PKEPABATIONS FOK WINTERING 179 



"Feeding" (page 142), placed over the frames and the 

 whole covered with several thicknesses of paper tucked 

 well down the outside of the frames. The wooden rim 

 (2 inches deep by the dimensions of the hive-body) is 

 then placed in position; this with the galvanised iron 

 covers makes nice comfortable vsdnter quarters, fairly 

 well protected from cold. All the protection that can be 

 heaped upon a hive is of little or no avail unless the 

 insects themselves are strong and possessed of adequate 

 stores of suitable food. 



REMOVING- OBSOLETE COMBS. 

 "When packing colonies for winter, go through all the 

 brood-combs and take note of all misshapen ones, or those 

 with an undue proportion of drone-cells. These should 

 be placed on the outside of the cluster, and if preparations 

 are made early, the honey they contain will be removed 

 to the centre of the brood-nest, within easy reach. During 

 the following spring, overhaul these condemned combs 

 as they may then be removed for melting without 

 destroying, the brood; as the colony expands, sheets of 

 foundation should take their places. If this is attended 

 to" the brood-nest in spring will be formed of nice,- even, 

 worker-comb. 



AMOUNT OF WINTER STORES. 



Now, as to the required amount of stores; this all 

 depends on the locality. A district suffering a long 

 dreary winter, will probably make 30 lbs. of honey 

 necessary. On the other hand, there are provinces that 

 experience late autumn and early spring flows, so that 

 colonies can be safely left with only 8 or 9 lbs. of store. 

 This is not at all uncommon where "Eed box" yields 

 honey from June onwards, so that the bees augment the 

 food supply instead of depleting it. 



It is extremely difficult to make any hard-and-fast 

 rule where the native flora is so variable. Colonies 

 wintered successfully one season on 9 lbs. of honey may 

 run out of stores before the next winter is half over with 

 as much again. As a general thing at least 20 lbs. of 



