132 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



March 1, 1000. 



NO. 2,— COMB HONEY PRODUCTION. 



Some Preliminaries to tlie Harvest— Wintering-, 

 Breeding-, Etc. 



BY K. C. AIKIN. 



TO obtain strong colonies by the time of the honey-flow 

 is one of the great problems. The time of the flow 



must be known, and all must be planned for that time. 



There are localities where the crop-yielding nectar 

 comes in the late summer or fall, and in such case it is easy 

 to get the colony ready to do good work ; but for an early 

 summer flow from such source as white clover we usually 

 can not get ready too soon. 



One great difficulty in harvesting good crops of honey 

 is to keep the colon3' from wasting strength in swarming. 

 If we could surely control swarming so as to have it come 

 when we wisht, and not till then, we would make a great 

 step forward. The colony that swarms becomes too weak 

 to do much in storing surplus, and the swarm, too, must be 

 hived in a contracted hive to be in shape for good section- 

 work, and even when in a contracted brood-chamber the 

 flow must be fair to very good if we get satisfactory work. 



White clover being the most common source of nectar, 

 we will study principally from a clover standpoint, and 

 choose the latitude of southern Iowa and figure on dates 

 that correspond to that, so those living farther north or 

 south, or if for any other reason the season in the reader's 

 location should be earlier or later, just make the proper 

 allowance. As the clover will advance just about the same' 

 in a given time when once started in spring, so you make 

 your estimates. 



In southern Iowa spring may be expected to begin 

 about March 1, and white clover to mature and be ready to 

 yield nectar about June IS. In southern Missouri the dates 

 would probably be two weeks earlier, and northern Iowa 

 say two weeks later. Seasons vary from year to year, and 

 crops mature fast or slow as the weather conditions may 

 favor or not, yet each one can approximate very closely by 

 a little observation and thought. 



Having reacht the opening of spring the object is to 

 get the colonies to breeding well so as to build up to good 

 strength as soon as possible. If wintered in the cellar there 

 should be hatching bees near March 1, and the same when 

 wintered outdoors if the winter has been an open and warm 

 one. Usually southern Iowa finds a little brood started in 

 the center of the cluster by Jan. 10th or ISth in strong colo- 

 nies, and by the middle of February in all fairly strong 

 ones. Weak colonies that can not get up enough heat must 

 wait till the weather is in their favor. 



Thus it comes about that some colonies are away ahead 

 of others in breeding up in the spring. Much depends upon 

 how the colony goes into winter, whether weak in bees, or 

 with plenty of strong, young bees, or old and feeble, etc. 

 Two colonies may go into winter with an equal number of 

 bees, while if one has many old and but few young, while 

 the other has the reverse, the young colony will outlive the 

 old, and care for more brood in the late winter and early 

 spring. 



Then, too, one colony may have sufficient ventilation 

 to carry off surplus moisture, and the next one be poorly 

 ventilated and become wet, weak and diseased. But what- 

 ever the cause that makes the colonies unequal when they 

 start breeding in late winter or early spring, if they do not 

 get an equal start they can not give equal results. Perhaps 

 three things are in the main to blame for the unequal start, 

 viz.: Going into winter in varied conditions as to age and 

 numbers of bees : variations in ventilation, allowing accu- 

 mulation of moisture, thus affecting the health and life of 

 the bees ; and, third, the dispo.sition and proportion of 

 honey, pollen and empty comb. 



It is desirable and important to have the colony even 

 and in normal condition in the fall and winter, if possible, 

 and if so we may expect much the same in the spring. 

 Should the colony come out at the opening of spring with 

 but a handful of bees, or so few in numbers that they can 

 not get and hold heat to hatch eggs and mature brood, all 

 they can do is simply to wait for warm weather, and when 

 waiting they often pass to the " long wait." I want a col- 

 ony to have hatching bees by the time they begin to forage 

 in early spring, for those young bees remain close to the 

 hive and brood nearly all of the time, and very much help 

 on the breeding work ; but should there not be hatching 

 bees when spring foraging begins, then the death-rate soon 

 leaves the colony in that weak, waiting condition, and, no 

 difference how good the queen, they can not increase. 



