People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-12-30
scS7 q 49,
aIF4jRMo
9nA. GARDEN
wINTERINa BEES IN MOIST AIR.
A Practical Talk by One of BTichigan's Pro-
gressiVe Apiarists.

a Practical Talk by One of B11chigan's Rro-
gressive Apiarists.
Whether bees can be successfully win
tered III a damp cellar depends largely
upon the temperature of the cellar air,
which should be warmer than if dry, as
water has a great capacity for specific
heat. A moist air very readily absorbs
heat and more quickly robs the bees of
that element Sc essential to life. An
other point in the wintering of bees,
upon which moisture has bearing, is
its effect upon the exhalations of the
bees. But little moisture is required to
saturate cold air, and it will not SO soon
absorb the excretions of the bees.
AS the temperature rises the absorb
ing capacity Of the air increases. When
air of high temperature-near that of
our bodies-is nearly saturated with
moisture the exhalations from the lungs
and skin are taken up but slowly. This
explains why bright, clear days are more
pleasant. If the air of q cellar is dry the
temperature may be allowed to go much
lower. Many reports Of the successful
wintering of bees give the temperature,
but not the degree Of saturatiOn.
To find she amount Of moisture in the
air w. z. Hutchinson, authority for the
foregoing, advises, in The American
Agriculturist, the use of a wet bulb Their
1nometer. The instrument is simple
and easily made Attach two ordinary
thermometers side by side to piece of
board. Just below them fasten tin
cup for holding water. Make a light
covering of candle wicking for one of
the bulbs at the bottom Of the thermome-
ter, allowing the wicking to extend into
the water in the cup. The water will
ascend the wicking and keep the bulb
constantly wet. There will be evapora-
ton from the wick surrounding the
bulb. Evaporation causes a loss Of heat;
hence the drier the air the greater the
evaporation, the greater the loss of heat
and the lower will go the mercury in
the wet bulb thermometer. The greater
the difference in temperature, as shown
between the wet and dry bulb Their
mometers, the drier the air. In the
open air there is sometimes q difference
Of 20 dogs. Fahrenheit
Ventilation of cellars has been OBJ
jected to on the ground that it brought
moisture into the cellar. This may be
true, but not in freezing weather. Air
below freezing point has very low
point of saturation, hence will hold very
little moisture, and when it is brought
into the higher temperature Of the
cellar it becomes warmed, the capacity
for absorption is greatly increased, and
it is ready is receive water instead Of
giving it out. When the outside air
comes into the cellar and deposits mois-
ture upon the objects therein, it is evil
dent that the incoming air is moisture
laden and warmer than the cellar and
its contents.
"Mold in beehouses," continues Mr..
Hutchinson, sis usually looked upon as
something undesirable, and I will adj
nit that it's appearance is far from
pleasant. But we must not forget that,
in certain sense, it is a plant growing
in warmth and moisture, aSd that the
conditions necessary for its development
may not be injurious to the bees.
GA very damp cellar ought to be warm
enough for the development of mold.
But the cellar need not be damp. It
can be made both warm and dry. These
snatters of temperature and moisture are
under our control. Either by fires or by
going deeper into the earth-preferably
the latter-the proper temperature can
be attained, and by the use of lime to
absorb the moisture a dry atmosphere
can be secured. Certainly it is not much
trouble to keep unslacked lime in the
cellar. A bushel of lime absorbs twenty
eight pounds of water in the process of
Stacking. Some beekeepers have assert
ed that cellars dug in clay or hard pan
are more difficult to keep dry than when
dug in sand or gravelly soil. Cellars in
hard pan or even i'll clay can be much
improved by digging down two or three
feet and filing in with stones at first,
then with gravel and finishing up with
covering of cement"