14 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



gather large amounts of honey and 

 queens that are as prolific as can 

 be desired, but I am thoroughly 

 convinced, that all have not the 

 bees that winter as successfully as 

 they ought and which we must have, 

 ere the winter problem is perma- 

 nently solved. It is imperative that 

 we develop a strain that will winter 

 well on the summer stands, not- 

 withstanding the extreme changes, 

 or long continued cold spells which 

 are experienced in our northern 

 climate. We want bees that will 

 not become uneasy and attempt to 

 fly every time the sun slightly warms 

 up the front of the hives ; those 

 that will not consume as much food 

 in two months, as should suffice for 

 six months ; those that will not win- 

 ter or spring dwindle, — a strain, 

 about wliose hives but few dead bees 

 will be found during winter, either 

 on the snow or ground, and bees 

 that are not subject to dysentery. 



Now is it possible to attain to 

 this standard? I would answer: 

 yes, such bees can be found in some 

 parts of our cou ntry . We can prop- 

 agate them* and more fully develop 

 the desirable qualities above men- 

 tioned, by breeding only from those 

 that survive the severe winter 

 weather ; or, in other words, breed 

 from the " survival of the fittest." 



Some will say that it is impossi- 

 ble to have, or rear, such bees as I 

 have described. Well, my friends, 

 you simply err in regard to this 

 matter. We have such, and many 

 of our practical and successful api- 

 arists possess those equally as 

 good. 



Suppose we liad twenty-five 



colonies of bees all in the same con- 

 dition when tliey went into winter 

 quarters. Now if one-half of these 

 colonies die before spring, some of 

 dysentery, some from causes unac- 

 counted for, and others dwindle, 

 while the rest come through with 

 even more bees than the^^ had before 

 being placed in winter quarters, to 

 what should we attribute the con- 

 flicting result? Shall we assume 

 then that they were not well 

 packed ? Or to what shall we attri- 

 bute it? 



In consequence of the careful 

 observations I have made during 

 the past few years, I am ready to 

 say the trouble is with the strain 

 of bees, and not with the food, 

 packing, or hives used. I find that 

 some strains will not winter in the 

 cellar, or on the summer stands. 

 What is needed is bees that will 

 winter in any suitable place when 

 I)roperly packed, and this may 

 be done by careful breeding. 



I have had some colonies con- 

 sume their winter stores (say twen- 

 tj^-five pounds or more) before April 

 1 , while others, supplied with food at 

 the same time, of the same quantity 

 and quality, and wintered the same, 

 come through with colonies even 

 more populous than they were in 

 the fall ; no dead bees were seen 

 about these hives during the winter, 

 either on the snow or ground. I 

 will not say that there were no 

 dead bees as probably there would 

 and certainly there should be a few 

 that die of old age during the win- 

 ter, but few were seen about the 

 hives at any time. With other 

 colonies there would be more or 



