. The preparation of bees for outdoor wintering. Bees. PEEPAEATION OF BEES FOE OUTDOOE WINTEEIFG. 5 of tlie mside of the packed Myc may be greatly reduced and may even fall as low as that of an unpacked hive. Too much reliance diould not be placed in buildings as windbreaks, for they often serve bimply to divert the wind slightly and may even make conditions worse. A fence made of close boards usually is unsatisfactoiy for H causes whirls that may destroy many colonies. A heavy blanket of snow serves to reduce the effect of the wind. ARRANGEMENT OF THE HIVES. In arranging the hives in an apiar
. The preparation of bees for outdoor wintering. Bees. PEEPAEATION OF BEES FOE OUTDOOE WINTEEIFG. 5 of tlie mside of the packed Myc may be greatly reduced and may even fall as low as that of an unpacked hive. Too much reliance diould not be placed in buildings as windbreaks, for they often serve bimply to divert the wind slightly and may even make conditions worse. A fence made of close boards usually is unsatisfactoiy for H causes whirls that may destroy many colonies. A heavy blanket of snow serves to reduce the effect of the wind. ARRANGEMENT OF THE HIVES. In arranging the hives in an apiary it is necessary to take into accomat the method of wintering to be followed. If the bees are to be wintered in the four-colony cases to be described later the hives should be kept in groups of four all the season (fig. 1), for if colonies are moved more than a foot just before packing and then moved again as they are unpacked there is a considerable amount of " drift- -that is, bees from some colonies joni other colonies during liifif ??. Fig 1'—Colonies of bees in summer pofeition m groups of four This aiiangement is advantageous whetliei oi not the bees axe wmteied xn four colony packing ca&es flight, and the result is an actual reduction of the number of colonieb and of bees m the apiary. A failure to keep the colonies properly arranged for their winter stands during the entire summer is a common cause of failure in using the four-colony cases. Wliatever type of case is used for outdoor wintering, the bees should occupy the same place during the entire year. Since the outside of the winter case is quite different in appearance from the hives the bees often are somewhat confused. To prevent drifting from this cause it is a good plan to set a large stake between the two entrances on each end of the four-colony winter cases; this will serve to help the bees in orienting themselves during flights in winter and especially in spring. If it is possible to plant some sh
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbees, bookyear1922
