354 



THE BEB-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



might, in sone instances, secure the safe 

 wintering of bees that would otherwise 

 perish or come through the winter in poor 

 condition. If the bees are in the cellar 

 under the home of the bee-keeper he 

 might employ artificial heat at those 

 times when it is needed. A large oil stove 

 having a hood over it, connected bv 

 means of a pipe with the stove pipe in the 

 room above, will answer every purpose. 

 A cellar may become infested with rats or 

 mice that will gnaw combs, and do much 

 damage if not gotten rid of. Equal parts 

 of fiour, sugar and arsenic placed in 

 dishes in the cellar will make quick work 

 with the rodents. Mice will play sad 

 havoc with colonies left out of doors if 

 the entrances are neglected. The bee- 

 keeper should kuoiv how his bees are win- 

 tering. He should not neglect them. 

 A perfect wintering of the apiary lays the 

 foundation for a successful season. 



After the bees are placed upon their 

 summer-stands don't neglect them. As 

 soon as the conditions are favorable, look 

 them over. Here and there will be a 

 queenless colony. Here and there will be 

 a weak one. United, such colonies may 

 prove as good as there are in the apiary. 

 Neglected, they will be of little value — 

 the queenless ones will certainly perish, 

 perhaps become a prey to robbers; thus 

 stirring up bad blood in the apiary at the 

 time of the j'ear when all should be peace 

 and happiness. Soma colonies will be 

 found with a great abundance of stores, 

 others on the verge of starvation. Neg- 

 lect here means the loss of all colonies 

 that are short of stores. 



As the harvest comes on, don't neglect 

 to have the hives, sections, frames; etc., 

 all in readiness. Some of you may be 

 ready to shout "chestnuts." Well, if on- 

 ly those shout who have never l>een 

 caught, I think none of us will need to 

 cover up our ears. Nothing will quicker 

 change the mood, and disposition, and 

 intention of a colony, cause it to turn its 

 energies into a different channel, than 

 the neglect to furnish it surplus room 

 •when it is needed. The disposition to 



store honey is laid aside for that of 

 swarming. A colony Arith the swarming 

 fever will do little work until that fever 

 is abated. If a colony first turns its en- 

 ergies in the direction of storing up sur- 

 plus, it will often continue on in this way 

 the entire season with no thoughts of 

 swarming. And, speaking of swarming, 

 reminds me, that the neglect to clip off 

 just one little eighth of an inch from her 

 majesty's wing sometimes results in the 

 bee-keeper striking a dejected attitude, 

 as he gazes sorrowfully over the tree tops 

 where he sees d'sappearing, as little specks 

 in the sky, the last, few straggling mem- 

 bers of the rear guard of a prime swarm 

 that would have stored 50, perhaps 75 

 pounds, of honey for its owner had he 

 not neglected to clip off that little one- 

 eighth of an inch. 



When it comes to the extracting of hon- 

 ey there is one point that I wish to men- 

 tion, although it may be more a mistake 

 than a case of neglect: it is that of extract- 

 ing the honey before it is ripe. Of course, 

 it is possible to artificially evaporate 

 thin honey, but with this evaporation 

 goes a portion of the fine aroma. 

 Not only this, but the evaporation of 

 honey does not ripen it. The bees in 

 their handling of the nectar invert or 

 change the cane sugar 10 grape sugar. 

 They change the raw nectar into ripen- 

 ed honey. If we take it away from them 

 before this change is completed, it lacks 

 that much of perfect ripeness. It lacks 

 the tang that tickles our palates. Thin, 

 unripe, watery honey ferments, and sours, 

 and bursts tin cans and barrels, and dis- 

 gusts and disappoints every one who has 

 anything to do with it. Nothing has done 

 more to destroy the market for honey 

 than the placing upon it of unripe honey. 



Little neglects in preparing the honey 

 for market are very expensive. The neg- 

 lect to scrape the propolis from the sec- 

 tions, the neglect to use non-drip cases, 

 the neglect to put the cases into a larger 

 case or crate when small shipments are 

 made, may mean the loss of two or three 

 cents a oound. Sections daubed with 



