1911 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



201 



General Correspondence 



THE PRODUCTION OF COMB HONEY IN 

 THE SOUTH. 



Putting it on a Solid Foundation; How to Keep 

 up the Strength of Colonies in Localities Hav- 

 ing Intermittent Honey-flows, and, at the Same 

 Time, Eliminate all Unprofitable Queens; a Val- 

 uable Article. 



BY J. J. WILDER. 



In the South we have a nearly continuous 

 honey-flow in early spring, and in most sec- 

 tions we have other honey-flows coming on 

 afterward with perhaps a itew days or weeks 

 intervening; but in some sections the main 

 honey-harvest comes on after the spring 

 flow, during which the bees may store only 

 a small amount of surplus. Now, to prepare 

 the bees for the first honey flow is not an 

 easy thing, especially in the production of 

 comb honey. In the production of extract- 

 ed honey the bees usually have plenty of 

 empty combs to occupy in brood-rearing, 

 and to store honey in during the early hon- 

 ey-flows, but not so in the production of 

 comb honey, for usually we have a smaller 

 amount of comb. This necessitates more 

 manipulation in oTder to have the bees in 

 the best possible condition for each ap- 

 proaching honey-flow. During winter and 

 very early spring the bees eat away their 

 stores from the center of their brood-nest, 

 leaving conditions ideal for the spreading of 

 brood as soon as the supply of pollen is 

 ready, and, later, a little nectar. In a way, 

 the bees prepare themselves for the first hon- 

 ey-flow; but what about the flows that are 

 to come later? In the production of comb 

 honey, a queen usually slows up on egg-lay- 

 ing, and the bees, following close in behind 

 her, fill the comb with honey, and seal it. 

 By the time the flow is well off, there may 

 be only a small amount of brood in the cen- 

 tral combs, and the honey sealed right up 

 to the brood. There may be just enough 

 nectar coming in to keep the bees living in 

 a " hand-to-mouth " manner, leaving a con- 

 dition any thing but ideal for the next ap- 

 proaching honey-flow. If such is the case 

 they will not have enough bees to harvest 

 it, for the vitality of the field force is at a 

 low ebb at this time, and no young blood 

 is coming on to take their place. 



What are we to do to relieve such condi- 

 tion, and harvest crops of honey along 

 through the season? Right here is where 

 the honey-extractor comes in play in the 

 production of comb honey. Indeed, it is in- 

 dispensable. As soon as the first or spring 

 honey-flow is over, the surplus comb honey 

 should be removed and cased, and the bees 

 prepared for the next approaching honey- 

 flow by extracting the honey from the two 

 outside combs, ■ and spreading |the''others. 



The two outside combs that were extracted 

 should be inserted in the middle of the 

 brood-nest. This will lead the queen out 

 and start brood rearing. 



If the time for the next honey-flow is 

 drawing near, close watch should be kept on 

 those combs inserted; and as soon as the 

 queens occupy them well, extract the honey: 

 from two more combs, and again spread the 

 brood nest and insert the extracted combs 

 in the center of the brood nest as before. 

 All colonies should be treated in this way. 



Within a very few days of the expected 

 honey-flow, all colonies that need it should 

 be thus treated once more; and if there is 

 considerable time intervening between the 

 first and second honey-flows, the time be- 

 tween the second and third extracting 

 should be lengthened out according to the 

 length of time. Of course, the longer the 

 time, the less extracting will be necessary, 

 as the bees will consume the honey, and 

 thus give the queens room, unless there is 

 some nectar coming in. 



This method of extracting and spreading 

 the brood should be followed before each 

 honey-flow until the last one, and then let 

 the bees fill up for winter. 



Now, this plan of extracting from the 

 brood-chamber is not advisable where there 

 is only one honey-flow coming in early 

 spring; but this is not often the case in the 

 South. 



It might be said there would be danger of 

 extracting too heavily, and a lot of bees be 

 lost by starvation if such a method were 

 adopted. Far from it. I have adopted this 

 method, and have never had a failure nor 

 had to feed my bees to prevent starvation. 



When it coihes to the question of winter- 

 ing bees I had rather risk my chances on a 

 colony that has been kept full of young 

 bees the entire season than one that made a 

 good start in the spring and lagged the rest 

 of the season. 



Now, of course a few colonies may fail un- 

 der such severe treatment — colonies that 

 have old and failing queens which can not 

 again properly supply their hives with eggs. 

 Right here is another very good feature 

 of this plan. It gives the apiarist chance 

 to test his queens at a time when it is most 

 convenient for him to requeen, and to raise 

 the best queens for this purpose. An old 

 failing queen may spur up after a long 

 winter's rest and populate her colony very 

 well during early spring, yet lag the remain- 

 der of the season. The colony having such 

 a queen would bring no return and might be 

 a loss to the bee-keeper before another season. 

 These failing queens can be detected as soon 

 as empty combs are given them after their 

 first storing in early spring. They will lag 

 or will not lead out in egg-laying as will the 

 young and prolific ones, and the apiarist 

 can then replace them; and, my! how it does 

 add life to that colony the remainder of the 

 season! 



This scheme of extracting and spreading 

 brood between flows is the only one that 

 will put the apiarist right down on a solid 



