February, ip20 



profitable to put them into winter pack- 

 ing cases after they have been removed 

 from the cellar. When colonies are 

 wintered out of doors in winter pack- 

 ing cases, it is well to leave them pack- 

 ed until late spring. In the northern 

 states double-walled hives are especi- 

 ally advantageous during the spring if 

 bees are wintered in cellars. A loca- 

 tion for the apiary that is well pro- 

 tected against cold winds is also of 

 great importance in spring brood-rear- 

 ing. 



Room for Spring Brood-Rearing — 

 There should be no restriction what- 

 ever in the room for brood-rearing up 

 to the time of putting on the supers, 

 just previous to the honey-flow, for a 

 crowded brood-nest at this time tends 

 to diminsh the number of workers 

 available for the honey-flow as well as 

 to encourage swarming. 



If the space for brood-rearing should 

 be restricted by too much early honey 

 in the brood-chamber, some of the 

 heaviest combs should be removed and 

 empty ones given instead, or an extra 

 brood-chamber containing empty combs 

 may be given. In localities where con- 

 siderable early honey is gathered the 

 brood-chamber may be kept almost 

 free of honey by placing an extracting 

 super over each colony at the begin- 

 ning of such a honey-flow. This super 

 should not be removed until the comb- 

 honey supers are given, for the honey 

 they contain may be needed later in 

 brood-rearing. 



Should the brood-nest be restricted 

 by a small brood-chamber, more room 

 may be given either by removing some 

 frames of brood from the stronger col- 

 onies, exchanging them for empty 

 combs taken from colonies less strong, 

 or adding another brood-chamber filled 

 with empty combs. The former method 

 has the following advantages: (1) 

 After being built up to approximately 

 the same strength, most of the colon- 

 ies will be ready for a given manipu- 

 lation at the same time, thus facilitating 

 the work of the beekeeper. (2) It re- 

 quires a smaller stock of extra brood- 

 chambers and combs, at least previous 

 to the honey-flow. (3) The brood is in 

 a more compact form, which is a very 

 desirable condition in comb-honey pro- 

 duction. (4) When properly done, the 

 total number of young bees reared in a 

 given time is probably considerably 

 greater, owing to the fact that none of 

 the colonies is strong beyond the ca- 

 pacity of the queen, the workers of the 

 entire apiary being so distributed that 

 all the queens are utilized to the best 

 possible advantage. (5) When the 

 honey-flow begins the colonies are 

 ready for the supers without additional 

 labor, such as removing extra brood- 

 chambers, sorting combs of brood, etc. 

 In equalizing colonies combs of emerg- 

 ing brood with the adhering workers, 

 without the queen, are usually drawn 

 from the strongest colonies and given 

 to colonies less strong, but never to very 

 weak colonies. The weakest colonies 

 are left until the last, then built up 

 quickly provided there is time enough 

 to have all the hives well filled with 

 brood. If this is not possible the very 



BETTER FRUIT 



weak colonies can more profitably be 

 used for purposes other than comb- 

 honey production. Another plan of 

 equalizing is that of shaking bees from 

 combs taken from strong colonies at the 

 entrance of colonies less strong. The 

 older bees at once take wing and return 

 to their hives, while the younger bees 

 enter the weaker colony. The operator 

 must, of course, be sure the queen 

 is not on the comb thus shaken. 



Some of the advantages of using a 

 second brood-chamber, thus building 

 up the colonics as individuals, are: (1) 

 The labor required is considerably less, 

 fewer visits being required, so that this 

 method is particularly adapted to out- 

 apiary conditions. (2) It is possible to 

 determine with much greater accuracy 

 which colonies show the most desirable 

 traits for breeding purposes. (3) It can 

 be more safely practiced if brood dis- 

 eases are imminent. 

 The Critical Period in Spring Brood- 

 Rearing. 

 With the single short major honey- 

 flow, which is characteristic of most lo- 

 calities that are suitable for comb-honey 

 production, the entire honey-crop may 

 be gathered and stored by the workers 

 that arc reared within a period of six 

 or eight weeks. Except when the honey- 

 flow is of considerable duration, the 

 eggs that produce the workers that 

 gather the crop are laid before the 

 honey-flow begins, since those that de- 

 velop from eggs laid later are not ready 

 for work until after the close of the 

 honey-flow. On the other hand, the 

 workers that emerge six weeks or more 

 previous to the beginning of the honey- 

 flow will have died of old age or are too 

 old to be of much value during the 

 honey-flow. 



This limits the time of the production 

 of the bees that actually gather and 

 store the honey-crop to a certain defi- 

 nite period, which puts an importance 

 upon brood-rearing during this time far 

 above that of any other period during 

 the year. All the other bees that arc 

 reared during the entire year may be 

 considered by the beekeeper as useful 

 only inasmuch as their labors contrib- 

 ute to the rearing of an enormous quan- 

 tity of brood within this critical period 

 of brood-rearing and to the mainte- 

 nance of the normal strength and the 

 existence of the colony during the re- 

 mainder of the year. 



Colonies that are not strong enough 

 to care for a large amount of brood 

 during this, the most important period 

 of brood-rearing must utilize the honey- 

 flow to build up to maximum strength 

 and are therefore unproductive this 

 season. 



Colonies that are strong enough foi 

 heavy brood-rearing at the beginning 

 of this critical period are frequently 

 rendered unproductive for the season 

 by a cessation or restriction of brood- 

 rearing during this period caused by 

 insuflicient stores or insuflicient room. 

 Such colonies begin the harvest with 

 old, worn-out workers, and usually give 

 poor results. This may explain to some 

 extent the belief among beekeepers that 

 colonies may become strong too early. 

 It is therefore highly important (1) that 



Page 21 



each colony be in a normal condition 

 at a period six or eight weeks previous 

 to the honey-flow, and (2) that brood- 

 rearing be at its maximum for the en- 

 tire period of six or eight weeks during 

 which the brood is reared to produce 

 workers that will be available for the 

 honey-flow. 



To have colonies sufficiently strong 

 in time for the critical period of brood- 

 rearing involves the management of the 

 previous late summer, autumn, winter, 

 and early spring. To keep brood-rear- 

 ing at its maximum during this period 

 requires only the presence of favorable 

 conditions which if not already present 

 are easily supplied by the beekeeper 

 during the short period when the work- 

 ers that gather the honey-crop are 

 reared. 



An abundance of stores in excess of 

 the immediate needs of the colony suf- 

 ficient room in the form of empty work- 

 er-combs for the heaviest possible 

 brood-rearing, and a good queen are the 

 most important factors to insure unre- 

 stricted brood-rearing during this, the 

 most important period in the year's 

 cycle of brood-rearing. It is not suf- 

 ficient to have only enough stores to 

 maintain the colony at this time, since, 

 long before there is actual danger of 

 starvation, brood-rearing is greatly re- 

 duced or even suspended, and some of 

 the immature young are carried out of 

 the hive. Any possible deficiency in 

 either stores or room should be supplied 

 promptly by the beekeeper in advance 

 of the immediate needs of the colonies. 



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WHEN WRITING ADVERTISKKS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



