The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-01-14
Come, farm and garden
THOUGHTS on wINTERING BEES.

THOUGHTS on wINTERING BEES.
OF articles on bee-keeping to the Maine
Farmer, which introduces some sensible
ideas. The great mortality among bees,
of late years, from cold, is much greater
than formerly, and Mr.. A. suggests that
it is caused by the different styles of
hive-a subject certainly worthy of con-
sideration by bee keepers. He says;
"a swarm of bees ia the movable
comb hive is in an abnormal condition.
The instinct of the bees leads them TO
so construct the combs when left to fol-
low their instinct so that they are
safeguard against the rigors of winter.
The bee-keeper, for good reasons, says:
IF let my bees follow their own incli-
nation, and construct the combs to their
liking, it illustrates my plans and deprives
me of my profits. will modify, some
what, the plans nature has in
structed them to carry out in this par
ticular of comb building, and make them
subserve my interests at the risk of
losing at some other point.
s1t is our belief that bees need differ
ent treatment in winter ia frame hives
from what they do in the old box hive.
With combs nearly straight from rear to
front, with untitled space at each end of
the frames, the hives are necessarily
much colder, and not only that, but the
bees cannot cluster SO compactly with
combs In such shape, and if spread out
between four or five straight sheets of
comb-the changes in temperature of
our winters affect them much more, if no
method for giving protection is adopted.
We claim that bees will winter as well
now as they did fifteen years ago, if
placed i'm the same condition as then.
Let us consider for a moment the man.
ner in which bees, that are allowed to
follow their own instinct, construct
their combs. We have had occasion
lately to dissect several old box hives,
removing the comb and bees in order to
obtain tie latter for strengthening some
of our own swarms. Two or three old
swarms had occupied their hives some
twelve or fifteen years. All the profit
derived from them had been by the in
crease of swarms; but what is noticeable
i'm such cases, is the curious manner of
building the breeding apartment, or, as
it may be called, the ''living room" for
the swarm. The combs in the upper
part of the hive are placed in quite reg
ularly, as this is the store room; but
when we come to the brood nest, we find
it as dissimilar from straight combs in
the modern frame hive as it is possible
to conceive.
"Instead of the regular sheets built
from side to side, OR from corner to cor
ner, as is often the case, we find more or
less of them curved. For instance, a
sheet commenced at some point (as the
back of the hive) is carried parallel to
the side till point about the center of
the hive is reached, when it is curved
and brought to a right angle with the
starting point, and perhaps is completed
a little past the center of the hive; and
another sheet passes at this point at an
angle with the other sheet, and then at
the points where these nearly intersect
it will be seen there is much more space
than If the combs were carried straight
and parallel to each other. This ar
rangement allows the building of quite
a number of small sheets of combs in
many irregular forms, and the whole
protected with the larger sheets, thus
giving compactness to the cluster of
bees in cold weather, which it is impos-
sible for them to assume in perfectly
straight combs. Nor is the ample space
afforded by this arrangement all.
Nearly all these inner combs are
pierced with holes from the size to admit
a bee to pass readily to an inch in diam
eter. And thus the interior of this
"living apartment" is full of galleries
and halls, and all, so to speak, are amply
provided with large folding doors, so
that neighbors can readily make friendly
calls and not be too ceremonious, and
have to ring the bell every time. Bees
generate much warmth, if they can clus-
ter together in large numbers, but spread
them out and frequent chilling destroys
them.n