Read Ebook: The Preparation of Bees for Outdoor Wintering by Demuth Geo S George S Phillips Everett Franklin

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Page.

The essentials to success 3

Necessity for strong colonies in the fall 4

Arrangement of the apiary 4

Insulation of the hive 6

Arrangement within the hive 11

Winter schedule 14

Winter stores 18

All the factors of good wintering are needed 19

Measures of success in wintering 20

No problem confronting the beekeeper in most parts of the United States is of more importance than the proper wintering of bees, yet it is one which is sadly neglected. It is urged that before attempting to make packing cases for the wintering of bees the beekeeper study Department Bulletin 93, Temperature of the Honeybee Cluster in Winter, and Farmers' Bulletin 695, Outdoor Wintering of Bees.

THE ESSENTIALS TO SUCCESS.

NECESSITY FOR STRONG COLONIES IN THE FALL.

A common cause of loss is through attempting to winter colonies that are too small. It is somewhat difficult to set a standard for colony strength at this season, but in general it may be stated that it is unwise to attempt to winter colonies that are not strong enough to have brood sufficient to fill three to four Langstroth frames two months before the packing is applied. If the colonies in the apiary are not of the proper strength it is wise to unite until the proper strength is reached. Any uniting should be done at least two weeks before packing. There is a tendency in some localities for colonies to weaken rapidly in early fall, due to the nature of the honey-flow from fall flowers. To some degree this may be offset by putting on the packing earlier than otherwise would be necessary.

It is highly important that each colony have a vigorous queen in order that brood-rearing may continue in the fall and may proceed rapidly in the spring. With colonies such as are obtained by the methods here described it is not desirable to keep queens more than two years and it is preferable to requeen the entire apiary every season. To get the best results in requeening all young queens should be introduced so that they will begin laying two months before packing. It will be found that queens wear out more rapidly in the unusually strong colonies obtained by the methods of wintering here described, but every good beekeeper realizes that it is these enormous colonies which get the greatest crops.

ARRANGEMENT OF THE APIARY.

WIND PROTECTION.

It is of the greatest importance that the apiary be located where the wind in winter is virtually eliminated. A grove of trees or an adjacent hill usually offers the best protection, or it is possible to make an artificial windbreak such as a high fence. A natural windbreak usually is better, for it is more extensive in most cases. It has been found by the authors that if a wind of 20 miles an hour blows on the winter packing cases for a few hours the temperature of the inside of the packed hive may be greatly reduced and may even fall as low as that of an unpacked hive. Too much reliance should not be placed in buildings as windbreaks, for they often serve simply to divert the wind slightly and may even make conditions worse. A fence made of close boards usually is unsatisfactory for it 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 account 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 , 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 "drifting"--that is, bees from some colonies join other colonies during flight, and the result is an actual reduction of the number of colonies and of bees in 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. Whatever 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 an 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 shrubbery among the hives it is a good plan to have the plants arranged so that they will act as markers for the bees during these early flights . They will not be amiss during the summer, and, if properly placed, they need not interfere with movement through the apiary during the summer's work, while they add to its attractiveness.

INSULATION OF THE HIVE.

AMOUNT OF PACKING NEEDED.

It is impossible to insulate bees too heavily during the winter. It is obvious, however, that the beekeeper will not want to put on more packing than is practically necessary. For a climate such as that of Washington, D. C., it is found desirable to provide 4 inches of packing underneath the hives, 6 inches on all sides, and 8 or more inches on top. In warmer climates less will be needed, but the beekeeper must not think that simply because he lives south of Washington he can be safe with less packing or none at all. There are many places farther south than Washington where more packing is needed, and there are, indeed, few places except along the Gulf or in southern California where less may be used if the best results are to be obtained.

For more northern localities more protection is needed. The amount indicated for Washington has been used with success in places as cold as northern Ohio and even in Canada, but in these places the insulation during the coldest seasons is usually augmented by heavy snows. These are not at hand every winter, or may be lacking during the coldest part of the winter, and it is, therefore, wise to provide more packing, especially on the sides and top. For a climate such as that of New York or Wisconsin, 8 inches of good packing on the sides and 1 foot on the top probably will be enough for good wintering every year. The amounts recommended for the different zones of the United States are given in Table I .

A belief is current among many amateur beekeepers that good results may be obtained by using hives which have 2 inches of packing built in the sides and somewhat more on top. This amount is insufficient in winter in all parts of the country except the southern portions of the Gulf States. A common practice is to wrap some straw or corn fodder around the hives, but this may do more harm than good if the wind can blow directly through it. A covering of roofing paper with perhaps a little paper packing underneath is practically worthless in insulating value.

TYPES OF PACKING MATERIAL.

