Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-11-25
ABOUT wINTERINc BEES.
Hives, II Packed Warm Enough, VIII
Winter the Bees as Well as
the Cellar

The beekeeper who has kept him
self within the safe beaten paths OF
his own experience, and who has
avoided the many new forms and fan
cies that spring up and seem TO -four
ish for a day, may congratulate him
self that he is not thrown of his
base or led into temporary disaster
by following some line Of manipula-
ton or some plan OF management that
is not practical or progressive.
/ would not discourage experiment
nor lay a straw in the way OF prog
ress. Thought, theory. experiment.
each is a key that unlocks the door 10
hidden truth. We MAY IA. into error
at times, but the success attained is
the reward Of investigation and expert
ence; and this leads me 90 say. in re.
gard 70 wintering bees in this north
ern climate. that a plan or a practice
that has proved itself true for period
Of years without a failure is q safe
Tlan 20 follow for the one making the
trial. if not for others.
In this locality. writes a Hillsdale
( tMich.) correspondent OF Gleanings
in Bee Culture. the temperature often
goes down from zero TO 20 below; and
( one great reason. and perhaps the chief
/ reason. why some have failed I'm out
door wintering of bees is that they are
not packed warm. formerly win.
tered my bees in the cellar. and lost
them in the spring by the score. 1
then tried an outside repository with
about the same percentage Of loss. /
/ have also packed them in chafl. and
sin lost a large number; but for the
{ past several years have lost no bees
/ of any account
I now place them in winter cases.
7 three hives in a case. These cases are
made OF good lumber, and papered
with thick building-paper all around
+ the sides and bottom. / placed 81
colonies in these winter boxes last
( fall. and every one OF them IS in fine
| condition except one in a single box
! that I overlooked in packing. Since
( / have adopted my present plan have
not been troubled with spring dwind.
/ ling. What I wish 20 emphasize in
! this connection is. that bees must he
/ packed warm, and here is where the
| secret lies.
The chaff hives made by the differ
ent firms are all right provided there
is sufficient packing Of the right ma
ter!sl on the top. My argument is that
they must be packed so warm that the
moisture will not condense-so warm
that the bees can move 10 any part
OF the hive without any danger Of be
| ing caught I'm a "blizzard;" so warm
| that they just laugh wnen they hear
| the winds blow with the temperature
going down below zero But some viii
| say; Pack your bees so very close.
! and there viii be no upward ventila.
ton. and the hives viii become damp.
! and the combs will become moldy. and
the bees diseased: and. as a result
they will come out in bad condition
in the spring"
II occurs 20 me that this bad state
OF things which some seem 10 fear
! is not the result Of close packing and
warm hives. but the result OF loose
packing. too much cold. and too much
upward ventilation. Absorbents are
all right II warm. However. the only
absorbent that I use is the propelled
| canvas, fat on the frames, and then
two thiclnesses OF heavy building
paper. and then large chan cushion.
loose chan or forest leaves, as the
case may be, then the three hive
covers on top with the tight cover &c
the winter box, which completes the
job
The most OF my hives are seven
eighths OF an inch deeper than the
! standard l.. making the frame just
| ten inches from top 20 bottom. I
think IL is true that this deeper hive
will generate more heat than a more
shallow one 7 run my bees for comb
honey. and like this deeper frame
II gives me more depth OF brood and
more bees. and 1t is bees that make
honey.
The whole surplus energy and
warmth and odor from this deeper and
more populous hive flows up into the
super above. warming the sections
and the foundation. so that I have
very little trouble in forcing bees into
the sections. There is such an up
ward push that they must go above