34 



colony began to labor with far greater activity than any of my old 

 stock. ... I have now no stronger colonies than these." 



Where breeding for queens, no pains should be spared in selecting for 

 the most vigorous prohfic stock possible. We beUeve it worthy to dis- 

 regard looks, color, size, markings and even gentleness, if necessary, in 

 order to get a race which will have vitality, vigor and proUficness. 

 This will usually mean honey-gathering qualities as well. Select for a 

 strain of honey bees, not, as has been the policy, for "handsome" bees. 



To those who are interested in breeding queens, we would suggest 

 that you send to the National Department of Agriculture, superintend- 

 ent of documents, Washington, D. C, for as full an account of the 

 methods employed as has yet been published. The title is: Bulletin 

 No. 55, Bureau of Entomology, The Rearing of Queen Bees. Price 5 

 cents. 



WiNTEBING. 



This problem., while not directly pertinent to the progress of bee 

 keeping, has a direct influence on success or failure. Most of the bee 

 keepers of Massachusetts consider the problem only in terms of "luck" 

 and "bad luck," instead of reasoning intelligently the conditions for 

 successful wintering. In our paper in the Crop Report for 1904, 

 already alluded to, we treated the subject more or less fully. But here 

 we would add a few observations made since then, which may help to 

 enhghten the puzzhng subject for some one. 



That our winters are severe there is no doubt; but they are no worse 

 than those of New York State, of Vermont, or of Canada, where such 

 extensive bee keeping is done. 



In visiting bee yards and talking with bee keepers, particularly the 

 past spring, after the severe winter of 1906 and 1907, I noticed that the 

 careful and painstaking man brought his bees through all right, whether 

 he wintered in the cellar or on the summer stands. It is the merit of 

 cellar wintering which so favorably impressed me, however. 



Particular success was observed at the yard of Dr. William P. 

 Brooks and Dr. James B. Paige at Amherst. We saw these bees in 

 April, about a week after they were brought out from the cellar. With- 

 out exception, they were the finest stocks which we have ever seen in 

 Massachusetts at this season. They had not appreciably decreased in 

 numbers during the winter, they were clean, healthy, had large amounts 

 of stores left, and, best of all, had patches of sealed brood on several 

 frames. Moreover, when seen again in the middle of May it was 

 evident, without exception, that they had not "spring-dwindled," as so 

 many of the breed did last spring, but that they had maintained their 

 strength, many of them occupying two ten-frame hive bodies. This 

 shows, too, that they had not been over-stimulated. 



Likewise, Mr. H. F. Cary of Lyonsville, who wintered a hundred 

 colonies in a cellar, told us that most assuredly he could not have 

 carried through the number he did had he wintered out of doors. 



We can not afford the space here to discuss adeciuately the features 

 of wintering, but we will briefly list the essentials to success. 



First, about 40 pounds of stored honey are necessary to winter a large 

 colony, especially out of doors. 



Second, the colony should be populous, with plenty of young bees. 



Out-door wintering necessitates a protection of paper or other 

 wrapping, as described in our paper above mentioned. 



Cellar wintering, while expensive in the first cost, is a saving in the 

 end. The bee cellar should be dry, capable of easy ventilation and 

 complete darkening. Ventilation will allow the cooling off or the 



