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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



TH R U O U T 

 the greater 



r 



a 



TALKS TO 



Geo. S. 



portion o f 

 the U 11 i t e fl 

 States there is 

 usually but lit- 

 tle, if any, hon- 

 ey stored in the 

 hives during the 

 fore part of 



August. Even where there is an almost 

 continuous honey flow from different 

 sources thruout the summer, there is often 

 a break in late July and early August, tho 

 there are some exceptions to this. In the 

 clover region, white clover and alsike clover 

 may continue to bloom this month if there 

 have been sufficient rains, but it is only 

 during exceptional years that it continues 

 to yield nectar in paying quantities. 



in many localities the main honey flow 

 ceases in June or July and there is no later 

 honey flow that is sufficient in amount to 

 furnish surplus honey. In other localities, 

 such as the strictly buckwheat region of 

 New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, 

 the main honey flow does not begin until 

 some time this month, the earlier honey 

 flows not being sufficient in amount to be 

 depended upon for surplus. Still other lo- 

 calities furnish both an • early honey flow 

 and a late honey flow, usually with a break 

 of a few weeks" between, the break in most 

 eases being in late July and early August. 

 On swampy land and in river bottoms there 

 are sometimes enough fall flowers that come 

 into bloom usually in August to make it 

 necessary to give the bees more room in 

 which to store the honey. During occa- 

 sional wet seasons there may be enough fall 

 flowers, such as heartsease and aster, even 

 on the uplands to furnish surplus honey. 



In Canada the yield from fireweed is fre- 

 quently at its best during this month, and 

 in the irrigated portions of the Northwest 

 alfalfa and sweet clover usually continue 

 to vield during August. But for most loca- 

 tions within the United States August 

 brings either a dearth or a scarcity of nec- 

 tar, especially during a hot and dry sum- 

 mer, and the beekeeper must make his plans 

 accordingly. 



Comb-Honey Supers Removed During 



Dearth. 

 Too often the comb-honey supers that are 

 not filled with honey during the early honey 

 flow are left on the hives all summer, with 

 the hope that the bees will fill them later. 

 If any are on the hives at this time, they 

 should be taken off at once unless the bees 

 are still storing honey in them, for if they 

 are left on the hives during a dearth of 

 nectar in August for even a week the sec- 

 tions and foundation will be badly damaged 

 by the bees gnawing the foundation and 

 varnishing over both the foundation and 

 the sections with propolis. In some locali- 

 ties so much propolis is gathered that both 

 sections and foundation are Tuined in this 



BEGINNERS 



Demuth 



1 



TU 



^ 



August, 1921 



way. Since most 

 beekeepers who 

 have but a few 

 colonies are pro- 

 ducers of comb 

 hone y, thou- 

 sands and thou- 

 sands of sec- 

 tions and sheets 

 f foundation 

 are ruined in this way every year. 



But the loss does not stop here. In many 

 cases these sections are put back on the 

 hives the next season, and since the gnawed 

 and propolized foundation is not acceptable 

 to the bees, the colony may loaf or swarm 

 rather than build combs in them, thus re- 

 sulting in the loss of the crop. Even if such 

 propolized sections are finally filled the next 

 season, the honey can not be sold as first 

 grade on account of the badly stained sec- 

 tions. 



If these supers do not contain any honey, 

 it is not necessary that they be emptied of 

 bees before they are taken off; but they 

 may be removed, bees and all, and by stand- 

 ing the suiters on end, leaning them against 

 the side of the hive, the bees will leave 

 them within an hour or two. This should 

 not be done if any of the sections contain 

 even a small amount of honey, for to do so 

 would be almost sure to start the bees rob- 

 bing. Supers which contain some honey 

 should be taken off by means of the bee- 

 escape, or the bees should be driven out by 

 smoke. 



Even in those locations where there is a 

 fall flow, usually beginning some time this 

 month, it is not best to leave the sections on 

 the hives during the interval between the 

 early honey flow and the fall honey flow. 

 They should be taken off and stored in a 

 warm dry room or attic until the fall flow 

 begins when they may be put back on the 

 hives if needed. If no fall flow is expected 

 the unfinished sections which contain some 

 honey can be sorted into different grades. 

 Those which contain less than a half pound 

 of lioney can be saved to feed the bees 

 later; and those which contain a half pound 

 or more can be used at home or sold as culls. 

 All comb-honey supers should be carefully 

 piled so that mice can not get into them. 

 Extracting Early Gathered Honey Before 

 the Fall Flow. 

 If extracted honey is being produced it 

 should be extracted before any of the fall 

 flowers begin to bloom, to prevent the mix- 

 ing of the fall honey, which is usually amber 

 or dark in color, with the earlier gathered 

 honey which in most northern locations is 

 a lighter-colored honey. Sometimes the 

 early honey is not fully ripened before the 

 beginning of the fall honey flow, in which 

 case it may be necessary to leave the combs 

 which are not sealed, extracting only from 

 combs which are mostly sealed, the unripe 

 honey thus being left to be mixed with the 

 fall honey. 



