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Reprinted from the Journan or Economic Entomotoey, Vol. 13, No. 1, 1920

PRELIMINARY NOTES ON THE VALUE OF WINTER
PROTECTION FOR BEES!

By J. H. Merrixz, Apiarist, Kansas State Agricultural College and
Experiment Station

That a strong colony of bees will gather more honey than a weak one
is a fact accepted by all experienced beekeepers. However, to gather
more honey, this colony should be strong at the proper time in order
to take the fullest advantage of the honey-flow. The proper time to
have a colony strong is at the beginning of the honey-flow. If it be-
comes strong too early, it consumes stores which the bees have in the
hive; if too late, it cannot assist in gathering the crop for that season.
Whether or not the colony is strong will depend to a large extent upon
how it passed through the winter.

Gates, 1914, gives some very valuable data on the ieriparafine of
the colony of bees throughout the year. Phillips and Demuth, 1914,
give the results of some very careful observations on the temperature
of a colony of bees in winter, and further explain in detail the actions
of such a colony during the winter which are necessary in order to
maintain a proper temperature. Phillips maintains that a bee may
be compared to a storage battery in that it has a certain amount of
energy to spend, after which it dies. He further says that the bee is

1 Contribution No. 48 from the Entomological Laboratory, Kansas State Agricul-
tural College. This paper embodies some of the results obtained in the prosecution
of project No. 126 of the Agricultural Experiment Station.

100 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 13

obliged to resort to muscular activities in order to maintain the proper
hive temperature. A system of winter protection which would mini-
mize this expenditure of energy would result in a strong colony in the
spring.

Phillips and Demuth, 1915 and 1918, give directions for preparing
bees for the winter which will aid very materially in securing a strong
colony of bees at the right time of the year. Although their explana-
tions as to the need of winter protection for bees, and how to secure
this should be satisfactory to all, there still remain a large number of
people who either through mistaken observations of their own, preju-
dice, or on account of giving value to mistaken observations of others,
will persist in refusing to accept even the clearest explanation if it
does not happen to coincide with their preconceived opinions. This
latter class of people are prone to maintain that these explanations
may perhaps be facts, but they apply to some other part of the country
than the one in which they reside. In order to convince them that
these facts apply to their locality as well as to all other localities, and
that these problems apply in every respect to them as much as to other
beekeepers, it is often necessary to conduct additional experiments to
prove further something which has been clearly explained before.

It has been the purpose of this experiment to gather data along the
following points:

First, the comparative value of one-story and two-story hives for
wintering; second, the importance of a windbreak; third, the compara-
tive value of packed and unpacked hives for wintering; fourth, the
amount of stores needed to last a colony until the honey-flow commences;
fifth, the effect of climatic conditions on wintering; sixth, to ascertain
what form of winter protection will insure the strongest colony of bees
at the beginning of the honey-flow.

In order to secure data on these points, experiments have been car-
ried on at the Kansas State Agricultural College since 1917. In the
experiment, two sets of hives are used. One set is placed in an open
exposed situation where it receives no protection at all from the pre-
vailing winds, and the other set is placed in a very dense hedge wind-
break, so that the strength of the wind is very materially broken before
it reaches the hives. In each set there are three colonies of bees corre-
sponding in every way with each other. That is, there is one one-story
hive, one two-story hive, and one packed hive in each set. The
packed hive is in a single packing case, with four inches of leaves be-
neath it, six inches around it, and eight inches on top, used as an insula-
tion. The entrances during the winter months are contracted to one
three-eighths of an inch auger hole. Each one of these six hives rests
on a platform scale, and is not removed from its position throughout

February, ’20] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 101

the year. Daily readings are taken throughout the year of the weights
of the various hives, and all changes in weight recorded each day. In
order to determine the amount of honey that is in each hive, and the
number of bees present, a general weighing of the colonies is made in
the fall on the date that the bees are put into winter quarters. On
the day that the honey-flow starts, another general weighing is made,
to determine the number of bees which have passed through the winter
and results of both the spring and the fall weighing are compared to
secure the data desired. Briefly, the method of weighing is as
follows:

Each colony is weighed early in the morning before any of the bees
emerge. Next the weight of the hives without the frames is ascer-
tained, and the weight-of the frames with honey. From the weight of
the frames of honey is dedieted the weight of the empty frames, giving

- the amount of honey which isin the colony. We then know the weight
of the hive, and also the combined weight of the hive and honey.
This total, when subtracted from the weight of the hive, honey, and
bees, gives the weight of the bees. Precautions are taken in recording
these weights to prevent the bees from filling up with honey, thus mak-
ing, according to the figures, a larger number of bees and smaller
amount of honey than really exists in the hive. The process of weigh-
ing these colonies is rather complicated, usually requiring from three
to four persons a whole day in order to weigh the six colonies in the
experiment.

