. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. Dec. 28, IWS THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 901 some of them was indicated only by a slight elevation—a sort of mound of snow. These hives were lying close to the ground and the spot was well sheltered, so that the snow had gathered there. It was a warm day and I suggested to the owner that it might be well to give the bees some air. We did, and I believe we did them more harm than good, for many of the bees had a flight and were lost. I do not think that they needed it. Their hive was so well protected that they did not feel the changes of temperature as t
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. Dec. 28, IWS THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 901 some of them was indicated only by a slight elevation—a sort of mound of snow. These hives were lying close to the ground and the spot was well sheltered, so that the snow had gathered there. It was a warm day and I suggested to the owner that it might be well to give the bees some air. We did, and I believe we did them more harm than good, for many of the bees had a flight and were lost. I do not think that they needed it. Their hive was so well protected that they did not feel the changes of temperature as they must have felt them after we liberated them. In our movable-frame hives, which are up from the ground and have more or less upwards ventilation through fissures in the cover, I believe that there is not the least danger whatever of having the bees smothered by leaving them buried in the snow, or by doing as one of our oldest bee-keepers does—covering them up with snow, when it is plentiful and the weather down to the zero mark. He holds that the more they are sheltered by the snow, the better they fare, and this is very probably cor- rect as long as the cold days continue. But there is a reverse to this. It is when the snow melts and changes to ice. If the hive has no upward ventilation or fissures through which air may enter, the entrance and lower joints may be frozen entirely fast, when the question of smothering would be a matter of only a few days. Again, if warm weather comes and the snow melts oflf, it becomes necessary for the bees to take a flight. They think so, at least, for they begin to worry and seek the entrance. It is at this time that the cleaning oflf of the snow from the entrance proves useful. If the hive is sheltered with snow from all sides, but the alighting- board is clean, the bees are sure to find a dry spot when they come out. But why not keep them confined when the snow is on the ground? Well, you may try it if you choose, but the trials we h
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
