216 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



April, 1919 



LANGSTROTH. 



bees have to wait even a week or tvv'o aTter 

 being placed upon their summer stands, be- 

 fore having a flight, no harm will come as a 

 result, provided they have not wintered 

 poorly." 



E. W. Alexander. — "We like to keep them 

 in the cellar until the most of that chilly 

 weather is past. ' ' When 

 it "has every appearance 

 of bad weather for the 

 morrow, we commence 

 about sundown and car- 

 rv out all of our bees. ' ' 

 * * ^ a -^Tg ^^^ >^ want 



any to try to fly until 

 they have been out two 

 or three davs. ' ' 



A B C aiid X Y Z of 

 Bee Culture. — "Advise 

 waiting till the time 

 when natural pollen conies, or in our locality, 

 soft maple bloom." (Endorses Alexander 

 plan.) 

 Setting Out at One Time or in Installments. 



Langstroth-Dadant. — "If the hives are all 

 removed from the cellar on the same day, 

 there will be little danger of robbing. ' ' 



* * * "At different times we have 

 seen bees desert their hives." * * * 

 ' ' The worst of these desertions is when the 

 bees have suffered while wintered indoors. ' ' 

 * * * " When such desertion in feared, it 

 is better not to put out more than one dozen 

 colonies at one time, and to prejiare a few 

 dry combs in clean hives, to hive the swarm 

 as soon as possible. ' ' 



Dr. C. C. Miller. — "Some object to taking 

 all the bees out at the same time. " * * * 

 "I have never had much trouble in that 

 way. ' ' 



M. Quinby. — "Eight or ten hives should 

 be set out at once; after they have been out 

 two or three hours, set out as many more. 

 When all are taken out at one time, they are 

 quite sure to mix and unite with colonies 

 where they do not belong.'" 



E. W. Alexander. — "We commence about 

 sundow^n and carry out all of our bees — yes, 

 even if it takes not only all night, but into 

 the next day. ' ' 



ABC and X Y Z of Bee Culture.— When 

 bees are set out two or three different times, 

 those first set out having marked their lo- 

 cations, and having quieted down, are quite 

 liable to rob those set out afterwards." 



Placing Colonies on Their Old Stands. 



L. L. Langstroth-Dadant. — "As bees re- 

 member their locations, it is important to 

 return each colony to its own place." 



Dr. C. C. Miller. — "Sometimes some at- 

 tempt is made to have colonies occupy the 

 same stands they occupied the previous 

 years, but oftener no attention is paid to 

 this. ' ' 



Dr. E. F. Phillips. — "Colonies which are 

 wintered in the cellar need not be put in 

 the same locations that they occupied the 

 previous year. ' ' 



M. Quinby. — "They are mpro particularly 



disposed to do so," (to mix), " wh^n any 

 stands have been changed or set in a new 

 place." * * * "It is an advantage, but 

 not all-important, that each hive occupies 

 its old stand when set out in the spring. To 

 this end, they should be numbered, and 

 Vv'hen brought out they can be placed where 

 they are to remain." 



E. W. Alexander. — "This loss (from 

 spring dwindling) can also be almost whollj' 

 prevented by placing the hives, when taken 

 from the cellar, so the entrances will face 

 the north." [Evidently not on old stands.] 



A B C and X Y Z of Bee Culture.— " After 

 bees have been shut up in the cellar over 

 winter they can be placed back on the old 

 stands they formerly occupied or they can 

 be put anywhere in the yard. ' ' 



Contraction of Entrances. 



L. L. Langstroth-Dadant. — "The en- 

 trance also must be reduced. ' ' 



Dr. C. C. Miller. — ' ' As soon as my bees 

 are taken out of the cel- 

 lar, the entrances are con- 

 tracted to a hole three- 

 quarters of one inch 

 square. ' ' 



Dr. E. F. Phillips.— 

 ' ' The entrances may be 

 reduced, or, if necessary, 

 mav be closed with wet 

 cloths." 



M. Quinby. — "Keep en- 

 trances contracted to pre- , ,. miller. 

 vent robbing. ' ' 



W, Z. Hutchinson. — "If the entrance is 

 contracted so that only one or two bees can 

 jjass, a strong colony can make no more of a 

 demonstration than a weak one." 



E. W. Alexander. — "We allow an em- 

 tranee only % by 1 inch, and sometimes 

 less; then when a warm day comes, we 

 enlarge it according to the needs of the 

 colony; then towards night close it again if 

 it i.s likely to turn cold." 



Other Preventions of Drifting. 



Among other suggested factors of drift- 

 ing are the following: 



M. Quinby.— (If they drift) "the best 

 way is to simply change hives, taking the 

 strong one to the stand of the weak one, and 

 the reverse. ' ' 



Dr. E. F. Phillips.— "It is claimed * * 

 that if the cellar is well aired the night he- 

 fore the bees are to be removed they will be 

 in better comlition and will drift less; but it 

 is not clear what difference this can make 

 unless the clusters are made tighter because 

 of lower temperatures. ' ' 



Cleaning Hives. 



There seems to be little question among 

 these authorities that it is sometimes advis- 

 able to clean out the hives early in the 

 spring instead of leaving it for the bees to 

 attend to later. If colonies have wintered 

 as they should, about the only thing tbat 

 can be cleaned out is the propolis. 



