Mower County transcript., 1903-09-09
! PROFIT p ! | IN / j Bee KEEPING.
Frank A. Ticknor Tells Of Some Of the
Results of This Seasons Business.
outcrossing Of Young Queens.

Even old bee keepers who think
there is yet nothing to learn getcome
up with occasionally. Take it along
the line of the ages of the queen and
the outcrossing of young queens, there
are some consequent results. There
may be Value in this information for
both young and advanced breeders of
bees. " ''-.- r..'.- =.s.
Last year we brought to the Oak
Glen farm five colonies from three diff
ferent yards, so that there would be
outcrossing of the young queens. We
Increased the number to ten colonies
containing all young queens. Three
natural swarms containing old queens
and large numbers of bees departed for
parts unknown while we were busy
haying. BY thorough management
we obtained 60Os pounds of surplus
honey. The, fall crop owing to wet
weather proved a failure and the re-
naming colonies carried heavy stocks
OF bees and not corresponding amount
OF winter stores. We killed two and
fed their stores to the other eight before
putting away for winter.
During the month of February and
March we discovered in the cellar three
had died from starvation. The re-
naming five all containing young
queens were brought through the
spring and became very populous
colonies and strong breeders and ow-
ing to the activity Of these yearling and
CROSS bred queens the five colonies were
increased by artificial swarming to
nineteen including one italian nucleus
brought in for breeding purposes, two
natural swarms, leaving the yard while
we were absent. In addition we can
count 200 pounds extracted clover and
Linden honey and 800 pounds in the
sections. s> :. sss3S*as c =: ~ j .s 4.
# The history Of yard No. 2 shows that
last March we purchased forty three live
colonies and during that month we
/ took them out of a bee house apparent
q in fine condition for spring. BY the
II Il rdeFsto keep the colo.
MES strong we had reduced the number
to 20 stands without having to kill a
single queen. They had disappeared
! Of old age, and not wanting to wait on
the slow process of the colony in get
ting another queen, the spring being
cold and backward, we united the
queenless colonies with others. This
outfit of bees had been bred in and in
for many years and the after swarms
and many Of the old colonies had been
taken up the fall before, all of which,
contained young. queens. The first
swarms off had been put into the bee
house for wintering, all of course con-
tanning aged queens. These 20 colonies
by the same management as yard No.
1 Increased this number to 43 with sew =
eral natural swarms leaving during our
absence. The average surplus was
nearly up to yard No 1, as all our in
crease contained young bred Italian
queens, but in number of colonies TAX
en- from winter quarters yard No.al
containing all yearling and cross bred
queens had upwards Of 100 per cent to
its credit over yard No. 2. Hence in
reducing colonies before putting away
for winter the fall management should
| be to have all colonies contain n,1aens
coming one year old the next season
and outcrossed if possible. Had the
queens in yard No. with 43s colonies
had the vitality of those in No. 1,
there being eight times the number of
stands, there should have been eight
times 111s as as much surplus with CORE
spending increase of colonies. .sS !.
4, +. s-------- ------ s52 ~ a
s# Piano Sale. sr.s :. #.
"a "a q 2dfh# To- Cont El R+l, t51nOH