GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



.Tune, 1919 



convenient but not essential. A windbreak 

 may consist of a hill, a piece of woodland, 

 evergreens, buildings, a board fence, or a 

 bank of earth. The beekeeper should ac- 

 quaint himself with the nectar-bearing flora 

 of the locality, the time and duration of 

 bloom, etc. 



The equipment should include at least two 

 full-depth supers of combs per colony, tho 

 three would he better. Shallow combs may 

 be used, but it will require a corresponding- 

 ly greater number. It is not considered 

 practical to produce comb honey in out- 

 yards, except in certain favored localities. 



A small house may be built at each yard 

 for use when extracting, and for storing 

 empty combs and supplies. Our honey- 

 houses are 10 by 12 feet, and 10 feet high, 

 built of matched boards, such as flooring or 

 heavy ceiling; are bee-tight, and have 

 screened windows and doors. They are 

 covered with a good quality of roofing pa- 

 per. The cost was about 25 or 30 dollars 

 each. At one end is a bench on which are 

 set the extractor and honey-tank. The ex- 

 tracting outfit, with tank, uneapping-box, 

 cans, etc., is moved from yard to yard as 

 needed. 



Having established our yards, we must 

 adopt a system of management which is 

 practically non-swarming, and which elimi- 

 nates all useless manipulations, thus re- 

 ducing the work to a minimum. Such a sys- 

 tem we have evolved after years of experi- 

 menting, and it has _given uniform success 

 in our own apiaries. We will suppose that 



Honey-house at an out-apiary. 



the bees were properly prepared for winter, 

 with plenty of good stores, and wintered in 

 two stories. This is an important jjart of 

 our system. The method and amount of 

 packing will depend on the climate and the 

 locality. Thus prepared, the hives are not 

 disturbed until settled warm weather 



At the beginning of the first surplus flow, 

 from locust or clover, we go thru all the 

 colonies, putting the queens down, and being 

 careful to see that there are three or four 

 empty combs in the lower story, and about 



Oiiu ul tliu i,ut a^iiai lev, sIhax uiii 



