40 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Jan. 17. 1901. 



At 12 o'clock the column of mercury stood at 110 degrees 

 and the bees were beginning to cluster a little around the 

 entrances of the chaff-hives, and had formed a cluster of 

 nearly four quarts on the front of each single-walled hive. 

 Xo difference could be seen in the supers of the chaff-hives 

 from their appearance when first opened in the morning. 

 Those on the single-walled hives, however, were compara- 

 tively empty. 



At 1 o'clock the thermometer registered 111 degrees, the 

 highest for the day, and the conditions of the inside of the 

 hives were practically the same as an hour before. There 

 were a few bees above the entrances of the chaff-hives, 

 while the whole front of each of the single-walled hives 

 was covered with bees. The conditions remaiued the same 

 until toward evening, and no more work was done in the 

 sections on the single-walled hives that day, while the bees 

 in the chaff-hives continued to store honey in the surplus 

 cases all the afternoon. 



Altho one experiment will never absolutely prove 

 anything, it would seem that if hives containing bees must 

 stand in the sun. it would be a paying investment to see 

 that they are in some way protected from its direct rays. 



Ingham Co., Mich. 



No. 3— Extracted-Honey Production. 



About Getting Stores in Proper Shape For Good 

 Wintering— Brood in Extracting-Combs 

 a Help at the Beginning of the 

 Flow— Manipulating Extract- 

 ing-Chambers to Discour- 

 age Swarming, Etc. 



BY R. C. iilKIX. 



IN the previous article was discust the size of hive and 

 effect of conditions upon the strength of the colony and 

 swarming. We learned that a larger brood-chamber was 

 necessary for an extracted colony- than for section honey, 

 or. in case the same hive was used, more care and feeding 

 for winterand spring. I showed you that some seasons and 

 localities would change the conditions, and I will further il- 

 lustrate. Suppose the flow closed in June or July, and you 

 have taken off the surplus combs, shutting down to the 

 brood-chamber. If so. and there is a little honey gathered 

 — sufficient to stock the brood-chamber — j-our colony gets 

 in condition for winter ; but if the extracting-combs are 

 left on till all late honey is gathered, then you may still ex- 

 pect the honey to be almost all in the super, //"the colony 

 is strong. A weak colony would store in brood-combs more. 

 Also the size of the brood-chamber makes considerable dif- 

 ference in some things, and as well more or less free com- 

 munication between brood and super. 



Suppose you use an 8-frame hive, and the extracting- 

 combs are all worker : after the main flow is over when you 

 extract, a very good plan is to take one extracting-cham- 

 ber and place it under the brood-chamber. You may ask 

 why under, arguing that if on top it will catch the honey if 

 any comes, and saves lifting the brood-chamber. You are 

 right so far as that applies, but you stop too soon. Place 

 the extra on top after the main flow is over, and if there 

 are enough bees they will occupy the extra, and if the 

 weather is warm and some honey comes in. they will be af- 

 ter putting it into the extra. More than this, if there be a 

 vigorous queen, and especially a young one recently begun 

 laying, together with a light flow and warm weather, not 

 only will the little coming from the fields be stored above, 

 but other previously stored below will be moved up to allow 

 the queen to lay freely. Remember that strength of colony, 

 age of queen, temperature, nectar coming in, etc., intensify 

 or diminish the storing above. 



But here is another trouble with that extra on top in- 

 stead of under: Leave jour colony thus to go into winter, 

 and before, or by early spring, at most, the colony shifts 

 upward into the top chamber. Once the cluster is estab- 

 lisht above, should a siege of cold come on so that the bees 

 can not go downward for honey, your colony would perish 

 by starvation. I know this by actual experience. If the 

 extracting-combs are to be given when the flow is probably 

 over, put them beneath. So arranged, the honey that may 

 be stored later is crowded in close above the brood, and thus 

 the stores are made more instead of less compact. The 

 The good wintering of a colony is very materially aided by 

 a very compact condition of stores, and the stores very close 



to the cluster. In extreme cold there ought to be honey 

 within or very close above the cluster. Placing the extra 

 under gives room for the colony to cluster down as much as 

 they please, and they will move downward only just enough 

 to let the honey in above the brood. 



