Vol. XVII. 



AUGUST, 1907. 



No. 8. 



SIDE-LIGHT ON SPRING STIMULATION 



ALLEN LATHAM. 



FEW BEE-KEEPERS escape and 

 fewer resist the temptation to 

 practice brood stimulation in 

 spring. Some succeed apparently in 

 their efforts and tell of their success, 

 while many fail and say nothing about 

 their failures. That brood stimula- 

 tion is a matter to be let alone, let 

 severely alone, by the novice is 

 acknowledged by all who are honest 

 in their advice and to their own con- 

 viction. 



I am a frequent sinner in practic- 

 ing what I do not believe in and 

 probably shall fall again and again. 

 There is a fascination in stirring up 

 the bees in early spring by giving 

 warm feed, and frequently the result 

 is for a time most gratifying. When 

 the reverse comes we are inclined to 

 lay the blame on the weather, for- 

 getting that weather is something that 

 the bee-keeper can never ignore. 



Allow me to state a few plain 

 facts and after a few brief comments 

 leave them to the consideration of the 

 readers of The American Bee-Keeper. 



I have on a hill, a mile and a half 

 away, eight colonies in my big chunk- 

 honey hives, somewhat sheltered by 

 buildings and trees yet open to a good 

 supply of air. The locality is fair to 

 good and the fall finds these colonies 

 with their very ample brood-nests — 

 2,700 to 3,200 square inches of comb 

 surface — crowded with honey and 



bees. These colonies are let almost 

 entirely alone, and allowed to run 

 themselves, my work with them being 

 only to replace queens occasionally 

 and to cut out chunk-honey. A col- 

 ony is usually let alone unless there 

 be sign of queen-failure or other mis- 

 hap. 



At home I have numerous colonies 

 with 2,600 square inches of comb 

 surface. The brood-nest in fall is not 

 usually so well filled and the bees are 

 fewer. At home I am constantly 

 looking to the welfare of my bees, 

 contracting entrances when it seems 

 desirable, feeding when food gets 

 short, and practicing spring stimula- 

 tion. Even the entrances, on the oth- 

 er hand, of those colonies on the hill 

 are left unchanged, summer and win- 

 ter, and spring even, they are full 

 size, about 15 square inches, never 

 less than lo when conditions are nor- 

 mal. Those colonies are never molly- 

 coddled, while the home colonies are 

 most carefully nursed. 



It has now for several springs been 

 noted that the colonies on the hill 

 surpass the home colonies all through 

 the spring, being by April 15th what 

 the home colonies are May loth, near- 

 ly a month ahead. 



All through this abnormally cold 

 spring the home bees had access to a 

 pan of warm water, kept warm by a 

 brooder-stove contrivance. They pat- 



