

Published Monthly by The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. 



Vol. XIII 



SEPTEMBER, 1903 



No. 9 



WORK FOR SEPTEMBER. 



Next Season's Honey Crop and Its Relation to 

 Manipulations this Month. 



(Arthur C. Miller.) 



IT SEEM.S but yesterday that bees 

 were briiigiuii- in their first pollen 

 of the season from tag alder, and 

 yet today 1 am writing of winter prep- 

 aration, though happily real winter is 

 yet quite distant. 



In few branches of husbandry is it 

 more essential tp be forehanded than 

 in bee-keeping. To secure the great- 

 est degree of success in each and every 

 department of bee culture, it is neces- 

 sary to lay the foundation months in 

 advance. This is an old story but will 

 bear repeating if the questions -and re- 

 poi-ts that find their way into print are 

 any criterion. 



It at first glance seems foolish to 

 expect to influence next spring's crop 

 by any manipulation this Septemlier, 

 and yet it is right now that we must 

 establish the conditions which will 

 make certain the securing of next sea- 

 son's haiwest provided the flowers 

 yield. 



These conditions are big colonies, 

 headed by young queens and supplied 

 "With a superabundance of good stores. 



Mr. Dadant in Revised Langstroth, 

 page ?>28. says: "Some 18 years ago 

 in an apiary away from home where 

 we were raising comb honey we had a 

 number of swarms which in the rush 

 of the honey cron we did not exajnine 

 until their combs wf-re built. At that 

 time the triangular bar was the guide 

 principally u'jed and the combs of 



some of these swarms were joined 

 together in a way that rendered the 

 frames immovable. In the fall we 

 extractetl from the brood chamber of 

 nearly every colony as was then our 

 practice, leaving only seven Quinby 

 frames on an average, for winter. The 

 colonies that had crooked combs were 

 left with all their stores — ten frames 

 —(equal to 13 L frames. A. C. M.) 

 because we could not disturb them 

 without breaking combs and causing 

 leakage and robbing, and it was not 

 tile proper season to transfer them." 

 (Now note carefully the rest of the 

 paragraph.) "These colonies did not 

 have to be fed the following spring; 

 became very strong, and yielded the 

 largest crop. This untried-for result 

 caused us to make further experiments 

 which proved that there is a profit 

 in leaving strong colonies a large 

 qxiantity of honey so that they will 

 not limit their spring breeding." And 

 I would add that there is very little 

 profit in wintering any but big colo- 

 nies. "What would some of the advo- 

 cates of six or seven L frames for 

 winter say to wintering on 13 I. 

 frames?. It is quite easy to say what 

 are the necessary conditions, but it is 

 not so easy to secure them. 



First, eliminate all small colonies 

 by combining them into a few good 

 ones, or by using tliem to re-inforce 

 those already in fnir population. 



Second, supply every colony with a 

 young queen of the best stock in your 

 yard. This matter would better have 

 been better attended to early in Au- 

 gust, though mid September is not too 

 late. 



