.irXK l.->, 1915 



497 



houses and haystacks gave ooiisiderable pro- 

 tection from the south. The g:rouiHl was 

 level, with a slight rise to the north. 



We seldom lost many colonies out right in 

 this location, in winteiing'. but usually 

 found it impossible to bring- them up to the 

 standard of the other yards with less shel- 

 ter, at the oiiening- of the flow, even though 

 they were allowed more stores. 



A discouraging- feature each spring- would 

 be tinding- fully half of tlie bees of most 

 colonies dead on the bottom-boards and part 

 way up between the combs. This experience 

 and others resulted in our theory of the 

 necessity of sullicient air drainage for the 

 best results in wintering- and spring breed- 

 ing-. 



Finally wo moved this apiary. Tlie only 

 available location near was on a north slope, 

 upon quite steep ground. Here the bees 

 winter and breed up better, though exposed 

 to the full blast of the northwest -winter 

 winds. We find that a south slope, not too 

 steep, gives still better results; but we can 



not get as good results on level ground with 

 natural shelter. The only reason that we 

 can assign is the lack of air drainage. 



This view was corroborated at the Idaho 

 convention about a year ago, when Mr. 

 Nelson, of Oregon, gave his experience on 

 the same lines, saying that his best winter- 

 ing and breeding yard was exposed to the 

 full rigors of the winds. 



Tlic illustration will give some idea of 

 the present location of the yard where these 

 results have been so apparent. This apiary 

 is on the north slope of the " Mesa," or 

 bench, while high above it, a little to the 

 south, runs the canal supplying water to 

 the valley lands. 



The sage brush in the foreground fur- 

 nishes fair smoker fuel, though it burns out 

 cjuickly. 



This yard is run for extracted honey, 

 and contains m.ostly Italian bees of a fine 

 sti-ain. 



Meridian, Idaho. 



WHAT TO DO WITH WEAK COLONIES IN THE SPRING 



BY T. DWIGHT WHITMAN 



The question of how best to dispose of 

 weak colonies in the spring is sometimes 

 hard to answer. If they are united, in a 

 short time you have one weak colony and 

 nothing gained. A better way is to put a 

 thin partition in a ten-frame body not over 

 a quarter of an inch thick, so that the body 

 is divided into two bee-tight compartments. 

 Then arrange the bottom-board in the same 

 way (see Fig. 1), making the entrances at 

 the outside corners of the body. Place the 

 frames occupied bv- the queens on each side 

 of the division-board, any frames with 

 brood in them coming next, and the frames 

 with honey in them next until the body is 

 filled; then your cover cloth and a tight 

 cover over all. Leave them thus until they 

 begin to get a little crowded for room. Put 

 on a queen-excluding board, and on that 

 a full-depth super body or super of sections. 



You will be surprised to see how quickly 

 the double hive will build up both before 

 and after the extra body is put on, and 

 how much heat is to be felt if you put your 

 hand on one side of the thin partition when 

 the bees are on the other side of it. 



The two colonies do not fight in the upper 

 body above the queen-excluder, but a^ree 

 peaceably, and this upper body makes an 

 ideal place to put a small queen-nursery 

 (see Fig. 2). 



My nursery, which sliows in Fig. 1, in 



front of the bottom-board, is made from a 

 piece of l^/'2-ii^<^li by 2%-inch lumber with 

 inch holes bored from the top as shown, to 

 meet holes of the same size bored through 

 the piece, the sides being protected with 

 screen wire and the top with a tin slide. 

 The slide is shoAvn partly drawn out in Fig. 



FlO. 1. — Double hive and bottom-ljoard. 

 of the latter is the queen-nursery. 



