WINTERING BEES.
THE subject of wintering bees is of the greatest importance, and one
which is generally very imperfectly understood, if we may judge from
the large number of swarms lost every winter and spring. There are many
methods recommended as "the best" for wintering bees. One will tell
you to keep them cold; another to keep them warm. One will say, put
them in the cellar; another, bury them in the ground; another put them
in the attic. Is it any wonder that the beginner becomes confused and
disgusted at so much conflicting advice? That bees have been wintered
safely by any and all of these old plans I shall not dispute. But I am
certain that neither plan will, alone, prove successful in the majority
of cases.
By all the methods heretofore recommended, a large number of bees die
from each stock, during the winter; so reducing them in numbers that it
takes nearly the entire summer for them to regain in numbers what they
have lost; while a very large number of stocks are lost entirely.
It will be readily understood that the greater the number of bees in a
hive in early spring, the more warmth will be generated; consequently
the more rapidly will the brood mature and the bees increase in
numbers. It is of the greatest importance to have strong stocks in
early spring This is one of the strong points of the new system of
management, taught in this book.
In nearly all the hives now in use, there is no proper ventilation,
consequently the honey in such hives becomes sour, the comb mouldy,
and the bees diseased. It is impossible, in our variable climate, to
winter bees successfully, for any number of years, with any degree of
certainty, in the great majority of the ordinary hives.
Some, who have met with heavy losses in winter, have taken the ground
that the loss was caused by a poor quality of honey, stored by the bees
in a wet season, or a large yield late in the fall. But this is a great
mistake. Bees will not collect and store honey not suited to their use
as food; they make no mistakes on this point.
I might discuss in detail all the different methods of wintering bees,
and show the great losses attending each, with causes, etc., but by so
doing I should consume more space than I can give in this work. I shall
therefore confine my remarks to ordinary conditions of bees in winter,
and the requisites to insure uniform success in wintering.
In the winter bees cluster as closely together as circumstances admit,
and the severity of the cold demands. The more severe the cold, the
closer they cluster together, in order the better to keep up the animal
heat necessary to maintain life.
By all the old methods, the cluster of bees is divided by the sheets of
comb, which is a great hindrance to successful wintering. In such cases
the bees cannot cluster compactly together, but are spread out between
the different sheets of comb. In the Controllable Hive, and on the plan
of wintering here recommended, the bees in very cold weather cluster
in the space between the wire cloth of the ventilator and the top of
the frames of the brood section. They are here able to keep up the
required amount of animal heat, as they can cluster compactly, without
anything to separate them.
By the ordinary plan, in sudden turns of very cold weather, the bees
between the outer combs are often frozen to death. "Oh!" says some
one, "that's all humbug; you can't freeze a bee." Certainly you can.
To satisfy yourself of this, after a very cold turn of weather, look
under your box hives, if you have them, or any patent hive having a
loose bottom board to admit of an examination, and see if you do not
find hundreds of bees which have fallen dead from the outside combs.
I have examined hundreds of stocks, and found them as here described.
If you don't believe a bee will freeze, take out a dozen from a hive,
in a severely cold spell of weather in mid-winter, confine them in a
box, and set them out doors, letting them remain only one night. See if
they are not dead beyond resuscitation, the next morning. This notion
that bees will not freeze is a great mistake, and has led to some very
foolish experiments in wintering them.
A swarm of bees of average size, put in proper condition for winter,
will not freeze; but from this it does not follow that a bee is
proof against the greatest possible degree of cold. When bees are
prepared for winter, as herein directed, they will, as before stated,
cluster compactly together. And as the cold increases the cluster
will contract, in accordance with the increasing of the cold, and
consequently no loss of bees occur.
Another great cause of loss in winter is in proper ventilation, or
no ventilation at all. Every swarm of bees throws off a considerable
amount of moisture from their bodies. In very cold weather, if the
hive is not properly ventilated, this moisture collects on the combs
at the sides and top of the hives, in the form of frost and ice. In
moderate weather this frost and ice melts, and runs down into the
hive, completing saturating the bees, and then, if a sudden change to
extremely cold weather takes place, all are destroyed by freezing; or
if they chance to survive the winter, the moisture causes the combs
to mould, the honey becomes sour, and thin like water, rendering it
unsuitable food for the bee, and bringing on diseases--dysentery,
bee cholera, foul brood, etc., and in a short time the bees are all
destroyed. Thousands of good swarms are lost every winter by improper
management, and from being kept in hives not suitable for wintering. I
give directions for wintering on my plan, in Controllable Hives, and I
feel confident, if directions are carefully followed, that many stocks
will be saved annually, which otherwise would have perished.
