142 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



production of a crop of honey; and, with 

 our bees well wintered, we will now 

 suppose that we are about to enter the 

 breeding season. 



SPRING-FEEDING. 



The first step is to contract the 

 entrances to only two inches — even to 

 one-half that with weak colonies. As 

 early as the weather will permit, each 

 colony is examined to see that it has 

 plenty of honey in close proximity to 

 the brood nest. If needed, a comb of 

 honey is given. If there is no honey on 

 hand, the feeding is done as follows: 

 One part granulated sugar and two 

 parts water are agitated until the sugar 

 is dissolved, when one part liquid honey is 

 added. Extracting combs are then filled 

 with this syrup, and one hung each side 

 of the brood nest. A perforated dipper 

 is handy in filling these combs. 



Where bees are unable to gather 

 pollen until late in the spring, it is well 

 to feed them a substitute. We use 

 equal parts of flour and wheat middlings. 

 Today (March 25th) the home apiary 

 carried away 18 pounds of this mixture. 



Many times, too great a quantity of 

 honey is found in some brood nests. 

 Perhaps it has candied and is difficult of 

 removal. Such a condition retards the 

 expansion of the brood nest. In such 

 cases some of the honey should be re- 

 moved and given to any colonies that are 

 lacking in stores, placing the honey at 

 the sides of the brood chamber. This 

 practice ought not to be followed where 

 there is disease in the apiary. 



THE IMPORTANT PART PLAYED BY THE HIVE. 



The hive plays a very important part 

 during the breeding season. In my 40 

 years' experience I have used many 

 styles of hives and frames, with more or 

 less success. Some 16 years ago I 

 adopted the shallow frame and divisible 

 brood chamber as the best for comb 

 honey production. Experience soon 

 taught me that the sectional hive is not 

 only superioi in the production of comb 

 honey, but also in the rearing of brood. 



The bee way between the two sets of 

 frames in the sectional hive provides an 

 easy passage for the bees and queen to 

 reach all parts of the hive without going 

 around cold end bars or several top bars. 

 This is of much value in the early spring. 

 These shallow frames also allow of the 

 use of lighter foundation. One wire may 

 be needed to keep the foundation in the 

 center of the frame — but not more. 



With this hive the capacity of the 

 brood nest can be instantly changed to 

 meet the conditions of each individual 

 colony. During the breeding season a 

 large hive is often necessary to give room 

 for the rearing of a large number of 

 workers; and, again, there may be a 

 colony, occasionally, not even able to 

 fully occupy one section of the brood 

 nest. Usually, a colony is wintered in 

 two sections; which have a capacity 

 equaling a ten-frame Langstroth hive. 

 These two sections are usually large 

 enough for the early part of the breeding 

 season. The upper section is filled with 

 brood first. Then the two sections are 

 transposed, bringing the lower, empty, 

 section at the top. It is surprising to see 

 how soon the queen will now fill those 

 combs with eggs. This expansion of the 

 brood nest upwards is in keeping with the 

 nature of the bees, and produces better 

 results, as the same amount of heat 

 generated by the bees will warm a 

 much larger area above than at the side 

 of the brood nest. 



ENLARGING THE BROOD NEST UPWARDS. 



About the time that fruit bloom opens 

 we give, on top, an additional section 

 having frames filled with foundation. 

 This prevents the colony from becoming 

 crowded with brood and honey, uses this 

 poor grade of honey in comb building, 

 and furnishes a set of new combs over 

 which our sections of honey will be 

 built later. After fruit bloom, if there is 

 considerable honey in the upper section, 

 it is placed at the bottom, and the bees 

 will gradually remove the honey from 

 so near the hive entrance, and distribute 

 it around the brood. The moving of this 



