THE BEE-KEEPERS" REVIEW 



333 



the same. You might argue that most of 

 these young queens were reared too early 

 in the season to do good work in breeding 

 up for winter. This brings up an im- 

 portant point, viz., is it necessary that we 

 have young bees to winter, for best re- 

 sults ? For 25 years 1 had bees in Clin- 

 ton and Gratiot Counties; and in these 

 locations we never had any buckwheat, 

 or fall flow of honey; so. after trie bass- 

 wood flow in July, we rarely ever got 

 enough honey to stimulate brood rearing; 

 from the middle of July, until the bees 

 were ready for winter, there would not be 

 to exceed two cards of brood in each hive, 

 at any time; still, these bees wintered 

 just as well as they do here at Remus., 

 where there is a fall flow, so that they 

 breed clear up into September. 



LATE BREEDING OF NO ADVANTAGE. 



We have in Kalkaska and Charlevoix 

 Counties between 400 and 500 colonies 

 of bees; where there has been no breeding 

 to speak of since July, just a little in two 

 or three combs; similar to the first men- 

 tioned yards; now we know these bees 

 will winter just as well as those that are 

 full of young bees, like these here at 

 Remus, where many of the colonies had 

 10 L. combs, containing brood, most of 

 the time during August. The fact is, a 

 bee's life is not figured by the number of 

 days it lives; but by the amount of work, 

 or energy used, is its days numbered. 



During the working season of summer, 

 a bee does not live over 45 days; but how 

 different in winter, or the quiet season. 



Some have claimed that they could 

 keep bees alive a year, in the cellar, if 

 everything was favorable. Be this as it 

 may, we know that bees will live a long 

 time, if kept quiet, so there is no loss of 

 vitality. In the case of the colonies that 

 breed clear up to the approach of winter, 

 so to speak, those old nurse-bees have 

 worked themselves nearly to death, so 

 there are only young bees to winter. But 

 how different with those that have done 

 practically nothing since July; they have 

 retained their vitality, almost as if they 

 were in the ceUar: just flying enough to 



give them exercise; carrying a little water; 

 feeding a very little brood; nothing to 

 worry about; these are young, old bees, 

 and will live many days, everything being 

 favorable. 



Let me put it a little stronger; a bee 

 perfectly wintered, has just as many days 

 work in her April first, as she had the 

 previous fall; take your pencil, and do a 

 little figuring, and see if I'm not right; if 

 it will not be in the neighborhood of 45 

 days, from the time that brood rearing 

 commences in spring, before the old bees 

 die off; or in other words, about the regu- 

 lar bee life m summer. 



I have said this to prove it was not nec- 

 essary to have young queens, or colonies 

 populous with young bees in the fall, to 

 have strong colonies in spring; even if the 

 old queens do not seem to be doing what 

 we would like to have them do, in breed- 

 ing up for winter. 



Why your bees at Flint should have 

 been few in number, when put into the 

 cellar last fall; and why they were still 

 weak this spring, is a conundrum with 

 me; if you had said they were about as 

 usual, as to strength, last fall; and win- 

 tered over in good shape; but were in 

 poor shape when the harvest came; I 

 could have understood perfectly why it 

 was that they did not breed up during 

 April and May of last spring; for this was 

 surely the most disagreeable, and back- 

 ward spring 1 can remember of, for bees 

 to breed up in. 



ADVANTAGES OF A TEN-FRAME HIVE. 



Can it be that you were looking for 

 mammoth colonies, on account of your 

 changing from the eight to the 10-frame 

 hive; and, being disappointed in not find- 

 ing them any stronger than usual, you 

 jumped at the conclusion that it was on 

 account of the queens not laying during 

 the latter part of summer, and early fall. 

 I hardly think you would think thus; I'm 

 sure there are some who think the 10- 

 frame hive does breed up colonies that 

 are more numerous in bees, than the 8- 

 frame; this is the case in about one col- 

 ony in ten; and thisonly during the heavy 



