Wintering Bees North And South

Mr. ï. F. Binghatu, of Otsego, this . at the recent annual eonventiou of' ih ¦ North American beo keepers wcicty, raad the following paper on this subject : "Winterinir Beet North and South" is tlie subject which has been assigned to uie, not because I am uia.-ter oí the subieat, but Ihiium' 1 ain not. The tact that I shall not exhaust the subject, but hall say just enough to provoke a kcarty dawmioa and eall everybody out, is the reason I have been selected - probably. Kvery bee keeper and many other intelligent people, are aware that bees have periods of activity and periods of repose, and that white bees are presumably as busy as a beee, they are just the most lazy, idle and vindictive insect known, when out ot employment. When there is nothing to do they do nothing but speculate. They are on the lookout for a nice job. They are very tractable and have a keen eye to business. J?ut while they have tbjs practical turn, and are often pugnacious about it, they never make smokers, nor house apianes, or couiplicated chaff hives, for their own use. In no country or section of tbc world is the flow of nectar continous through all periods of the year ; henee even in the tropics, periods substantially corresponding to winter, exist ; though ia sue'.i :i liuiited degree as to require practically no attention. It is in the northern belt lying between 37 and 47 north latitude that we find winter in its nobler sense - winter wort li consideration as a leading factor in apiculture and cherry cobblers. In New Kngland, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa cellars entirely under ground have given the most uniform and satisfactory results; while in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, etc., surface protectors, such as apiaries and chaff packinj; hare given good results. The latter plan undcr the stimulus of conjplicated and expebsiffl hives, hasreceived much at tention, and while the results have not been uniform they liave been generally satisfactory. In that part of the winter belt of which Kentucky and Tennessee afford fair illustrations, a straw, cotton or wool mat, 12 or 3 iiches tliick, placed upon'the l'rames of BhaRow liives, renders the wintering of bees a matter of certainty ; while in Ala1 ama, MiaamippL etc., no special winter proteotion ta raqiurcd. Though 1 bolieve a cotton secd mat or mat of unginned cotton would be of great valuo on the frames of shallow hives. By shallow hives I mean all the popular frame hives in use. Much more has been said, perhap?, than has been specially interestng, on the subject of protection of bees in wÍQter,yet the matter of external protectiou does not wholly cover the ground of wintering bees in any section. Bees wintered in deep, dark cellars, consume Iess honcy than by any other method. Bees, properly proteeted and allowed to fly when they are so disposed, consume more honey but require little or no spring care, except in removing the combs froin those who bave lostaqueen or t'ailed in the race of accidents to demónstrate their right to survival, when only uie uuesi survive. First. To winter safely there should be a large average coiony of bees. Second. If to be wintered in the open air, properly protected. An average bive should contain 25 Ibs. net of honey in November, lf to this be added an extra 8et ol'cpmbs, or the hive to be wintered is the equivalent of 2 cubic feet, it should contain froto 10 lbs. to 15 lbs. more honey, exclusive of cotnb, pollen, bees and frames. Bees in Kentucky, Tennessee, etc, re quipe fully as much hqney for winter and spring as in Ohio or Michigan, and, exoept in epidemie seasons, suffer about the same ratio of loss froni death and other causalties. The entire loss of an apiary of any considerable size by winter epidemie in any of the southern states, I believe, has never been reported. Winter losses in any section of our country from November until the swarming seasou, will average 15 per cent., and in large apiaries the summer losses will average about the same, except in poor seasons. In poor seasons the average accidents are greatly diminished and the Rummer losses much loss.