That was an old practice that is not commonly practiced any more. It
was an economic decision based on cost. It was feasible to kill the
bees, remove all the honey and purchase new packages in the Spring. With
the higher cost of packages and shipping, lower return on honey and
availability of southern over wintering fields (FLA), it became more
expensive to kill rather than keep.

Thom Bradley
Chesapeake, VA

Scott Mitchell wrote:
> The article was concerning migrant beekeepers moving their bees to the
> north and upon reaching thier destination the owners killed the majority of
> bees,,,to avoid feeding over winter.