OCTUHKK, ly. 



(i L K A N I N G S IN H K E O U li T V R K 



637 



most severe winter than may come in the 

 particuhir location. These factors are all 

 witiiin the control of the beekeeper, so the 

 element of chance can be entirely eliminated. 

 The degree to which the tirst of these fac- 

 tors is present has already been determined. 

 This is why beekeepers nowadays talk about 

 beginning their preparations for winter in 

 late July or August, in seeing that the bees 

 have a good queen, preferably young, as 

 Avell as sufficient food to rear enough bees 

 to make the winter colony. If brood-rear- 

 ing is kept up during the six or eight weeks 

 just preceding the time it is naturally sus- 

 pended for winter, the first of these three 

 factors essential to successful wintering is 

 taken care of. The condition of the colony, 

 both as to the number of bees and the age 

 of bees throughout most of the country, is 

 very good this fall on account of an unusual 

 amount of brood-rearing during August and 

 September. (See the reports from producers 

 on our market page in this issue.) To winter 

 well the colonies need not be overly strong, 

 but they must not be weak in either numbers 

 or in the vitality of the bees. At the- pres- 

 ent time there should be at least three pounds 

 of young bees in each colony in addition to 

 the older ones. These young bees are the 

 ones that may be expected to be on the job 

 next spring, still young if they have win- 

 tered well. This is about the number of 

 bees which experience has shown to be nec- 

 essary in the spring at the beginning of the 

 building-up period in order to be ready in 

 time for the honey flow. 



If any of the bees have swarmed during 

 the season, the parent colony having the 

 young queen may have more than this 

 amount of young bees. The same thing is 

 true with colonies that were requeened late 

 in July or early in August. Where there was 

 a honey flow during August and September 

 most colonies should have more than three 

 pounds of young bees at the present time. 

 But where brood-rearing has not been kept 

 up sufficiently to insure at least three pounds 

 of young bees at this time, about the only 

 thing that can be done is to unite until 

 they are strong enough, even though the num- 

 ber of colonies after uniting is only one- 

 half or less than the number before uniting. 

 Quantity and Quality of Winter Stores. 

 Beekeepers are learning that it does not 

 pay to economize on the amount of stores 

 for winter. While the bees may not con- 

 sume more than 10 or 15 pounds of stores 

 during the actual broodless period, for some 

 reason they winter much better when their 

 hive is fairly crowded with stores. As a 

 rule, colonies which have 30 to 50 pounds 

 of stores winter better than those having 

 but 20 pounds. Not only do they winter 

 better, but the great abundance of stores in 

 the hive in the spring after brood-rearing be- 

 gins is absolutely necessary if the colonies 

 are to build up promptly in the spring. 



In the Xorth where the bees are confined 

 to their hive for a long period during the 



winter, the stores used during confinement 

 must be of the best quality. Unfortunately, 

 it often liai)pens tliat the bees are com- 

 pelled to use for their winter food the very 

 poorest honey which they gather during the 

 season. The best honey for winter stores is 

 usually that vvhicli is gathered during the 

 midst of the main honey flow of the season. 

 This honey is usually stored in the supers 

 and taken away by the beekeeper. If any 

 of this early-gathered honey is stored in the 

 brood-combs it is usually in the upper cor- 

 ners of the frames. The bees, in shaping 

 their affairs for winter, store the later- 

 gathered honey below the early-gathered 

 honey. This is used first during the win- 

 ter, and unless this later-gathered honey is 

 of good quality the colony is no better off 

 than if all of its stores were poor honey, 

 for the early-gathered honey in the upper 

 corners of the frame will probably not be 

 reached until spring. 



Winter packing case for eight colonies. Note 



feeder pails in position and buttons for reducing 



entrances. 



Honey from white clover, alsike clover, 

 buckwheat if not mixed with honey from 

 other fall flowers, and alfalfa if not granu- 

 lated, is good for winter stores. Any of 

 these are better if gathered during a rapid 

 honey flow. The great trouble with natural 

 stores in the far north is the danger of in- 

 ferior honey being mixed with the better 

 honey or inferior honey being gathered so 

 late that it is used first in winter. 



In the far north where bees are wintered 

 in the cellar or where outdoor-Aviniered colo- 

 nies are confined to their hives for more 

 than a month at a time without a cleansing 

 flight, one way to insure perfect wintering 

 year after year, so far as the stores' factor 

 is concerned, is to feed a thick sugar syrup 

 made of granulated sugar two parts and 

 water one part. Some prefer granulated 

 sugar two and one-half parts to one part 

 of water. This thick syrup should be fed 

 after brood-rearing has ceased and after the 

 flowers are gone, so that the bees will not 

 store more honey after the feeding lias been 

 completed. 



Another way is to save some of the early- 

 gathered honey to be placed where the bees 

 will use it during winter. Some provide eacli 

 colony with a shallow extracting-super of 

 early-gathered honey of known good quality, 

 tliis being put on top of the brood-chamber 

 when the extracting-supers are removed. 

 Others have this honey stored in standard 

 sized frames, and either winter in two 



