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No Necessity To Have The Bees Plundered In The Fall

Categories: FEEDING.
Bee Keeping: Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained

The apiarian having his bees plundered in the fall, is not fit to have

charge of them; their efforts are seldom as strong as in spring,

(unless there is a general scarcity,) the weak hives are usually better

supplied with bees, and consequently a less number is exposed; but yet,

when there are some very weak families, these should be taken away as

soon as the flowers fail, or strengthened with bees from another hive.

P
rticulars in fall management.



I have sometimes made my swarms equal, early in spring, by the

following method, and I have also failed. Bees, when wintered together

in a room, will seldom quarrel when first set out. When one stock has

an over supply of bees, and another a very few, the next day or two

after being out, I change the weak one to the stand of the strong one,

(as mentioned a page or two back,) and all bees that have marked the

location return to that place. The failure is, when too many leave the

strong stock, making that the weak one, when nothing is gained. If it

could be done when they had been out of the house just long enough for

the proper number to have marked the location, success would be quite

certain. But before an exchange of this kind is made, it would be well,

if possible; to ascertain what is the cause of a stock being weak; if

it is from the loss of a queen, (which is sometimes the case,) we only

make the matter worse by the operation. To ascertain whether the queen

be present, do not depend on the bees carrying in pollen; as most

writers assert they will not, when the queen is gone; because I have

_known_ them do it so many times without, that I can assure the reader

again, it is no test whatever. The test given in chapter III. page 73,

is always certain.



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