The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-04
PREPARING BEES FOR WINTER.

were injured, thirteen OF them more or
less seriously"
PREPARING BEES FOR WINTER.
Under this heading 'Gleanings in Bee
Culture" gives some excellent sugges-
tons. from G.. M. DooIittle, bee
keeper of long experience, that may be
useful to Utah apiarists. He says:
Many seem to think that the latter
part of November OF December is early
enough to prepare bees for winter; but
some of our best apiarists have learned
that the best results in winterlng can
be secured only when preparations are
begun early in the season, so that the
inside of the hive need not be disturbed
after cold weather arrives. Therefore
all colonies are to be looked after as
| soon as the honey harvest is over, to
see that they have good queens, and
that there is plenty of brood in all
stages, for this brood is to produce the
| bees that are to live through the win
ter months; and if, for any reason.
there is not plenty of brood at the
end of the honey-harvest. it is easy to
/ tell what the result will be the follow
ing spring. If any colonies are found
that have been and are short of brood.
the queen should be changed for a
good one, and brood from those which
have an abundance be given them so
that they can build up so as to be
sufficiently strong in bees before cold
weather sets in. If by any means,
after all our precautions, the Goth of
/ October finds us with weak colonies
they should now be united; for it is
useless to attempt to winter very small
! colonies unless we have some special
place to put them in. which has proven
in the past to be sufficiently equal to
the wintering Of such colonies. Again,
! we wish to know that all have honey
enough of good quality for winter
Good quality in honey has as much to
do with the safe wintering of bees as
any one thing that can be named; and
he who does not pay any attention to
this matter can not expect to succeed.
But what is good quality in honey?
may be asked. If we look to nature
for an answer, we shall find that, as
rule. the honey which colony left I'm
disturbed has in store, is that which
has been in the hive long enough so
that it is thoroughly ripened, having
that rich, smooth taste we all like so
we'll. Now. such honey as this can not
be gotten, just at the close of the sea-
son, where the extractor has been used
till the very last thing, as many novices
persist in doing, leaving only the thin
watery stuff which comes at this time
of the year for the bees to live upon.
In my opinion, upon the injudicious
use of the extractor is chargeabie
much Of the loss of bees in winter; for
where we hear of large yields Of
honey taken with the extractor late in
the season, we almost always hear of a
corresponding loss of bees by the same
parties next spring. To overcome this
difficulty it is better to set aside
enough combs of thoroughly ripened
sealed honey during the season to win
yer our bees; and then, when the honey
yield is over exchange combs with the
bees, extracting all that is left in the
combs taken from the bees if we so
desire. In this way we are sure that
the bees have such honey as they
ought to have to winter on. This APP
piles only to those who are prone to
extract too closely during the season;
but it is a good plan to work a few
colonies for such combs of thoroughly
ripened honey to be used in case of
emergency, no matter how the bees
are worked.
Another reason why we should not
put off preparing the bees for winter
till cold weather comes, is that, if we
do this, they cannot well get their
winter stores near and around the clus- 4
ter in time for them to settle down
into that quiescent state so conducive /
to good wintering, prior to November !
10th or 18th. To arrange these stores,
and properly prepare them. requires /
warm weather; hence all will see the /
fallacy of putting off caring for them
till cold weather arrives. To be sure .
all have the desired amount of honey,
there is only one certain way to do, /
and that is, to open the hives and take ,
out each frame and weigh 1t, after hav- J
ing shaken the bees off from it. Next I
weigh a Of
eral of them, so as to get the average .
weight, which, when deducted from
the weight of those in the hive. will
give the weight of the honey. If 1t is
found that there is 25 pounds of honey.
said amount is sufficient for winter
where the bees are to be wintered out
doors; or if 20 pounds, that will do
very we'll where the bees are wintered
in the cellar. If less. the deficiency
must be made up; if more, 1t can spare
some to help another colony which
may be short. In this way go over the
whole yard, equalizing and giving
stores as is required. till all have the
required 20 or % pounds.
But" hear someone say, "this is
fearful job to shake the bees off from
every comb, and weigh it." Well, so
it would be if done with each colony;
but you will have to do this with only
one or two till you get the right con-
ceptfon of just how much honey there
is in each frame by simply looking at
1t and holding it before you, when you
can count off the number of pounds
almost to certainty. However, you
will have to weigh a few, if you have
never practiced this plan. to give you
the necessary training required / can
count off combs of honey so as to
rarely vary one pound in whole
hive. and yet do it as rapidly as I can
handle the combs; and when the apiary
Is thus gone over, there Is a certainty
about it which gives the apiarist a
great advantage over any other mode I
Of procedure. which can be little above
guesswork at best If there is not
enough honey, after all are equa1ized
in the apiary, to give sufficient stores
to all, then draw on those combs you
have set aside for emergency; and if
not enough of these, then you will
have to resort to feeding. AS go over
the hives in this way I carefully note
the quantity of bees, age of queen.
amount of pollen in the combs, etc,
which is jotted down on a piece of
honey-section. this piece being left on
top of the hive, so that the next spring.
can tell just what was In each hive
the fall before, so that in case of loss
can form some idea of what occa-
stoned it. The little piece of section
also helps me in deciding what queens
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