The last of September or first of October feed such stocks as are short of stores, to winter them. Each stock should have twenty pounds of honey in the brood section to winter safely. If they have less than that, feed until they have that quantity, or take a frame of honey from a stock that has some to spare, and exchange with the one that is short, and so proceed until all have sufficient stores to winter safely.
In no case take out frames at the close of the season, and leave that space without a frame, or with an empty frame. At the commencement of winter every hive must (to winter safely) have its full number of frames filled with comb, no matter if they are not filled with honey (if the hive has the required number of pounds,) but each frame must be filled, or nearly filled with comb, or there is great danger of loss from sudden changes of temperature through the winter.
In feeding for box honey, it often requires more than one pound of feed to secure a pound in boxes, for the bees consume some while storing it, and they often find some place in the hive which, like the crowded omnibus or street car, is not so full but that additions may be made.
The reader will bear in mind this simple fact: Bees do not make honey, they simply collect it. Honey undergoes no chemical change in the stomach of the bee.
Several years since my bees had access to several molasses hogsheads, and the result was, I found pure molasses stored in my hives, in the same comb with nice white honey. I am satisfied that the bee does not make honey, but collects it. My feed is prepared and recommended in view of this fact, and in perfect accord with all points bearing upon this subject.
The feed is of the same color as the nicest, white clover honey, and when put in boxes by the bees with the honey collected from flowers, (I have no doubt in many instances in alternate layers in the same cell with honey from flowers,) it cannot be distinguished, either in color or taste, from honey collected wholly from flowers.
CHAPTER V.
BOXES FOR SURPLUS HONEY.
IN the last chapter directions were given, when to put on boxes, but it is important to know more about this matter, the kind of boxes to use, how made, etc. I shall recommend a glass-box; that is, glass sides with wood corner-posts, top, and bottom,[4] such as I use with the Controllable Hive. The size and description of box is as follows, viz: get out a piece of board six and three-sixteenths inches long, by four and three-sixteenths inches wide; three-sixteenths inch thick for the top of box; another, same size, for bottom. For the top boxes, that is, the boxes that are to be placed over the brood section, with a sharp bit make four one-inch holes in one of the pieces, for the passage of the bees from the hive to the top boxes; next get out four pieces, five inches long, five-eighths square, for corner-posts to the boxes. Rebate two sides of each post about one-fourth inch square, to receive the glass sides and ends, which are held in place by small tin points. Get glass for the boxes 5 × 5½ inches square for the sides, and 3½ × 5 inches square for the ends. Nail the bottom and top to the ends of the posts, having the corner of the post come out even with the corners of top and bottom. A small (half-inch) finishing brad will hold the posts in place. While nailing, hold the box perfectly square.