PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING 71 
PRODUCTION OF HONEY 
Last, but none the less important are the operations of the 
apiarist attendant upon the production of honey. Indeed nearly 
all of the foregoing operations are brought to a focus upon this, 
the principal aim of keeping bees for profit. The successful pro- 
ducer of honey, as has been pointed out, must begin in the fall or 
late summer of the preceding year rather than just before the 
honey flow, as is too often done. The importance of this point will 
be readily seen when it is realized that to have a colony well sup- 
plied with bees at the time of the honey flow, that is, bees old 
enough for work in the fields, the colony must be stocked with eggs 
about five weeks or longer previous to the flow., But colonies will 
not be in this prime condition so early in the spring unless wintered 
well with a good supply of strong bees bred in late summer the 
previous year. To accelerate the production of brood, stimulation 
by spring feeding, as previously outlined, is an excellent course to 
pursue. Then manipulation to enlarge the brood nest may follow 
and, if pollen is not plentiful in a colony, frames of pollen added. 
Should there be a dearth of pollen, which is not likely to be the 
case, artificial pollen food may be supplied in the shape of graham 
flour. This may be dampened and placed in pans near the bees 
where they will find it. In these ways early brood rearing will be 
established and the s¢rength of the colony rapidly increased in the 
weeks preceding the honey flow. Then of the swarming problem - 
is handled properly, so that the strength of-the colony be kept to- 
gether, a good yield of honey will be assured. The manipulation 
here will depend somewhat upon whether one is running for com) 
er for extracted honey. Shakey swarms on starters below, or first 
swarms hived on the old stand with the flight bees added, also on 
starters, make good colonies for producing nice white clear comb 
honey. For the production of comb honey the colony must be verv 
strong. If only a limited increase is desired this may be secured by 
shaking together the bees from two adjoining colonies, first remov- 
ing the queens and returning the latter to the parent colonies re- 
specitvely after the operation. The new. colony so made should be 
on starters and may then be given a young queen newly fertilized 
from a nucleus. The bees being excessively strong in numbers 
and bearing on starters below will immiediately go to work in the 
super placed above, with section containing full sheets of founda- 
