The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-04
Management of Bees For a Honey
CrOn


If we would have bees in the best
possible condition to obtain a large
yield of honey we should commence
operations as early as possible. writes
A H. Duffin in the Nebraska Farmer.
A large honey crop depends principally
upon the strength of colonies, and not
upon the number of the same. One
good colony that is strong in numbers
and in every way in proper condition
will store more surplus honey than a
] dozen weak colonies, and the proper
/ thing to do is to get every one as near
the desired strength and condition, ard
also at the time needed. Localities
differ to some extent as to the time of
! the principal honey harvest, but just
at the opening of the same is the time
we want our colonies ready Usually
we are safe in commencing operations
as soon as the weather will permit.
The first thing necessary is TO ex-
anime every colony as to condition.
Good prolific queens, and those only.
can we build on. 1t is useless to spend
time with inferior queens, for there is
no plan to work TO to make a success
of such. Old queens, say from three
years old and over, may all be dis
carded, as there is no exception at
this age worth bothering with, to at
tain. a few such queens may seem all
right at the beginning, but in the end
they will not prove so, and will be
everlastingly starting queen cells and
preparing to swarm.
IF profitable queens are not available
the best thing to do is to unite all
colonies containing inferior queens
with those having good young prolific
queens. While this may cut down the
number of colonies. it will pay in the
end. This defect may always be pro-
vided for during the fall previous if
proper precautions are taken to re-
queen all such colonies, and at this
time we have a good chance to detect
all inferior queens. and also owing to
the supply of cheap queens it is much
less expensive and less troublesome at
this time.
When we have thus started with
good queens, all that is necessary is to
keep a good supply of stores on hand
by feeding or otherwise, and all our
colonies will come up to the standard
of perfection at the proper time 10
take advantage of the honey flow when
it comes. The secret of obtaining a
large honey crop mainly is strong col
onies and plenty of storage room. Now
if we have the strong colonies we have
nothing but storage room to look after,
except to keep Down swarming as
much as possible, and the best thing to
keep down swarming is abundant Stor-
age room. Never allow bees to crowd
themselves to the outside of the hive
for want of room during honey flow,
for if you do they will then and there
begin to start queen cells, and swarm
ing will be the result.
Surplus storage room capacity as
used now by all successful beekeep-
ers is about so pounds. or 1000
square inches, but this amount
Of storage space is ret in
tended for the entire season at
all. Section boxes, which are princi-
pally used for comb honey, are removed
as soon as filled, and empty ones placed
in their stead. throughout the entire
honey flow. If the bees are run for eX-
tracing honey, the honey is taken
away every few days, and as fast as
stored. 1t is an impossibility to fore
tell the amount of surplus room that
will be needed. If the season is a good
one for honey, each colony may store
several hundred pounds, and If the
honey flow is not so great we may get
less. and it may be an entire failure.
This is one thing the expert has never
yet been able to figure out-just how
much of honey crop the harvest will
bring.