The number of bees in a pound has been variously estimated, but
for the purpose of this experiment we assume that there are 5,000 bees
in every pound. If this number is adhered to throughout the experi-
ment, it will be as fair to one colony as to another. As stated above,
the weight is recorded each day from each one of these hives through-
out the year. In addition to these, the record of the temperature, the
direction of the wind, and the strength of the wind for each day is also
recorded in order that we may have an opportunity to learn what
effect climatic changes have on the wintering of the bees. These
colonies are brought as nearly as possible up to the same strength in
bees and honey. The queens used in them are all from the same
stock, purchased from a reliable queen breeder, and introduced into
the colonies on the same day. Each colony is requeened during the
month of August in order to insure a yourtg queen to carry on the duty
of the hive. The weighing which is conducted in the spring shows
whether or not there has been an increase in the number of bees during
the winter. It is considered that the form of wintering which produces
the largest number of bees in the hive on the day that the honey-flow
starts is the most successful method of wintering.

102 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 13

40000
32000
24000 b STORY
b STORY

16000 . 7 STORY
8000

©

a
UNPACKED PACKED UNPACKED PACKED
NO WINDSREAK WINDBREAK:

Fig. 1. Showing the number of bees at the beginning of the honey-flow, the
advantage of packed over unpacked hives, and the value of sheltering with a
windbreak.

Taste I. Numper or Bees AND Frames or Broop in Eacu Corony May 4, 1919
Unsheltered—No Windbreak

One-story Two-story Packed
11,718—3 2/3 frames 16,406—3 1/2 frames 36,718—4 1/2 frames
Sheltered—Windbreak -
One-story Two-story Packed
14,063—4 1/2 f frames 20,936—3 3/44 frames 38,594—5 3/4 frames

CoMPARATIVE VALUE OF ONE-STORY AND Two-Story Hives

At first glance it would seem that bees would winter better in a
one-story hive than they would in a two-story hive, since there is less
space to keep warm, and consequently, they would not use as much
energy as they would in a two-story hive. Ifthe winter stores are prop-
erly arranged so that the bees will be in the upper hive body during
the coldest part of the winter, the objection of extra room to be kept
warm is largely overcome. Two of the requirements for good winter-
ing, according to Phillips and Demuth, 1915, are, first, plenty of stores,
and second, plenty of room for brood rearing. A two-story hive suits
these conditions much better than a one-story hive would do.

Table I shows that in the spring the two-story hive in the open had
16,406 bees, while the one-story hive had only 11,718, or a difference
of 5,688 bees. In the windbreak, the two-story hive had 20,936 bees
and the one-story hive had 14,063, or a difference of 6,873 bees. This

February, ’20] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 103

shows not only the superiority of the two-story hive over the one-story,
but also shows that the windbreak made a difference of 1,185 bees.

Tasie II. Comparison Between NumBer oF Bers in Fatt AND SPRING

WEIGHINGS
No Windbreak

1917-18 1918-19
One-StOry vies aise faneducdcis cmunle ga adelale oA wnneaonieheee —332 —3,282
"DWO=SUODY 9) 5 doce cisialecd gucanee atin as vwiahnee nee 2,808 — 469
Packed cicse coce.cicosae sen a ratbauiin ae ans seeds adie eee eileate teas 4,576 22,968

Windbreak
ONE BLORY +65 <irasi-e antala venience y oe Bue ues Rees 2 4,538 313
EWOSSLOEY, sick 629i 4 ioe < seus 4 hbase 4 eee Se aR AES 13,346 5,936
PACK CG ss ois ics asx ahaa. tue men 8% Aho Sc & tole na eanseso ees 15,132 24,844

In 1917, the average daily consumption of honey for the six hives, over a
period of 139 days, was one eighth of a pound.

