688 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. 15 



Bee-keepers would do well to encourage 

 and keep our teachers in this work, not alone 

 because it will stimulate a demand for their 

 product, but because it will open up to thou- 

 sands a new world of thought and love for 

 the useful. 



DO BEES MAKE A WINTER NEST? WHY WE 

 * SHOULD FEED EARLY. 



In our issue for Oct. 1, page 588, we stat- 

 ed that the purpose of early feeding is to give 

 the bees a chance to "invert" the syrup to 

 some extent, and at the same time to make 

 a "winter nest;" that if the bees are fed 

 late, instead of having this nest surrounded 

 by sealed stores, the cluster will be formed 

 upon slabs of honey (probably unsealed) ap- 

 proximately an inch thick, which slabs would 

 divide the cluster up into so many vertical 

 separate and distinct clusters of bees — a con- 

 dition that is not in accordance with nature. 



In his comment on this, the editor of the 

 Canadian Bee Journal considers this a rather 

 new doctrine, differing much from the opin- 

 ion that he had hitherto held. Then he adds, 

 "Does Mr. Root know that this is a matter 

 of fact, or is it only theory?" For our broth- 

 er editor's benefit we may state that our con- 

 clusion was arrived at through a series of 

 observations covering some twenty-five 

 years. We have repeatedly opened up the 

 brood-nests of our outdoor- wintered colonies 

 during different m nths of the year, more 

 especially during the last days of feeding, 

 and at the approach of cold weather. We" 

 have observed, time and again, when bees 

 are fed early enough, say the last of Septem- 

 ber, they will form a winter nest of empty 

 cells, said nest surrounded by sealed stores. 

 If this nest be opened during mid-winter, in- 

 dividual bees will be found crowded down 

 into the bottoms of the cells, the evident 

 purpose of which is to make the cluster ef 

 bees one homogeneous mass, separated only 

 by the paper-like midribs of the combs and 

 the cell walls. Place a thin division-board 

 between two clusters of hees, and almost in- 

 variably you will find a hemisphere of bees 

 on each side, showing how the two lots of 

 bees seek to get the advantage of mutual 

 heat. 



If, on the other hand, bees are fed late, the 

 cluster will be formed, but it will be divided 

 up by a series of vertical slabs of stores, ap- 

 proximately one inch thick. As the winter 

 progresses, the stores will be eaten out and 

 the winter nest will be formed. 



No one would deny that bees can winter 

 when placed upon combs filled solid with 

 honey or sugar syrup. We have wintered 

 them that way hundreds of times; but that 

 does not argue that such a condition is ideal. 

 Experience in our case shows that such late- 

 fed bees are handicapped during the fore 

 part of the winter, or until they can form 

 that nest. This consists of a circle of empty 

 cells in each comb, generally toward the 

 front in a Langstroth hive. As the stores 

 are consumed, the cluster works upward, 

 and then gradually backward, always keep- 

 ing as close as possible to the stores. Dur- 



ing the fore part of the winter we shall find 

 this winter nest toward the front of the hive, 

 directly over the entrance. Why this is so, 

 we do not now. During the latter part of 

 the winter we find it toward the back. 



Of course, there are many exceptions to 

 all these cases. We are only stating what 

 we have observed here at Medina and at 

 other yards where we have had the privilege 

 of making an examination during mid-winter. 



We join with editor Hurley in the state- 

 ment that "a frank discussion of the matter 

 can do no harm." And then he generously 

 adds, " If Mr. Root is right we shall be glad 

 to find that we are in error." In the same 

 way, if discussion shows that we are wrong, 

 we shall be equally frank to admit it to Mr. 

 Hurley. The matter is of some importance; 

 because if bees do not form this winter nest, 

 or do not need it, rather, then we can feed 

 as late as we like. 



On the side of theory it would seem clear 

 that a cluster that is practically a homogene- 

 ous mass will winter better than one that is 

 divided up by vertical divisions an inch apart. 

 Besides, honey is a conductor of heat and 

 cold. If the division is made up of sealed 

 honey or sealed syrup these divided clusters 

 necessarily have to keep the honey practic- 

 ally at a temperature of their own bodies. 

 This would necessarily mean a larger con- 

 sumption of stores in order to keep up body 

 heat. Overfeeding in winter is apt to in- 

 duce dysentery; and, while it may not kill 

 the colony, it will so weaken it that it is 

 practically good for nothing for the next 

 summer's flow. 



Our columns are open for this discussion; 

 and if the editor of Gleanings is wrong our 

 readers are cordially invited to straighten 

 him out. 



L,\TE FALL FEEDING; FULL DETAILS ON HOW 

 TO DO THE WORK RAPIDLY AND EASILY. 



If colonies are to be wintered on sugar 

 syrup mainly, the general practice is to feed 

 some time in September, and, as a rule, this 

 is, perhaps, the best time to feed. Still, in 

 many localities in central United States, there 

 is warm weather in October sufficient to start 

 brood-rearing, and much of the stores fed in 

 September may be consumed so that what is 

 left is not sufficient to last until the new hon- 

 ey-flow. For this reason it is often not safe 

 to feed in September and give no further at- 

 tention to the bees. There are other cases 

 when, for one reason or another, feeding 

 may be delayed until cold weather begins: 

 for instance, if one is running a number of 

 outyards it is impossible, without hiring a 

 large force of men, to feed all these yards at 

 once, and by the time the last yard is reach- 

 ed it may be pretty late. 



For this late fall feeding we know of no 

 better feeder than the Miller. This will hold 

 at least 15 lbs. of feed at a time, and it can be 

 quickly put on and taken off without much 

 disturbance to the brood-nest. On the other 

 hand, if the colonies are not quite as strong 

 as they should be, so that some contraction 

 is necessary in the winter any way, it is 



