1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



349 



comb from which the young bees are emerg- 

 ing in considerable numbers. Then go to 

 one of the strong colonies and select as 

 many combs well tilled with capped and 

 hatching brood as were taken from the weak 

 colony, and replace them with the combs 

 taken from the latter. Shake most of the 

 bees from these combs of hatching brood 

 into their own hive, being sure not to take 

 their queen. Give one of these combs to the 

 weak colony from which the combs of eggs 

 and larvic have been taken; and if it has 

 bees enough to care for both of them they 

 may be given; otherwise one of these combs 

 of hatching brood may be used in another of 

 the colonies of the third class. All the colo- 

 nies of the third class should be thus supplied 

 with combs of hatching brood from the col- 

 onies of the first class; and the poorly filled 

 combs of eggs and brood from the colonies 

 of the third class should be given to the col- 

 onies of the first class in exchange. This 

 manipulation will result in a rapid increase 

 of bees to all colonies in the third class. As 

 the young bees emerge the queen will occu- 

 py the cells with eggs, and the addition of so 

 many young bees emerging from the full 

 combs of capped brood that have been sup- 

 plied will create heat enough to induce the 

 queen to fill one or two additional combs 

 with eggs as fast as her capacity for repro- 

 duction will admit. Having commenced 

 these manipulations from four to six weeks 

 prior to the opening of the main honey-fiow 

 the efliciency for honey-gathering of the col- 

 onies of the first class has been very little, if 

 any, impaired, as the queens in these popu- 

 lous colonies will immediately occupy the 

 remaining cells in these exchanged combs 

 with eggs which will develop into field bees 

 in time to be of the greatest use in the forth- 

 coming honey-flow. Swarming will un- 

 doubtedly be retarded in the strong colonies 

 as a result of the curtailment of young bees 

 at this time; but, if delayed or defeated, it 

 will result in enough more honey to amount 

 to a full compensation. A swarm thus re- 

 tarded will be enough larger and better to 

 be well worth having when it does finally 

 issue. 



Bufialo, N. Y. 



Continued. 



[The plan here outlined in the last para- 

 graph we consider excellent, and we are sure 

 it will work. The special feature of it is 

 that it allows all queens to lay to almost their 

 full capacity, whether they nave strong col- 

 onies or not. — Ed.] 



«««« 



SPRING PROTECTION. 



Paper Winter Cases. 



BY N. E. FRANCE. 



In the Northern States spring protection 

 is of great importance. With eleven years 

 of early spring inspection of bees in Wiscon- 

 sin I find that the general causes of weak 

 colonies are old queens, shortage of honey, 

 and unprotected hives. Quite often in one 



neighborhood I find one apiary in which 

 nearly every colony is weak and several 

 dead, while quite near will be another apia- 

 ry with strong colonies. I at once seek the 

 cause. I always want young queens from 

 strong colonies in early fall (August) so as to 

 get my hives tilled late in the fall with young 

 bees. Young queens in early spring also be- 

 gin brood-rearing earlier, and have plenty of 

 young bees to take the place of the old bees 

 fast dying with age. As for fall feeding, my 

 old statement is still good— « little too much 

 winter stores will be all right in the sx>ring. 

 Every time I find strong colonies in the 

 spring, plenty of stores are in the hives. 

 "More in the feed than in the breed" is 

 true. 



I am surprised that in the cold climates 

 where we wear overcoats many take the 

 bees from the cellar in a tender condition, 

 and do not place an overcoat of building- 

 paper or an outer case around the hive un- 

 til settled warm weather. In many places 

 while inspecting apiaries in the spring I 

 have asked the owner to wrap half the hives 

 with black building-paper and see for him- 

 self the results. In every ca^e it has con- 

 vinced the owner that the sudden changes oj 

 sprijig weather did not a^ect the colonies in 

 protected hives, while the others continued to 

 dwindle and die. I always want an apiary 

 in a location protected from the high winds. 



If spring feeding must be done, sealed 

 combs of good honey with cappings partly 

 scraped off, and placed next to the cluster of 

 bees, give satisfaction. Warm liquid honey 

 or sugar syrup makes good spring feed if 

 needed; but I prefer my spring feeding in 

 the fall. 



Platteville, Wis. 



SPRING MANAGEMENT. 



Preparing^ Supers; How to Put Starters 

 in Sections. 



BY DR. C. C. MILLER. 



I want to say some words especially for 

 producers of comb honey with not much ex- 

 perience. 



In starting out in producing honey it will 

 verj likely occur to you, without my sug- 

 gesting it, that you should feel your way 

 somewhat carefully, economizing wherever 

 it is possible. You can economize in the 

 matter of foundation. Instead of filling the 

 section you can use triangular starters com- 

 ing half way down, and the expense will be 

 only one-fourth as much. Instead of using 

 super-springs you can save expense by using 

 wooden wedges costing almost nothing. 

 You can get along with only two supers — 

 yes, you might save by having only one su- 

 per for each colony, emptying out the finish- 

 ed sections and filling again as often as need- 

 ed. By waiting until the honey-flow is on 

 before getting any sections ready, you can 

 tell better how many sections you will need, 

 and save the expense of having a lot of su- 



