240 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



ANSWERS BY G. W. DAYTON. 



I. When I prepare the colonies 

 for winter it is an extreme case where 

 I leave more than six combs in the 

 hive ; four and one-half is near the 

 average. When there is much thni 

 and uncapped honey contained in 

 the combs I take out the side ones 

 . and put full combs of capped honey 

 in their places, leaving two or three 

 -of the combs of thin honey in the 

 ■ centre which will usually be consumed 

 .before winter sets in ; or, being in the 

 centre of the cluster, will be evapora- 

 ted and ripened. If I had no combs 

 . of capped honey (reserved from white 

 clover or basswood) I would crowd 

 .the colony upon as few combs (per- 

 haps two or three) as possible, and 

 cause the bees to carry the honey 

 ■from the extra combs by placing them 

 behind division- boards, until the two 

 or three were solidly filled. Managed 

 in this way and in season, honey is 

 scarce that will not become whole- 

 some for winter stores ; and being 

 covered and protected by bees, it 

 . cannot gather moisture to cause it to 

 so;ur and run out of the cells. 



2. The above will usually hold 

 good as late as Oct. 15. Last year 

 the bees could have ripened honey 

 as late as Nov. 10, but the year be- 

 fore not later than Oct. 10, so a great 

 deal will depend upon the season and 

 weather and must be left to the judg- 

 ment of the apiarist. 



I deem capped honey as but a 

 step better than uncapped honey. 

 With pure stores and the right and 

 sensible protection for a normal colo- 

 ny, success is certain. When their 

 stores are unwholesome, they should 

 be furnished with something that is 

 wholesome. In the case of a strong 

 colony, I should feed honey and to 

 a small colony thick sugar syrup with 

 few combs in the hive. 



'd. Have fed bees within five or 

 ten days of cellaring, or the setting 

 in of winter, almost by the himdred 

 colonies, and where the other con- 



ditions were favorable the bees win- 

 tered well, and where the other 

 conditions were unfavorable the re- 

 sults were of disaster. 



I have known 7fia?iy very late-fed 

 colonies having uncapped honey to 

 winter "tip-top." 



4. When uncapped honey is scat- 

 tered about in many combs it is ex- 

 posed to moisture and generally 

 sours ; capped honey sometimes does 

 the same, but neither kind of honey 

 will do so if it is in a dry place or 

 near enough to a chister of bees. 

 For this reason a cellar should be dry 

 to prevent the accumulation of moist- 

 ure, and the hive should be con- 

 tracted and ventilated to avoid the 

 presence of moisture. 



If I had no wholesome honey then 

 I would feed sugar. 



5. Yes, but such circumstances 

 may be avoided by proper prepara- 

 tion for winter as given above. The 

 harvesting and marketing of the early 

 honey with the expectation of a fall 

 flow for winter stores is comparable 

 to "counting chickens before they 

 hatch ;" and the one who leaves his 

 colonies until it is too late for the 

 bees to move and ripen honey before 

 preparing them for winter was not 

 cut out for an apiarist and can get 

 honey cheaper by sawing wood and 

 digging potatoes than he can by dab- 

 bling with bees. 



To feed and prepare a colony for 

 successful wintering under the condi- 

 tions mentioned requires much expe- 

 rience. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



BEEKEEPING FOR WOMEN. 



Mus. Sally E. Sherman. 



There are several reasons why 

 more women should engage in bee- 

 keeping than are now following that 

 vocation. In the first place they 

 could by this means furnish their 

 own tables with that purest of all 

 sweets, honey, which is undoubtedly 



