. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, Let us now turn a leaf and see what the result will be in the spring. In the first place, the small-hive apiary will be reduced in numbers, more than the large, owing to the fact that the colo- nies, having less honey, will have bred less in the fall ; there- fore being weaker—or, if you prefer to say, less populous— they will be less able to withstand the extremes of tempera- ture. The large-hive colonies are better fitted for winter; having more bees they keep up a good heat. Their honey, which the bee-keeper would
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Jan. 2, Let us now turn a leaf and see what the result will be in the spring. In the first place, the small-hive apiary will be reduced in numbers, more than the large, owing to the fact that the colo- nies, having less honey, will have bred less in the fall ; there- fore being weaker—or, if you prefer to say, less populous— they will be less able to withstand the extremes of tempera- ture. The large-hive colonies are better fitted for winter; having more bees they keep up a good heat. Their honey, which the bee-keeper would have sold, had they been in a small hive, is more likely to be well sealed than that of the others, and if of the early crop, it will be of better quality for wintering, be- ing whiter than that which is harvested the latest, and the bees can stay a long while without having to take a cleansing flight. In the early spring, those colonies which are well supplied, breed without stint; tbey know that their stores will last, and are not afraid of a few backward days. Those of the small hives soon see the end of their stores, and if they are not constantly watched and fed back by the apiarist, they suffer. The result is a better crop from the large hives, and if the season happens to be an early one, the result may be more than a double crop from the hives that are best supplied. We discovered the great difference in results between colonies in a hive that has to be fed in the spring, and one that has plenty, in the following manner : In 1877, we had three or four apiaries away from home, one of which was located on the farm of an old countryman of ours, five miles north of our home. A part of the hives in this apiary had been placed by him in the front wall of a hot-house. These colonies were exceedingly strong, and as they had a large amount of honey which could not be extracted, owing to their situation, they swarmed over and over, and we found our- selves rather crowded for
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
