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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



August, 1918 



BEES FOR THE WINTER CLUSTER 



The First Step in Preparing the 



Colonies for "TS^x^ Year's Honey 



Flo'w Should be Taken No'w 



By Belva M. Demuth 



ONE of our 

 favorite 

 amuse- 

 ments at the 

 close of the hon- 

 ey flow is that 

 of checking up 

 the amount ox 

 surplus honey 

 each colony has 

 produced, then figuring how much our crop 

 would have been, if all colonies had done as 

 well as the few best ones. Those who have 

 never indulged in this pastime can have no 

 idea how fascinating it is, for the figures 

 sometimes give a theoretical honey crop that 

 almost staggers the imagination. Long be- 

 fore we were married my husband had an- 

 nually built air castles out of that difference 

 between what the bees actually did and what 

 they might have done. After many years 

 (more than he cares to admit) he says he 

 has greatly profited by the air-castle business, 

 because it has led him to look for the reasons 

 for the difference in yields of colonies in the 

 same apiary, and to correct some of the de- 

 ficiencies which cause a lower yield. 



At the time I came into the firm he was 

 considerably puffed up over his accomplish- 

 ments along two lines, uniformity in the 

 strength of the colonies at the beginning of 

 the honey flow and uniformity in the strain 

 of bees, all, or nearly all, queens being from 

 the same mother and of the same age. How- 

 ever, in spite of this uniformity along these 

 two lines, the yield per colony continued to 

 vary tremendously. 



Of course, we all know that one reason for 

 the difference in yield is that some colonies 

 are thrown out of condition during the hon- 

 ey flow by preparations for swarming, lack 

 of room for storing and ripening the incom- 

 ing nectar, some accident to the queen, or 

 some o;ther cause or combination of causes. 

 We know that beekeepers have made wonder- 

 ful progress along the line of coaxing the 

 bees thru the honey flow, without any loaf- 

 ing. (But that is another story concerning 

 which I hope to say something later.) 



During recent years we have been un- 

 able to requeen systematically or to equal- 

 ize the colonies previous to the honey flow, 

 as was our previous practice. However, we 

 now secure nearly the same degree of uni- 

 formity in the strength of colonies at the 

 beginning of the honey flow as we did by the 

 other more laborious method, and are doing it 

 by the more logical method of removing tho 

 factors that cause the weaklings rather than 

 curing the trouble by equalizing in the 

 spring. We now sometimes think that tlie 

 time is not far distant when beekeepers will 

 be able to attain a uniformity in per-coloiiy 

 output approaching the long-dreamed-of goal 

 of every colony yielding as much as the best 

 ones. 



Critical Periods in Colony Existence 

 and Prosperity. 



There are certain critical periods in brood- 



rearing thruout 

 the year during 

 which any defi- 

 ciency i 11 the 

 needs of the 

 colonies may af- 

 fect tremendous- 

 ly their future 

 prosperity, o r , 

 perhaps, even be 

 the cause of their death. At other times 

 colonies may be short of stores, cramped for 

 room, have inadequate protection against the 

 cold and wind, or even be queenless for a 

 considerable period of time without any real 

 danger to their existence or prosperity. But 

 during these critical periods any deficiency 

 in the needs of the colony which affect brood- 

 rearing adversely, is extremely dangerous. 

 For instance, it is not dangerous to the ex- 

 istence of the colony to have no brood-rearing 

 during a considerable period of time in July 

 or early in August. If this occurs, however, 

 during the latter part of August and early 

 in September in the clover region, the colo- 

 ny is practically worthless for winter. This 

 is one big reason for the great difference in 

 the strength of colonies at the beginning of 

 the honey flow. Only those colonies having 

 no deficiencies in their needs during the 

 various critical periods come up to the honey 

 flow in prime condition. 



These critical periods in colony existence 

 and prosperity are so important that I think 

 the bee journals should, each year, point 

 them out, as they occur in the various parts 

 of the country, for the benefit of those bee- 

 keepers who may not fully realize their im- 

 ])ortance. 

 The Critical Period of August-September. 

 The beekeeper's calendar should begin in 

 August. This is why I am writing this now, 

 for, in the clover region, the first of these 

 critical periods comes some time in Augueit 

 and early September. At this time is laid 

 the first' course in the foundation for next 

 year's honey crop, namely, the production 

 of the bees" that form the winter colony. 

 The worker bees in our hives the fore part 

 of August are not the ones that will form 

 the winter cluster, for most of them will be 

 dead before cold weather. If there is an 

 absolute dearth of nectar, these workers 

 may so save their energy that they will live 

 several months but they cannot, so far as 

 we know, live thru the winter. Therefore, 

 if we are to have colonies composed of bees 

 whose lives can span the broodless period 

 of winter, they must be reared some time 

 after the first of August. 



When there is a dearth of nectar during 

 this period (which is usually the case), 

 brood-rearing is almost entirely suspended 

 in colonies having old queens, even tho they 

 have an abundance of stores, as well as in 

 colonies that do not have an abundance of 

 stores, even tho they may have young queens. 

 With both young queens and an abundance 

 of stores, ' however, a sufficient number 



