Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-10-20
For the REPUBLICAN.
SCIENTIFIC BEE CULTURE,

Now is the time to ascertain if Bee:
have stores enough to pass the winter
safely. 25 to 80 pounds of honey for g
good stock, with empty cells to winter
in, is sufficient, and stocks having about
that amount will winter better than il
they have so or 60 pounds. Too much
honey is cold, and serves to condense
their breath, and cause damp, mould
and finally ice and dead bees. In cold
weather bees creep into the empty cells
and cluster in thick mass just below
the honey with the top of the cluster
Just in reach of the filled cells, which
they uncap and eat from, and pass
honey down to their sisters below
working bees are all feminine). This
daily performance is carried on without
breaking up the cluster till the stores
above are consumed as far as the cluster
extends; then ON the first mild day they
break up the cluster and take new
place where there is honey, and if there
are no winter passages, (holes through
the combs, they loose many inmates by
getting chilled running down over the
cold combs to the bottom to get upon
the other side. All of the outside of the
cluster being already chilled, stand a
good chance of becoming so cold lin
this move passing over the frosty
combs that they will not reach the
cluster and perish. The Queen is IA
vorite in all their moves, and will always
be found near the center of the cluster
where it is warm. She cannot lire more
than two or three hours without eating.
She has no sack in which to carry a sur
plus amount of honey like the workers.
Any worker would give her the last in
finitesimal of honey from her own
mouth. When from excitement the
Queen has been kept from her usual IA
tions, and her fright passed off, she will
lay her fore foot on the head or neck of
worker, which will instantly hawk up
from its haversack the needed supply,
and give it with crouching Difference
to her majesty's demand. 1t is amusing
to see how like a menial it looks with its
antenn8 thrown back and wings
drooped, while the honey flows with a
little jerking motion from mouth to
mouth. With the hope that our readers
will pardon this depression from the
practical intention of this article, will
say, that those who winter bees in COM
mon hives on their winter stands, if they
have them protected from the storms by
setting up corn fodder around them, or
otherwise protected, make it special
object to keep them dry, and have the
entrances all open, but not so as to ad-
init mice. Give them upper ventilation,
and if in January there should be nice
day or two, open them out. Do this sew
eral times during the winter, so the bees
can fly out, and change their position in
cluster on their combs to get in reach of
their stores. When the hard freezing is
over, and spring is in prospect, give
them all the warm sunshine possible,
and if you wish to be ready for the
honey harvest when itcomes, have them
bred up strong. This you can do by
giving them two or three spoonsful of
honey or sweetened water each day, in
early spring, to excite them to activity
and the Queen to laying eggs. Always
feed at night or evenings and protect
the feed so as not to endanger robbing.
To them who use movable combs, we
will have much more to say in future.
A. B. FREY.