Vol. XVII. 



MAY 1, 1889. 



No. 9. 



!: $1.00 Per Annum, in Advance; ") TT^+n A7v* o Zi n rJ -i-vi 1 SZ 7 % f Clubs to different postoffices. not less 

 stni$i.90;3for$2.75; ftforW.OO; \ J1/&VU/01/1/0 fl/6'U/ Vrb ±0 tO. | than 90 cts. each. Sent postpaid, in the 



TERMS 



2 Oopie: 



10 or more, 75 ets. each. Single num- I 



ber. Sets. Additions to chilis maybe f 



made at club rates. 'Above are all 



be sent to ONE l'OSTOFFICE. 



PUBLISHED SEMI-MOXTHLT BY 



ries of the Univ 



to \A. I. ROOT, MEDINA, OHIO. {&ffi^^&2b2E8L 



OUT-APIARIES-NO. VI. 



ENGAGING SOME ONE TO HIVE SWARMS. 



TF you expect some one of the farmer's family 

 jfflf at the out-apiary to hive swarms for you, the 

 W matter of compensation should be agreed on 

 •*■ in advance. As to what this should be, it is 

 just as hard to say as it is in the matter of 

 rent, On page 946, Gleanings, Dec. 15, 1887, are 

 answers to the question, varying from 10 to 75 cts., 

 Dadant&Son paying the latter price for hiving 

 each swarm. Turn to page 9, Jan. 1, and read the 

 very interesting article from C. P. Dadant, after 

 which you will agree that, in their case at least, 

 they are not so far out of the way in paying such 

 high prices for rent and for hiving swarms. They 

 have very few swarms, and they expect them to 

 be hived by a man who has judgment to hive them 

 in good shape, so they consider it a matter of poli- 

 cy to pay a good price for the few that do come 

 out. If only one swarm comes out in a day or two 

 days, you can well afford to have them hived at a 

 cost of 75 cts. rather than have them go off. If, 

 however, you have an average of 6 swarms per day, 

 a man could make very fair wages at 25 cts. each, 

 or $1.50 per day, especially as the swarming does 

 not continue all day long. Another tiling that 

 might make a difference, is the surrounding tim- 

 ber. It is one thing to hive a swarm from a low 

 apple-tree, and quite another if the swarm hangs 

 on the top of a tall forest-tree. In some cases it 

 may be the better way to pay some one a fair price 

 by the month or week. There is, however, an ad- 

 vantage in paying by the swarm, for then the one 

 employed will be more sharply on the lookout not 

 to let a swarm get away. There are, however, 

 gome who are so faithful that they will keep just 

 £6 close watch, whether paid one way or the other. 



In any case it is a good plan to pay so well that the 

 one employed may feel a pleasant interest in the 

 work. 



If your queens are all clipped, then there may be 

 less labor: but if the swarms are hived, fully as 

 much intelligence is needed, but they may be man- 

 aged in such a way that no hiving will be needed. 

 I never had any one watch for swarms for me in an 

 out-apiary but one summer, and then I had a young 

 lady watcher, of little physical strength, but bright, 

 and exceedingly faithful. When a swarm issued 

 she immediately looked for the queen, which she 

 rarely failed to rind, caged it, and put it where the 

 bees of the colony could take care of it, then wrote 

 down in a memorandum-book the number of the 

 colony and the date of issue. When I came to the 

 apiary some time within every three to five days, 

 she submitted to me her memorandum and gave 

 me a full history of any thing unusual that had 

 occurred. 



LAVING OUT THE APIARY. 



After you have made such an agreement that 

 you think there will be no chance for any disagree- 

 ment in the future, look your ground over care- 

 fully and decide just where you will place your 

 hives, and it will be well to get every thing ready in 

 advance so far as you can, so that, when your bees 

 are brought on the ground, the hives can be set di- 

 rectly in their places. As I am trying to tell espe- 

 cially what is appropriate for those to know who 

 have had no experience in out-apiaries, it is per- 

 haps not appropriate for me to say much about the 

 matter of arranging apiaries, for my readers are 

 supposed to have experience in such things; but a 

 little in that line may do no harm. It is desirable, 

 if possible, to be able to drive quite close with a 

 wagon, so as to load and unload hives, etc., conve- 

 niently, and I should like to have the place for 

 driving up at the back of the hives, if it can easily 