BREEDING CONDITIONS. 



As before stated, it is natural for the colony, with suffi- 

 cient strength or number of bees, to begin breeding in Jan- 

 uary, at least early in February. Bees should be hatching 

 by March 1. Spring opening about March 1, and young 

 bees then emerging, the colony is practically safely win- 

 tered. Up to this time honey should be close to the cluster, 

 and in very easy reach of the bees so they can have un- 

 sealed honey in the cluster at all times. After the weather 

 is warm enough so they can almost daily get out from the 

 cluster to uncap and carry in honey, it is not so important 

 that the stores be in so close proximity to the cluster. 



I take it that most locations have early pollen, such as 

 maple and willow, also a little honey, too. That was the 

 condition in the part of south Iowa in which I used to prac- 

 tice, and in such breeding- goes on about as well if the col- 

 ony be let alone, probably better, than if meddled with. 

 They need the encouragement of warmth and a little fresh 

 pollen, and, if dry and warm, breeding can not be much 

 helpt by anything more we can do. 



Should the location not have early pollen, and little or 

 none is in the hive, then artificial pollen, such as flour mixt 

 with bran, or chopt oats, should be placed in easy reach of 

 the bees in the yard, or may be put right into a comb close 

 to the brood. The thing that will encourage rapid breed- 

 ing, if there is sufficient heat, is pollen and unsealed honey, 

 and with these plenty of comb that the queen can freely use. 



As the season advances and the colony begins to have 

 so many hatching bees that the birth-rate is freely gaining 

 on the death-rate, then is the time that one may spread 

 brood if it is done carefully. The first act in that direction 

 is to turn the combs rear end foremost, at least the ones 

 containing brood. The brood-nest is almost invariably 

 sX'axt&A next Vae. entrance. If the combs containing brood 

 be turned front end to the back, keeping them in the same 

 position to each other in other respects, the brood now to 

 the back and the honey to the front — thus arranged the 

 honey will be removed from between the brood and the en- 

 trance, and placed unsealed close around and above the 

 brood, and the comb from which the honey has been emptied 

 will soon be occupied by brood. 



This manner of spreading brood is quite safe — it is 

 really causing the colony to do the spreading, and for stim- 

 ulating breeding it is almost equal to a honey-flow. It also 

 has this merit, that combs will be filled from end to end 

 with brood instead of nearly every comb having the front 

 end with brood and the back with honey. 



Read this again, and think awhile over it — it is a valu- 

 able " kink." Larimer Co., Colo. 



California and Its Vast Honey-Resources. 



BY KAMBI.ER. 



WITH the rains that have fallen so bountifully upon 

 our charming western country there is a markt re- 

 vival of the hopes of our bee-keepers ; and this hope- 

 ful influence must be exerting an influence upon the frater- 

 nity in the far East ; for letters are dropping down upon us 

 making all sorts of inquiries about this country, and just as 

 tho we had never had a drouth. 



It was naturally supposable that Cuba and the other 

 islands that have been thrown open to the enterprise of our 

 people would be the magnet to draw bee-keepers into new 

 and untried fields ; but it seems that, in spite of new do- 

 mains and our dry seasons, California still has a magnetic 

 influence ; and as the aspects in the honey-business are 

 rapidly changing in this State, it is no more than fair that 

 we devote a little time and space to it. 



I believe the boast has been made that California pro- 

 duces the largest honey crop of any State in the Union. I 

 believe I have made some such remarks in the past myself. 



We can estimate quite closelj', perhaps better than 

 almost any other State, as to the annual product. Our 

 honey is shipt over a few transportation lines, and all we 

 have to do is to look into the books of said lines ; and when 

 the grand total figures up to 300 carloads, and in addition 

 to this a large home consumption, perhaps we are justified 

 in our boast for largest production, and may be further 

 pardoned if we sail our hats a little when we reflect upon 

 the long trains of honey that are leaving our State. But 

 this exuberance is all the result of a good season, and we 

 have to use this qualifying term, for we have our poor as 

 well as good seasons. 



During the nine years I have been in Southern Califor- 

 nia, four of them have been total failures in honey-produc- 



