October, 1912. 



American ^^e Journal 



and lots of it. Here is where the chaff 

 hive pays for itself and e.xtra work. 



If a weak colony is found, go to an 

 extra strong one, take a small frame of 

 brood ready to hatch, and help the small 

 colony. I find this pays if it is done 

 right. The ne.Nt time we go through, 

 we help again if they should need it, 

 and all fair to strong colonies should 

 have brood spread to bring them up ; 

 the spreading frames to contain un- 

 capped honey. 



Before the colonies get any stronger, 

 the clipping of queens should be done. 

 I am a firm believer in clipped queens, 

 at least when one has tall timber 

 around the yard. All colonies are held 

 back from swarming until honey is 

 coming in. To do this all colonies 

 that are strong enough should have an 

 e.xtra upper story in which to rear 

 brood, but queens should be put down 

 or taken away when the honey-tlow 

 starts in earnest, for, as a rule, our 

 honey-tlow is short, and there is not 

 much of a fall flow. It is far better to 

 take the queens away at the beginning 

 of the crop, as eggs laid then will not 

 hatch in time to make workers until 

 the honey- flow is over. 



No colonies are run for extracting 

 without (|ueen-excluding honey-boards, 

 and when all have upper stories on, a 

 frame of brood is put in each one to 

 bait them. In removing queens to stop 

 swarming, I kill all queens that are 2 

 years old, and make nuclei of all the 

 yearlings that I can use for increase; 

 these, by fall, will make good colonies. 

 The extracting is done as the honey 

 comes in, and not left until the flow 

 stops, as a little early fall honey may 

 spoil your white honey in color. I ex- 

 tract it as soon as the honey is ripe, 

 and do not figure on ripening it in a 

 tank, as out-yards are not handy in 

 that way. Honey should be '4 to Yz 

 capped before it is considered ripe 

 enough. The 1 and 5 gallon cans 

 are the best in my market; lU-pound 

 pails are good. All cans are filled 

 while extracting, and marked with date 

 and grade. 



The dark or fall honey is not ex- 

 tracted, as you may need some for win- 

 ter stores, for colonies run for extract- 

 ing are, as a rule, empty in the brood- 

 chamber, and what dark honey is left is 



View Showing Detail Construction of the France Wintek-Cask. 



held over in the frames for feeding the 

 following spring. Dark honey seldom 

 granulates, and makes better food when 

 the bees can fly than the white. Also 

 feeding frames of honey is quickest 

 and best on account of robbing. 



A few words as to nuclei. I build 

 them with the queens that I remove at 

 the start of the honey-flow. Should 

 any need help I give them some brood, 

 as I have plenty to spare when the 

 honey-flow is about over. I rear all 

 my queens from cells started under the 

 swarming impulse, or from a frame of 

 fresh eggs, and keep no small or de- 

 formed cells. A small, inferior queen 

 may cause the loss of the colony, for 

 she dies, as a rule, the following spring, 

 just when she is needed the most. 



As to race of bees, the more Italians 

 the better, but Carniolans are the best 

 to make a strong colony in the spring, 

 when you need bees the most. They 

 are very good honey-gatherers, being 

 large in size and gentle to handle. 



Wisconsin. 



Rules for Winter Protection 



BY FRANK F. FRANCE. 



Not long ago in a Farmers' Institute 

 the question was asked, "How many of 



HoMF. Yarij of N. E. France & Son. Showing 150 Colonies of Bees in Winter-Cases 



you cow owners are dairymen ?" and I 

 have thought many times that this 

 question would apply to us bee-keepers. 

 How many bee-owners are bee-keepers? 



Taking the United States as a whole, 

 how many people who keep bees out of 

 every hundred understand the practical 

 points needed to make a success? The 

 answer, I am afraid, would not be a 

 large figure. 



Since the heavy loss of bees the past 

 winter and spring, the wide-awake bee- 

 keeper will study tbe exact cause of 

 the loss and try to make it right for 

 another such winter. 



The future is a blackboard. You have 

 the chalk. 



Here are a few points by which we 

 go here in the North : First, the colony 

 must be strong in bees ; second, it must ' 

 have a good, young queen ; third, it 

 must have a full supply of honey; 

 fourth, it must have winter protection 

 if in a single-walled hive. 



The best outside winter-case for sin- 

 gle-walled hives I have seen yet is 

 shown in the view of our home-yard of 

 some 150 colonies in winter-cases fixed 

 for winter and early spring. A 2-inch 

 space is left on the sides and ends, and 

 a foot space above the hive inside of 

 the case walls. On top of the hive is 

 placed a small cap of thin lumber, over 

 this a piece of burlap, and then the 

 walls and the top of the hive are packed 

 with oats or clover chaff. The sides, 

 ends and cover are separate pieces, so 

 they can be removed and easily put out 

 of the way for summer. Outside of the 

 double-walled hive, this, I believe, to 

 be one of the best outside cases. 



In wintering bees in the cellar, the 

 temperature must be kept at about 42 

 degrees, with plenty of fresh air. The 

 entrances must be cleaned often of 

 dead bees. We put the bees in the cel- 

 lar about Nov. 25, and take them out, if 

 the weather permits, the first week in 

 April. About April 10, the soft maples 

 begin to bloom, and the bees go wild 

 after the maple pollen and sweets. 

 This is a stimulant, and a great help to 

 brood-rearing. 



Let me mention the few rules again 

 for successful wintering : All colonies 

 must be strong with bees; they must 

 have a young, vigorous queen ; they 

 must have a full supply of honey or 

 honey syrup, and this must be strictly 



