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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Oct. 22, 



and that she sells a large amount of honey each year. The 

 honey is all from white sage, and so of finest quality. The 

 writer has often passed through Modjeska, on his way to San 

 Diego. The region is excellent for bees. But if Mme. Modjeska 

 gets a large crop of honey such seasons as the present and 

 that of 1894, it must come from her honeyed words. 



Claremont, Calif. 



The Preparation of Bees for Winter. 



BY HON. GEO. E. HILTON. 



In most localities the month of September will end the 

 secretion of nectar in the flowers for this season at least. And, 

 as successful wintering depends largely on properly preparing 

 the bees, I shall recommend that preparation at once. 



Perhaps some of them need no attention at all, some will 

 be found with insufficient stores, others may have more than 

 they really need, but in order to learn their condition we must 

 go through our apiaries and examine each colony and make a 

 note of their condition, that if there Is sufficient honey in the 

 yard to winter all or to give each colony not less than 25 or 

 30 pounds, we must equalize by taking from the heavier and 

 exchanging combs with the lighter, thus equalizing them ; but 

 should there not be honey enough in the yard we must feed. 



The above estimate I think will hold good for either out- 

 door or cellar wintering ; it is claimed that bees consume less 

 stores wintered in the cellar than those wintered on the sum- 

 mer stands. This may in a measure be true while they are in 

 the cellar, but it is just as true that they consume more stores 

 during the spring months and changeable weather than those 

 protected in the double-walled hives, making one just ab'iut 

 offset the other. In case I find myself compelled to feed, and 

 I usually prepare for this emergency, I prefer to feed by re- 

 moving combs that have little or no honey in them and replace 

 with combs well filled and capped over in the earlier part of 

 the season. 



In the absence of these my next choice is extracted honey. 

 In the absence of both we must resort to sugar syrup, and 

 while bees winter well on syrup made from pure granulated 

 or confectioner's sugar, I prefer the honey, but, in feeding 

 either, we must resort to some kind of a feeder, especially if 

 the bottoms of our hives are not perfectly tight. 



For winter feeding, or rather feeding for winter, I know 

 of no feeder I like as well as the " Miller feeder :" this is 

 about the size of your comb honey super, and is set upon the 

 hive in the same manner. The bees go directly from the cen- 

 ter of the brood-nest into it, and it is so arranged that the bees 

 cannot get above it or daub themselves with the feed. 



After determining the amount the colony needs, one of 

 these can be set on and the required amount poured in at one 

 feeding, as it will hold 30 pounds of honey or syrup. As my 

 hives all have tight bottoms, I frequently raise the front of 

 the hive two or three inches, and just before dark pour in at 

 the back end of the brood-nest three or four pounds at a time. 

 As this will all be stored in the combs and everything cleaned 

 up before morning, there is no danger of robbing. Should the 

 honey thus fed be very thick, I should thin it with a little hot 

 water, as the bees can handle it much better and faster if it is 

 thin and a little warm. 



In preparing sugar syrup, make it just as it is made for 

 table use, being very careful not to burn it or it will surely kill 

 the bees. Don't put off this feeding until too late, as it is very 

 essential that the bees should have time to thoroughly ripen 

 and cap it over. After your feeding is done remove every- 

 thing of a non-porous character, and place next to the bees 

 something that will allow the moisture to pass off. A piece of 

 woolen blanket, a piece of old but clean carpet, or even a 

 piece of burlap will answer nicely. Then put on a cushion or 

 pillow filled with clean wheat chaff or out straw, and leave 



them thoroughly alone until next spring, and you need have 

 no more fears of their wintering well than of a flock of sheep 

 that are given proper attention. If you winter bees in the 

 cellar, treat them in the same manner, and leave the hive 

 cover off. Put them in the cellar between Nov. 1 and 15, 

 and all be well. — Michigan Parmer. Newaygo Co., Mich. 



Unfinislied Sections — Removing the Honey. 



BY F. A. SNELL. 



At the close of the honey season, when a part or all the 

 bees are run for comb honey, there will be many unfinished 

 combs, or those only partly filled with honey. Some may be 

 capped partly over, while some will be partly filled, but no 

 sealing done. From some cases quite a portion of complete 

 combs may be found, and these should be cleaned of propolis 

 and crated for market. Those not finished may be left in 

 each case until all complete sections from the hives have been 

 removed from the cases and crated to sell. Then with the 

 honey extractor the honey from the unfinished sections may be 

 removed. Two shallow frames of about four or five inches in 

 depth with a bottom, on which the sections may rest, are hung 

 in the revolving basket of the machine. The shallow frames 

 should be about 2K inches in width, and one hung in on 

 either side so the face of the combs may be next to the wire 

 screen. 



A honey-knife, the blade of which is about three inches 

 long, and having a curved handle, is just the thing for this 

 work. The combs to be uncapped are held with the left hand 

 on the frame over the uncapping can, and with the knife the 

 cappings are removed and the section set in the extractor. 

 Four or more can be emptied at one time. These are then 

 placed in a case, cleaned of propolis, and more emptied and 

 placed with the others emptied. When a case is full, it is 

 placed to one side, and so on until all are completed. 



The propolis, if not previously done, should be scraped oft 

 each section before placing in the case. The honey should be 

 strained through a thin-cloth strainer, and placed in the 

 can or barrel. This work should be done as soon after the 

 honey season closes as is convenient, and while the weather is 

 yet warm, for the honey is harder to remove when cool. The 

 bees will also clean up the combs much better when warm. 

 One or two cases of sections can be put on each hive in the 

 yard just before sundown, and will be readily entered and all 

 honey slicked up by the bees, and no excitement occur. 



When cleaned of honey, the cases can be removed from 

 the hives by use of the bee-escapes, or during a cool spell, 

 when no bees are in the cases, and stored in the honey-room, 

 all ready for the next season's use; and when placed on the 

 hives, they will aid in the start in storing surplus. When no 

 extractor is at hand, the unfinished combs will be cleared of 

 honey often by placing them over light colonies, or those short 

 of stores, but it is not certain. The plan given is sure and 

 systematic. Milledgeville, III. 



Cleansing PoUenized Brood-Combs. 



BY F. A. GEMMILL. 



As a rule, nearly all apiarists sooner or later find them- 

 selves supplied with a super-abundance of brood-combs con- 

 taining more or less pollen, the quality or quantity being such 

 that it is not desirable to again return them to the bees. To 

 those who may desire such combs relieved of their contents, I 

 may here stale that I have succeeded to my heart's content, 

 and herewith give the method so that others having the same 

 facilities may follow that practiced by myself. 



The generally adopted plan heretofore used was to first 

 soak the combs in water for a few days, and then throw out 

 the water-soaked pollen by means of the honey-extractor. In 

 order to force the air outof the cells so that the water would 

 find its way to the bottom, the combs were held over some 