There is little difference in the insulating value of the various materials which may be obtained easily for the packing of hives in winter. Exaggerated claims have been made by some beekeepers for such materials as broken cork or certain commercial insulating materials, but it is safe to say that there is not 25 per cent difference between the poorest and the best of the available insulating materials, provided, of course, that obviously poor things such as corn fodder and straw be eliminated. Sawdust, fine planer shavings, forest leaves, chaff, broken cork, and such materials may be used, the choice depending chiefly on the availability of the materials. In general it may be stated that the smaller and the more numerous the dead air spaces confined in the packing, the greater will be its efficiency in insulation. If forest leaves are used they must be gathered the year before and stored, as the leaves fall some time after the bees should be packed. If sawdust is used it is best not to pack it down tight, but if forest leaves or planer shavings are employed it is essential that they be packed in closely and that the containers be completely filled. Broken cork, such as is used in the shipping of certain types of grapes, is good and has the advantage that it does not hold moisture as does sawdust. In all cases the packing should be placed in some sort of box which will be rain-proof and thus protect the insulation from rains and snow, for all insulating materials lose part of their efficiency when wet.

BOTTOM PACKING.

There has been considerable discussion among beekeepers as to the value of placing packing material below the bottom boards of the hives. This is usually provided by placing the hives on 2 by 4 inch supports or on racks of 4-inch material. Those who have opposed this have pointed out that "heat rises," overlooking the fact that while warm air attempts to rise, if this is impossible other avenues of escape of warm-air currents may be set up. Furthermore, and more important, they have overlooked the important fact that heat escapes from the hive not only by convection currents but by conduction and radiation as well. In an extensive series of experiments performed by the writers it was found that in hives packed at the top and sides most of the heat escapes through the bottom boards; in fact, this was so noticeable that the packing at the top and sides never served its full purpose so long as heat was escaping rapidly at the bottoms. It may be stated, therefore, that so long as the bottoms are unprotected there is little insulating value in materials piled on the top and sides beyond about 2 inches. This amount is insufficient for most parts of the United States, therefore bottom packing should be considered as absolutely essential wherever bees are packed.

To get the value of bottom packing it is absolutely essential that the entrance be reduced, but it need not be closed. In a long series of temperature readings on hives packed for several winters, the authors were able to keep a temperature of 50? F. on the bottom boards of packed hives directly behind the entrance openings. Those who have condemned bottom packing have labored under the mistaken notion that it is impossible to prevent currents of cold air through the entrance. This is entirely possible if the entrances are adequately reduced. The conclusion to be drawn from the experiments performed is that unless the bottoms of hives are well packed, the beekeeper ought not to imagine that he has packed his hives at all well.

THE PACKING CASE.

There is no virtue in any special type of case, but in all types there are a few points which must be observed. There must be provision for abundant packing on the top, bottom, and sides, the entrances must be small, the case must be rain-proof, and the construction of the case should be such that it may be taken apart and put together easily. The parts of various cases used in one series of apiaries should be interchangeable. The authors have refrained in the past from giving explicit directions for making a winter packing case for fear that some beekeepers might think that there may be peculiar virtue in the case used and recommended by the department . So many beekeepers, however, have written for exact dimensions for making the case used in the apiary of the Bureau of Entomology that it is considered best to give these in this bulletin.

In order that protection adequate for bees in a climate such as that of Washington may be provided, 4 inches of packing below the bottom board, 6 inches on all sides, and at least 8 inches on top are desired. There is advantage in packing several colonies together, in order that they may warm each other and to reduce the cost of the case and the labor of putting it on. The bureau, therefore, has adopted the four-colony type of case which has been much used for years in all parts of the country. In this case, two colonies face east and two west. Provision is made for wintering all colonies in two full-depth hive bodies.

In the following dimensions it is assumed that 13/16-inch tongued-and-grooved lumber is used, that the 10-frame Langstroth hive is in use, and that two hive bodies are employed for each colony, with adequate space above the hive so that, if needed, a third hive body may be put on before time for the removal of the packing. In this packing case the sides overlap the ends. For hives of other sizes the lumber must be cut so as to provide the packing specified in Table I . For zones F and G provision should be made for additional packing by increasing the length of all parts 4 inches, and for zone C a correspondingly smaller case may be made.

Bottom of case 44 Inches by 52 Inches . Sides of case 53-5/8 Inches by 35-5/8 Inches . Ends of case 44 Inches by 35-5/8 Inches . Telescope cover of case 48 Inches by 56 Inches .

If 6-inch boards are used, it is desirable to use 7 boards for the height of the case; if 8-inch boards are used, 5 will be sufficient. In figure 2 only 6 boards, laying 5-1/2 inches, are shown, but in this case no allowance is made for a third hive body in the spring. For the telescoping part of the cover, 4-inch boards are used.

As was pointed out earlier, the hives should rest throughout the summer on the floor of the winter case . The plan of putting them in groups of four, two facing east and two west, has much to commend it during the entire year. The bottom therefore should be made strong enough to stand the weight of four colonies without getting out of shape. Since this weight may be over 1,000 pounds in a good year, it is advised that the cleats on the bottom of the case be of 2 by 4 inch material. The supports of the bottom and the position of the cleats should be arranged so that the weight will not rest too largely on the boards, and the stones or bricks used should be directly under the center of the hives when they are in their summer position. Obviously the hives will be moved to the outer corners of the bottom during the summer to facilitate handling.

