How TO Increase the Honey Supply 539 



weather comes, if the bees build up at all, they will do so too late for 

 the honey harvest. The beekeeper cannot expect to produce honey from 

 all such colonies that are too weak to store honey when the honey flow is 

 in progress. All weak colonies should always be united to strong colonies, 

 never to another weak colony. 



In order to unite a weak colony to a strong one, the cover should be 

 lifted from the strong colony, one thickness of newspaper placed over it, 

 and the weak colony set over the newspaper after the bottom board has 

 been removed from the hive. Previous to this the queen in the weak 

 colony should have been killed. The uniting should be done when all 

 bees are in the hive, and, after uniting, all entrances to the upper hive 

 should be closed so that no bees can get out except as they gnaw the paper 

 away and go out at the lower entrance. After about three days the two 

 colonies will be united, the upper hive can be reraoved, and all brood can 

 be placed in one hive. If the honey flow is in progress, the upper hive 

 may be left and the bees allowed to store honey in it for extracting, pro- 

 vided a queen excluder is placed between the hives and the queen is 

 placed below the excluder. 



PREVENT STARVATION 



Another thing that the beekeeper must see to is that the bees do not 

 starve before the main honey flow comes. A large amount of honey is 

 used previous to the period of fruit bloom and between fruit -bloom and 

 the main honey flow in rearing brood. Many colonies of bees have used 

 practically all their honey and are on the verge of starvation now. If 

 the weather is not suitable for them to obtain considerable honey from 

 thef ruit bloom, many will starve before there is sufficient nectar produced 

 by other plants to supply their needs. In the colonies that get 'only- 

 enough honey to supply food for the adult bees, brood rearing will cease, 

 which should not happen if the colony is to be in best condition for 

 obtaining a crop of honey. 



It would be false economy to let such colonies starve now so near the 

 period of honey production just for the sake of saving a small investment 

 in sugar. Colonies needing food may be supplied with it by making a 

 thin sirup of two parts granulated sugar, by measure, and one part water. 

 If heat is used in dissolving the sugar, it must not be allowed to scorch, 

 as such sirup would be harmful to the bees. This sirup should be fed 

 warm in containers placed in an empty super over the colony. Excelsior 

 or some kind of floats should be placed in the sirup to keep the bees from 

 drowning. The sirup should be fed in the evening, and the hive should 

 be covered with something to keep it warm. One or two feedings may be 

 enough to save a colony of bees and thus obtain a crop of honey. 



