could not be maintained unless the bees had a

could not be maintained unless the bees had a method ol conserving the heat produced. Bees fly very little when the temperature drops to 57 degrees, and they move about the hive very slowly. At 4! degrees inside the hive, the) form a ball or cluster over the honeycombs. The clustei is hollow and the bodies ol the bees fill several layers of cells irv the comb and between the combs to form i protective shield. A few bees on the inside vibrate theix wings and bodies to produce heat. Amos says the cluster remains in contact with hone) and consumes it slowly during the warmer periods ol winter. The colder the weather, the closer the beet move together to keep warm, _A colony will use only eight to twelve pounds of honey tc keep warm. However, wher they begin to rear young beet to replace those dying off, ii 1b then that honey and poller are needed in large quantities. Raising young begint in January or early February Occasional colonies may havt some young all winter ant this means the temperature ir the cluster is above 85 degreet all the time, says Amos. As bees age and die, the) drop to the bottomboard ol the hive. These dead beet are carried outside and dropped near the entrance on warn days. Large numbers of then at the front of the hive cause alarm to some beekeepers Actually, though, if the deat ones are outside you know the colony had to be alive to carry them1 out. Amos says mos of the dead bees will be fount in front of the hive in lj^jte winter and early spring. He adds, “As old bees die off, the population goes dowr and the strain of keeping the colony warm is greater, or survivors. This depletion ol the cluster continues until brood rearing begins ir earnest when the first poller is available from skunk cabbage and early maples. “It takes about a cell ol pollen and a cell .of honey t< grow a bee to maturity. From egg to adult requires aboul three weeks—possibly a few days more in winter. Wher the young are being reared, workers and nurse bees greatly increase their food consumj tion. The weight of the colon) goes down rapidly. Once brood rearing starts it is necessary for it to continue for the colony to develop normally. “Good colonies should have 40 or more pounds of honey in the fall to carry them through the winter. When foot WBLimmuimimumisM