In 1918, the average daily consumption of honey for the six hives, over a
period of 150 days, was one eighth of a pound.

Table II shows that in the winter of 1917-18, while the one-story
hive in the open lost 332 bees during the winter, the two-story hive
similarly placed gained 2,208 bees. With those bees protected by the
windbreak the two-story hive gained 13,346, while the one-story hive
gained only 4,538. During the winter of 1918-19 the one-story hive
in the open lost 3,282 bees, while the two-story hive only lost 469. In
the windbreak the two-story hive gained 5,936, while the one-story
hive gained only 313.

If the number of bees at the beginning of the honey-flow be a proper
standard, these results plainly indicate the superiority of the two-story
hive. The same factors which make this possible ought to make the
deeper and larger hives superior even to the two-story hive, since the
latter will have plenty of room for stores and ample room for spring
brood rearing without too large a space for the bees to keep warm.

. COMPARATIVE VALUE OF A WINDBREAK

A study of Table I would indicate the value of a windbreak, espe-
cially to colonies which are not otherwise protected. In the case of the
one-story hive, there were 2,345 more bees in the hive protected by a
windbreak than in the unprotected one-story hive. The protected
two-story hive had 4,530 more bees than the unprotected two-story
hive. While the protected packed hive only had 1,776 more bees than
the unprotected packed hive, thus indicating that although a wind-
break is very valuable, yet if it is not possible to provide one the loss
may be partially overcome by using sufficient packing. The figures
shown in Table II also indicate very clearly the value of a windbreak.
In 1917-18 the one-story hive lost 332 bees during the winter, while
the one-story hive in the sheltered position gained 4,538. During the
next winter, the same hives respectively lost 3,282 and gained 313.
The two-story hive shows the value of a windbreak more clearly even

104 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 13

than the one-story, because while the two-story unsheltered hive
gained 2,808 in 1917-18, the sheltered hive gained 13,346. In 1918-

24000 A
U
af Eg
20000 !
t /
/ 7
16000 !
t :
12000 nN
Ax
U \
TF q
/ iy \
8000 } ; \

WZ Te : a

a ~
SS
magne NO WINDBREAK WINDBREAK
1917-18 1918-19 1917-18 1918-19
1 Story
etn tia 2 Stor.
— ~-— Packed

Fig. 2. Showing the gain or loss in the number of bees between the fall and spring
weighings, demonstrating the value of both packing and windbreak.

19 the first hive lost 469 while the second gained 5,936. Judged by
the standard already adopted, the windbreak is shown to be very
valuable as a factor of winter protection.

CompPaRATIVE VALUE oF PackED AND UNnPAcKED HIvES FOR
WINTER
During the winter of 1917-18, the packed hives were insulated with
shavings and excelsior for packing material, but it was not as good as
the forest-tree leaves which were used in 1918-19, and which will be
used in the future.

February, ’20] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 105

Table I shows that the packed hive had 25,000 more bees than the
one-story unpacked hive. This represents about five pounds of bees,
which, at their present market value of around $2 a pound, would
mean about $10. The difference between the number of bees in a
packed hive and in an unpacked one in the sheltered set of hives was
practically the same as in the open.

Table II, which gives the results for 1918-19, shows that the winter
of.1918-19 was harder on the bees than was the preceding winter, and
yet this is the winter in which packed bees wintered the best. In fact,
there is more difference in this unfavorable winter between the packed
and unpacked hives than in the more favorable one. This is shown by
the fact that while the one-story hive in the open lost 3,282 bees, and
the two-story hive 469, the packed hive gained 22,968. Inthe sheltered
hives the one-story hive gained 313 bees, the two-story hive gained 593,

10
N
9 ra
/
8 S
7
Pans /
6 L
7 ‘ 2 ly
’ N\ if fe \
5 f- 7 X \
ve 7 ae a \
ra Ping \
4 aa +7 \
/ “Lo k
3 / 4 .
|p Ni
Zion
\
Y
14
fe]
|

DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY.

Sriiandasocinpii 2 Story
joie cree PORREL

Fig. 3. -A comparison of the amount of stores consumed each month by colonies
in packed hives and the amount consumed by colonies in unpacked hives.

but the packed hive gained 24,844. When judged by the standard of
the number of bees in the hive, packing appears to be the most valuable
factor of wintering, excepting, of course, sufficient stores.

