OUT-APIAKIES. 



820 



OUT- A PI ARIES. 



ing every thing' aldiig. If ;i buggy is used, it 

 is not convenient to h;ive very much bulk. 

 13y the way, a bad treason is not without its 

 compensations. We have had two years of 

 sncli dead failure that we could make almost 

 every trip the entire season in a buggy, for 

 there was no honey to haul, aiul little in the 

 way of supplies. 



GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF OUT-APIARIES. 



The ways of managing out-apiaries will 

 be just as many as the men who manage 

 them ; but the general treatment should be 

 about the same as at the home apiary. There 

 will always be the advantage of moving at 

 any time a colony or part of colony from one 

 apiary to another, and feeling sure that the 

 bees will stay where they are put. The more 

 you are interested in out-apiaries tlie more 

 you are apt to be interested in the preven- 

 tion of swarming ; and if you have been 

 in the habit of wintering in the cellar, an 

 out-apiary will make you debate some- 

 what the question whether you can not 

 tind any way of safely wintering outdoors. 

 Some practice having a competent assistant 

 in charge of eiich apiary, remaining there 

 all the time : while others take a sufiicient 

 force of helpers to go from one yard to an- 

 other doing the work of each apiary regular- 

 ly—every six days or oftener. 



In Oleaninys in Bee Culture appeared an 

 article from Mr. E. France, of Platteville, 

 Wis.; and as it contains so many valuable 

 suggestions, we reproduce it here entire, 

 with the diagram. 



E. TRANCE'S SYSTEM OF OUT-AinAHIES. 



I have taken pains to make a correct diagi-am of 

 the territory tliat we occupy witli our bees; and I 

 must say that 1 was surprised myself when I saw the 

 exact position of each yard. They are clustered to- 



ycllicl' iiKirc 1 li:in I liaii siipposr*!. 'I'lic Mccniiipjiny- 

 ing- (liaK'ram will sliow how they stand, and T will 

 g-ive some facts and flji-ui-es that will make quite an 

 interesting- study aliout setting' out out-apiaries and 

 overstocking- our pasture. Of colirse, it is impossi- 

 ble to locate a set of out-apiaries just so far from 

 tiie home apiary, in a circle, each one in its proper 

 place, just as nicely as we could make it on paper. 

 We have to take such places as we can get, and 

 many of the places that we can get won't do at all, 

 for some reason or otlier; and when you have six or 

 eight yards planted you will be likely to find, as in 

 our case, some of them badly crowded— too much so 

 for profit. 



The circles in the diagram are three miles each, or 

 IX miles from center to the outside, which is a very 

 short distance for a bee to go in search of honey. 

 If the bees fly three or four miles, as I think tlieydo 

 in poor seasons, it is plain to see how it works in a 

 poor season. The outside apiaries may be getting a 

 fair living, while the inside yards are nearly starv- 

 ing. In flrst-class seasons, when honey is plentiful 

 everywhere, and very few bees go over one mile, 

 there is enough for all. I here give the number of 

 bees in each yard this spring, the amount of lioney 

 taken, and the amount of feeding this fall to put the 

 bees in trim for winter. 



Atkinson yard. Colonies, spring count, 



Cravin " " " " 



Kliebenstein yard. " " " 



Waters " " 



Jones " " " " 



Gunlauch " " " " 



Home " " " " 



Total 



100 

 90 

 96 

 88 

 80 

 90 



105 



649 



No increase to speak of 



Honey extracted: 

 Atkinson yard 

 Cravin 



190 



300 



Kliebenstein" 740 



Waters 

 Jones 

 Gunlauch 

 Home 



Fed back: 

 Atkinson 

 Cravin 

 Kliebenstein" 

 Waters " 



Jones " 



Gunlauch " 

 Home " 



.497 

 .600 

 .360 

 .540 



Total 



3125 



yard. 



.000 

 .336 

 .000 

 .000 

 .310 

 .486 

 .900 



Total 

 Surplus after feeding. 



1933 



1193 



Now, notice the Kliebenstein yaid, how it is locat- 

 ed away by itself, as, for distance, from other yards. 

 It has a great advantage; and then there is plenty 

 of basswood all around it. It has no bees belonging 

 to other parties on its territory. It gave the most 

 honey, no feeding, and is in the best condition of 

 any yard for winter stores. 



We will now notice the Atkinson yard. It is pretty 

 well hemmed in on the nortli and east sides by the 

 other yards, but it has an luilimited field on the 

 west, of good pasture. We took but little honey 

 there, but it is in good condition for winter, without 

 feeding. 



Now, away over on the east side we have the Wa- 

 ters yard. It is two miles from basswood, but a 

 splendid white-clover range — plenty of basswood 

 two miles north and east. This yard gave some hon- 

 ey, and required no feeding for winter. 



