1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



225 



For extracted honey I would allow ten L. frames 

 all the while, unless the colony were very weak in 

 the spring-, and give room enough above to keep 

 them from swarming. G. M. Doolittle. 



a. I frequently allow the equivalent of 25 L. 

 frames at a time. b. I vary the number of combs 

 according to the strength of the colony, but the 

 same number of bees in a colony will occupy and 

 use more combs during the honey-How than at oth- 

 er times. This applies to extracted honey. 



O. O. Poppleton. 



Seven is my usual number, with eight or ten as 

 an occasional variation or experiment. I do not 

 vary the number after sections are put on. When 

 I winter on four frames, as I often do, I simply add 

 one or two at a time, in the spring, until they have 

 seven. For extracting I would put ten below and 

 eight or nine above. B. E. Hastv. 



I do not use the L. frame, so 1 do not know wheth- 

 er this question was intended for me or not. My 

 frames are nearly the same in capacity as the L. 

 frame. I use eight brood-frames at all times, ex- 

 cept in building up light colonies in the spring by 

 use of the division-board. I practice contraction 

 sometimes during the honey-season, not by remov- 

 ing frames, but by an entirely different and I think 

 a more natural and a better way. 



H. R. BOABDMAN. 



Your question is not precise. I suppose you 

 mean to ask, " What is the largest number of L. 

 frames you allow a colony at any time for brood?" 

 etc. I allow a colony for the brood-chamber, all 

 the L. frames they can till with brood, no more. 

 Ten frames filled with brood is my maximum. 

 Whatever there is over is used for strengthening 

 up weak colonies or forming nuclei. A variation 

 from this rule is " neglect of duty " as far as I am 

 concerned. Chas. F. Muth. 



1 always try to get as many frames as possible 

 filled with brood before the opening of the honey 

 season, and have had 12 frames reasonably well 

 filled by June 30. Most of my hives for comb honey 

 hold only eight frames; and if a colony can do more 

 than fill that number it must help a weaker neigh- 

 bor. For extracted honey I have always allowed 

 ten frames. Sometimes I allow the queen free ac- 

 cess to three or more stories of empty combs, 

 which I have known to result in twenty frames of 

 brood. James A. Green. 



In using the Langstroth frames in the brood- 

 chamber I would never use more than eight, be- 

 cause we do not want the L. brood-chamber larger 

 than that. We have found splendid results to 

 flow from contracting that size of brood-chamber 

 to five L. combs during that part of the season 

 when the bees were storing surplus, and at the 

 time the creation of more bees would not bring 

 them into the surplus harvest as workers. The 

 time to contract or expand a brood-chamber de- 

 pends entirely upon the periods of your honey-flow. 

 I disfavor young bees for wintering; also extreme- 

 ly full colonies for wintering. 



James Heddon. 



Question 113.— If you practice contraction, at what 

 time do you contract I 



This question is answered by 112. 



Mks. L. Harrison. 

 I have never practiced contraction. 



Geo. Grimm. 



I rarely use it except on new swarms, as given in 

 answer to No. 112. G. M. Doolittle. 



On putting on supers. I don't believe so much in 

 contraction as some. C. C. Miller. 



I do, and like it. I contract with a new swarm, 

 in time of honey harvest. A. J. Cook. 



I contract to the number of combs needed in the 

 spring, and give more as needed. I don't contract 

 to secure surplus. Dr. A. B. Mason. 



When they are placed upon their summer stands 

 in spring, or when they commence gathering pol- 

 len and begin brooding. L. C. Root. 



Not until the season is well commenced, and a 

 fair amount of stores secured for winter, and the 

 bees are building new comb. H. R. Boardman. 



Contraction does not seem to me to be suited to 

 the needs of my locality. For comb honey I keep 

 contracted pretty close all the time. 



E. E. Hasty. 



Here we don't practice it. We contract only 

 when a colony is too weak; but this should not hap- 

 pen when one is up to the business. 



P. L. VlALLON. 



I suppose this question refers to the contraction 

 of the brood-nest, which I have practiced but very 

 little, except when preparing bees for winter quar- 

 ters. O. O. Poppleton. 



I contract in the early spring by placing a duck 

 cloth over the lower frames or brood-nest, to facili- 

 tate breeding, leaving a hole for bees to go above 

 for honey. R. Wilkin. 



I contract the brood-chamber in spring only, in 

 order to breed up. Reason, I want large colonies at 

 the beginning of the season, and during the season 

 I don't want to be obliged to feed in the fall. 



Chas. F. Muth. 



I don't practice contraction any further than to 

 put the bees on to one tier of brood-combs, 8 combs. 

 Do that when the bees are strong— that is, when 

 there are bees enough to fill the brood-nest and a 

 case of sections. E. France. 



We are opposed to contraction. Mr. Metelli (see 

 answer to 111) answers for us, " To have colonies for 

 honey in good order for the next spring you have 

 to give them large hives, and to prepare them dur- 

 ing the previous summer." Dadant & Son. 



See my answer to 113. You may rest assured that 

 I practice contraction, and know by experience 

 that it is one, if not the greatest improvement, in 

 modern honey production, whether for comb or ex- 

 tracted honey, but especially for the former. 



James Heddon. 



Always at the time of hiving a swarm ; generally 

 as soon as a colony has swarmed, often before 

 a colony has swarmed at the beginning of a 

 honey-flow. With regard to the last two, and 

 especially the last method, I am not altogether cer- 

 tain as to the advisability of contraction. 



James A. Green. 



Sometimes when boxes are put on, but usually 

 when the queen is removed or artificial swarms 

 made if there are any such. We formerly reduced 

 the number to five, when the queen was taken out, 

 but have since preferred to leave in another. If 

 contracted too much, the quality of box honey suf- 

 fers, and I think there are more pieoe boxes at the 