How to Winter Bees in Controllable Hives.
Bees are wintered in Controllable Hives on their summer stands, by my
plan, without loss, by maintaining an even temperature in the brood
section, and disposing of all moisture or perspiration thrown off
by the bees in cold weather. I have never lost a swarm of bees in
Controllable Hives in the winter. I attempt to winter none, except
strong, healthy stocks. I have no mouldy combs, no sour honey. The
combs are kept perfectly dry, and the hives in a healthy condition. I
do not lose a teacupful of bees, on the average, from each of my hives
during the winter.
To winter in Controllable Hives, prepare as follows: At the
commencement of steady cold weather, which, in the New England States,
is usually near the close of November, put the bees in condition to
winter by entirely closing the upper entrance to the hive, and the
lower one shut up about one-half.[11] Take out the box frames at the
sides of the brood section, and put the movable partitions in place.
Remove the boxes and feeder, or honey board, (whichever is in place)
from over the brood section. Place the ventilator (described elsewhere)
over the brood section, so the lower edge of the ventilator, at the
sides, will rest on the upper edges of the movable partitions, on
each side of the brood section. Pack the sides of the hive (that part
occupied by the side boxes in summer,) closely with very line hay or
straw. Pack the cap as full of the same matter as it can be crowded.
Then put the thickness of one or two inches over the ventilator,
filling up evenly, so when the cap is placed ever the upper part, the
cap and sides will be compactly filled. There must be no spaces left
unfilled, the object being to secure an even temperature in the brood
section, and absorb all moisture thrown off by the bees; and to do this
successfully, the cap and sides must be closely packed throughout.
When you have the cap and sides well packed, replace the cap, and the
work is done. Shade the front of the hives during the winter months.
No matter if the snow drifts over the hive so as to completely bury it
from sight, let it remain;--your bees are safe.
[Footnote 11: To secure a slight upward draught of air, to carry off
the moisture arising from the bees, make a hole a half-inch in diameter
in front and rear of the cap, in the center, close to the top or roof
boards. (And here let me say, the roof boards, or boards covering the
cap, should project about an inch, as they can be more firmly nailed,
and make better joints; for driving rains must not be allowed to
penetrate to the inside of the hive.) The inside of each hole should be
covered with wire cloth, to keep out insects, etc.]
A neighbor of mine had fifteen stocks in Controllable Hives completely
buried in snow over six feet deep, and the crust formed over them
so it would bear a horse. They remained under the snow from January
until April, when they thawed out, and every stock was found to be in
first-class order.
When there is only a small quantity of snow about the hive, say only
enough to cover the lower entrance, and there should come a very warm
spell of weather, which would bring the bees out, be sure to clear
away the snow so they need not be kept back by it. But it will take an
exceedingly warm day in winter to rouse the bees from their dormant
state in the Controllable Hive, and bring them out for a turn in the
open air. If the air is warm enough to induce them to come out, it
is always warm enough for them to fly briskly. In this respect there
is a great contrast between my hive and others. With other hives, an
hour's warm sun will bring out the bees in winter, when the air is
cold, and the consequence is, they fall into the snow and perish by
hundreds. In this way stocks are often reduced in numbers until all
are lost. The dysentery generally attacks such stocks (brought on by
the sudden changes in temperature in the hive.) and hastens their
destruction, by causing them to leave the hive, when they would not
do so if in a healthy condition. Bees, when wintered in Controllable
Hives as directed, will come out in the spring, strong in numbers, and
in a healthy condition--in great contrast to the weak and diseased
stocks which have been wintered in the ordinary manner. I have perfect
confidence in the method of wintering here recommended, for I have
had it in practical use for many years, and have never lost a stock,
notwithstanding some winters have been very destructive to bees in
this section, some, who practice the old methods, losing their entire
stocks. I learn from my correspondents in all parts of the United
States that there is great loss of bees in winter; so great in fact as
to discourage many from attempting to engage in apiculture.
My plan of wintering is very simple, and commends itself to every
intelligent person. In a few words it may be expressed thus: The
brood section is secured against the effects of sudden changes in the
weather, (this keeps the bees dormant throughout the winter season,
which is as nature designed,) and provides for the absorption of all
moisture and perspiration arising from the bees, white in a dormant
slate. These two points are the foundation of successful wintering.
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