146 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



possible I like to shovel the snow away from 

 the hives the night before 1 expect the bees 

 to have a fly next day. If snow is shoveled 

 away from the entrances during a cold sun- 

 shiny day, quantities of bees will rush out 

 on account of the disturbance, no matter 

 liow much care is used, and be lost on the 

 snow. 



After the bees have had a flight I leave 

 them severely alone for the time being, 

 unless there is standing water in part of the 

 yard; and in that case I scatter straw or 

 other material over such places, as open 

 water in an apiary in the early spring 

 means the death of thousands of bees when 

 they can ill be spared. Of course apiaries 

 should be situated on a dry place ; but often, 

 with, a heavy fall of snow going away rapid- 

 ly, water will stand for a few days in places 

 that are ordinarily dry. Watch for these 

 places and save lots of bees during their 

 first flights in the spring. 



Although I want to have all colonies as 

 heavy as already intimated, yet I always 

 liave a feeling in the spring that one wants 

 to be sure that all have enough stores. Ac- 

 cordingly, as soon as snow is all gone so 

 that one can get around the hives readily, I 

 make an examination and see that everj^ 

 colony has sealed stores. This examination 

 takes but a few moments at each hive, and 

 not a frame is lifted in the work. I take 

 off the covers of the cases and turn back the 

 packing at the rear of the hive, rolling the 

 quilt forward so as to expose an inch or two 

 of the back ends of the combs. A few puffs 

 of smoke are sent over the bees gently if 

 needed. Often this is not even necessary, 

 and a glance will at once show if the stores 

 are there or not. Bees wintering outdoors 

 always consume the honey from the front 

 of the hive first; and rest assured, if no 

 sealed stores are in evidence at the rear of 

 the hive, the colony will soon starve if not 

 attended to. In half a day a hundred colo- 

 nies or more can- be examined; and after the 

 work is over, even if not a colony is found 

 short, it gives a feeling of satisfaction to be 

 sure they are all right. 



If one is so unluckj^ as to find starving 

 colonies early in the spring, the only thing 

 to do is to feed in the way that is most con- 

 venient. If the weather is warm enough to 

 allow opening of hives, full frames of honey 

 can be given; but for temporary help I 

 much prefer, in a case of this kind, to lay 

 the frame of honey flat over the top of the 

 bees till warmer weather comes later in the 

 season. Candy made of sugar is a handy 

 method of feeding; and as a last resort good 

 thick syrup can be given in a feeder invert- 

 ed over the bees, and all securely wrapped 

 over to prevent heat coming from the hives. 



In running a number of out-apiaries this 

 work outlined is all that 1 want to do before 

 fruit-bloom comes on ; and as that intro- 

 duces the swarming problem I shall deal 

 with that feature in a future article. I am 

 not in favor of early spring feeding nor 

 manipulation of the colonies in any way. 

 Xeedless handling of frames and bees early 

 in the spring causes hundreds of good 

 queens to be balled every year, and explains 

 much of the queenlessness in strong colonies 

 that have apparently wintered well. As to 

 early stimulative feeding, even if I felt sure 

 of its benefits in any way, it is entirely im- 

 practical to carry out any system on this 

 line when out-apiaries are being looked 

 after. Roads are bad at the season, bees are 

 all packed in winter cases, and to feed hun- 

 dreds of colonies away from home regularly 

 would mean a gTeat expense and a great 

 amount of work. As I have no use for early 

 feeding unless as an absolute necessity to 

 avoid starvation, I think that those who are 

 following this plan of early feeding are 

 doing a lot of work for nothing. In the 

 early spring bees need all their vitality 

 reserved as much as possible, and experience 

 has shown me conclusively that the feeding 

 of syrup made of sugar, in the early spring, 

 wears the bees out rapidly, with nothing 

 gained to compensate for the loss of the 

 bees or the cost of syrup fed. With normal 

 wintering outdoors, and abundance of stores 

 in the hives, our colonies that have good 

 queens are always boiling over by fruit 

 bloom, and in most seasons many have to be 

 supered at this time to hold back swarming. 

 What more could be desired, even if feeding 

 did help? for who wants bees to get in the 

 swarming mood before the coming of fruit- 

 bloom? 



I have been asked what amount of stores 

 I consider necessary to carry colonies 

 through till fruit-bloom. In answer, I can 

 hardly give any thing definite. This winter 

 we have 100 eight-frame Langstroth hives 

 wintering outside in one yard — a hive alto- 

 gether too small for my ideas, so far as my 

 choice is concerned. About the middle of 

 last October these bees were fed all they 

 would take of syrup, the hives averaging 

 probably 15 povinds of honey each, before 

 being finished up with syrup. The larger 

 hives were all made heavy, but none were 

 given all they would take. As I rarely if 

 ever weigh a hive, I can only guess at the 

 amount given, and would estimate it at 

 about 35 or 40 pounds of stores to each 

 colony. After fruit-bloom we have a dearth 

 for about two weeks, as a rule, and then it 

 will pay, and pay big, to feed the bees — 

 especially to see that all colonies have open 

 stores enough to feed the great amount of 



