The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-17
w1NTER1NG BEES OUT DOORS.

While bees are often wintered sue
cessfully on their summer stands. with
out protection of any kind, there is
always a chance for an unfavorable
winter, when a large per cent of the
apiary might be lost, which renders 1T
important that we take every precau-
ton within our power for their safety.
Our most favorable information must
be gained by practical experience, so
1t will pay US to heed the lesson taught
by the result of the past few years,
wherein the percentage lost by winter
ing in special repositories and cellars
has been greater than with those will
tered on their summer stands and
packed in chaff The main point in
wintering out of doors lies in the fact
that it is less expensive, and requires
less skill in managing. The principal
thing to guard against in our climate is
the sudden changes of temperature
which frequently take place during the
fall winter and early spring. While
no attention is given to keeping the
tempera ture uniform, slight change
sometimes will retard brood rearing in
the spring, and cause loss when early
honey is coming in. A good arrange
ment for wintering out or doors is the
double walled chaff hive, but these are
keeper, and it is too heavy to move
abiut ir the working season, and
some comb honey producers find it ad-
vantageous to change places with a
new colony occasionally. plan that
is working we'll with some is to have a
large outside hive made to set over the
ordinary brood chamber during win
ter. filling the spaces between the walls
with chaff For iAhe beginner, dry
ha loo a. oh
packed with chaff. leaving open the
entrance The cheapest and simplest
way J have yet found is to place the
hives in row, facing the south, and
standing about six inches apart; build
wall of lumber around the back and
ends of the row. leaving a space of six
inches: this and between the hives to
be filled in with fine dry straw or chaff:
A cover of cheap lumber made to shed
water is then put on. Some prefer to
extend the wall around the front of
the hives. leaving only the entrance
open. but I do not consider this neces-
sary where the row faces the south.
Before packing away, no matter what
method be employed, a super Should be
placed on each hive. in which is Sc
curely fitted a chaff cushion to absorb
the moisture arising from the cluster
Of bees in the brood chamber. The
Stats or T tins used in the surplus ar
rangements should be put in before
the chaff cushion, so as to leave the
regular bee space above the frames
to allow the bees to pass from one
comb to another during the cold
weather. Instead of a regular made
chaff cushion. piece of burlap can be
placed in the super. the chaff filled in
and burlap Tapped over it to keep it
from shaking down into the brood nest
An abSorber now being used with
marked success in Colorado, con-
sists of three adobes placed in a super
with burlap quilt under them. These
take up the moisture readily, and are
slow to give off heat or miisture, and
so keep both temperature and atmos
phere uniform. Prepare for winter
when the last crop Of alfalfa is stacked
and honey gathering ceases. In remov-
ing the last surplus honey, a thorough
inspection should be made to ascertain
that each colony is we'll supplied with
store has a perfect queen, is we'll pop
ulated. and free from moth or other
enemy.-Frank Crowley in Farm Jour
nal.