106 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY : [Vol. 13

Tue Amount or Stores NEcressary To Last A Cotony UNTIL THE
BEGINNING OF THE HONEY-FLOW

The amount of stores necessary to last a colony until the honey-flow
begins will depend largely upon the size of the colony, size of the hive,
and upon the amount of protection which it has.

Figure III represents, graphically, the amount of stores consumed
by the bees in each kind of hive throughout the winter. As will be
seen in an examination of this figure, the colonies in the one-story hive
consumed less stores than any of the others, while the colonies in the
packed hives consumed the most. This difference is especially notice-
able during the month of March at which time the stores were being
used for brood rearing. A comparison between Figure I and Figure
III will show a direct relation between the amount of stores consumed
and the number of bees present in-each colony at the beginning of the
honey-flow.

i | A TS

-a_ a oa
SS

w

2| If

V

Ly \

0
-1
-2

DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY.

—_. _-— Unsheltered
Protected by Windbreak

Fig. 4. A comparison of the number of pounds of stores consumed by colonies
that are not sheltered with the amount consumed by colonies that are sheltered by a
windbreak.

Figure I'V represents a comparison of the amount of honey consumed
by colonies wintered in the open, and those sheltered by a windbreak.
The sheltered colonies consumed less during December, January, and
February, but during March they used more than the unprotected
colonies. During April they used less stores, or rather did not lose as
much in weight, owing to the fact that brood rearing had continued
for some time, and since it was greater in the sheltered colonies, the
presence of the new bees, and what honey could be gathered at that
time account for the fact that they gained weight during that month.

February, ’20] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 107

A study of this figure will show that during the months of December,
January, and February, when stores were being consumed only to
maintain the life of the bees that were already in the hive, those which
were in sheltered positions did not consume as much honey as those in
the open. However, during the month of March they consumed so
much more honey than did the other colonies that the total amount
consumed was about equal in both cases, the difference being that the
colonies in the sheltered positions consumed their greater amount of
stores for the purpose of brood rearing. Had weights been taken only
at the beginning and end of these periods, the fact that the unshel-
tered hives consumed more at one time than the sheltered, and less at
another, would not have been noticed.

Taste III. Monrsaiy Caaner in WEIGHTS

In the upper column for each month are placed those colonies protected by a wind-
break and in the lower those not protected. Unless otherwise stated, the figures
given represent a loss in pounds of weight.

One-story Two-story Packed hive
December, 1918, to January, 1919 ;
2 6/8 3 2/8 3 4/8
3 2/8 3 42/8
January, 1919, to February, 1919
3 5/8 5 1/8 5 4/8
46/8 5 2/8 81/8
February, 1919, to March, 1919
41/8 3 4/8 5 4/8
37/8 3 3/8 43/8
March, 1919, to April, 1919
6 2/8 5 5/8 10 7/8
43/8 6 5/8 9 2/8
April, 1919, to May, 1919
4/8 gain 1/8 gain 41/8
2 5/8 2 5/8 11 5/8
Total for 151 days
16 2/8 17 3/8 24 4/8
18 7/8 20 7/8 . 37 5/8
Average Daily Consumption
1.6 oz. 1.8 oz. 2.6 oz.
2. 0%. 2.2 oz. 3.9 oz.

Table III shows that the total amount of stores consumed for a
period of 151 days was less for the one-story hive in the open, being
16 2/8 pounds, and greatest for the packed hive in the sheltered posi-
tion. Reference to Figure I will show that the number of bees in
the spring is proportional to the amount of stores consumed. The
one-story unpacked hive lost 3,282 between fall and spring, while the
packed hive gained 24,844. The difference between the sheltered and
unsheltered colonies, as regards daily consumption, was 4/10 of an
ounce for the one-story hives, 4/10 of an ounce for the two-story hives,
and 1 3/10 ounces for the packed hives. It has been shown that less
honey will be required to winter bees in a one-story hive than in either
the two-story or packed hive; that less will be required in a two-story

108 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 13

hive than in the packed hive, and in each case less stores will be con-
sumed where the bees are not protected by a windbreak than would be
the case if they are protected, but the number of bees in the colony at
the beginning of the honey-flow is directly proportionate to the amount
of stores consumed by that colony during the winter.

Tue Errect or CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ON WINTERING

One of the arguments most commonly made against using winter
protection is that the bees in some particular locality may not need any
winter protection because that locality has such open winters.

