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32 swarms in spring, made 3000 lbs. surplus, increased to 50, (of course
it was all extracted) and have sold it all for 15 cts. per lb. delivered
on track. The honey was nearly all from basswood, clover did not do
much. The fall was very dry and the bees got very little after basswood
failed. Don’t know how they will winter, but they are all right yet.
JAMES SCOTT, Epworth, Dubuque Co., Iowa.
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Last winter I put up 68 swarms, all came through alive but lost 4 which
were Queenless; sold two more which left me 62. Increased them the past
season to 99 swarms and got 2600 lbs. box honey and 600 lbs. extracted,
for which I realized about $600.00. I sold 31 swarms for $7.50 each, so
it leaves me with 68 swarms again this winter, all of which seem to be
wintering well.
W. H. TENANT, Eureka, Wis. Jan. 18th, ’75.
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Began the season with about 20 stocks in poor condition. Five stocks
Queenless in spring. Increased them to 37 in fall, in apparent good
condition to winter. From 6 stocks in non-swarmers, took 560 lbs. box
honey; from the best, 110 lbs., from the poorest, 65 lbs. Built up and
increased the remaining stocks, and took 760 lbs. liquid white honey
from them. Fed in the fall, 15 lbs. “A” sugar. Reared during the summer,
36 surplus Italian Queens.
J. H. NELLIS, Canajoharie, N. Y.
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We have only extracted from 5 stocks this summer as we thought best to
“go slow and sure.” Well, we took from those 5 stocks over 300 lbs. of
honey, and increased them to 13 good stocks with plenty of honey for
winter supplies, while our other 4 left for box honey and natural
swarms, have swarmed altogether too much, and gave very little surplus.
And worst of all, some of the young swarms went to the woods, in spite
of all our endeavors to prevent them.
ILA MICHENER, Low Banks, Ont., Can. Oct. 19, ’74.
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The summer was very dry, so there was very little honey stored. But the
fall was unusually fine. _Four_ stocks devoted to box honey, gave 128
lbs., an average of 32 lbs. per stock. Nine stocks yielded to the
extractor 741 lbs., an average of 82⅓ lbs. per stock. The largest yield
from any _one_ stock was 153 lbs. I increased my 13 to 23 and they go
into winter quarters in good condition with 50 lbs. of stores per hive.
I should have extracted a little closer, but was away from home at the
time it should have been done.
DR. W. H. P. JONES, Nashville, Tenn.
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Last year I tried small frames something like Harbison’s, only I had
them so that the bees could work all ways through them—could tier them
up etc. It was on a Quinby hive or rather frame, put small frames on
sides and top, got between 90 and 100 lbs. of comb honey and one swarm
of bees besides. I shall try them several ways the coming season. The
best I have done with boxes is about the same as above. My frame is
14×10 inches, inside measure—have three New Idea hives—bees swarmed out
of them while I was extracting in spite of all I could do. How’s
that?—never saw such a season for swarming—returned most of mine. I have
only 26 swarms and do not want to increase if I can help it for I cannot
attend to them. I winter in a large cellar and lose no bees, keep up my
experiments winter as well as summer— that’s half the fun. Most of my
frames are so placed that the boxes come up plump against the _ends_ of
frames and are just as close to the brood as those on top and in fact
the guide comb is a good deal nearer, and no bee can stick his head out
at the ends, unless he sticks it in the boxes; but I forget you are no
box man!
R. H. MELLEN, Amboy, Lee Co., Ills.
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