mVE MANAGEMENT 89 



proper number of bees the colony must 

 have twenty-five or thirty pounds of sur- 

 plus honey for winter feed and to start 

 brood rearing in the spring. 



A strong colony with plenty of stores 

 and housed in a proper hive will usually 

 winter in good condition — although I will 

 have more to say about this in a later 

 chapter. 



In very early spring the colonies must 

 be examined to determine whether or not 

 they have sufficient stores to last them 

 until the first nectar-producing flowers 

 open. It might be supposed that a colony 

 that was sufficiently provided in the fall 

 would not require this early examination, 

 but such is not the case because in some 

 seasons bees will consume much more of 

 their reserve food than they will at other 

 times. A warm open winter always re- 

 sults in greater hive activity and as a re- 

 sult more honey is used. Such a winter, 

 too, induces very early brood rearing and 

 as a result the bees will sometimes have a 



