174 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



March, 1917 



WILL BEES FROM THE SOUTH GIVE AN EARLIER 

 START ? 



1. Can an experienced beekeeper, start- 

 ing anew, near Washington, D. C, have 

 more populous colonies for the white-clover 

 harvest at no more expense, by securing 

 young queens and pounds of bees from the 

 extreme South, than by buying strong colo- 

 nies with heavy stores in his neighborhood as 

 early as their condition can be ascertained — 

 the object being to have all colonies every 

 bit as strong in May as if the apiary had 

 been established for years'? In either case, 

 drawn-out combs or full sheets of founda- 

 tion would be added to the brood-nest and 

 they would not lack at any time, up to the 

 time of the honey harvest, either an abun- 

 dant supply of thin syrup or damp or raw 

 sugar or bee candy to sustain brood-rearing. 

 They would also be kept warmly covered 

 with top i^acking and tar-paper covering, 

 but with plenty of room- inside. It is 

 assumed that as bees in the South 

 would have commenced to breed earlier 

 than those purchased here, there would be 

 a larger ijercentage of young bees, and 

 they would dwindle less and build up and 

 increase faster under stimulative feeding. 



2. Could southern bees, shipped to 

 Washington, be made equal to full colonies 

 secured in the neighborhood at a consider- 

 able saving in cost? 



3. In buying bees from the extreme 

 South, would it be best to secure one, two, 

 or more pounds of bees with each queen, 

 or would it be better to buy three or four 

 frame nuclei, leaving out all consideration 

 of the foul-brood question'? 



4. How early should southern bees be 

 shipped to Waslungton? and how early 

 must one eommenoe stimulative feeding 

 with southern bees provided they have 

 plenty of bee candy in reserve ? 



5. How early is it necessary to commence 

 stimulative feeding of the neighborhood 

 strong colonies provided they have i)lenty 

 of stores'? 



6. After filling the single brood-chambers 

 of the southern bees with combs of brood, 

 how should the second brood-chamber full 

 of drawn-out combs be added'? Should the 

 chambers of empty brood-combs be put 

 underneath, or one half of the brood put 

 above the other half"? if so, in the center 

 or next to the sides? If brood-chambers 

 are added (or hive bodies) full of frames 

 having full sheets of foundation, should 

 tliey be arranged differently from tlie 

 drawn-out combs? Why? 



7. Is it safer to feed raw (ir damp 

 sugar or candy early in frame-feedei-s than 

 to give syrup once or twice a week? How 



early is it advisable to feed warm syrup 

 every night to push brood-rearing? 



8. Would it not be 'well to use a differ- 

 ent method to build up the strong colonies 

 with heavy stor-es, bought in the neighbor- 

 hood, to cause them to fill two chambers 

 with brord before the white-clover flow? 

 What would be the difference? 



9. What is the comparative cost of two 

 lots of colonies bought in tlie spring, one lot 

 from the extreme South and the other from 

 the Washington neighborhood? Of course, 

 after the main honey-flow the queens may 

 be replaced by those raised in large colo- 

 nies from a record honey-producing strain 

 acclimated to northern winters, and possibly 

 of the kind that will keep two or three 

 brood-chambers filled with brood at the de- 

 sired time. Samuel Cushman. 



Baltimore, Md, 



THE OPINION OP A SOUTHERN BREEDEr. 



Quastion 1. In case of one-pound clusters 

 of bees I would say no. Two-pound clus- 

 ters put on combs containing jDlenty of hon- 

 ey about April 20 would probably be as 

 strong by May 30 as local colonies. On 

 the other hand, if put on comb founda- 

 tion and the bees were fed to produce 

 combs, I should say no. 



Question 2. Perhaps not. But the ques- 

 tion of local prices for colonies, the quality 

 of hives, frames, combs, and queens should 

 be considered. 



Question 3. If all of the surplus honey 

 comes early in the season it would be best 

 to buy two-pound packages. If the honey 

 season is late, possibly one-pound clusters 

 would get as much honey. It is presumed 

 that there are combs for the above. If 

 thiere is only comb foundation it would be 

 better to buy three-frame nuclei early, or 

 two-pound clusters without combs at the 

 commencement of the first light honey- 

 flow. 



Question 4. The bees should be liought as 

 early as conditions will permit in order 

 that they may have all the time possible to 

 build up. Perhaps April 18 is as early as 

 they could be obtained from the South. 

 The bees should be fed as early as the weath- 

 er warms up enough for them to take the 

 syrup. Care shouhl be taken not to waste 

 feed nor to permit robbing to get started. 



Question 5. It is not wise to spend too 

 nuu'h energy and money in giving bees 

 something they do not need. It is hard to 

 inii)rove on honey in the comb as a stimu- 

 lative feed. 



Question 0. One comb of sealed brood 



