Si':i"i'h:Mi!i':u, 101.-^ 



(i I. K A N T N (i S 1 N V, K 



(' V t. 



FROM THFf IELD'OF EXPERTE 



CONVERSATIONS with DOOLITTLE 



Stores for Winter — How Much and How to Know 

 When There Are Enough . 



"Several of my colonies starved last 

 \viiite7- on account of lack of stores, and I 

 do not want such a thing to happen again. 

 Will you tell us in (Meanings how much 

 shoulil be allowed for each colony in Octo- 

 ler, in honey or its equivalent in sugar 

 syiuji, to carry an average colony thru till 

 the llowers bloom in the spring'?'' 



Something depends on what is meant by 

 an average colony; and much more still, 

 whether the colonies are to be wintered 

 h\ the cellar or on the summer stand, or 

 what is termed, ''out-door wintering." For 

 this latter, bees should be allowed not less 

 t'lan twice enough to carry them safely over 

 an ordinary trying winter. Last winter was 

 one of the most trying sort, and it is no 

 Avn;ider tliat many 'iolcnies weit short of 

 stores, where they were at the mercy for 

 days and weeks of from zero to 20 and 

 even ?>0 degrees below. No colony should 

 L-tart in October witli less than 25 pounds 

 of good stores in the northern half of the 

 United States or Canada, as a minimum 

 amount, where the colony is to be left out 

 on the summer stand, no matter how well 

 packed and protected, and 10 pounds wouhl 

 le far preferable. Some of our practical 

 outdoor Avinterers say 50 as the maximun:, 

 but nine winters out of ten, 40 will carry 

 them safely thru till sp'-ing, when, if am 

 are in need, they can be supplied with 

 enough to carry them till fruit bloom. 



For cellar wintering, we have more nearly 

 a uniform temperature, from the time the 

 bees are put in the cellar to the time they 

 are taken out, so that we do not need to 

 vary but little on the amount of stores to 

 meet the variation of temperature outside. 

 With a cellar whose' temperature can be 

 kept during the five months the bees are in 

 it from 42 to 48 degrees, not more than two 

 jiounds will generally be consumed each 

 month or ten pounds in all as an average. 

 To be safe, I always try to make the amount 

 20 to 25 pounds, beginning with October 1 

 and ending with May 15. If I find an oc- 

 casional colony with only 15 pounds, I al- 

 low it to go in the cellar with that amount, 

 lather than to go thru the process of feed- 

 ing, especially where I am short of feed in 

 the fall. But such hives are marked so that 

 as soon as the bees are out of the cellar, all 

 such colonies that are light in stores can be 

 supplied enough to carry them thru till 

 fruit bloom. 



But some one may ask, "How am I to 

 know how much honey any certain colony 

 inay have?" At a convention some years 



ago the following was given out as the right 

 way to ascertain in this matter. "Put into 

 ail empty hive the number of combs used in 

 wintering, and weigh the hive so arranged, 

 when the hives in the apiary are to be 

 weighed, the amount of the other deducted, 

 and, if there was 40 ])ounds left above this 

 dt'diu-tioii, there would be suflicient stores 

 in that lii\e for wintering on the summer 

 stands, and if there was 15 })ouiids, it would 

 do very well for cellar wintering. ' ' But 

 I can hardly put this ])laii out for anyone 

 except those who are willing to look after 

 their bees on the first warm day that the 

 colonies can have a flight. Hives subject 

 to the weather weigh more- than dry hives, 

 colonies differ very much as to size and 

 weight, old combs weigh double that of new 

 combs, combs from a colony that was queen- 

 less for some time during the summer will 

 often contain pollen to one half the amount 

 allowed for cellar wintering, and, for these 

 reasons it would be well to add 10 pounds 

 to the amounts given so as to be on the' safe 

 side. If our bees are in single-wall hives 

 that may be readily handled, take any hive 

 of the same pattern which may have been 

 standing out, and put in it the same number 

 of old empty combs as are in the hives 

 having bees in them and proceed in this 

 way: The hive with old empty combs 

 weighs, say, 20 pounds. Now allow 5 

 pounds for bees and beebread, this making 

 25 pounds. If to be wintered on summer 

 stand, we add 40 pounds as the necessary 

 amount of honey, making 65 pounds as the 

 weight necessary for each . full colony, to 

 ].ut the same in good condition for winter, 

 so far as -stores are concerned. If to be 

 wintered in the cellar, then, instead of 

 the 40, add 25 pounds as the necessary 

 amount of honey, thus making 50 pounds as 

 the weight for a full colony where cellar 

 wintering is practiced. If you are to winter 

 on the summer stands, weigh a few colonies 

 till one is found that weighs the 65 pounds 

 required. Now lift, or ' ' heft ' ' this hive, 

 as we used to say, a few times carefully, 

 till you have a good conception of its 

 Aveigiit, and, if you lose that conception at 

 any time, come back and lift it again. Hav- 

 ing a good idea of this weight, you can now 

 go rapidly over the apiary, lifting each 

 colony just clear of the ground, always 

 taking the same position in this ojjeration, 

 and marking with a small stone each one 

 that is doubtful or light. If there has been 

 a good fall flow of nectar, most of the 

 colonies will be over the 65 pounds in 

 weight, some running to 70 and 75 pounds, 

 and all such require scarcely more than a 

 "taking hold" to determine their satisfac- 

 tory condition. Next weigh each of the 

 doubtful and too light ones, i)!aciiig the 



