No. 6. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 515 



method of wintering and the length of the winter? Cellar wintering 

 requires less stores than outdoor wintering since there is a smaller 

 consumption of food necessary to keep up the temperature of the 

 hive, but it requires greater care in keeping up an even temperature 

 of the cellar and is, therefore, more desirable for the experienced and 

 those of leisure. 



Every colony should have from 25 to 50 pounds of good honey or 

 sugar syrup to winter on. A poor grade of honey in the combs had 

 better be extracted, and the colony fed on a 2 to 1 sugar syrup (two 

 pounds of granulated sugar mixed with one pound of water). The 

 amount of protection for out-of-doors wintering depends on the 

 severity of the winter. In the South no protection is needed. For 

 our latitude hives should have double walls packed between with some 

 dry material, planer shavings, leaves or chatf. If the hives are single- 

 walled they should have an extra cover of either wood or several 

 thicknesses of heavy i)aper. An absorbent cushion should be placed 

 over the frames as a means of taking up the moisture coming from 

 the bees. If colonies go into winter with plenty of young bees, plenty 

 of stores, and are fairly protected, they are almost certain to come 

 out strong and in good shape for a crop of surplus honey. 



Kecently there appears to be a tendency of changing from produc- 

 ing comb honey to that of extracted. The question of producing 

 comb honey or extracted depends largely on locality and market. 

 Comb honey brings better prices on the market than does extracted, 

 but the latter is simpler in production. More extracted can be 

 secured from a hive, since the bees are not required to build any 

 comb as the same comb can be used successive times. Again, when 

 there is only a light How they are very slow to go into section supers 

 than into full drawn frames. At present there is an exodus from 

 comb honey to extracted, and those who produce quantities of the 

 former and are successful may be wise by continuing, as the indica- 

 tions are that comb honey will command fancy prices in the near 

 future. At this time there is practically no comb honey on the 

 market. 



The question of controlling swarming during a honey flow, has 

 perhaps received more attention within late years than any other. 

 Formerly, the criterion of success in bee-keeping was the number 

 of swarms; but now it is recognized more as contrary to success. 

 The ideal condition of a colony for producing honey, toward which 

 all progressive bee-keepers aim, is to have the colony "full to over- 

 flowing'' but not overflowing with bees. This condition is difficult to 

 maintain. With the stimulation to brood-rearing in the spring, agi- 

 tated by a flow of nectar, there is a tendency to swarm. Very few 

 succeed in eliminating swarming entirely, but with proper methods 

 and care it may largely be controlled. A system of hive manipu- 

 lation has been brought out within the last year known as the Hand 

 system which is supposed to do away with swarming entirely. It 

 is a method of operating a hive or rather a double hive by which a 

 colony can be made very strong, and by the turning of a switch at 

 the entrance, the working force of bees can be turned into any part 

 of the hive desired, and in this way there is no loss of energy or force 

 in carrying surplus, and the causes which produce swarming are 



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