February, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



83 





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THE OVERSTOCKING THAT PAYS 



How More Bees Can be Profitably Kept in a Local- 

 ity Already Well Stocked 



There are many persons who would like 

 to increase their income from their bees, 

 but do not care to start an out-apiary, nor 

 overstock their present location. Most bee- 

 keepers of limited experience have a whole- 

 some fear of overstocking their territory, 

 altho there are some who seem to think there 

 is little danger of overstocking their neigh- 

 bor 's territory. 



There is little doubt but that five colonies 

 will do better in any given location than 

 fifty and fifty better than one hundred. Just 

 how many may profitably be kept in one 

 location is, I confess, something of a puzzle. 

 After many years ' experience I have come 

 to the conclusion that the number of colo- 

 nies might often be largely increased with 

 profit to the owner, if wisely managed. In 

 niost localities suitable for commercial bee- 

 keeping there are at least one or more 

 sources of honey that are for a part of the 

 season very abundant; and all colonies in 

 good condition as this season comes, are 

 quite sure to secure sufficient surplus to re- 

 pay well the enterprising beekeeper for 

 their care. . 



Perhaps I can not do better to illustrate 

 this subject than to give our own experience. 

 Our main dependence for surplus is clover, 

 alsike and white — our only source of sur- 

 plus, I might well say, altho, once in 25 

 years, I suppose, we get some buckwheat 

 honey. In average seasons, we get also some 

 dandelion honey stored in the brood-cham- 

 bers. There are other sources of honey, as 

 willow, maple, fruit blo'om, raspberries, gol- 

 denrod, and asters, that would support a 

 few colonies, but when divided among a 

 hundred amount to but little. I thought 

 formerly that 75 or 80 colonies in one place 

 in spring were about as many as could be 

 kept with profit, altho we then had a good 

 supply of basswood. Our season for clover 

 is short, not averaging over four weeks, yet 

 I have noticed that strong colonies are able 

 to gather sufficient surplus for a paying 

 crop. 



Now it might seem a very simple matter 

 to keep a large number of colonies together, 

 if all that is needed is to get them strong 

 by the time clover begins to yield nectar, 

 but in practice we do not find it so. Where 

 there is a light flow of nectar during May 

 or only a few colonies are kept, they may 

 do very well; but where there are a large 

 number in one place they must be watched 

 closely, and, if there is a dearth of honey, 

 stores must be supplied. A few years ago 

 we had a rather cool ^fay, and bees could 



fly but a short distance from their hives. As 

 a result, a great number of colonies by the 

 last of the month or early June were in a 

 starving condition, where kept in large num- 

 bers in one yard; while where only a few 

 were kept together they were in fine condi- 

 tion. By feeding heavily we saved our bees 

 in large yards and had a successful season, 

 for as soon as clover opened there was 

 enough for all. 



Last year we had in one yard 200 colonies 

 in the spring and we could see little differ- 

 ence in the average per colony in this yard 

 and in the yard where there were one-half 

 as many colonies. Where clover is abundant 

 and yields nectar freely, it would seem as 

 tho almost any number of colonies would 

 find enough to store a fair surplus. But 

 when the clover fails there is trouble, unless 

 the beekeeper is on his job, for there will be 

 flowers enough for only a few colonies. 



Let me illustrate by our experience the 

 past season. Very little honey was stored 

 after July 20, while the brood-combs were 

 so well filled with brood that a comparative- 

 ly small amount of honey was stored in 

 them for winter use. Brood-rearing continu- 

 ed during August so that much of the honey 

 stored was consumed, and by the middle of 

 September many colonies were in a starving 

 condition — in fact, some of them did starve. 

 As usual, we have had to feed a great 

 amount of sugar to carry our bees thru the 

 coming winter. 



One yard, which consisted of 140 colonies 

 in the spring, we have had to feed this fall 

 more than a ton of sugar besides some hon- 

 ey; but we secured from this yard several 

 tons of honey, besides increase enough to 

 pay for all the sugar fed to the colonies. 

 Had we kept only enough bees in this yard 

 so they could have gathered sufficient honey 

 during the latter part of summer to winter 

 on, we should have had to be content with 

 a very small income from the yard. 



Thus we see that by watchfulness and by 

 supplementing with sugar syrup any weak- 

 ness or failure of our locality to supply the 

 needs of a large yard of bees, we may still 

 be able to keep a large number of colonies 

 in one place and secure a much larger profit 

 than would otherwise be possible. Where 

 buckwheat, goldenrod, asters, and swamp 

 flowers abound the matter is much simplifi- 

 ed; where these or other flowers are lacking, 

 we must be prepared to make up the defi- 

 ciency with sugar and bank credits — but it 

 pays. J. E. Crane. 



Middlebury, Vt. 



[Mr. Crane should not be misunderstood 

 in the above article. He certainly does not 

 advocate a general overstocking of loca- 

 tions. As he says in the opening paragraph. 