24000

PACKED

20000

16000

12000

UNPACKED

PACKED

8000

UNPACKED

4000

0 a
1917 “18 1918°19

Fig. 5. Shows the average gain in number of bees in packed and unpacked hives
during a severe winter with long periods of cold weather and the gain or loss in the
same colonies during an open winter with shorter periods of cold weather.

Figure V represents, graphically, the effects of both a severe winter
and an open winter upon the number of bees to be found in the
colony in the spring. In the winter of 1917-18, which was very
severe, bees were confined to their hives for long periods at a time,
while the winter of 1918-19 was an open winter with no long periods
of cold weather.

Figure V plainly shows which winter was the more favorable for the
successful wintering of bees. During the severe winter of 1917-18,
the one-story hive in the open lost 332, while during the open winter

February, ’20] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 109

of 1918-19 the same hive lost 3,282. During the severe winter, the
two-story unprotected colony gained 2,808, while during the open
winter this same colony lost 469. During the severe winter, the one-
story colony, protected by a windbreak, gained 4,538, while in the open
winter the same colony gained only 313. The two-story hive, protected
by a windbreak, gained 13,346 bees during the severe winter, but only
5,936 during the open winter. However, the effect of climatic condi-
tions is much more noticeable on the unpacked colonies than on the
packed ones. The insulation which is placed around the hives protects
the bees from any sudden changes of weather. If the warm sun beats
upon unpacked colonies it soon causes a considerable rise in tempera-
ture within the hive. However, with a well insulated colony this would
not be the case. Although the unpacked hives did not do as well dur-
ing the open winter as they did during the severe'winter, yet the packed
hives did even better, owing to the fact, as explained before, that they
were packed with leaves, which is a better insulating material than
that which was used the previous winter. While one colony in the
open was losing 3,282 bees, the packed hive in the open during this
open winter gained 22,968, but in the windbreak, while the one-story
unpacked hive gained 313, the packed hive gained 24,844.

The figure above, and the data which accompany it, plainly indicates
that a severe winter, with long periods of cold weather, is really much
more favorable than is the open winter with shorter periods of cold
weather.

Form or WINTER Protection WuicH WILL INSURE THE STRONGEST
Cotony or BEES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE Honry-FLow

Reference to the figures given above would show that the two-story
hive has advantages over the one-story hive, and also that probably for
the same reason a large hive would be equally as good, if not better,
than the two-story hive, and also that a well packed colony is greatly
to be desired over an unpacked colony. The difference in the number
of bees in the unpacked and packed hives is sufficiently great to more
than repay the expense which a beekeeper may be put to in providing
sufficient packing. In order to know the amount of stores to leave in
the hive, the beekeeper must take into consideration the type of hive
he is going to use. If it is a one-story to be used with no packing, he
should leave at least 20 pounds of stores, as this would usually carry
the bees through until the beginning of the honey-flow. However, 25
pounds would be a safer amount. If he is going to winter his bees in a
two-story unprotected hive, then he had better leave 25 to 30 pounds,
preferably 30 pounds. If, however, he is going to pack them he should
leave enough stores to last well into the spring, as he will not need to

110 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 13

molest them during the early spring. For this reason he should leave
40 to 50 pounds. While ordinarily they would pass the winter well
on 40 pounds, it would be better to have the 50 pounds in there for
safety.

The value of a windbreak has been clearly shown, and as explained
by Phillips and Demuth, this should consist of a broken windbreak,
such as a hedge, or if a fence must be used, it should be so constructed
that there will be large cracks between the boards. To sum up the
whole thing: a packed hive sheltered from the wind by a good wind-
break, having 45 or 50 pounds of stores, has the best chance of passing
the winter successfully, and will probably contain the largest number
of bees in the spring at the beginning of the honey-flow ready to take
advantage of the same.

SUMMARY

First. Directions have been given in previous publications as to the
method for giving bees winter protection. The purpose of this work
is to secure data showing the necessity of using this winter protection.

Second. Six hives containing a known amount of honey and a
known number of bees were placed on scales, and daily readings taken
of all changes in weight.

Third. Three of these hives were sheltered by a windbreak while
the others were not.

Fourth. Each set of three consisted of one one-story hive, one two-
story hive, and one packed hive.

