Beekeeping in the Clover Region. 19 
time be able to seal the cover of the hive. Entrances should be con- 
tracted on removal from the cellar, and no further spring manipula- 
tion is needed or desirable until about the beginning of the clover 
honey-flow. If it is thought necessary to examine any of the colonies, 
this should be done from-below, but if the proper care has been given 
the beekeeper knows the condition of each colony without examina- 
tion, and the bees are better off without disturbance. 
If the bees were wintered in packing cases outdoors in two hive- 
bodies the packing should not be removed until it is necessary to per- 
mit some essential spring manipulation. If there is any evidence of 
U7 ~ 
G——- 
Bo a RE Snadgrast 
Fic. 6,—The quadruple winter packing case; a, detail of tunnel to hive. Any type of 
packing case which gives equivalent insulation on bottom, sides, and top may be used. 
preparation for swarming, or if there is an unexpected early spring 
honey-flow, the bees may need either more room or some different 
arrangement of the parts of the hive. Ordinarily the only spring 
manipulation necessary up to the time of unpacking is that of enlarg- 
ing the entrances to the hives as the population of the colonies seems 
to require. 
Some beekeepers practice the clipping of the wings of their queens 
in the spring to prevent swarms from leaving, and this is most easily 
done before the colony population is so greatly increased. If queens 
are clipped this should be delayed at least until the time of unpacking 
outdoor colonies, as the bees need protection until the time specified. 
With the methods of swarm control applicable in extracted-honey 
production in the clover region the clipping of queens is superfluous. 
