From: "huestis" <buzzybee@capital.net>
Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 09:09:50 -0800
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Food chambers

Hi all,

Reading in my 1959 copy of ABC XYX on food chambers which is a major part of unlimited brood nest:

pg.292

1.When the food chamber is used the queen is used is likely to use the entire area of the combs in the brood chamber because the brood combs are not clogged with honey in the upper portion. This will result in better combs because the cells do not stretch when the queen once occupies cells of the combs of the top bars.
2.With the proper use of the food chamber there is no danger of any left-over dark fall honey getting mixed in with the fresh crop of white honey the following summer, provided white honey and not dark honey is reserved for food. All left over honey is in the food chamber and not in the brood chamber(s) at the beginning of the honey flow.
3.The proper use of the food chamber makes it possible to weed out undesirable queens. This in the end will mean survival of the fittest, resulting in a more hardy, vigorous race of bees with superior honey-gathering qualities.
Only genuinely good queens can meet the requirements of food-chamber hives. No other kind of queen is worth while.

Comments on the above?

pg.294

He likewise contended(Doolittle) that if the bees were short of stores, or had only those stores that were in the brood nest, they would curtail brood rearing at a time when it was most important for the securing of a honey crop.

A.I. Root, the first author of this book, as was seen in the original editions, strongly advised against extracting too closely and then feeding sugar syrup to replace the honey taken out. He argued that it was poor economy even though sugar syrup was cheaper than honey. He further contended that it was not as good for the bees, but none of these old pioneers ever thought of giving a whole super of natural stores in the fall.

Comments?

Clay