOos the window glass, 80 that the invis-
ible vapor condenses upon it; now the same
thing takes place in u hive, When the ex-
terna atmosphere is very cold, the air OF
the hive coming in contact with its sides,
moisture is condensed, and even the combs
that are not kept warm by the clustering ol
the bees upon them become so cold that the
moisture that our bodies give off to the air
of the hive condenses upon them. At first
this moisture is in exceedingly fine PARTICLES,
bnt they increase in size and number and
finally run together, and form drops large
enough to run. A comb kept moist in this
way will mould. If the cold continues, these
drops freeze upon the outside combs, or fall
H1pon the bottom, and freeze there, aud il the
opening of the hive be small, it may freeze
there, cutting of all ventilation, as conse,
quenee of which we are all smothered
| When the outside air is 500 we have nc
trouble, as then the vapor passes off through
the smallest openings, and very small cus
ter will safely pass the winter at that tenn
perature, which would fail in open air,
If we are housed, pray do not make III
too warm, and above all, let us be quiet. L
we are in warm place, the least excitement
among us creates too much heat. | know O.
an instance, in which one Of our families
was placed in room, and 30 closed tina
not bee could escape. So long as it wai
quiet, they were comfortable and happy
But some children had irolic in that room
aud their noise 80 excited the bees that thu
whole family of them was ruined. lfthos'
who find it necessary to move hives from
cold to a warm situation would be careful o.
their movements, and not disturb US with tn
least jar, we will be all the better.
Many stupid or indifferent people under
take to keep bees, who have not the leas
idea of what we want. We are always will!
ing to give all the honey We do not need 70
winter, but such people do not know how +
allow us to give it to them. Pray tell al
who do not like bees, and all who do no
care enough about us to study our way
and understand our nature, TO let us alone
Such persons, who do not begin right, an,
who DO not know enough to stop when the.
are wrong, but will peEsistently follow thei
own way, must not complain IT We do n
more for them than we can help, and If, wheI
we see them going wrong, We will use tn
only language they will understand-a stin