Part 2

Maintenance of the cellar during the winter 13

Removal of the bees from the cellar 17

Providing breeding room and stores in the spring 19

Measures of success in cellar wintering 20

CELLAR WINTERING VERSUS OUTDOOR WINTERING.

Bees in the more northern parts of the United States for many years have been placed by some of the best beekeepers in cellars or special repositories during the coldest parts of the winter. There has been a growing feeling, however, that if outdoor wintering is practicable, in most cases it gives better results, and there has been a decided change from cellar wintering to outdoor wintering within the past decade. The difficulty seems to be that the methods of cellar wintering practiced have not been satisfactory and it seems probable that if as much attention had been given, to the perfection of the methods of cellar wintering as has been given to an improvement of the methods of outdoor wintering, there would not have been as great a change to the outdoor methods as has taken place.

The placing of bees in a cellar is only another way of putting insulation about the hives, the only difference being that in the cellar all of the hives are protected alike and the protection is placed about the apiary instead of around hives in groups or singly. It follows that the principles which apply to successful outdoor wintering apply equally to the protection of the bees in the cellar. It is urged, therefore, that before attempting to winter bees in the cellar, the beekeeper study the bulletins of the department in which these principles are set forth.

Department Bulletin 93, The Temperature of the Honeybee Cluster In Winter. Farmers' Bulletin 695, Outdoor Wintering of Bees.

WHERE IS CELLAR WINTERING ADVISABLE?

Before deciding whether or not the bees are to be wintered in a cellar, several factors should be considered, the chief of these being (1) the winter climate, (2) the kind of winter stores, and (3) the location of the apiary as regards wind protection.

WINTER CLIMATE.

In any locality where the average temperature of the winter months falls below 25° F. (zone 1) cellar wintering may be practiced with profit, and in localities where the average temperature of these months falls as low as 15° F. (zone 2) cellar wintering is much to be preferred. Figure 1 shows the boundaries of these zones for the United States for the month of January, which may be taken as typical of the winter months. It will be noted that these zones do not follow parallels of latitude. As was pointed out in the bulletin of the department on outdoor wintering, it is quite possible to protect bees in zone 1 sufficiently to winter them outdoors, but if a proper cellar is provided, if conditions within the cellar are correct, and if the stores are good and the colonies are strong, just as good results may be obtained from cellar wintering.

Farmers' Bulletin 1012, Preparation of Bees for Outdoor Wintering.

In zone 1 the average temperature of the outside air during the mouth of January is 25° F., or lower in the more northern parts of the zone. This means that in colonies wintered outdoors the bees are compelled to overcome this degree of cold at all times during the coldest part of the winter. If they are so well packed that the heat which they generate is lost slowly, they are able to generate sufficient heat to make the interior of the hive warm enough to allow them to break their cluster as is necessary. In zone 2, however, the bees will be compelled to generate heat sufficient to overcome the more severe cold of that zone, and this calls for the expenditure by the bees of so much more food and vitality that it is more economical to put them in a good cellar during the months of the most severe cold, and cellar wintering is therefore preferable.

CHARACTER OF WINTER STORES.

In localities where the stores for the bees gathered during the latter part of the summer are not of the first quality, it is safer to winter the bees outdoors. This is a large factor in the placing of the zones shown in figure 1, for it is quite common in the region south of zone 1 for the full honey to be of inferior quality. It is extremely fortunate that in both of the zones shown the stores available in winter are usually of the finest quality. As will be shown later, it is highly important that the beekeeper pay special attention to the character of the stores in the hive at the beginning of the winter, and if they are not as good as they should be, this deficiency should be corrected.

LOCATION AS REGARDS WIND PROTECTION.

In zone 1, if the apiary is so badly located that the winter winds are severe, the beekeeper will do well to winter in a cellar, although, as will be shown later, it is not best to choose such a site for the apiary even during the rest of the year.

ESSENTIALS TO SUCCESS.

As in the case of outdoor wintering, the essentials to success in caring for a normal colony of bees from the end of one season's honey-flow to the beginning of the next lie in providing three things in abundance: (1) Stores of good quality, (2) protection from wind and cold, and (3) room for the rearing of brood at appropriate times. These factors must not be lacking at the right times, and if any one is omitted it may prevent the bees from gathering the crop of the following season. These three factors do not apply equally throughout the period of relative inactivity, but as certainly as any one of them is decreased, just so certainly will the crop of the following year be reduced.

In practicing cellar wintering it is unnecessary to leave so much honey with the bees during the time that they are in the cellar, and it is not necessary during that period to leave room for the rearing of brood. During the coldest part of the winter the bees need especially protection from cold and wind, although enough good stores must be in the hive to keep them through that period in good condition. Probably a large part of the failure of beekeepers in practicing cellar wintering comes from the fact that before and after the bees are in the cellar the important factors of stores and breeding room have not been adequately supplied. Before the bees are put into the cellar they must have room for breeding and stores in abundance, and after they are taken out these two factors must be present in greatly increased abundance.

NECESSITY OF STRONG COLONIES IN THE FALL.

As in the case of wintering outdoors, it is wasteful to attempt to winter weak colonies. It is difficult to set standards of colony strength at this season, but it is unwise to attempt to winter colonies that are not strong enough to have brood sufficient to fill three or four Langstroth frames two months before the first killing frost. 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 before the close of brood-rearing.

It is of the greatest importance that every colony have a good queen in order that brood-rearing may continue in the fall and may then again proceed rapidly in the spring. Usually it is best to requeen at least every two years, but if good wintering is practiced the colonies will come out of winter quarters so strong and will build up so rapidly in the spring that the queens will soon wear out, making it safer to requeen every year. To get the best results from requeening, all young queens should be introduced so that they begin to lay about two months before the first killing frost.

WINTER STORES.

The stores given to the bees from the end of one season to the beginning of the next are of the first importance. It is necessary to consider both the quality and the quantity of these stores.

QUALITY OF STORES.

As has been stated, it is fortunate that in both of the zones where cellar wintering is or might be practiced the natural stores usually are good. Honeys such as those from white and alsike clovers, sweet clover, alfalfa, wild raspberry, buckwheat, and willowherb are fine stores for winter, while honeys from basswood, heartsease (smart-weed), asters, goldenrod, and most of the other fall flowers are less desirable. It is especially important during the period when the bees are in the cellar that the stores shall be of the very finest quality, and it is therefore the practice of many good beekeepers to feed each colony 5 pounds or more of sirup made of granulated sugar Into in the fall, after all brood-rearing has ceased. This insures that the bees will have for their use, during the period of confinement in the cellar, stores which will not bring about the condition known as dysentery. In general it may be stated that honeys from mixed sources and dark honeys, except buckwheat, are to be avoided. Honeydew honeys are highly injurious and in all cases where such stores are present granulated sugar sirup should be fed.