Ang. 9, 1906 



American Ttee Journal 



Wintering Bees— Plenty of Well-Ripened 

 Stores the Essential Point 



Br GRANT STANLEY 



IT may seem a little premature to bring up, at this time, the 

 matter of plenty of well-sealed stores for bees in winter. 

 But I believe that just now is the proper time to discuss* 

 it. If we wait until frost has cut off every vestige of bloom it 

 is entirely too late to say much about it, as by this time cool 

 weather is in evidence and robbing will be started with a very 

 small amount of tampering with the bees unless great can- is 

 exercised. It is of as much importance that we look into the 

 question of well-sealed stores for winter somewhat in advance 

 of their needs, as it is for the householder to see that he has 

 sufficient fuel provided for the winter, and as honey is " fuel " 

 to bees during their winter's repose, and as many bee-keepers 

 purchase their fuel with the proceeds from the bees, is it not 

 equally important with our bees ? We would not think much 

 of a man who would not supply fuel somewhat in advanci oi 

 his needs, and yet when it comes to the wintering of our beea 

 the matter takes on an entirely different attitude with too 

 many bee-keepers. It is a poor way of living, either with 

 man or bees, to live "from hand to mouth." 



The fall of the year is the " harvest time " in which all 

 humanity " lay in" for the coming year, and it is just when 

 the bees should have a good portion of what they have strug- 

 gled hard to bring home. It has been the op'inion of the 

 writer that more bees perish from the rigors of winter from 

 an insufficient quantity of well-sealed stores, than from other 

 causes combined, even including .the dreaded diseases of black 

 and foul brood ; and the sulphur pit may also be included. If 

 we will but watch the bee-papers closely each spring, we will 

 be surprised at the vast number of colonies that " go over " 

 on account of a scant supply of stores; and then when we 

 take into consideration that only about one bee-keeper in 

 ten reads the papers in this country, how many hundreds of 

 colonies perish, the reports of which never reach the press. 

 This and other causes have led me to write thus early in an 

 effort to awaken an interest. 



There is a large class of bee-keepers who will not feed 

 their bees in the fall, even if they know they have an insulli- 

 cient supply for the winter, preferring to trust, as some men 

 do in all business, to "luck," and the chances of a moderate 

 winter with occasional days sufficiently warm for inspection. 

 If the. winter in this case turns out severe, and the bees run 

 out of stores and die, it is of course termed " bad luck." Such 

 bee-keepers as this would benefit the industry and themselves 

 far more if they would stay out of it. 



He is also not much of a bee-keeper who will have his 

 bees toil all summer, and then in his greed for gain take 

 honey from them so close in tin- fall that they have an insuffi- 

 cient amount for winter. Hut there is a class of bee-keepers 

 that desire to have their lues so well supplied with stores at 

 the approach of winter that no uneasiness need be felt until 

 warm weather has arrived the following spring — in fait, so 

 well supplied that he need not "jockey " his bees in spring 



with daily applications of syrup to get them up for the h y- 



flow. To tamper with bees early in spring results in far more 

 harm than good. 



I have put a great deal of thought into this subject, as I 

 want my bees to have plenty of well-ripened stores of the 

 same quality I take myself. With the invention of the mod- 

 ern hive, some of them with shallow brood-chambers, < ■> im- 

 pels the bees to store all honey gathered above the frai ox 

 in the sections, and this is jusl where we want it during all 

 the honey-flow ; but if the sections are allowed to rem.: r. 

 the hives until frost, then' is sure to be a small amount of 

 honey stored in the brood-chamber for winter — possibly an 

 inch or two below the top-liars. I use these shallow frames, 

 for I believe they possess many points of merit not found in 

 other frames : but the question of such colonies having 

 of well-sealed stores at the approach of winter, and no d 



them, caused me no small thou ht, as feeding is a mussy job, 

 to make the best of it, and alwa s attended with more or less 

 risk. I would discourage ii as far as possible, especially with 

 the beginner; yet I would far sooner feed the bees than take 

 any chance whatever on the bees not having plenty of stores. 

