1887 



{TI.KANl^'UtS 1^ i3EE CLJ/nKlv 



63 



SPBEADING BROOD IN THE SPRING. 



THK UANGBHS AHI8IN(i FUO.M TIIK l'l{ ACTl ( K. 



fHE discussion at the liuliaim|)olis ('(iiivi'iition 

 that intercstPd mo most was that ox-er the 

 above subject. I ached to ventilate some of 

 my own views on the sul).)eet, but could not 

 get the floor -because I am so small in stat- 

 ure, I suppose. If the editor of Gleanings will 

 allow me the floor in this great informal conven- 

 tion of bee-keeiKTS, my thoughts may come in g-ood 

 play, as spring- will not be \-ery long' in approaching'. 

 I take the g'round, that inserting a frame of hon- 

 ey in the center of the brood-nest, to stimulate 

 brood-raising in early spring, is generally unneces- 

 sary, and often injurious. Tt is a reasonable theory, 

 which I think I have proven bj' observation, that 

 the instinct of a good queen is to fill about six L. 

 frames as rapidly as conditions will permit. If she 

 is a poor one, no amount of coaxing will make the 

 matter much better. Now. what are right con- 

 ditions ? They are, a sutticient rjuantity of i)roper 

 stores, either in the hive or coming in, favoral)le 

 weather, and healthy bees enough to take care of 

 the "babies." The place to secure good food and 

 healthy bees is not shade. My experience says that 

 there is scarcely any thing worse for bees in spring 

 than that. A flat, damp site may be perhaps as bad 

 as a shady one; liut it is no worse, sshade is an ex- 

 cellent harbor for dampness, and lor wet, moldy 

 hives and diluted honey. The latter will breed more 

 or less disease. 



Healthfulness is a more important factor than is 

 generally supposed. 1 have known a form of dysen- 

 tery, as it seemed, to cling to a ec.lony in a shade, or a 

 flat, until along in April, and they would dwindle in 

 spite of all the brood and bees 1 might give them. If 

 there is any case w hen one may safely and advantage- 

 ously spread the brood of a colony with from only 

 two to four frames containing brood in each in earlj- 

 spring, it is when the hive sits I'ight out in the sun. 

 Fnhealthy conditions make Ijees puny, and expos- 

 ure and hard work weai' them out. Why should thej- 

 not '; Right here, it appeared to me that those wise 

 heads at Indianapolis foraged all around a point of 

 great importance. Se\'eral objected to spreading 

 brood, because it would so often become chilled in 

 the operation. Have they never thought about the 

 poor bees V While the system may. with care, be 

 sometimes practiced to advantage, I have reached 

 the conclusion that spreading brood is unprofitable, 

 not so much that it is death to the brood, as because 

 it is death to the bees. 



Prof. Cook names, as one advantage of sugar- 

 feeding in early spring, that it largely obviates the 

 necessity of bees going out after water in unfavora- 

 ble weather. Within the hive, the additional labor 

 imposed upon the workers, scanty in numbers or 

 puny in health, by the process of forcing (consum- 

 ing and feeding, and in protecting such (luantities 

 of brood), is wearing upon them. When the.\- must 

 go out on those cold, cloudy days to get water from 

 those irhillitig. mucky pools, many of them become 

 numbed and never return. I have known a colony 

 to lose in numbers very perceptibly in one week's 

 time, under this kind of treatment. Our wet, back- 

 ward seasons arc one of the most unfavorable con- 

 ditions, and forcing rather augments than over- 

 comes the evil. When weather and other essentials 



favor it, the instincts of both bees and gueen are 

 to multiply. 



Hut 1 am inclined to think that, by the time about 

 si.\ frames become well tilled with brood, and well 

 covered with bees, that the case becomes altered. 

 Heyond this number the queen is not nearly so apt 

 to reach out and Hll up the outside frames. Then 

 bees are hatching rapidly, ami the weather has gen- 

 erally become warmer; while one can at the same 

 time insert a frame of honey and have the queen 

 till it with eggs, without making the same draft up- 

 on the energies of the bees, as if there were only 

 enough to cover four frames well instead of six. 



Whatever may be the wisdom and \alne of the 

 above conclusions, I am certain that, if we woiilil 

 practice stimuhition in eai-lj' spring, we ninsl |in> 

 ceed very cautiously, and be sure that conditions 

 are favorable. .)— (lUo. F. Koiiiii \s. '.»;!— (il. 



Mechanicsburg'. 111., Dec. 22, 18v«. 



RED RASPBERRIES AND BLACK BEKfi. 



.MILKWEED HONEY. 



ip LTHOLIGH white clover is indigenous lo i.m- 

 jg^ locality, it is quite a rare thing for lie< .- i" 

 V wiM'k very hard on it. Indeed, in sonic scie 

 *^ sons when it blooms profusely they will not 

 work on it at all. The reason for this <lisi'c- 

 gard of clover is the abundance of a much Ixtier 

 honey-producing plant— the wild red raspberry. 



This section has been timbered largely with hem- 

 lock which has been cut off, leaving a mass of biu.^h 

 ready to catch tire. Almost iinariably after these 

 tracts burn over, the red raspberry springs up. 

 There are hundreds of acres of this plant within 

 range of our bees. Us period of bloom is identical 

 with that of white clover. Hy its color and consis- 

 tency, its honey can not be distinguished from the 

 white clover honey, but it is fai' superior to it in 

 richness and delicacy of flavor. 



Basswood is also quite abumlant here, and we oc- 

 casionally obtain large croi)s of honey from it. lii- 

 less, liowev-er, the weather is just right it yields little 

 or no honey with us. During the last two seasons 

 we have not obtained an ounce of surplus hont'y 

 Irom it. Both these years the weather has lieen 

 cold and rainy while it was in bloom. 



Milkweed furnishes iiuite a large quantity ol hon- 

 ey, blooming just after raspberries, and just before 

 basswood. ^This year my ti2 colonies gathered a little 

 over a ton of its beautiful, thick, amber honey, in si.v 

 or seven days. This makes an average of about H\e 

 pounds per day per colony. 1 have been great l.\- 

 surprised at the complaints of the little appendages 

 which entangle the bees' feet. 1 have watched 

 closely, and have never seen a bee entangled. 



A KEPORT PHOM IJi'iACK BEKS. 



I started last spring with 61 colonies, three of 

 which were very weak, and made no surplus honey, 

 but built up into strong swarms by the time the 

 honey-season was over. This report is. therefore, 

 actually from •')« colonies. I received tillL' lbs. of 

 honey, of which 1213 is comb, the rest extracted 

 About :5.')tHt lbs. of this is li-oin raspberr.v . with per- 

 haps a little white clover mixed with it. about 20()il 

 lbs. from milkweed, and the rest, mid or tidii lbs., from 

 buckwheat, goldenrod, etc. I have 87 colonies pack- 

 ed away in cliall lilvis. all in goo.l condition at the 

 present writing. 



Mv bees are ail lilaeks. I ha\e ne\ er had an\ e.\- 



