WINTERING. 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
Wintering is one of the most serious problems of the beekeeper. Due 
to poor wintering methods or lack of any wintering methods, the great 
winter losses of bees the country over are at least ten times greater than 
necessary, running into millions of dollars of loss annually. 
Good Wintering Requirements. 
To insure good wintering, no matter how or where the bees are win- 
tered, there should be large colonies with plenty of young bees and a good 
queen, and there should also be an abundance of good, wholesome stores. 
In those localities where there is a continuous honey flow until fall there 
will be plenty of young bees reared for winter; but wherever there is a 
dearth of nectar just before fall, it is quite important that the colonies be 
provided with young, prolific queens in order that breeding may be con- 
tinued in the fall and thus provide a large number of young bees for win- 
ter. These young bees may be considered a good insurance against spring 
dwindling, which takes place when worn-out bees of the previous fall die 
in the early spring before the young ones emerge to take their places. Be- 
sides these general requirements, other special ones will be mentioned in 
connection with different ways of wintering. 
Time of Fall Feeding. 
Those colonies which do not have enough stores (see the following 
paragraph) will need a feeding of good sugar syrup. This should not 
be given until brood-rearing has nearly ceased and most of the brood 
emerged so there will be plenty of room for storing, and, yet, it is always an 
advantage to give the stores as early as the condition of brood-rearing 
will permit in order that the cells may be well sealed. When first placed 
in the cells the stores (either honey or syrup) are too thin for good win- 
tering; but, if there is time before wintering, the bees evaporate, or “ripen” 
the stores until of the right consistency, when they are sealed. Stores too 
thin, or in any way poor, often cause dysentery and death of the colony 
before spring. (See “Dysentery,” page 118 in Appendix.) For, when bees 
use poor honey, it results in more waste matter accumulating in the intes- 
tines, which during very cold weather is retained, since bees normally void 
their feces only in flight. Therefore, if unable to fly for some time, death 
may result. 
Needed Amount of Stores. 
The amount of stores needed will, of course, depend upon the size of 
the colony; but, in general, those colonies wintered in the North will need 
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