But what about getting brood in the extra if under ? 

 Well, unless put there very early in the fall it is not likely 

 any brood will be put in it : but if there should be it will be 

 out before winter, and in the spring none will be put there 

 until the colony becomes quite strong. But what if there 

 is some brood in the extracting-combs just before the flow ? 

 It is one of the best things that could happen. Rearrange 

 the hive by putting the brood-chamber again below, then 

 on it a queen-excluder, and the extra with its brood on top. 

 This will cause the colony to occupy the entire hive, and be- 

 ing stretcht so are less likely to get the swarming-fever. 

 That brood — even tho but a little — in the extra, causes the 

 storage of whatever honey comes in from the very start to 

 be put in the extra, thus the queen has the brood-chamber 

 to lay as much as she pleases. As soon as storing has well- 

 nigh filled the extra, lift it and place a fresh chamber be- 

 tween it and the brood, and you continue to get the honey 

 in the extra, leaving the queen full sway below. This will 

 almost extinguish swarming in most seasons. It will also 

 leave the colonj- again without winter stores unless the ex- 

 tra is again put beneath, or a late flow fills up after the ex- 

 tra is off. 



I believe there is no better way to keep extras over win- 

 ter and spring than by this method of placing them under 

 the colony. It makes plenty of room below that the dead 

 may fall away from the cluster: it protects the combs, and 

 it also protects the colony against robber-bees. Of course X 

 am speaking of outdoor wintering ; if bees are cellared 

 they do not need so much room, nor is it so imperative that 

 stores may be in very close proximity to the cluster, tho I 

 am sure that for best results stores should be very compact 

 and close to bees all the time, both indoors and outside. 



This kind of management anticipates only worker-comb 

 in the extracting-chambers, at least in such as are put be- 

 neath the brood-chambers. A drone-comb there in late fall 

 or winter, even in early spring, makes no difference as it 

 would not be used : the time trouble would come would be in 

 the last two or three weeks just before the summer flow. 

 The extras may be put on top when the colony becomes 

 strong enough to desire and use drone-comb, using an ex- 

 cluder between : but the objection to this is that there is so 

 much extra care needed. It would be so much more simple, 

 and a great saving of care and time, if every colony can be 

 left as they are with their two-story hives until the flow is 

 just on, when one job can be made of the entire yard, in re- 

 arranging hives. There is also this in favor of all remain- 

 ing as they are till the flow is on — the operation of making 

 the shift, rearranging and readjusting, so changes the colony 

 that if preparations for swarming have been begun they 

 would be discontinued. Every colony should be inspected 

 to know if swarming is already anticipated, and ceils cut 

 out from those that have been. 



I will add here, parenthetically, that if any queen is 

 failing — and weakly ones will (many of them) be at it about 

 this time — you will discover it. If there has not been 

 enough nectar coming in to encourage to swarming, the 

 colonies that have cells at this time, just at the opening of 

 the earlj- summer flow, are preparing to supersede. If the 

 number of cells built run from two to five or six. it is a 

 strong indication of supersedure, but if the colony is of 

 good strength it will be almost sure to swarm. Remember- 

 ing this. )Ou can well understand that if you have only 

 young and vigorous queens there will be much less swarm- 

 ing. A colonj' having a vigorous queen, stores normal, and 

 room and other conditions to make it comfortable and easj-, 

 will have little tendency to swarm until the season for 

 swarming with its encouraging conditions arrives : but aged 

 or feeble queens may be expected to swarm under quite less 

 favorable conditions, and earlier and later in the season. 



I would not think of producing extracted honej- without 

 queen-excluders — thej- are necessary to confine the queen 

 lest there be brood in the extras when not wanted there. A 

 little brood just before the flow begins — saj- a week or a lit- 

 tle more, that it be all sealed — serves the purpose of drawing 

 the colonj- up to work there, yet does not interfere about 

 extracting. An extra having brood in it when ready to 

 come off for extracting, is much harder to get the bees out 

 of. 



It is well to give special attention to this matter of hav- 

 ing the stores in close, compact shape for winter, especially 

 in outdoor wintering : it makes a colonj- winter more safely, 

 and build up better in spring — more safelj- because stores 



