506 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Queries aiid Replies. 



Maiiimilatiiig tlie Broofl-Kest. 



Query 762. — In working for extracted 

 honey, in a locality where the flora is 

 sufficient not to interrupt breeding from 

 Spring until frosts (the main surplus 

 being from white clover, golden-rod and 

 buckwheat, and using 10-frame Lang- 

 stroth, chaff and Simplicity hives, win- 

 tering in the chaff hives out-of-doors, and 

 the Simplicity in the cellar), would you 

 (in order to get the greatest amount of 

 honey with the least amount of labor) 

 winter with the brood-nest containing 

 the 10 frames of honey (not having ex- 

 tracted any from it during the season), 

 or talvc out all but 6 franies full of 

 honey, filling out with dummies, and 

 adding the frames taken out in the 

 Spring, by smashing the cells and insert- 

 ing one at a time in the center of the 

 brood-nest— (Y la Doolittle ?— H. W. G. 



I would allow the it) frames to re- 

 main.— J. P. H. Brown. 



I would leave the brood-nest undis- 

 turbed. — C. H. DiBBERN. 



I would try both ways, and then 

 decide. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



To get the greatest amount of honey 

 with the least labor, I would seldom take 

 out any combs. — R. L. Taylor. 



We take out a few combs if we are 

 sure that there are too many full ones ; 

 but we prefer to leave more than is nec- 

 essary for Winter.— Dad ANT & Son. 



I would remove one frame in the Fall, 

 whether wintering out-of-doors or in the 

 cellar, and replace it in the Spring, 

 smashing cells if need be. — A. B. Mason. 



I would not contract for wintering 

 alone. I would not use such hives to 

 begin with. If I did, I would not work 

 with the brood-chambers much. — James 

 Heddon. 



Unless the hive is full of bees, it 

 might be better to have less room in 

 Winter. A little too much honey and 

 hardly enough room will work pretty 

 well. — C. C. Miller. 



This question is one that cannot be 

 answered satisfactorily, for it would 

 depend upon the temperature of the 

 locality; 8 frames in a 10-frame hive 

 will give as good result as any, as a gen- 

 eral rule. — J. E. Pond. 



I would not risk a colony with any 

 number of frames ftill of honey. I think 

 empty cells a necessity. Frames of honey 

 or of empty comb are quite as good as 

 dummies. I can see no advantage in 

 "smashing" the cells. — M. Mahin. 



I doubt if it pays to manipulate so 

 much. Contraction, I think, is a little 

 better in Spring, and wise with weak 

 colonies, but I doubt if it pays with 

 stron'g colonies. Dividing brood-nests 

 should be done with great caution, if at 

 all. — A. J. Cook. 



If I wished " to get the greatest 

 amount of honey with the least amount 

 of labor.'* I would not use that plan, 

 but at the same time it will probably 

 succeed with you. I would try taking 

 out all but 6 frames in Winter, as you 

 suggest. — Eugene Secor. 



I never have any hives with 10 or 6 

 full frames of honey in the Fall. I do 

 not like to meddle with the brood-nest in 

 the Fall and Spring. As I now look at 

 it, I do not approve of putting a full 

 frame of honey in the center of brood- 

 liest in Spring, but prefer it at one side. 

 — H. D. Cutting. 



Under the circumstances named, I 

 should leave all the frames in during the 

 Winter, and if the bees did not breed up 

 in the Spring as fast as I wished them 

 to, then I would work them a la Doolit* 

 tie, unless I knew of a better plan. If 1 

 did, I would give it to the world so they 

 could profit by it. — G. M. Doolittle. 



I do not know what your climate is, 

 but my experience is, that bees will 

 winter better in a full sized brood-cham- 

 ber than they do when crowded on a 

 few frames. It may be different in a 

 cold climate, but I do not believe it. 

 When my bees have plenty of honey 

 they need no such fussy tinkering with. 

 They will build up like magic when the 

 warm ' Spring weather comes.— G. W. 

 Demaree. 



I killed a lot of colonies one Spring by 

 uncapping honey and spreading brood. I 

 would not be afraid to attempt it now, 

 however, as I have more experience. 

 Make haste slowly, and when the combs 

 are covered with bees, uncap a comb and 

 place it on the outside of the brood-nest. 

 A comb of capped brood might be re- 

 moved from the center,and one uncapped 

 put in its place. Be chary of inserting 

 a cold frame of honey between brood. ^ — 

 Mrs. L. Harrison. 



An 8-frame standard Langstroth 

 brood-chamber, with T-inch frames, will 



