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

fly, and never when the hives are
frozen down to the bottomboards or
to the ground, if this can possibly be
helped. When the hives are thus
frozen down. the jar and confusion
which comes from prying them loose
results in great irritation to the bees,
and causes them to consume 50 much
honey that it often leads to unsuccess-
full wintering afterward. After get
ting them to the cellar the hives
Should be set on a bench foot or
more off the cellar bottom, and the
hives raised by some means at least
two inches off the bottom board or
bench. Failing to do this the hives
will not be properly ventilated, and the
result will be that the bees may be-
come uneasy from lack of proper ven
tilation, which will cause them to con-
sumo more stores than is necessary to
their existence, thereby needlessly
using up the honey, and often leading
to disease and death. If it is not con-
venient to thus place them, the hives
may be turned bottom side up if the
frames are fast or box hives are used,
and light thin fabric of some cot
ton goods thrown over the hive; STILL
the first is much to be preferred. [
also believe that the cellar should be
dark, or that part of it in which the
bees are wintered. Some claim that
bees will winter as well in a light cell
lar as in a dark one, which may pos
sibly be so If all of the conditions for
successful wintering are present; but
as such conditions are usually not all
present in many Gf any cellars, it is
always best to be on the safe side;
hence the advice to have the cellar
dark
If the cellar is lacking in many of
the qualities which go to make a good
cellar for wintering bees. then it may
be best not to try it at all, in which
case we must try the next best plan,
and one which is quite we'll suited to
all attitudes south of a degrees-that
is. wintering on the summer stand
packed with chaff, fine hay or straw.
While a chaff hive is the preferable
thing, yet it is not supposable that all
may have such hives, so we must fix
the bees the best we can according to
our environments. If you do not have
chaff hives, go to the store and procure
dry goods boxes of suitable size or
otherwise make them, in which the
hives can be set, and leave room all
around for the packing. A space of
about four inches is the right amount
to leave, for experience has proven
that this is better than a larger or
smaller amount. The bottom board
should be raised that distance above
x,
ing packed under it, it should be Sc
cured there, and so as to touch the
front side of the box also, as the bees
must pass over this to get outside Of
the box. Half an inch above the bot
tom board a thinner board should be
secured in the same way to both the
hive and box, Immediately above the
entrance to the hive, so as to keep the
packing material from obstructing the
n a cra of &c,
come the entrance to the hive
Having this fixed and the hive thor
oughly secured to it's place we now put
in the packing. pressing it in tightly,
SO that as even a temperature as pos
sible can be maintained inside of the
/ hive, packing the material in as nearly
alike on all sides as possible. When
the top of the hive is reached. the
honey board, if one is used, should he
removed, and two or three thicknesses
Of cotton cloth spread over the top to
keep the packing from rafting down
into the hive. and also that, in thus
providing for ventilation, a direct draft
shall not be allowed through the hive
Having all fixed as above, fill in the
packing to the depth of four inches all
over the top of the other packing, as
we'll as over the hive keeping it as
evenly distributed as possible, but al
! lowing it to be more loose and open
| than at the sides. The box should be
tall enough so as to come a few inches
above the packing, so that the cover,
which is now to be put on, shall not
touch it. This last is very important;
for where the packing touches the COW
er to the box it will absorb the moist
ure which condenses on the cover to
such an extent that all will become
wet and moldy long before spring.
No matter whether it is chaff hives
or boxes packed as above, there should
| always be a few inches space above the
chaff or packing. so that the moisture
arising from the bees may have a
chance to pass off to the outside air
! with as little condensation as posi-
| Bile. Having your bees thus, fixed, or
in good cellar. they will winter much
better than if left to take their chances
in unprotected hives.