OfTORioR, 1!)-17 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



769 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



Wintering in the South-Central States 



Wo of the "Sunny South" ore very 

 much inclined fo look on the ])roblem of 

 wintering' bees as being' one of little im- 

 portance, genprally trusting to "luck" to 

 get the bees thru any old way. As a mat- 

 ter of fact, altlio we do not have the long 

 cold northern winters to contend with, the 

 problem of bringing the bees thru the win- 

 ter months in the best condition, with th:- 

 least loss of vitality, and with a mod?rat'j 

 consumption of stores, is a serious one. 



I may not be " ortbodox," but I must 

 admit that I am not an advocate of expen- 

 si\e and troublesome methods of packing 

 bees, believing that in this climate (Arkan- 

 sas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas) we can 

 get good results without packing by giving 

 attention to a few simijle but important de- 

 tails which have to do with getting the bees 

 in a proper condition for winter. 



Here are four es.sentials for successful 

 wintering, and they may be had with slight 

 cost of time or labor. 1. A large force of 

 3'oung bees at ths beginning of winter. 

 With a young queen and a fall tiow, this 

 will be the natural condition of affairs; but 



should there not be enough nectar coming 

 in to keep up brood-rearing during Septera- 

 bei- and October, tl>en we should resort to 

 slow feeding in order to stimulate the rear- 

 ing of brood. Diluted honey or thin sugar 

 syrup should be used, and a little given 

 each colony every day or two for a month. 



2. Plenty of good stores. This means 

 twenty-five or thirty pounds of scaled honey 

 or syrup (not honey-dew) in the combs of 

 each ■ colony ; and if there is more it will 

 not be wasted. Tn ease you have to feed 

 for stores it is best to give the required 

 amount at one or two feedings, and this 

 should be done before very cold weather 

 sets in. A caution to beginners just here — 

 always feed late in the afternoon, and be 

 careful not to start the bees to robbing. 



3. A good tight hive, preferably two 

 stories, as this gives plenty of room for 

 stores, and clustering space in the warmest 

 part of the hive. This also provides plenty 

 of. breeding room in the spring, which a 

 one-storj' hive does not. There should be a 

 good cover to keep off the rain, and a 

 double one with an air-space is best. 



4. Protection from the cold north and 

 west winds. This may be afforded by build- 



Omc of •'. M. Buchanan's out ai)iaiies ready for winter, eaeh colony being in a two ;^t<ii'y liivo. 



