786 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



December, 1919 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



as shown in your figure, page 638, October 

 Gleanings, but find the upper one of little 

 use and now keep it closed. 



I have found that with a bee-cellar under 

 a honey-house, a few inches of sawdust 

 serves the same purpose as several feet of 

 earth over the top, and is more easily con- 

 structed. In cellars made to hold 100 or 

 200 colonies the shape of the cellar makes 

 little difference, as it is easy to regulate 

 if desired, and the temperature ordinarily 

 need not vary more than two or three de- 

 grees during winter. E. S. Miller. 



Valparaiso, Ind. 



[Lengthening the chimney would, no 

 doubt, be a good thing. — Editor.] 



BEES, HIVES, AND TIME 



Three Factors Besides Location That Affect Ama- 

 teur Management in an Apiary 



Location is admittedly the most imj^or- 

 tant single factor in apiary management 

 and to the professional beekeeper it is the 

 only thing that really counts in his plans for 

 the season. 



Li the ease of the amateur, however, 

 often struggling to get a start in beekeep- 

 ing, there are three other things to be taken 

 into account when giving him advice as to 

 the best system of management; the num- 

 ber of colonies of bees he has, the amount 

 of sujiplies and spare hives he has, and the 

 time he can devote to his bees. 



If he has plenty of bees, few spare hives, 

 and limited time, he will do well to hold 

 the colonies together as far as possible and 

 thereby concentrate his efforts on producing 

 honey. If he can be on the spot or near at 

 hand, natural swarming will probably serve 

 his needs and he can hive the swarm on the 

 old stand and then gradually throw the full 

 force of bees back with it by placing the 

 parent colony first on one and then on the 

 other side of the new 

 swarm. Whether for 

 comb or extracted hon- 

 ey this procedure will 

 give a great deal of 

 honey and a small 

 amount of increase. If 

 the beekeeper has to 

 be away from his bees 

 the same plan can be 

 adopted by making 

 shaken swarms- when- 

 ever well - advanced 

 queen-cells show that 

 swarming is anticipat- 

 ed, cutting the cells to 

 one a week later. If 

 his time is very limit- 

 ed, he would be well 

 Ml". Sanders at work. advised to run for ex- 



tracted honey, leaving it all on the hives till 

 well ripened; but if the time is available 

 comb-honey, can be produced as well, per- 

 haps better, by this system. 



Suppose on the other hand, he is in the 

 position of having but few bees and plenty 

 of supplies. His better plan will be to con- 

 centrate upon increase, putting off till the 

 next season his hope of getting much of a 

 crop of honey. He will build up his bees 

 to strength and then divide upon the nucleus 

 plan, buying his queens to save the valuable 

 three weeks that would be consumed in rear- 

 ing and mating them. We shall remember 

 Dr. Miller and his 56 colonies, made from 



She's a Manitoba beekeeper, too. 



nine in the spring, with the help of plenty 

 of supplies, adequate time, and last, not 

 least, Dr. Miller. 



In many district&»there is a brisk local 

 demand for bees, and further there have 

 been so many disappointments in the pack- 

 age business that the local demand is likely 

 to increase rather than diminish. The bee- 

 keeper is often perplexed as to whether he 

 will do well to sell colonies or make more 

 by keeping them. Generally speaking, it is 

 a good thing to have enough bees to keep 

 one's equipment fully occupied and produc- 

 ing, and to have enough equipment to keep 

 one 's bees adequately supplied. 



A beginner will do well to get first a 

 clear idea of how many colonies he could 

 look after, how much increase he would 

 like to make, and so on; and then plan. 



Sturgeon Or., Manitoba. H. Sanders. 



