WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII, 
about 20 to 30 pounds of stores if wintered in the cellar and 30 to 40 pounds 
if wintered outdoors, while those in the South, because of their greater 
activity during the winter, should have 40 or 50 pounds or even more, 
When examined to determine the amount of stores it is probable that 
quite a little honey will be found in the brood-chamber. Each full stand- 
ard-sized Hoffman comb contains about five pounds of honey, so that by 
handling each comb and noting the sealed honey it will be easy to arrive at 
a general estimate of the amount of honey in each hive, and therefore the 
amount that will need to be fed. The unsealed honey should not be esti- 
mated, since it is generally used before winter. A better way is to weigh 
the hive; then deduct the weight of an empty hive and combs, allowing 
five or six pounds in addition for the bees and pollen. Each hive should 
be marked with the amount to be given. If one intends wintering in a 
double-walled hive, the 30 to 40 pounds of stores should be contained in 
seven or eight franies so that, if desired, the brood-chamber may be con- 
tracted as described later. 
Poor Stores—What to Do. 
There is considerable difference in the wintering value of honeys, 
some of them having too large a per cent of resins and gums to be a good 
winter food, and others being unsuitable because insufficiently ripened. As 
already stated, if bees have frequent flights, such food is safe; but during 
the dead of winter it is apt to result disastrously; so that, to be on the safe 
side, each colony having honey of poor quality should be given as much as 
ten pounds of sugar syrup to store below their honey. The colonies 
will probably not use more than ten pounds during the most severe weath- 
er, and so the syrup being fed last will be used first, and the bees will not 
get to the undesirable honey until spring, when they will be able to have 
frequent cleansing flights, and thus avoid dysentery. 
A thick syrup made from either cane sugar or beet sugar makes very 
good winter stores. It should be made of not less than two parts of sugar 
to one part of water. In fact, some prefer such syrup to the best honey 
stores. But the beginner will do well to use the bees’ natural food, which 
is ripe honey of good quality. White clover, alsike clover and alfalfa 
honey are among the best for winter. Aster, goldenrod and swamp-flower 
honey are not so safe as clover honey or sugar syrup for winter; but, if 
thoroughly ripened, they do very well if the winter is not severe. If un- 
ripe, as fall honeys often are, they are likely to cause dysentery before 
spring. Glucose, if taken by the bees, would be almost certain to kill 
them before spring, and it is not suitable for feeding the bees at any time. 
In fact, it is almost impossible to. induce bees to take raw glucose. Such 
poor stores as honeydew, grape sugar, brown sugar and molasses should 
not be used for winter, but should be saved for spring feeding, for these 
sweets will be perfectly safe for feeding as soon as the bees are able to 
have frequent cleansing flights. 
Just Before Feeding. 
While making the estimate on the needed amount of stores, there will 
probably be no honey coming in, and therefore care should be taken not to 
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