March, 1922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



143 



kind of day for this work. Probably most 

 of the cellar-wintered bees will be set out 

 this year the latter part of this month in- 

 stead of in April, especially if the weather 

 is at all favorable for so doing at that 

 time. 



A few simple precautions are usually suf- 

 ficient to prevent drifting if the bees have 

 wintered well, such as airing the cellar the 

 night before tlie bees are set out, handling 

 the hives carefully wlien carrying them out 

 and contracting the entrances before the 

 bees begin to fly. Many beekeepers now 

 prefer to set the bees out at night or on a 

 day too cold for them to fly so they will 

 not rush out of the hive during their first 

 flight, as they are inclined to do when set 

 out on a warm day. By consulting the daily 

 weather map it is usually possible to have 

 notice a few days in advance of an ap- 

 proaching warm spell. Those who are not 

 able to interpret the weather map should 

 consult the teacher of physics in the local 

 high school, who should be able to do this. 



:2n ^ca= 



WITHIN recent years there has sprung up 

 a new type of beekeeping, which is rapid- 

 ly placing the indus- 

 The New try on a safer basis 



Beekeeping, than heretofore. Even 



in regions formerly 

 thought not to be suitable for honey produc- 

 tion on a commercial scale because of so 

 many seasons of failure, "the new beekeep- 

 ing" is quietly creeping in and paying 

 crops of honey are being harvested. Honey 

 is now being shipped in carload lots from 

 localities formerly thought to be too poor 

 for commercial honey production. Some say 

 that the seasons are growing better, espe- 

 cially in the eastern portion of the country. 

 So they are for those who have taken up 

 "the new beekeeping." 



What is this thing that is now SAveeping 

 over the country, converting poor localities 

 into fair ones and good localities into splen- 

 did ones? The answer can be put into two 

 words — better management. During the 

 past 10 or 15 years great strides have been 

 made in management to produce great col- 

 ony strength at the right time to take ad- 

 vantage of the honey flow. For 30 years 

 or more previously, beekeepers were so en- 

 grossed in the development of apparatus 

 that some of the essential things in manage- 

 ment were overlooked. Many beekeepers 

 were so busy inventing new hives and appli- 

 ances, designed to force nearly all of the 

 honey into the .supers, that they failed to 

 see how tliis was leading to smaller colo- 

 nies at the beginning of the main honey 

 flow. Fortunately, the emphasis has 

 changed from hives and fixtures to better 

 management. This does not necessarily 

 mean that hives and fixtures have reached 

 perfection but that beekeepers are learn- 

 ing that equipment can not take the place 



of management. The result is mucli strong- 

 er colonies at the beginning of the honey 

 flow tlian were formerly thought possible. It 

 seems to have taken unnecessarily long for 

 this change to come about, and the indus- 

 try, as a whole, still has a long way to go 

 in this respect. 



"The new beekeeping" does not leave to 

 chance anything vital to the X'rosperity of 

 the colonies that can be taken out of the 

 realm of chance. It demands in August nor- 

 mal colonies headed by a good queen, pre- 

 ferably young, and plenty of food. It de- 

 mands that the colonies be put into as near- 

 ly perfect condition as possible for winter, 

 even tho the latter part of the season is un- 

 favorable for brood-rearing. It demands 

 that each colony be supplied with an abund- 

 ance of stores at the beginning of winter, 

 and in the north where bees are confined to 

 their hives for long periods, that the winter 

 stores be of the best quality. It demands 

 that these conditions be in all colonies at 

 the beginning of winter and not in some of 

 them. While such colonies are liard to kill 

 by winter exposure "the new beekeeping" 

 provides adequate winter protection for the 

 severest winter every year instead of for 

 the average winter. 



In the spring "the new beekeeping" de- 

 mands that every colony be given every op- 

 portunity to build up quickly to the greatest 

 possible strength for the honey flow. When 

 Doolittle pointed out the value of "millions 

 of honey at our house" for this building-up 

 period, together with an abundance of room 

 in the form of good worker combs for brood- 

 rearing, he pointed the way for "the new 

 beekeeping." This new beekeeping takes 

 no chances on nature furnishing enough 

 food during this critical time, but every col- 

 ony is supplied with a large reserve of honey 

 — from 15 to 50 pounds. 



"The new beekeeping" completely con- 

 trols swarming, and during the honey flow 

 conditions are brought about to induce the 

 bees to work with the greartest possible 

 spirit. 



Of all things which help to bring about 

 uniformly strong colonies at the beginning 

 of the honey flow and therefore bring suc- 

 success in honey production, the big and 

 outstanding one is a great abundance of re- 

 serve stores, especially in the spring when 

 workers are being reared for the liarvest. 

 Those who provide a second story two-thirds 

 filled with honey as a food chamber at this 

 time and permit the queen free range thru 

 both stories are reaping rich rewards for 

 doing so. In many localities tliis food cham- 

 ber with its "millions of lioney at our 

 house" converts poor localities into good 

 ones and practically eliminates poor seasons 

 in ordinary localities. "The new beekeep- 

 ing" is based largely upon this safety de- 

 vice. The food chamber, togctlier with the 

 slogan "millions of honey at our house," is 

 now working miracles in honey production. 



