The heavy fall of snow which we have just had is very favorable for
outdoor wintering, and we would advise our readers not to shovel it away
from the hives, but if you have time put a little more on with a snow
shovel. We would much rather have ten feet of snow over hives than none
at all.
A friend of ours once told us how he had made a great mistake by digging
away the snow from some of his hives, but at the same time learned a
valuable lesson. His apiary was situated in somewhat of a valley, and
one morning after a heavy fall of snow which had been considerably
drifted, he looked out and was dismayed to see his entire apiary buried
beneath the fleecy flakes. One portion, however, was much worse than the
other--that at the north end being buried in some places ten feet deep.
The south end was not so bad, and so he determined to clear what he
could and leave the rest to perish, as he supposed. After considerable
shoveling he got about 25 colonies pretty well cleared off, and by dint
of hard work managed to keep them clear till spring. When warm weather
came these 25 colonies were flying in and out, while the snow was still
lying upon the other portion. Thinking the latter were dead he paid no
attention to them till quite late in the spring, when the tops of some
of them began to show above the snow, and what was his surprise and
delight to discover every colony in splendid condition, some of them
filled with brood, and all ready for a good season’s work, while at the
same time they had not consumed nearly so much stores as those he kept
clear of snow! Upon investigation he discovered that the heat from the
bees had melted spaces about the hives varying in size from a square
foot to a square yard, and the air from the hives became purified by
contact with the snow, while at the same time the temperature was kept
so even and was so little affected by the cold breezes of winter that
very little stores were consumed.
The method of purifying air is one which is taken advantage of by some
of our native animals. We have often amused ourselves by watching the
otter who will stay underneath the ice for hours together engaged in
fishing, and when finding it necessary to breathe will place his nose
against the ice, expel the air from his lungs when it forms a bubble
between ice and water, and then inhale it again.--_C. B. J._ (_Canada._)