TEE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



51 



chambers. I then fed them pretty 

 rapidly for twenty-five days with a 

 thin syrup made of granulated sugar, 

 with one-fourth extracted honey add- 

 ed. By this time all the brood had 

 hatched out and the combs were filled 

 with the syrup and mostly capped 

 over. This feeding caused the queen 

 to do her best, and by the time the 

 fall flow commenced she had her hive 

 full of bees ready to take the crop. I 

 put the escape under the upper brood 

 chamber and after the bees had all 

 gone down, I set the brood chamber 

 containing the filled combs away for 

 winter stores. I again put the exclu- 

 der between the two brood chambers, 

 taking care that the queen was below 

 it. Both colonies were managed 

 alike and at the end of the fall flow I 

 extracted from one 42 and from the 

 other 48 pounds of nice fall honey, 

 an average of 45 pounds each. 



Did this plan pay ? Let's see. Say 

 I fed 50 pounds of sugar (don't believe 

 I fed that much) to each colony. 

 Then 100 pounds of sugar at 5 cents 

 per pound would be $5,00. I got 90 

 pounds of honey which I sold at 12|c. 

 or $11.25. Deduct the $5.00, and I 

 had $6.25 left for my little labor. 

 Deduct from this for the honey mixed 

 with the syrup, and I would still have 

 about $5.00 left me. 



How are the bees doing on sugar 

 stores this winter? Well, the sugar 

 "caked" in the combs, and I feared 

 for a while I would lose my bees, but 

 as the winter has been exceedingly 

 warm the bees are doing well — in fact 

 are in excellent condition. Had I 

 lost them, the fault would not have 

 been with the bees nor the manipula- 

 tion, but in the sugar. Bee-keepers 



need a better grade of sugar — one 

 that will not grain so readily. If 1 

 can get sugar that will not grain, I am 

 going to experiment largely on this 

 matter next season. I hope all whose 

 location is similar to mine, will also 

 experiment on it and report. 



But, says one, "I want increase, and 

 how am I to get it under brother D's 

 ' concentration ' plan ? " This is my 

 fix, too. I am going to get my increase 

 by artificial swarming at the close of 

 the honey flow in the latter part of 

 July. 1 will "concentrate" till the 

 harvest is gathered, and then increase 

 and feed to stimulate brood -rearing. 



Beginners should remember that 

 the proper time to commence prepar- 

 ations for a honey crop is about one 

 year in advance. Thus if 1 want to 

 get a crop of honey in 1892, I should 

 have commenced stimulating my bees 

 not later than last August, or August 

 1st, 1891. The stimulation can be 

 accomplished by seeing that they have 

 plenty of stores. I also should have 

 made absolutely sure that they had 

 plenty of stores to take them through 

 the winter. This being done, they 

 will come out strong and healthy in 

 the spring and will build up ready for 

 the honey flow when it comes. 



Beginners should give due attention 

 to drone comb. I do not allow more 

 than one or two square inches of drone 

 comb to the hive, except my breeding 

 colonies, and what few drones that 

 hatch from this little bit of drone 

 comb, I trap and destroy on their first 

 attempt to fly out. By this means I 

 save the honey they would consume. 



Concord Church, W. Va. 



From five to ten square inches of 

 drone comb is enough for a hive. 



