Septjsmbjsk. 1921 



G L E A N I N G S T N B K E CULTURE 



beginner, remembering the large amount of 

 brood in his hives in June, this may seem 

 to be too little for the safety of the bees; 

 but colonies that have this amount of brood 

 near the close of brood-rearing will have 

 enough young bees to insure good winter- 

 ing if other conditions are favorable. Brood- 

 rearing usually ceases about the first of Oc- 

 tober in the northern States, and a few 

 weeks later in most of the southern States, 

 tho in a few southern locations it may be 

 continued until later. 



Management for Fall Honey Flow. 



Where there is a fall honey flow, the bees 

 may continue to gather during the entire 

 month, but usually in decreasing amounts 

 toward the latter part. A fall honey flow 

 in most cases is a slow honey flow, and the 

 bees may be considered as doing well if 

 they gain but little more than a living dur- 

 ing the month, tho in some localities a large 

 part of the surplus honey of the season is 

 stored during September. Even where this 

 is true the beginner who has experienced 

 an early honey flow will, no doubt, be disap- 

 pointed in the small daily gain at this sea- 

 son, when compared with the rapidity with 

 which honey was stored earlier in the sea- 

 sons. 



Bees Build Comb Reluctantly Late in 

 Season. 



As the days become shorter and the nights 

 become cooler the bees are not inclined to 

 build new comb freelj^, and when empty 

 combs are not available in the super, they 

 crowd the honey into the combs in the 

 brood-chamber, sometimes leaving but little 

 space for the queen to lay. When much 

 honey is stored in the brood-chamber, it is 

 stored above and back of the brood, so that 

 the restricted brood-nest is near the en- 

 trance. 



While this condition may limit the queen 

 too much in some cases, it is well for the 

 beginner to remember that the amount of 

 brood is naturally dimnished late in Sep- 

 tember thruout the northern States and that 

 there is less danger to the colony in having 

 too much honey at this time than too little. 



If colonies become honey-bound in this 

 way early in the month, it may be advisable 

 to take out one or two combs of honey and 

 insert empty combs or frames of founda- 

 tion, placing them adjacent to combs having 

 brood in them, so as to give the queen more 

 room; but in many cases the trouble cor- 

 rects itself by a slowing down or stopping 

 of the honey flow. If not too late the brood 

 will then be increased, some of the honey 

 adjacent to the brood being used, thus giv- 

 ing the queen more room. 

 Comb Honey Production Late in Season. 



On account of the reluctance with wliich 

 bees build comb late in the season it is not 

 advisable, as a rule, to try to produce comb 

 lioney at this time. It is better to harvest 

 tlie fall crop, if any, a.s extracted honey; or 

 have it stored in combs in an upper story, 



to be left on the hive as extra stores for 

 winter or spring; or taken off and stored 

 in a warm room during the winter, to be 

 given back to the colonies in the spring. 



It is not advisable to disturb the order of 

 tilings in the brood-chamber late in the sea- 

 son, for the bees now arrange their stores 

 as they want them for winter. It would not 

 be well, for instance, to insert frames of 

 foundation in the middle of the brood- 

 chamber, to be left there during tjie win 

 ter, even tho they are built out into full 

 combs. Bees prefer old dark combs for 

 their winter nest, and have their own way 

 of arranging affairs for their safety during 

 the winter. 



As a rule, a fall honey flow results in the 

 colonies being in good condition for winter, 

 for the late honey flow stimulates V)rood- 

 rearing, and, altho the older bees are worn 

 out more rapidly, they are replaced by 

 young bees which are better able to survive 

 the winter. 



Danger From Shortage of Stores. 



Where there is a dearth of nectar during 

 September, there is danger that brood-rear- 

 ing will be so reduced that there are not 

 enough young bees for good wintering; but 

 here, again, it is usually safe to leave the 

 matter with the bees as to the amount of 

 brood to be reared in September, provided 

 they do not run short of stores. The beginner 

 should be sure that there is enough honey 

 in the hives now, so that the bees will not 

 be forced to stop brood-rearing too early. 

 If any colonies are found having less than 

 the equivalent of three or four full frames 

 of hojiey, they should either be supplied with 

 a frame or two of honey from an upper 

 story of another colony, if such combs are 

 available, or they should be fed sugar 

 syrup. Colonies, which apparently had an 

 ample supply of honey at the close of the 

 early honey flow in July, may have con- 

 sumed much of it by the first of September, 

 if there has been none gathered since that 

 time. 



If feeding for winter is necessary it can 

 be done this month, tho if any nectar is 

 being gathered from fall flowers It is usual- 

 ly better to wait until early October to do 

 this; for when sugar syrup is fed for win- 

 ter stores it is well that it be stored after 

 the fall honey flow is over, in order to have 

 it stored where it will be used first, thus 

 leaving the honey for use in brood-rearing 

 next spring. 



American Foul Brood. 



When brood-combs are handled in exam- 

 ining the colonies for any purpose it is well 

 to acquire the habit of glancing at the 

 sealed brood at this season, to note if the 

 cappings are normal in appearance. In this 

 way, if any American foul brood should be 

 present it can readily be detected by the 

 discolored, sunken, or perforated cappings 

 and the decaj'ing remains of a dead pupa 

 within. On this subject beginners should 

 consult tlii'ir ii(i(il\s and l)nlletin9. 



