1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



191 



cloudy, raitij' weather, which usually appears 

 at just the time the bloom is at its best." 



" Well, because this is so with you it is no 

 sign that it is with all the rest of the United 

 States and Canada. I know the readers of 

 Gleanings would be interested in knowing 

 how to get our bees in the best condition to 

 secure honey from apple-blossoms, and I come 

 to draw you out on this subject." 



"The apple-bloom comes so early in the 

 season that it requires more skill to secure 

 many bees in time for a harvest from this 

 source than from any of the later sources." 



" This I believe, and that is just the reason 

 I came over to see you and have a chat on this 

 subject." 



" In order to produce good results in honey, 

 the first requisite is plenty of bees when the 

 honey harvest arrives, for, whatever else we 

 may have, success can not be obtained with- 

 out plenty of bees. Again, as hinted at be- 

 fore, these bees must be on hand in time for 

 the honey harvest, else they become merely 

 consumers instead of producers. Many keep- 

 ing bees are more often working on the con- 

 suming plan than otherwise, and, for this rea- 

 son, tell us the truth when they say ' bee- 

 keeping does not pay.' Our first step, then, is 

 to produce plenty of bees in time for the har- 

 vest from apple-bloom." 



" Exactly ; and that is just what I wish to 

 know, if you can tell me." 



" Well, I will do the best I can. But, as I 

 said at the outset, it will require much skill 

 to secure plenty of bees in time for a harvest 

 of honey from apple bloom. From practical 

 experience I find that it takes about six weeks 

 to build up an ordinary colony in the spring 

 to where they are ready to produce honey to 

 the best advantage. As apple-bloom comes 

 from the 20 th to the 25 th of May we shall 

 have to commence operations to stimulate 

 brood rearing about the tenth of April." 



" Isn't that pretty early? " 



" Yes, it is early in the season, but not early 

 if we are to be ready for the bloom ; and be- 

 cause it is so early in the season is why so 

 much skill will be required." 



" I suppose you are right, here. But how 

 about stimulating ? How is this done ? " 



" I have tried many plans of stimulative 

 feeding, both in the open air and in the hive, 

 but finally gave them all up as not being of 

 sufficient advantage to cover the cost of labor 

 and feed." 



" Yes, but there are many ways of stimulat- 

 ing, I am told." 



" Well, there are ways besides feeding liquid 

 sweets, but not many that have any advantage 

 in them over allowing the bees to take their 

 own course ; and unless great care is used, the 

 plan I am about to describe may prove of little 

 value ; or, worse still, an actual loss ; and my 

 advice to you would be to try it on only a few 

 colonies till you are sure you can make a suc- 

 cess of it." 



' ' I will try to remember this if you will hur- 

 ry up a little in telling what you know." 



" When I have decided that it is time to 

 commence active operations for an early har- 

 vest, I go to each colony and look it over, 



clipping all queens' wings that were not clip- 

 ped the previous season, and equalizing stores 

 so that I know each colony has enough honey to 

 carry it three weeks without fear of starvation. 

 This last is important, for brood-rearing will 

 not go on to any great extent early in the sea- 

 son where starvation stares the colony in the 

 face." 



" Do you find much brood in the hives as 

 early as the lOth of April ? " 



" If we have had the usual amount of warm 

 weather there will be brood in four combs 

 with each good colony, and it is not best to 

 try to work other than good colonies at this 

 time of the year. The two center combs will 

 contain the largest amount of brood, and I 

 now reverse the position of these combs by 

 placing the two outside combs of brood in the 

 center, which brings the combs having the 

 most brood in them on the outside. Thus, 

 while the colony has no more brood than it 

 had before, the queen finds plenty of empty 

 cells in the center of the brood nest, in combs 

 having some brood in them, and she at once 

 fills these combs with eggs, so that in a few 

 days they will contain more brood than those 

 which were moved to the outside, while the 

 bees have fed and taken care of this as well as 

 though its position had not been changed. 

 Thus quite a gain has been made in regard to 

 increasing the brood." 



" This seems plain, and I do not see how 

 any one could fail thus far. But what next ? " 



"In about eight days, if the weather will 

 admit, these selected hives are gone over 

 again, and this time a frame of honey is taken 

 from the outside of the cluster, and the cap- 

 pings of the cells broken by passing a knife 

 flatwise over them, when the brood-nest is 

 separated in the center, and this frame of hon- 

 ey thus prepared placed therein. The remov- 

 ing of this honey, to place it around the out- 

 side of the brood, causes great activity in the 

 hive, the queen being fed to a greater extent, 

 and the heat of the hive being kept up so that 

 no brood suffers, even should a cold snap of a 

 day or two occur. Where many err and make 

 a failure here is in giving an empty comb in 

 the center of the brood instead of a frame of 

 mutilated honey. With the frame of comb 

 the bees ' draw up ' for a cold snap, and thus 

 the extreme outside brood is left to perish." 



" In going over this time, do you do any 

 thing besides inserting this frame of mutilated 

 honey ? " 



"Yes. As I go over these colonies each 

 time I am careful to know that each has 

 abundant honey to last at least two weeks ; 

 for if we wish to obtain the largest amount of 

 brood possible, the bees must never feel the 

 necessity of feeding the brood sparingly on 

 account of scanty stores. It is also necessary 

 to know that there are no cracks or open 

 places at the top of the hive to let the warm 

 air pass out, but tuck all up as nicely as you 

 would fix your bed on a cold winter's night." 



"Well, there is something in this getting 

 ready for an early yield of honey — more than 

 I thought. But what next ? " 



" After seven days more have elapsed I 

 again go over these hives and insert another 