Fifth. In addition to making daily readings of the changes in
weights, a general weighing was made at the beginning of the honey-
flow in the spring to determine the number of bees in the colonies on
that date.

Sixth. These observations show that the two-story hive is prefer-
able to the one-story hive, and the packed hive is much to be preferred
over the unpacked ‘hive.

Seventh. It was also shown that a windbreak is very essential,
especially to colonies which have no other form of winter protection.

Eighth. The effect of a severe winter was found to be less injurious
to the over-wintering of bees than an open winter.

Ninth. Colonies which are packed for the winter consume more
stores, owing to the fact that more stores are necessary, due to
increased brood rearing.

LITERATURE CITED
Paiuirs, E. F., and Demura, Groras S.
1914. The Temperature of the Honey Bee Cluster in Winter. Bul. No. 93,
U.S. Dept. of Agri.
1915. Outdoor Wintering of Bees. Bul. No. 695, U.S. Dept. of Agri.

February, ’20] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 111

1918. The Preparation of Bees for Outdoor Wintering. Bul. No. 1012, U.S.
Dept. of Agri.
Gatss, B. N.
1914. The Temperature of the Bee Colony. Bul. No. 96, U. 8. Dept. of Agri

April, ’23 MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 125

VALUE OF WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES!

By J. H. Merritt, A piarist, Kansas State Agricultural College
and Experiment Station

ABSTRACT

Previous work is briefly summarized. The data secured during the past four
years are tabulated and show that a wind break made an average difference of 8,600
bees in a one story, unpacked hive, 7,968 in a two story, unpacked hive and 3,539 in
a packed hive, indicating that packing will to a certain extent offset the disadvantage
of a wind break. A packed hive in a wind break shows a decided advantage over
unpacked hives.

The behavior of the honey bee during the winter season has been
carefully studied by Phillips and Demuth? and it is not’ intended to
present in this paper any new facts concerning behavior of bees during
the winter season, but rather to give some specific figures on the results
which beekeepers may expect by applying the facts given by these
authors.

Regardless of how clear an explanation may be of the necessity for
following any line of procedure, if it involves work or expense, there will
always be a large number of people who will claim that either the
practice isnot necessary for their locality, orelse that it is too expensive.

An experiment has been carried on at the Kansas State Agricultural
Experiment Station to secure data on the value of winter protection for
bees. Phillips and Demuth have plainly shown that a colony of bees,
in order to winter successfully, must have: First, a large number of
young bees; second, plenty of good stores well placed; third, pro-
tection from prevailing winds, and fourth, sufficient packing with some
insulating material. Why these are needed is carefully explained, and it
was the purpose of the Kansas experiment to show definitely the value
of applying these principles.

The results of the first three years’ work have been reported? in which
it was explained that two series of hives were used in the experiment,
one set of which was protected by a dense windbreak of shrubbery,
while the other was placed in the open. In each set there were used one

1Contribution No. 83, from the Entomological Laboratory, Kansas State Agri-
cultural College. This paper embodies some of the results obtained in the prosecu-

tion of project No. 126 of the Agricultural Experiment Station.

Phillips, E. F., and Demuth, G. §.—Outdoor Wintering of Bees. U.S. D. A.
Farm. Bul. 695, pp. 12, 1915. ;

Phillips, E. F., and Demuth, G. S.—The Preparation of Bees for Outdoor Winter-
ing. U.S. D. A. Farm. Bul. 1012, pp. 20, 1918.

3Merrill, J. H.—Preliminary Notes on the Value of Winter Protection for Bees.
Journ. Econ. Ento., Vol. 13, No. 1, 1920, pp. 99-111.

Merrill, J. H.—Further Notes on the Value of Winter Protection for Bees. Journ.
Econ. Ento., Vol. 14, No. 1, 1921, pp. 111-114.

126 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY _ [Vol. 16

one-story hive and one two-story hive, all of which were left unpacked.
In addition to these there were in each set a two-story hive placed in a
packing box and insulated with four inches of packing beneath, six
inches’on the side, and eight inches on top. Each colony was requeened
in August with a young queen and all of the queens used each year were
from the same mother. In the two sets of hives—both the packed and
unpacked—it was planned to leave sufficient stores to carry the colonies
through until the honey flow began. In other words, it was attempted
to have conditions in all of the colonies as nearly similar as possible in
the fall of the year.

