WINTKRING. 331 



this food when not conrined to their hives. The same may 

 be said of inferior or unripe honey (201). 



Much unsealed honey in the comb is injurious for Win- 

 ter, even if the honey is ripe. This unsealed honey gathers 

 moisture on account of its hygrometric properties, and be- 

 comes thin and watery. In addition to this peculiarity, 

 honey, when cold, condenses the moisture or steam of the 

 bees, in the same manner that a pitcher of cold water con- 

 denses the moisture of the air in a warm room. In some 

 Winters, we have seen unsealed honey gather so much of 

 the moisture of the bees that it overflowed, and ran out of 

 the cells to the bottom-board. Luckily the bees usually 

 consume this honey first, before Winter begins. 



629. To avoid the accidents caused by poor honey, 

 some Apiarists have suggested that all the honey might be 

 extracted every Fall, and sugar-syrup fed in its place. 

 This system is even carried farther by the inverting 

 process, which (726) compels the bees to place all their 

 honey in the surplus sections. (721), leaving dry all the 

 combs of the brood-chamber. Ar the first glance, this 

 course seems profitable, when the difference between the 

 price of comb-lioney (783) and the cost of sugar-syrup is 

 considered, but when we take into acccount the trouble 

 of feeding, and the poor results obtained in wintering 

 the bees, we see much labor for a small profit. Having 

 ascertained that bees winter better on Spring or light-col- 

 ored honey (782), we no longer extract from the brood- 

 chamber, avoiding the annoyance and the extra labor of 

 feeding. Our experience has convinced us that, unless the 

 Spring crop has failed, or the food is decidedly bad, such 

 as unripe honey (249), or honey-dew (255), or fruit-juice 

 (877), it is cheaper to winter bees on natural stores. 

 When sugar-syrup is needed, none but the best sugar 

 should be used. (See Feeding, 605.) 



630. AU empty combs, whether brood-combs or surplus^ 



