28 WINTERING BEES 



winter nest around which will be sealed stores within easy 

 reach. As to quality, there is nothing better thari pui-e 

 granulated-sugar syrup, although any good first-class table 

 honey, if well ripened, will give as good results. Many 

 beekeepers pursue the policy of extracting all the honey and 

 feeding sugar syrup. At the present price of sugar and 

 honey one can afford to do this ; and, moreover, the very act 

 of feeding will stimulate rearing young bees. This in itself 

 is worth all it costs. 



Although a colony has sufficient stores by the middle or 

 latter part of August it may run considerably short by the 

 first of November, especially if a fall flow induces brood- 

 rearing. In any case it is well to go over the colonies just 

 prior to the final preparation for winter, and make sure they 

 do not run short. This is very important as many a colony 

 has been lost through starvation when their owner supposed 

 they had enough to last till spring. 



BEES FLYING OUT ON CHILLY OB COLD DAYS 

 AND APPABENTLY DYING ON THE GBOUND. 



In a late winter or early spring', bees will very often fly 

 out on a bright day, whether it is very warm or not. They 

 alight on the ground or some object, become chilled, and 

 apparently die. Cases are on record where bees have flown 

 out, alighted on the ground, become stiff and cold, and were 

 apparently dead. There was one instance in particular of 

 this kind where thousands of bees had flown out and lay on 

 the ground apparently never to return. A cold rain set in 

 and then it began to freeze, followed by some snow. This 

 freezing weather lasted for a couple of days. This was 

 followed by warrh sunshine, when, wonderful to relate, those 

 deadC?) bees came to life, took wing, and flew back to their 

 hives. Other authentic reports, showing something similar 

 to this have been sent in. It seems almost unbelievable, but 

 the facts are, that bees can fly out, alight in the snow, chill 

 through, and seem to be dead. If the snow is not too deep 

 it melts away so that the bodies of the bees can become 



