June, 1919 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



the first supers gi\eii and storiiijj is well 

 started, we jjivo a new super eontuiiiiiiij- full 

 sliects of" foundation in tlie sections, jilaciiio- 

 it next to the brood-chamber. If conditions 

 are favorable this foundation will all be 

 drawn within a day or two, and the shallow 

 cells are then used for the evaporation of 

 the incoming nectar. The bees apparently 

 enjoy spreading out this raw nectar a little 

 in each cell thruout the available comb sur- 

 face, thus hastening its ripening by increas- 

 ing the surface of the nectar exposed to the 

 air. 



Supers As Evaporating Chambers. 



Thus far this recently added super is 

 simply a ripening chamber or an evaporator 

 containing a large amount of evaporating 

 surface. Before it becomes a storage re- 

 ceptacle for more nearly ripened honey we 

 take it from its position immediately above 

 the brood-chamber to be placed on the top 

 of the pile of supers, and at the same time 

 another super with full sheets of foundation 

 is put in its place next to the brood-cham- 

 ber. This process is repeated as often as 

 necessary to keep the bees busy drawing 

 out foundation, always leaving the super 

 which is nearest completion just above the 

 one in which the foundation is being drawn, 

 i. e., the second sujier above the brood-cham- 

 ber. 



By doing this, each newly added super af- 

 fords new work in a most attractive location 

 to entice more and more of the younger bees 

 out of the brood-chamber; the foundation is 

 drawn without checking the progress in the 

 more nearly completed super which is im- 

 mediately above; a large amount of new 

 comb surface with shallow cells is being 

 constantly added for the ripening of incom- 

 ing nectar, and comb is being built faster 

 than needed for the storage of honey, thus 

 approximating the more favorable condi- 

 tions present in extracted-honey production. 

 At the same time, if the honey flow should 

 cease uiiexpectedly, the last added super 

 can be removed and the super nearing com- 



pletion jilaced down on the brood-chamber; 

 while the supers in which the least work has 

 been done arc* placed on top to be removed 

 after the unripe honey has been taken down 

 and before the newly built and delicate 

 comb is damaged by being soiled or propo- 

 lized. 



If Ave could foretell the number of supers 

 each colony would need during the honey 

 flow, we would by this method induce the 

 bees to begin comb-building in that many 

 supers just as fast as they would do so. We 

 would then give them one extra super on 

 top to contain the overflow of nectar during 

 the process of ripening. Since we cannot 

 foretell the number they will fill we try 

 to avoid, on the one hand a too rapid ex- 

 pansion of the surplus room consistent with 

 well-filled sections and, on the other hand, a 

 lack of the stimulation afforded by the 

 room for new work and abundant comb sur- 

 face for ripening nectar. 



When the honey flow is slow or when the 

 nectar is thicker when first gathered the 

 work of drawing out foundation, comb- 

 building, and the ripening of nectar may all 

 be done with sufficient rapidity in a single 

 super. Under these conditions the subse- 

 quently added supers may be given on top, 

 for unless the bees enter the newly added 

 supers and draw out the foundation uniform- 

 ly in all the sections, adding the new supers 

 above usually gives better results. When 

 the honey flow is good we go over the supers 

 every three days to add new ones, remove 

 any that may be finished, and arrange the 

 others in the order which we think will 

 cause the bees to finish them most rapidly. 



It is already well within the realm of pos- 

 sibility so to manage that all colonies shall 

 be alike as to number, age, and strain of 

 workers at the beginning of the honey flow. 

 If we can also finally learn t'O control all the 

 evasive and obscure factors affecting colony 

 morale we may begin to realize the long- 

 dreamed-of ideal of every colony yielding as 

 well as the best. 



PROFITABLE OUTYARDS 



The Principal '^quirements as to 

 Location, Equipment and Manage- 

 ment. Ho'w to Secure '^est Results 



By J. M. Buchanan 



WHEN, in 

 the course 

 f apiari- 

 an events, it be- 

 comes necessary 

 for one to en- 

 large his bee- 

 keeping business 

 beyond the con- 

 fines of the 

 "home apiary," he is at once confronted 

 with the serious question of the establish- 

 ment and management of outyards. The 

 average "one-yard" beekeeper feels him- 

 self entirely capable of conducting that one 

 yard, but hesitates to tackle another, seem- 

 ing to think that it will require a new and 

 perhaps complex system for the management 



of outyards. 

 However, there 

 is no good rea- 

 son why a sys- 

 tem that gives 

 good results in 

 one yard will 

 not work equal- 

 ly well in two oi' 

 more. 

 When launching out into more profitable 

 beekeeping, the first important considera- 

 tion is the establishment of out-apiaries. The 

 location is an important factor, on which 

 the success of the venture largely depends. 

 The principal requirements are good pas- 

 turage, accessibility, protection from pre- 

 vailing winds, and water supply. Shade is 