The sides of the case should be so constructed that the cleats which hold the boards together will serve to support the overlapping sides on the bottom. This is clearly shown in figure 2. There should also be a central cleat on the sides to prevent warping, for the cases must be rain-proof. If cleats are properly placed as shown in the illustration, they make the equivalent of a halved joint at the corners. The sides may be held in place and together by nails or by any sort of special hook. The entrances for the colonies during winter should be in the ends of the case, as shown. These will be discussed later.

The top of the case may be made to telescope over the sides, as shown in figure 2, or it may be made in any other way desired so that it is adequate to keep the packing absolutely dry throughout the winter. The telescope cover has much to commend it, especially in the case with which the covers may be stored in summer. The top of the wooden cover should be covered with a roofing paper of first quality in order that the protection will last for years. If the telescope type of cover is used, no cleats other than the sides and ends of the telescoping portion will be needed.

A tunnel is also needed through which the bees may pass on warm days and to permit ventilation. This is best made of two boards, one the width of the packing and the other this width loss the extension of the bottom board. In most cases this extension is 2 inches, so the lower board will be 4 inches wide. These are held apart by strips three-eighths of an inch thick. This is the height of the usual hive entrance in winter, and the passage between the boards is therefore the same height as the hive entrance. In order that the tunnel may not get out of alignment, these strips are continued back, as shown in the figure, and these projections extend into the hive entrances at the corners. The arrangement for keeping alignment at the outer edge is discussed under "The entrance" .

SINGLE OR DOUBLE CASES.

For those having only a few colonies, it is not always convenient to build cases for colonies in groups of four. It is not necessary to give dimensions in detail for those having a few colonies, however, for they will usually wish to use whatever they have at hand. It is often possible to arrange a heavy wooden box, such as those used for shipping dry goods , so as to make a winter case for one colony which will answer every purpose. It is, of course, necessary that the salient feature of a good winter case be preserved. If the arrangement of the apiary makes it inconvenient to have the colonies in groups of four throughout the year, it is quite possible to make good cases for two colonies. Anything other than the four-colony case, however, will probably cost more per colony, or if too many colonies are put into larger cases there may be trouble from other causes, as from drifting.

ARRANGEMENT WITHIN THE HIVE.

CAPACITY OF THE WINTER HIVE.

As has been pointed out, bees need room for breeding in the fall and again in the spring. During the winter season there is no brood-rearing in normal colonies which are adequately protected, and room for breeding therefore is not essential during the winter. If the bees are to have room for the proper development of colony strength, however, they should have two hive bodies each of 10-frame Langstroth size by about the beginning of April in most parts of the country, and earlier in the South. In order that it may be unnecessary to open colonies during a period of such unsettled weather as obtains at this season, it is advised that the room for breeding be provided in the fall and left with the bees all winter. To make this a safe procedure, it is necessary to provide more packing than would be necessary if the colony were provided with only enough room for the cluster and winter stores during the winter. It has been found desirable also to leave more stores with the bees than have been left by many beekeepers, and this is additional reason for the giving of more room during the winter.

It is recommended, therefore, that in all parts of the United States colonies of full strength be wintered in two hive-bodies of 10-frame Langstroth size. They should, of course, be provided with abundant protection and the entrances should be reduced.

SPACE ABOVE THE FRAMES.

Formerly it was commonly recommended that corn cobs, or other objects designed for the purpose, be placed above the top bars of the frames, and then that quilts be placed over these. The purpose of these objects, was to lift the quilts so that the bees could pass over the tops of the frames. In former years it was advised that holes be bored through the combs to permit passage from one space to the other. Of late years these things have been abandoned, to a large degree, for it is known now that if bees are packed as they should be they may pass easily at all times to any part of the hive as need arises. It is often stated that bees die of starvation in the hives when there is abundant honey not many inches away from the cluster. This, of course, never happens in colonies that are well packed. In colonies that are adequately protected there is no better plan than simply to leave the regular wooden cover in place and sealed down by the bees. Quilts directly over the frames are a nuisance at any time, and during the winter they are of no value for upward ventilation in well packed colonies and should be used only as a poor makeshift for good packing.

UPWARD VENTILATION.

A common practice has been to remove the hive cover when the bees are packed for winter and to cover the frames with burlap or some such porous material, the object being to allow the escape of any moisture which may be generated within the hive during the winter. Moisture is being generated constantly as the bees consume the honey stores, but if the bees are adequately packed the amount of moisture will be reduced to the minimum. The chief dancer, of course, is from moisture which condenses, and in an adequately packed hive there is no condensation. The temperature never goes low enough for water vapor to condense. Therefore it is obvious that upward ventilation for the escape of moisture is never needed in hives that are packed as they should be. Any beekeeper who has had trouble in the past with condensed moisture in the hives, or with wet packing over the porous tops, may be sure that he has not provided enough packing material.

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