28 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. February, 



the Miller is preferable on account of seasons here had been too poor to 



the quantity which one will hold. give it a fair trial. 



Just ho\\j much feeding need' be This spring, however, opened with 



done depends on the amount of stores old-time promise, the natural flora be- 



the colony already has, the length of ing supplemented by the heaviest or- 



time before they will be able to se- ange bloom since the disastrous 



cure sufficient from natural sources, freezes of nearly ten years ago. After 



and the populousness of the particu- a long winter of steady cool weather, 



lar colony. Practice will determine March came with a burst of blossom 



that. In this locality, where bees are and warmth that soon set the bees to 



confined about five months and there swarming. 



will be another month before sufficient I shooK all colonies as fast as I dis- 



honey can be gathered for daily needs, covered them with cells, some upon 



at least thirty pounds of stores must starters and others upon full sheets 



be available. of foundation, giving them a comb 



The articles written by some of our containing some brood and honey. ! 

 leading apiarists advocating from ten In a good steady flow, and with 

 to twenty pounds of stores no doubt young queens, I have no doubt start- 

 are the cause of many novices getting ers are all right, but some of my 

 a wrong idea as to the amount really queens were three and four years old, 

 required to winter a normal colony, and in these cases much drone comb , 

 and thus are many lost from insuffi- was the result, as well as the swarm- 

 cient stores. False economy plays its ing of these shaken swarms with old 

 part. Rather than buy sugar to feed, queens as soon as they could start 

 the bees are allowed to take their cells. This did not occur with any 

 chances, no matter how much stores one or two-year-old queens, and most 

 they happen to have. of the others should have been re- 



You bee-keepers who do not see the placed last fall, 

 inside of the brood chamber, learn The flow was chopped off by north 



to know how heavy the hives, bees winds, so that those last shaken, aS' 



and all, should be to insure safe win- well as natural swarms, had to be 



taring, and be sure they are sufficient- assisted, but enough was done tc, 



ly heavy before placing them into the prove that the plan, under favorablt 



cellar. If there should be any doubt conditions, would work quite satis-! 



as to their wintering safely, feed factorily here. I did not try th(| 



them before cellaring, or mark the double, or second shake, as I wantec 



hive, so an examination may readib'^ the brood for use in nuclei. 

 be made before spring to see that In this connection I will state tha 



they will winter safely. this spring I ran across one of thf 



Better provide for winter as soon exceptions to a general rule. Whet 



as possible after the honey crop of the old hive was moved from besid< 



the year is over. a natural swarm, hived on the ol( 



Osakis Minn. Oct. 31, 1904. stand, the bees of the swarm killed al 



■ ' ■ ' ■___ of the bees of the parent colony re 



turning to it. 

 • FORCED. SWARMS. Holly Hill, Fla., Oct. 24, 1904. ' 



A Peculiar Result in Practicing the ^ 1 „ 



Heddon Method of Preventing Some of our large honey-deahnj 



Aft arms nrms are striving for the mamtenano 



■ of a profitable market in our ow! 



•b r c u ' country for American honey. 0th 



By C. b. Hams. ^^.g ^^j.^ obviously, seeking to profi 



IN the numerous reports of forced through the introduction of a foreigi 



• swarms, I have seen but few from product that will, at a lower, thoug! 



southern points; so perhaps an more profitable figure, crowd Ameri 



experience from this state may be -of can goods "oflf the earth," so to speak 



interest. Let us seek to cultivate the acquaint: 



I had been desirous of trying the ance of, and to co-operate with, tb 



shaken swarm plan since it first came honey barons who seek to maintaiij 



prominently to the front, several years a profitable American market for th' 



ago, but, until the past spring, the- .•\merican product. 