As a standard of what constituted good Fe ries it was agreed that
those colonies which possessed the greatest number of bees at the be-
ginning of the honey flow were those which had wintered the best.
In the fall of the year, and again in the spring, the number of bees in
each hive was determined by a system of weighing in which a pound
represented 5000 bees.

The results of the first two years’ work with this experiment were
published in the first paper. The results of the third years’ work
appeared in the second paper on this subject. As allof theresults of this
experiment have a similar trend, the data secured from the fourth years’
work, which have not been published, will be averaged with the data
secured from the first three years’ observations.

Table 1 presents an average of the data secured in the four years
during which this experiment was conducted.

TABLE No. 1.— AVERAGE WINTER GAIN or Loss For Four YEARS

No Windbreak Windbreak
Date No. 2 No. 16 No. 4 No. 5 No, 6 No.7
1-story 2-story 2-story 1-story 2-story 2-story
Unpacked Unpacked Packed Unpacked - Unpacked Packed
1917
TOD Bios: cies: cear -332 2,808 4,566 4,538 13,346 15,132
ean aaa ar ea -3,282 469 22,968 313 5,936 24,844
TOTO): cninews cies 625 ~1,250 5,625 10,000 8,125 3,800
1920
1920
VO2 Lier svavnaes § ~-25,358 1,525 * ~8,800 4,029 47,575

or Loss.....-. ~7,087 -109 11,053 1,513
*Hive number four was blown over by the wind during the gear ‘of 1920-1921,

and was eliminated that year,

Where the result indicated is preceded by a minus sign, it signifies
that there were fewer bees in the hive when it was weighed in the spring |
than in the fall. Where the result stated is a positive number, it indi-
cates that there were more bees in that hive in the spring than in the
fall. It will be noticed that during the winter of 1919-1920, neither

April, '23] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 127

hive No. 16 nor hive No. 7 had as many bees as might have been ex-
pected.

Since it was the purpose of this experiment to ascertain the best
methods of wintering, the failure of these two hives should be ex-
plained. The explanation is simple—they both lacked sufficient stores.
On April 19th, the stores in colony No. 7 were practically exhausted.
While this was indeed unfortunate for those individual colonies, it was
fortunate for the experiment as a whole. Colony No. 7 had only an
increase of 3,800 bees; whereas, had it had sufficient stores, the number
might have been about ten times as many. The same condition applies
to colony No. 16. Sufficient stores were left in all of these hives to
amply supply their needs through an ordinary winter and spring. How-
ever, a severe freeze on Easter Sunday killed all of the fruit bloom;
consequently, more honey was needed. An examination of the two
colonies which were deficient in stores showed much less brood than
any of the others, which would indicate that if the stores in a hive were
nearing exhaustion, the daily rate of egg-laying would be materially
lowered. This emphasizes the necessity for leaving plenty of stores.

The most marked results on the value of winter protection were those
obtained during the winter of 1920-1921, which was very mild and open
with frequent opportunities for the bees to take flight. In fact, it was
very similar to winters in those parts of the country where the remark is
often heard that ‘‘there is no need of packing our bees because we have
such mild, open winters.’’ Colony No. 7, which was not only packed
but protected by a windbreak, had 47,575 more bees in the spring than
it had in the fall, while the one-story unpacked hive in the open had
25,358 less bees in the same year, which would seem to answer the above
quoted objection. A study of the results noted in Table II indicates
that a windbreak is of much greater importance than is ordinarily
believed. ~ 7 -

TABLE JI—VALUE OF WINDBREAKS

No. 5 No. 6 No. 7
1-story unpacked 2-story unpacked 2-story packed
Protected by windbreak.............. 1518 7859 *14,592
No. 2 No. 16 No. 4
Unprotected by windbreak........... 7087 -109 *11,053
Advantage of windbreak in
number of bees.......... 00sec eee 8,600 7,968 3,539

*Colony No. 4was blown over by the wind during the winter of 1920-1921 and
was eliminated from the experiment for that year. It was during that year that
colony No. 7 showed the greatest supreiority over unpacked hives; therefore, it
seems reasonable to infer that colony No. 4 would likewise have shown a marked
superiority, but as No. 4 was eliminated by accident, No. 7 should be eliminated
during that year as well, hence, this table shows an average of three years’ work in-
stead of four.

