The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-02-15


Mr. President and Fellow Bee Keepers:
Having been urged to prepare an es-
say on the best mode of securing sur
plus honey, submit for your consid-
Grafton the following paper:
shall assume that all who attempt
to keep bees at the present time use
movable comb hives in some form. As
the object of this brief paper Is to de-
scribe the best way of securing the
largest amount Of honey, I shall not
discuss the best hive. nor the way to
rear italian queens, nor how to secure
the greatest increase, nor any other In
terestlng subject connected with bee
keeping,
We will suppose that some person
has In autumn stock of twenty colo.
MES of bees in movable comb hives.
How shall he, the following season, Sc
cure the largest and best yield of hon.
ey? say best, for purpose to speak
of the production of box honey, or
more properly, comb honey. 1t will
be necessary. In the first place, that
these twenty hives be well wintersd,
for it matters little how many hives
you have or how much care you be-
stow upon your bees in summer, IF they
are mostly weak in the spring, you
must be content with asmall allowance
of surplus. We will suppose that the
owner of twenty colonies In autumn.
on examining his bees the following
spring, finds he has but sixteen cole
MES living. OF these, he finds eight
strong and good ; the other eight are
more or less weakly, and this is better
than the experience of most bee-keep-
ers, this spring.
Instead of nursing these weaklings,
let him unite these eight with each
other in such a way as to make four
strong stocks; then he will have
twelve good stocks and eight hives full
of comb which. all things considered, is
perhaps the best part of his capital.
These twelve stocks, If they are album
dainty supplied with honey, and have
good queens, will require but little at
tention during the early spring, further
than to keep the brood chamber warm
by placing some non conductor of heat
above and around the bees, and MAX
Ing the entrance quite small.
If these hives could be carried in
doors during frosty nights, it would be
a decided advantage. Feeding at this
season is Of doubtful utility. If the
weather Is pleasant during fruit BIOS
SONS, you may be encouraged; If UNI
pleasant, do not be discouraged, but feed
your bees little diluted honey, or
weak sugar syrup, every other eve
ming. Every evening is just as well,
perhaps better, only there is danger of
OVERRIDING 1t. Feed as much as the bees
can use in rearing their brood. If there
10 considerable honey in the hive, a
less amount would be better. A hive
at this season filed with brood Is much
more valuable than one filled with hon
ey, Continue this feed from the time
fruit blossoms fail until white clover
comes. At no other season can feeding
be made so profitable. AS soon as
white clover yields honey freely which
you may know by the way the bees
work, put on your surplus receptacles,
ifyour colonies are full of bees, but
should the weather be cool, delay put
ting on any hive that is not yet full of
bees.
Whatever form of surplus receptacle
is used, before placing it on the hive
be sure and stick some nice clean
pieces of comb in the top, as the bees
will enter and commence work much
sooner than they otherwise would. AL
80, be sure and have large entrance
to your surplus boxes that there may
be easy communication. In from three
to five days. If your stocks are strong
and honey abundant, the bees will be-
gin to work In the boxes. and you have
the satisfaction of seeing them filled
with beautiful comb and most delicious
nectar.
At about this time, most beekeepers
look after their bees without much
urging. In few days after the bees
enter the boxes they, If in moderate
sized hive, will "swarm" and then
there Is nothing more, usually, done in
the boxes for week or ten days. and
about as soon as they are strong
enough to work in the boxes again Q
second swarm will Issue, and when
again the bees enter the boxes fol
work, the season is past and the honey
gone and quite likely your boxes are
not full 1t is we'll to change your box
es from one hive to another, and II you
give your new swarms the combs that
have been saved from the colonies that
were lost and broken up, by placing
the part filled boxes on these YOU will
doubtless get them filled.
In my experience. / have found il
the better way to examine each hive
about once a week, during the swarm
Ing season, and If 1t is making prepa
ration to swi rm, take away from one
half to four fifths of their brood combs
or even more. ii necessary, ia subdu,
their swarmlng impulse, and replace
with empty combs, when they will
continue their work in boxes, most o
the time during the honey harvest
Should each one of the twelve colonies
spoken Of desire to swarm, the empty
combs from the other eight In skilfu
hands are sufficient to prevent 1t. Tn,
brood combs taken from these swarm
ing hives can be used for making new
colonies so that at the close Of the sea
son you shall have the original mum
Der. Should extracted honey be de
.t.aI tnafaa1 Of non,h ,,looa tho am nj !,