 But where plenty of stores ran In- secured from the fall bloom, 

 and as this fall honey is dark and not nearly as salable as 

 light honey, yet equally good for wintering. I doubt if it will 

 pay to take such stores from the bees, buy sugar, and take 

 the risk and labor necessary to feed them. 



The fall of 1905 I removed all supers containing sections, 

 just 7 days before the first frost, compelling the bees to store 

 every drop of honey gathered in the brood-chambers, and I 

 was surprised at the results. So, last fall, I removed the 

 supers on the same date, but as we did not have our first frost 

 so early, they certainly gathered a rich "larder." I had 

 nothing to fear or worry about my bees running short of 

 stores, and more than this, they began brood-rearing last 

 spring with a vim that was little short of marvelous. 



Right here let me say, that it is well to remember that 

 bees breed only according to the amount of stores in sight. I 

 did not disturb these bees until warm weather arrived, and 

 when I opened the hives they were fairly boiling over with 

 bees, with new, white wax at the tops of the frames, and 

 plenty of sealed stores in sight. I had sections sealed during 

 apple-bloom the past spring, something I never had before. 



Now, in conclusion, I want to say this : Formerly I had 

 about an inch, or an inch and a half, of honey sealed in the 

 tops of the frames for winter, where last fall the hives, when 

 being raised to estimate their weight, seemed like lifting an 

 immense stone. I suppose each hive contained SO or 60 pounds 

 of honey, all sealed and compactly arranged in the shallow 

 brood-frames. 



By all means, see that your bees have plenty of well- 

 sealed stores at the approach of winter; pack them well with 

 good, porous material, and let them alone until warm 

 weather arrives, and when you open the hives in spring you 

 will readily admit that it pays, and pays well. These colonies 

 will come out ahead in spring, and be ahead all through the 

 season. Nisbet, Pa. 



Moving an Apiary 10 Miles by Wagon 



BY G. W. M'GUIBE 



TO move an entire apiary this distance is quite an under- 

 taking, and the success of the venture largely depends 

 upon care and judgment. Being pushed with other mat- 

 ters, this move was postponed until late. May 13, and 14, 

 the bees were breeding rapidly, and the weather was warm. 



Xow for preparation : A strong spring-wagon was 

 selected of not less than 3,000 pounds capacity, ami across 

 the bed were placed 2x4 scantlings, just far enough apart 

 for the ends of the hive to rest on each piece. Five hives 

 will go in the first row across the wagon, and there will 

 be 5 rows. Xow, these are fastened on with strong rope 

 run around this rigging and securely tied to the wagon. 



Then an upper set of scantlings are laid on top of 

 the first row of hives, and upon this is placed a second layer 

 of hives. This is again securelj astened with rope and short 

 pieces of lath tacked vertically at the sides and ends to pre- 

 vent slipping of the hi\ 



As the preparation is fur 50 colonies per load, I want 50 

 notched -ticks to slip over th. frame bottom-bars, cut on a 

 slant to tit the Simplicity In 1 ; and 100 thin strips to tack on 

 top of the frames, 2 to each 1 teach end. Xow the frames 



can't shuffle. Then 1 want 50 screens of wire-cloth cut 2 

 inches larger in width and length, so as to lap up an inch 

 on the sides and ends 1 th' hive. This is to he fastened 

 by nailing a thin strip - ei this into the hive. Many 



bees arc out. It is sunny, and fruit-bloom is at its best. 

 I nail up three sides ind leave the front open until dark, 

 when this i- cautiousl; icked up, and closed. You see the 

 bottom-boards are left off and this screen takes its place. 



I leave the hive- invariably, and don't fasten 



them with nails. I take a small rope and tie around each 

 end of the hive and then draw the rope, each strand, as near 

 together as you can, making them tight. They should kink 

 like a fiddle-string when Hipped with your thumb. You 

 would think they would slip back, but not so. 



Well done, the load of ives 1- read] ; the horses are 



hitched up; a bag of smoker- fuel is thrown on, and the 



