JUNE 15, 1916 489 



EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF EXTRACTED HONEY IN CALIFORNIA 



Conserving the Strength of what is the Equal of a Double Colony 



BY G. W. BERCAW 



By exhaustive experimenling' we have 

 developed the following plan of producing 

 extracted honey on a commercial basis, as- 

 suming, of course, that there is a constant 

 flow of nectar suitable at all times, and 

 under normal conditions. This plan, how- 

 ever, might not work successfully in a cold- 

 er climate ; but we have found it is about 

 the only one, so far as we are able to de- 

 termine, that is efficient in our California 

 climate. 



Toward the close of the season, or after 

 the rainy season has begun in autumn, put 

 a full-depth super over the brood-chamber. 

 Do not disturb the brood-chamber during 

 the last extracting. Tliis extra suj^er is to 

 be provided with full-drawn combs, ready 

 to fill with brood, honey, and pollen, as the 

 bees may feel disposed thru the winter 

 months, when it is warm enough for activ- 

 ity, and on toward the spring. Do not i^ut a 

 queen-excluder between the two supers, but 

 allow the bees and queen full access to all 

 portions of the hive, above and below, in 

 order that both supers may be filled as much 

 as possible with bi'ood and honey at the 

 very earliest flow in the spring, which in 

 some localities is as early as February. 



Keep a close watch before a heavy flow 

 comes on, as, for instance, in localities 

 where the orange furnishes the flow, or the 

 deciduous fruit-trees. In some instances both 

 of these flows occur at about the same time. 

 About 21 days before the honey-flow put a 

 queen-excluder between these two supers, 

 securing all the brood and stores above it 

 possible, taking each frame out and shaking 

 it in front of the hive to make sure that the 

 queen is below in the brood-chamber. Tin's 

 shaking should be done after the excluder 

 is in place. This gives an extra-strong colo- 

 ny of bees, boiling over, so to speak, with 

 queen below and an excluder between the 

 queen and the upper story. 



When the heavy flow comes, these bees 

 will fill the upper story with honey eveiy 

 ten days during the flow, so long as they do 

 not swarm out. The honey may not all be 

 capped within this time; but rest assured 

 nature has taught them when to cap it, and 

 it will be done exactly a.s nature intended it 

 should — when it is ripe. This will depend 

 upon the weather conditions, and on the 

 rapidity of evaporation, etc. If the work of 

 capping appears slow, and honey seems to 

 be coming in fast, give the bees more room 

 by adding another super above the one al- 

 ready on. 



We have given tlii.s plan of manipulation 

 a complete and comprehensive test, and find 

 it the best one we know of. Of course, if 

 the colony should cast a swarm it will not 

 store the honey that it would under non- 

 swarming conditions. When putting the 

 excluder between the supers it is a very 

 good plan to examine each comb below, and 

 cut out all drone comb that may show up 

 there. I presume that all beekeepers who 

 take care of their yards work all the drone 

 comb into the extracting-suiDers, and the 

 worker comb into the brood-chamber. Not- 

 withstanding this, drone comb will be work- 

 ed into the corners and other vacant places 

 in the brood-chamber, especially during the 

 early spring season. This can be checked 

 somewhat at the time of putting the exclud- 

 ers between, by cutting it out, as much as 

 possible. Sometimes it is a good plan to 

 transfer to the upper story at this time 

 • some of the combs that are below, and full 

 sheets of foundation substituted below. 

 This procedure must be left entirely to the 

 judgment of the person working. By clos-^ 

 watching one will be able to get a good 

 strong colony of bees at the right time — the 

 whole solution of getting a good honey 

 crop — getting really two colonies of bees 

 crowded into one. Such a colony will soon 

 expand from the lower super into the one 

 above for Avant of room. The queen must 

 be kept below at all hazards. There is room 

 enough beloAv in the brood-nest to supply 

 young bees; and with sufficient room above, 

 the bees will not crowd the brood-nest so as 

 to cut off the supply of young bees, so 

 essential, of course, to the prosperity and 

 success of the colony as a whole. Of course 

 there will be a good many drones in the 

 super above the excluder, which cannot 

 escape, but they will soon die and fall to 

 the excluder below, where they can readily 

 be brushed aside. They are of but little 

 account at this time, however; but if one 

 desires to have them flv, the hive-cover 

 should be raised a little, when they will soon 

 all escape. These drones are of value, in 

 large yards, where young queens are mat- 

 ing more or less every day. 



it is quite true that this plan of manip- 

 ulation takes a great deal of time if the 

 yards are large and extensive ; but what else 

 can you expect if you want a good crop of 

 honey? A beekeeper gets out of his apiary 

 an amount just in proportion to what he 

 puts into it, just the same as a rancher or 

 farnier gets from the soil ^ crop in proper- 



