Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-11-13
Bee Notes.

My bees did not breed after Sept. %, last
year, unless in one swarm the queen began
to lay in November, and unless this we're the
case the main part Of the bees which braved
the rigors of our cold winter were mainly
bees hstehed in August and before. They
came through the winter bright and apparent
ly rs strong as in the fall.
Here is point which shows that bees may,
and do, breed in winter. beekeeper at
Livermore Falls informs me that, late in No
vember last, he superseded black queen in
a good stock giving it an Italian queen Of
his own rearing in exchange. At the time of
her introduction there was no brood in the
hive. He placed the swarm in the cellar with
others. His cellar was kept at an average
temperature of $50. Last spring. on setting
out the bees upon the summer stands, this
hive, with the Italian queen introduced to
black bees in November, was found to have
fully one-third of its bees pure Italians.
To have the bee at its best each swarm
should be put in proper shape for wintering
at least by the middle of October, or at any
rate when the weather is warm enough so the
bees will cap in the syrup it is best to feed
them on for their winter stores. l believe
the bee is at it's best when it sits down to its
table in winter to an exclusive diet of pure
granulated sugar syrup.
A colony should be fed sufficient to insure
full supply of stores to carry it through un.
til May l. do not believe it best to disturb
the bees by feeding for stimulation, as it is
termed, very much before May frogs peep
and the swallows fly, nor even then if cold
transforms are on the docket. Cover the
bees up warm in the fall with chat hives if
possible, and give them thick covering of
dry material above the bars, and do not dis
turb them except when absolutely necessary
until the swallows come.
Bees fed at any season means accelerated
activity. A little honey clandestinely obtain
ed sets the whole colony in an uprosr. When
bees are fed in the evening, if the air is
frosty, numbers will sally out to the entrance
to make believe they are bringing in stores
from the fields nor do they forget the good
luck when the morning comes. Thus
feeding in April to stimulate to brood
rearing does not result in gain, and often
is the means of a positive loss, as the in
crease Of young bees no more than balances
the loss of the old ones. The bee is best let
alone during the critical period Of our change
able spring weather
1t is a bad sign to see miniature broods
carried out in the night and lying about the
entrance. This is a pretty sure sign the
stores are short. This condition of things
should not be allowed to occur, but be sure
and feed so that the contingency of long
swarms may be provided for in giving an
abundance of feed as one time. Cor. Lelois-
ton Journal
Our experience confirms what is said above
in reference to bees breeding in winter. We
removed the black queen and introduced an
Italian queen into q full swarm of black bees
about the first of September. No young
bees were bred that fall. The hive was placed
in the cellar at the beginning of winter and
in the latter part OF February the young
Italians began to appear but these to the
number Of 20O0 or more, bred before the end
of March, all died, and when the swarm was
set out in April there were only black bees,
but the combs were full of italian brood. In
six weeks all the black bees we're dead and
their places supplied by a strong swarm Of
pure Italians. In another case where black
queen was superseded by an Italian in the
height of the breeding season all the black
bees disappeared in about six weeks, prov.
ing that none of them lived above that age,
butin the first case the black bees lived from
the last Of September, when all the brood in
the hive ct the time of the introduction Of
the Italian queen would be matured, to the
May following, or little more than seven
months.