328 WINTERING AND SPRING DWINDLING. 
and severe atmospheric changes; much, also, on the length 
of the Winters, which vary so much in different latitudes, 
and the forwardness of the ensuing Spring. In some of 
our Northern States, bees will often gather nothing for 
more than six months, while, in the extreme South, they 
are seldom deprived of all natural supplies for as many 
weeks. In all our Northern and Middle States, if the colo- 
nies are to be wintered out of doors, they should have at 
least twenty-five pounds of honey. 
In movable-frame hives, the amount of stores may be eas- 
ily ascertained by actual inspection. The weight of hives 
is not always a safe criterion, as old combs are heavier than 
new ones, besides being often over-stored with bee-bread. 
(263.) 
624. Practical bee-keepers usually judge of the amount 
of stores by sight. The majority of combs in an ordinary 
Langstroth hive should be about half full of honey, for out- 
door wintering, in this latitude. Remember that food is 
needed, not only to carry them through the Winter, but 
also to help them to raise brood largely, during the cold 
days of early Spring. Bees do not waste their stores, and 
the wealthy colonies will usually pe found stronger, and 
better prepared for the following harvest. 
Enthusiastic beginners, in Apiculture, are apt to overdo 
extracting (753), leaving too little honey in the brood- 
chamber for Winter. If the bees are not actually crowded 
with honey, we would advise them to leave, to strong colo- 
nies, all the honey that the brood-chamber contains. Some 
may think that nine or ten heavy Quinby frames, are too 
many for a colony, for they may be wintered on six or seven. 
We will here give a bit of our experience on that point: 
625. Some 18 years ago, in an Apiary away from home, 
where we were raising comb-honey (719), we had a number 
of swarms, which, in the rush of the honey-crop, we did not 
examine until their combs were built. At that time, the 
