Rensselaer Union and Jasper Republican, Volume 8, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1876 — How to Secure Premium Honey. [ARTICLE]

How to Secure Premium Honey.

Dr. P. A. Baker, in the Beekeeper's Magazine, publishes a plan to secure the largest quantity and the best quality of honey, which is well worthy of trial. The plan is simply to keep a very strong colony queenless daring the period of the greatest now of honey. All apiarians know that a virgin swarm will work with more energy in building comb and storing honey than one with a full supply. It is not uncommon forstrong families, with everything needful for storing honey in surplus boxes, to loaf about the hive until a few empty frames are given between the full ones, when they will soon be filled, but, being in the queen’s chamber, she immediately performs her maternal duty and you get no honey. The law is immutable in their allowing no empty space between broad combs ana the law impelling thg bees to fill the space with comb, acts with like force in indicating to the queen her duty. By virtue of cause and effect, if the entire hive is made intospace, it is but fulfilling that law for the bees to promptly fill it with comb and honey, if, perchance, it is in abundant supply, but madam qneen being present, we must allow a considerable force to assist in attentions to her royalty; dethrone her, and supply the colony with material to make a new one, and vet allow none to mature for a period, and we shall have our boxes filled with the beauteous nectar. The operation is to put two large swarms, without queens or combs, into a hive filled with empty sectional frames or honey-boxes, and give one broad, comb at one end of the hive, and before the new queen is hatched remove the comb and give them another. When the second has become fertile, tbe greatest flow of honey being over, remove the honey-frames or boxes and fili the hive with, combs or empty frames as the fall season for honeymay indicate. The queens and broad combs can be utilized to advantagewhich any intelligent apiashm will under, stand.