Year: 1876




Mr.. President and Eellop Bee Keepers


Having been urged to prepare an essay
on the best mode Of securing surplus honey,
| submit Tor your consideration the follow
ing 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 describe the best way
of securing the largest amount Of honey, |
shall not discuss the best hive, nor the way
to rear Italian queens, nor how to secure
the greatest increase, nor any other interest
ing subject connected with beekeepng.


We will suppose that some person has in
autumn a stock of twenty colonies Of bees in
movable comb hives. How shall he, the
first season, secure the largest and best
yield Of honey | say best, for | propose
to speak of box honey, or more properly,
comb honey. 1t will be necessary, in the
first place, that these twenty hives be well
wintered, for it matters little how many hives
ysu have or now much care you bestow
upon your bees in summer if they are mostly
weak in the spring, you must be content
with small allowance of surplus. We will
suppose that the owner Of twenty colonies in
autumn, on examining his bees the follow
ing spring, he finds he has but sixteen colo
nies livirg OF these, he finds eight strong
and good the other eight are more or less
weakly, and this is better than the expert
ence of most beo.keopers, this spring


Instead Of nursing these weaklings, let
him unite these eight with each other in
such q 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 abun.
dainty supplied with honey and have good
queens, will require but little attention dur.
ing the early spring further than to keep
the brood chamber warm by placing some
nOn-conductor Of heat above and around the
bees, aud making the entrance quite small.


If these hives could be carried indoors
during frosty nights, it would be decided
advantage. Feeding at this season is Of
doubtful utility. If the weather is pleasant
during fruit blossoms, you may be eucour'
aged if unpleasant, do not be discouraged
but feed your bees little diluted honey, or
weak sugar syrup, every other evening.
Every evening is just as well, perhaps better
only there is danger Of OVERRIDING it. Feed
as much as the bees can use in rearing thei
brood. If there is considerable honey in the
| hive, less amount would be better. A
hive at this season filed with brood is much
more valuable than one filled with honey
Continue this feed from the time fruit bios
SONS fail until white clover comes At nc
season can feeding be made so profitable
As soon as white clover yields honey freely
which ysu may know by the bees work, put
on your surplus receptacles, ii your colonie:
are full Of bees, but should the weather b,
cool, delay putting on any hive that is moi
yet full of bees.


Whatever form Of surplus receptacle il
used before placing it on the hive, be SURF
and stick some nice, clean comb in the top
as the bees will enter and commence worl
much sooner than they otherwise would
Also, be sure and have large entrance t
your surplus boxes that there may be easy
communication. In from three to five days
if your stocks are strong and honey abun
dant, the bees will begin to work in the boxe
and you have the satisfaction Of seeing then
filed with beautiful comb and most deiciou
nectar.


At about this time most beekeepers looI
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
| lona IN, tho hoe uWapl- or tan do u,
aud about as soon as they are strong enoug


to work in the boxes again second swarr


will issue, and when again the bees enter tn


boxes for work, the season is past and tn


honey gone and quite likely your boxes ar


not full. 1t is well to change your boxC


from one hive TO another, and il you Civ


your new swarms the combs that have bee


saved from the colonies that were lost an


broken up, by placing the part filed boxC
on these you will doubtless get them file,


In my experience, have found it tn


better way to examine each hive about ono


a week during the swarming season, ami if


is making preparations to swarm, take ava


from one half to four fiths of their broc


combs or even more if necessary to subdl


their swarming impulse and replace vii


empty combs, when they will continue the
work in boxes, most Of the time during Il
honey harvest Should each one OF Il


twelve colonies spoken of desire to swarr


the empty combs from the other eight
, skilllul hands are sufficient to prevontit. III
brood combs taken from these swarmil
hives can be used for making new colonies
! that at the close of the season you shall ha'
the original number. Should extractt


honey be desired instead of comb place Il
' empty combs on the twenty hives and extra
7 from the extra combs as often as may
necessary, and near the close Of the seaso
I divide and you have your original numb
7 a5 before.


/ There is something to be gained by TAXI
boxes from strong hives and replacing wi
c empty ones when nearly full, and giving 4
!, nearly filled boxes to weaker colonies, as
c weakly colony that will do nothing in {
t empty box will finish one when nearly file
S Thus you can turn over a weak stock to 60
Y account, should you have one.


! Sometimes in spite Of our wintering sol
a colonies will still be weakly, Such q
T greatly bonoGted by changing as early as
y season will admit, an empty comb with
IS strong stock for one that is partly filed W
n Matching brood, or it the weak stock is |


strong enough for this shake from the con
o Of a strong colony in the middle of the day
= quart or moro Of young bees into box, a
80 as sOOn as they learn their queenlessn
ID unite with the weak colony. All drC
,s comb should be excluded from the cent
n. portion Of the hive and only little left
re the sides. 1t is important that every que
xt should be young aud vigorous, Young II
GO ian queens, reared the last Of the preyit
a summer, give me the best results,


cd | have now spoken very briefly Of tn
be points that l consider most important