128 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 16

The data recorded in this table show that the one-story hive in the
windbreak had an average advantage over the one-story hive in the
open of 8,600 bees. The two-story, protected hive had 7,968 more
bees, while the packed hive in the windbreak, for a three-year average,
had the advantage of 3,539 bees over the unprotected, packed hive.
When it is not possible to have a windbreak, good: packing will, to a
certain extent, overcome this disadvantage. A dense mass of shrubbery
protected the bees on the north, west, and south sides, while the east
side was protected by a grove of trees. A study of Table III will show
the marked advantage of packed over unpacked hives.

TABLE III.—VALUE OF PACKING

Windbreak No Windbreak

1-story 2-story 1-story 2-story
Packed 50s seveseres se 22,838 22,838 11,053 11,053
Unpacked.......... 1,513 7,859 -7,087 -109
Four year average
difference.......... 21,325 14,979 18,140 11,162

The packed hive in the windbreak had an average of 21,325 more
bees than the one-story hive, and 14,979 more than the two-story hive.
In those hives unprotected by a windbreak, the difference in numbers is
rot quite so marked, yet there is a wide margin, as the packed hive had
an average of 18,140 more bees than the one-story hive, and 11,162
more bees than the two-story hive.

Since there are about 5,000 bees to a pound, and as they are worth
$2.00 a pound at present, it will be seen that beekeepers may incur
considerable expense for packing and still be the gainers. Further-
more, the beekeepers will have the advantage of having these bees in
their own hives at the right time of the year, which might not be the
case if they were obliged to depend on strengthening their colonies with
package bees.

TaBLE IV.—VALUE OF SUFFICIENT ROOM IN THE HIVE

Windbreak No Windbreak
DB COL Ya ina Sees. 4) Alibre d-tueden@ SeoG eval oneal aundbsacs ea 7,859 -109
MESEORYE 8 ih ia! Guise t shadegesd sieve a enna osue acetlky 1513 -7087
Four year foe Difference............. 6,346 6.978

When the one and two-story unpacked hives are compared, it will
be seen that the two-story hive has an average advantage of 6,978 bees.
When the similar hives, protected by a windbreak, are compared, the
two-story hive will be found to have 6,343 more bees than the one-story
hive. This difference is due to the fact that when the two-story hives
are used it is possible to leave more stores, have them better arranged,
and at the same time provide sufficient room for spring brood rearing.
Judging from these facts, it would appear that if these conditions could’

April, '23] MERRILL: WINTER PROTECTION FOR BEES 129

be met in a single hive body which would have the added advantage
of having only one set of combs, the bees ought to winter better even
than in the two-story hives. Some of the larger hives now in use should
meet these requirements.

SUMMARY

1. The purpose of this experiment was to show, by specific figures,
the results obtained by applying the best known methods for wintering
bees.

2. Six hives containing a known amount of honey and a known
number of bees were placed on scales, and daily readings taken of all
changes in weight.

3. Three of these hives were sheltered by a windbreak, while the
others were not.

4. Each set of three consisted of one one-story hive, one two-story
hive, and one packed hive.

5. In addition to making daily readings of the changes in weights, a
general weighing was made at the beginning of the honey flow in the
spring to determine the number of bees in the colonies on that date.

6. It was shown that a two-story hive, unprotected, averaged
6,346 more bees than a one-story hive similarly placed, and that in the
windbreak the two-story hive averaged 6,978 more bees than the one-
story hive.

7. It was shown that the windbreak made an average difference of
8,600 bees in a one-story, unpacked hive, 7,968 in a two-story, un-
packed hive, and 3,539 in a packed hive.

8. Itis indicated that if a windbreak is not available, added packing
will, to a certain extent, offset this disadvantage.

9. It was shown that unless sufficient stores are left in the hive, the
queen will not lay eggs to her fullest capacity.

10. It was shown that the packed hive in the windbreak has an
average advantage of 21,325 more bees than the one-story, unpacked
hive, and 14,979 more bees than the two-story, unpacked hive. Where
there was no windbreak, the packed hive had an average advantage of
18,140 more bees than the one-story, unpacked hive, and 11,162 more
bees than the two-story, unpacked hive.

Mr. GREEN: Something was said in regard to the opportunity to fly
during the winter. Provided they have an abundance of supplies and