^^m - 



VOL. II. 



FLINT, mCHIGM, APRIL 10, 1889. 



1.4 



Contraction of the Brood-Nest Profitable — It 



May Even Cause More Honey to 



be Stored. 



JAS. A. GKEEN. 



f) DISCUSS this question properly, I 

 feel that I ought to have, at least, one 

 more season's exiierience with con- 

 traction on a large scale during a good 

 honey season. I have practiced contraction 

 for several years, but three of these were 

 poor years for honey, and, before this, my 

 e5<perience with it extended to only a few 

 cali)nies. Still, contraction has so uniform- 

 ly shown sui)erior results, that I have no hesi- 

 tation in declaring it invaluable to the honey 

 producer. Yet, it must be properly handled, 

 or it will be found that the system is not 

 without its drawbacks. I have not found it 

 profitable to contract except during the early 

 honey flow from white clover, basswood, &c. 

 If the brood-nest is kept contracted all sum- 

 mer, I find at the end of the season, in most 

 cases, the brood-nest crowded with honey, 

 with but little brood, and a small colony of 

 bees. Probably the result would be different 

 in some localities, and also when" the bees are 

 of the black variety. As I do not consider 

 such colonies in the best condition for win- 

 tering, I prefer to increase the size of the 

 brood-nest as soon as the early yield is over. 

 This allows the queen room for breeding, 

 and the esgs laid at this time hatch out in 

 time for the fall harvest. The honey for 

 winter is stored in the upper part of the hive, 

 and where a double brood-chamber is used, 

 the upper section will contain nearly all of 

 it, and the bees are put in good shape for 

 packing or putting into the cellar by simply 

 taking away the lower section after the brood 

 has aU hatched. 



The vertical contraction that is permitted 

 by the use of the double brood-chamber is 

 preferable in every respect to contracting 

 horizontally, as is necessary when deeper 

 frames are used. If deep frames have any 

 advantages at anv season except first cost 

 over a frame six inches in depth or there- 

 abouts, my experience has failed to show 

 them. 



With me, contraction has proved most prof- 

 itable witli a swarm just hived. I am not 

 altogether sure that it is any real advantage 

 under any other circumstances during the 

 honey season. 



We are told by some that no more honey 

 can be secured by contraction than without 

 it; that the only advantages are, getting 

 honey in the sections that would otherwise 

 be stored in the brood-chamber, preventing 

 the rearing of brood when it is unnecessary, 

 &c. Hives, they say, do not make honey. 

 "Bees will store as much honey in a nail keg, 

 &c., &c." With these I cannot agree. It is 

 true that it is the bees that gather the honey, 

 but it is not true that bees work equally well 

 under all circumstances. We have all seen 

 how two colonies side by side, apparently 

 exactly alike in every respect, will differ 

 widely in the amount of work they will do. 

 No doubt this is usually attributable to a 

 difference in constitution, but sometimes the 

 backward colony will take a start and work 

 with a vigor that soon puts it alongside or 

 even ahead of its rival, showing conclusively 

 that the difference between them was a dif- 

 ference of conditions, which we did not 

 understand. In other words, when the con- 

 ditions are not right, bees sometimes work 

 in only a half-hearted way, when if the con- 

 ditions were favorable they would work with 

 a vim. 



Contraction sometimes seems to supply the 

 necessary element to make . the bees work 

 with all the vigor of which they are capable. 

 It may be because of the honey saved that 

 would otherwise be fed to brood, or, it may 

 be that nurse-bees are sooner released as 

 workers, or it may be something else, but I 

 feel very sure that in some way, contraction 

 is, sometimes at least, the cause of more 

 honey being gathered and stored in the hive 

 than would be had without it. 



Dayton, III. 



April 1, 1889. 



The Benefits of Contraction. 



E. L. TAYLOK. 



(QJlNCEI first began the production of 

 •^^ comb honey, I have largely practiced 



1^^ contracting the brood-nest, and con- 

 tinue to look upon the practice with 

 great favor, but I can readily see that it 

 might not be desirable in all situations. With 

 me, the main crop comes in June and July 

 from clover and basswood, and is, of course, 

 excellent in appearance, of the finest quality, 

 and so, readily salable. The only surplus I 

 can hope for after that, comes in August and 



