. The A B C of bee culture: a cyclopaedia of every thing pertaining to the care of the honey-bee. WINTERING. 29* WINTERING. anieled cloth over them, that was almost ab- Rolutt>ly impervious to air. To be sure, a thick chaff cushion was over this enameled cloth, or it would have been wet very quick- ly with tlie condensed moisture; in fact, sev- eral colonies became quite wet during fros- ty nights in the fall, before the chaff cush- ions were put on. Now, if the bees are to keep these walls about them so warm that moistiu'e cannot condense onthem,thewalls must be close to the cluster of bee
. The A B C of bee culture: a cyclopaedia of every thing pertaining to the care of the honey-bee. WINTERING. 29* WINTERING. anieled cloth over them, that was almost ab- Rolutt>ly impervious to air. To be sure, a thick chaff cushion was over this enameled cloth, or it would have been wet very quick- ly with tlie condensed moisture; in fact, sev- eral colonies became quite wet during fros- ty nights in the fall, before the chaff cush- ions were put on. Now, if the bees are to keep these walls about them so warm that moistiu'e cannot condense onthem,thewalls must be close to the cluster of bees, and cer- tainly tlie material for them should be a non-conducter of lieat, and they should be so thin that they will readily warm through. Although it may not be absolutely necessary that the walls and covering should be of some porous material, which will absorb any chance moisture from the breath of the bees, it will perhaps be better that they should be so, and many experiments seem to indicate that straw or clmff is the best material for this pvu'pose. For the reasons I have named, the old-fashioned straw hive, wliich has for ages been emblematical of the honey-bee, seems to be very nearly what is wanted to protect them in the way they seem to de- mand. The straw next to tliem is warm, and therefore proof againt condensation; it is thin, and hence e«sily warmeerinient. that the straw is any the less effective with a thin board interposed between it and the bees. HOW TO COVKll TlIK IlKES IN WINTKK. Straw mats to put over the bees have been in (*mnnyyears,aiid with good res\ilts ; but I have found it adiUicult niattet-to have them fit so closely over the cluster as do the chaff CHsliiims, and they are not so neat and tidy. The mats will always have more or less loose straws pulling off. For the reasons I have given, I do not think a hive with the straw exposed either to the bees inside, or to the weather outside, will evereome in vogue ex- tensively. After having tried
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Keywords: ., bookauthorrootaiam, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1891
