. British bee journal & bee-keepers adviser. Bees. 23 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 15,189T. coaducing to the bees' health is not far to seek. They pack themselves in overlapping fashion in winter, that is, each one nestles with its head aad thorax tucked under the abdomen of its neighbour above, and so they utilise the warmth of that, the warmest, part of each other's bodies. They rest, as it were, on each other's shoulders, and in that position can pass the food down to the bees hanging quite below the honey cells. Of course we know that food is the fuel which maintains the life-givi
. British bee journal & bee-keepers adviser. Bees. 23 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 15,189T. coaducing to the bees' health is not far to seek. They pack themselves in overlapping fashion in winter, that is, each one nestles with its head aad thorax tucked under the abdomen of its neighbour above, and so they utilise the warmth of that, the warmest, part of each other's bodies. They rest, as it were, on each other's shoulders, and in that position can pass the food down to the bees hanging quite below the honey cells. Of course we know that food is the fuel which maintains the life-giving heat, without which the bee cannot move, and when food fails they creep into the cells and die there. But so long a3 the cluster remains intact, and does not become parted by the bees shrinking closer together in opposite directions on separate combs in severe frost, the food can be and is passed round to such portions of the cluster as are some distance away from the 'cupboard.' But if the cluster ' parts,' as mentioned above, ib sometimes results in whole seams of dead bees being found between combs at the early spring examination. To avoid disaster of this kind hives are usually contracted to as many frames as the bees cover at the end of October, the contracting being accomplished bv removing the surplus frames, pushing all up to one side, and inserting a close-fitting dummy-board on the other. _ We like to see hives full of bees from side to side, excepting; the two outside combs; when this condition is present at' packing for winter' time, there is no need to do any contracting at all until breeding is started in spring, and then only -when the population has suffered severely. Amount op Bees and Food foe, Winter.— As already said, the most important points to be borne in mind, when picturing an ideal stock of bees as regards preparedness for wintering, are plenty of bees and an abundance of good food at the end of September. To fulfil these conditions, there should
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