No. 8. DEIPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 417 



certain way, by all means continue in that way. If you have had 

 no previous experience, find out how others in your neighborhood 

 have succeeded, and follow the example of the successful ones. It 

 is not the severity of cold so much as its long continuance that is 

 hard on bees. A short spell of 40 degrees below zero is not as bad 

 as several months of 30 degrees above. If, in your locality, you are 

 likely to have spells of continued severe weather ©o that the bees 

 cannot fly for two or three months at a time, then the cellar may be 

 the best place for you. If, on the other hand, the winters are 

 somewhat open, a day coming every two or three weeks when bees can 

 fly, even if they are sometimes confined a month or so, then they may 

 be better off on their summer stands. 



PREPARATION FOR WINTERING. 



You may prepare bees for wintering in October, but it is very 

 much better to begin earlier. Some say in August is the right time, 

 and in some cases it may be. If all storing is over in August, and 

 the bees are short of stores for winter, then it may be just as well 

 to feed them in August. In any case it is better not to wait later 

 than some time in September. Bees should have plenty of time to 

 get their stores located to suit them and to have all sealed. If any 

 colony is not strong enough to cover four frames, unite it with 

 another. This uniting should not be left until late. If the bees 

 are to be wintered outdoors, 20 to 30 pounds of honey will be needed, 

 say 4 to 6 frames of sealed honey. For the cellar, 3 or 4 well-filled 

 frames may do. Be sure to have enough. Some colonies may not 

 consume half the amount indicated, but you do not know which 

 colonies they are, and it will not be wasted if they have too much. 

 Just as well have something left over so they can begin the sooner 

 in the surplus apartment as to have them wait to fill up the brood- 

 chamber with white-clover honey before they begin in the supers. 



If colonies are lacking in stores, give frames of sealed honey if 

 you have them. If you do not have them, give granulated sugar 

 and water, equal parts, using a Miller feeder or the crock-and-plate 

 plan. This kind of feeding is better than to give less v.ater 

 with the sugar, for it is more like the thin nectar the bees gather, 

 and there are changes made in it by the bees which they can- 

 not make so easily on the thicker syrup. But they must have 

 plenty of time to evaporate and ripen this food, and if they cannot 

 have it while warm weather yet lasts, say by the middle of Sep- 

 tember, then the thicker syrup should be given. If you should be 

 so unfortunate as not to get them fed in time enough to allow them 

 to seal the syrup, then use candy. (See Syrup and Candy, page 29.) 

 Better take pains, however, not to be late about feeding. As an 

 27—6—1901 



