Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-11-02
IFrOA the GusrnseT. l0.I EIass1l
Bees a4a BsA Ea4pams
9Ro,l
October lR. Z

July. Since then most colonies have
consumed more than they have COLI
lected.
Swarms that issued after the 20th Of
June, and we're placed in empty hives.
are not, in many cases, sufficiently
| provisioned for winter, and will per-
ish, unless they are fed or united with
other stocks. Every colony that has
not been examined, should be immedf-
ately, and its exact condition ascer-
| tanned. be
Suppose you have six colonies Of
bees in the same kind of movable
comb hives, four of which have thir-
ty-six pounds of honey, and two have
only nineteen pounds each. Now, by
equalizing your bees in stores, you
can prepare them for winter. To do
so, proceed in this way: Take one
frame, containing about six pounds of
honey, from each heavy stock, and
place two of these heavy frames in
combs obtained from the light stocks
in the heavy stocks. In making this
exchange of combs you should adjust
them so that each hive may have some
empty cells in the central combs, In
which the bees will cluster for mutual
warmth and protection.
Bees will not winter well if all their
combs, late in the fall, are Tiled with
honey. An aperature one inch in dl-
ameter should be made in every comb,
four inches below the top bar. These
openings serve as winter passages for
the bees, giving them ready access to
their stores, and enabling those on the
outside of the cluster to follow up the
shrinking mass in cold weather, and
thus save themselves from freezing. =.
If you eQualize the stores of six colo
nies as above described, four of theLH
will have thirty pounds ofhoney each,
and two of them twenty-seven pounds
each. But if your heaviest colonies
have no honey to spare for she light
ones, then you must proceed other
, wise. .....f.-.-
If you have two colonies having
fifteen pounds each, you can units
them into one. First approximate
them-moVe them toward each 9TH
er three feet, until you have them sid6
by side. A pleasant evening is the
best time to unite them. Blow smoke
freely into each hive for some min
utes, also. jar the hives with your
hand, to alarm them and cause them
q to fill themselves with honey; then
sprinkle the bees with sweetened wa
ter, and place them and the combs
containing tie most honey in one hive
{ If one of the queens is not as pro-
= life as the other, you might search her
!, out and destroy her day or two be-
, fore uniting the bees.
Hooz QUO 4
; you do not wish to doom them to the
y sulphur pit" yo1 may unite them
in this way After you have them
{ side by side, and have smoked them
as directed above, fer movable comb
y hives, invert the one containing the
most comb and honey, and sprinkle
: the bees with sweetened water; pry off
II one side of the other hive, and cut the
combs, brush the bees into the invert.
ed hive, and replace it in proper op-
sition. Uncap the honey in the combs
which were cut out, open holes in the
top of the hive containing the bees,
/ place the combs thereon, aud then set
a box over the same to keep out rob-
'e ber bees. The honey will soon be
carried down below by the bees; Thea
you will have all the bees and all the
{ honey in one hive.
E. Remember that one strong, vigor-
J Gus colony in the sprins is worth Oae-
= half dozen weak ones; and heH can q
II colony be strong in the spring, if il
# is in an impoverished condition in the
s. fall?
e If you have but few bees, and are
y anxious to winter some hives that have
IL not sufficient stores, You can givC
Ia each one a box of surplus honey, il
you have it, or can purchase boxes
ne for that purpose; or you can feed
T. them syrup made of sugar, which
Is should be ofthe consistency of honey
Give the syrup to them in shallow
pans or dishes, which may be placed
on top of the box hive, hSles open Il
ia permit the bees to ascend through thu
sh top of the live, and an empty boz
IN turned over to prevent robblRg. Pu
IN some shavings in the feed pan, sl
We many bees will be drowned in the syr
o. up. If robbers trouble yeu, centrac
u the entrance to your hives, SO az te
10 allow the ingress OF egress of only on
OIL or two bees at time. Twenty pound.
u of honey for wintering a colony is th,
r least amount they should have. VI
n would rather have thirty or forty
$ pounds in every hive, and then, il tht
ay queens are prolific, they will not have
en- much to spare by the first of May.
gh Feeding should be attended to with
y ont delay, in order that the iquiC
III honey or syrup mey be capped owe
ed by the bees before cold weather. i
o syrup is fed late in the fall, and re
oy mains unsealed, 1T absorbs impurities
ce and will destroy the bees. BY th
ID last of this month caps of movable
On comb hives should be filed with straw
o and openings in the rear end of th
ny honey board left open. Open hole
% in the sop of box hives, and place box
ed es on the same, filled with straw, whic
en- will absorb the dampness arisin
IN from the bees, and prevent the comb
= from becoming mouldy.
ne Last fall We prepared thirty colo
rs nies for winter in the following man
to ner: In October the hives wer
al moved gradually, until they we're i
n row facing the south, and lftee
nj inches apart. Straw was packed be
es tween the hives and in the rear q
en- them, and they were covered wit
sts boards, and boards set up slanting il
The front, to shield them from piercin
1lk winds and the deceptive light an