184 



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tered in a cellar, and everything sur- 

 rounding them, and the care, was such 

 that there has been no loss of vitality 

 other than would result from age. 



In this latitude the time to carry the 

 bees out of the cellar is usually from 

 April 20 to May 1. In removing bees 

 from the cellar, a time should be se- 

 lected that has the appearance of sev- 

 eral warm days together. A little in- 

 genuity can be used in devising plans 

 for carrying them out, that would be 

 the least fatiguing. The work should 

 begin as soon as the sun is suiiicientlj' 

 warm in the morning, for the bees to 

 commence their cleansing flight almost 

 as soon as they are placed on the sum- 

 mer stands. 



The following arrangement I like : 

 Height of the hives from the ground, 

 not less than 4 inches ; first row H feet 

 apart, facing the east ; the second row^ 

 facing the south, and about 2 inches 

 from the rear of the first row ; the 

 third row is 6 feet from the second, 

 and opposite the spaces in the first and 

 second rows (so that the morning sun 

 will shine in the entrance), and so on. 



In this climate as late as May 20 we 

 often have cold weather sufficient to 

 chill the brood, and entirely stop 

 brood-rearing, for which reason spring 

 protection of some kind ought to be 

 used. The lumber in boot and shoe 

 boxe's answers every purpose, to make 

 rims for the hives 18 inches deep, and 

 2 by 3 feet ; the covers should be 

 water-tight, and they will also answer 

 for shade-boards in the summer if 

 needed. 



For the packing to fill in between 

 hives and the rims, sawdust, fine hay, 

 or chaff is very good, using small 

 blocks to keep the entrances free. 



Before packing, and after the bees 

 have had their flight, see that they 

 have plenty of stores to stimulate 

 brood-rearing; those that have not, 

 mark it in a record-book, to be fed, 

 and if any are found queenless, unite 

 them with a colony having a queen. 

 It is well to leave tlie packing on until 

 the time to put the cases on. 



Now is the time to get the hives 

 ready for the summer. The cases, 

 sections,foundation,separators,smoker, 

 and the swarming-box, should all be 

 in readiness when the honey harvest 

 begins ; and last, but not least, the 

 bee-veil should have attention. 



Every apiarist should rear queens to 

 have them ready for the swarming sea- 

 son, as no apiarist can afford to have 

 a colony queenless during the honey- 

 flow. 



See that your bees have water, if 

 you are not near a river or small 

 stream. 



My tools consist of a long screw- 

 driver, a large knife, and a scraper. 



Darlington, Wis. 



COMB HONEY. 



Some Practical Thoughts on Itf« 

 Production. 



Read at the Maine Convention 



BY L. F. ABBOTT. 



Given a certain number of strong 

 colonies of bees in the spring, how 

 shall they be worked to produce the 

 largest amount of comb honey ? This 

 question is not so easilj' answered as 

 it might at first seem to be ; but ordi- 

 narily I believe it profitable — the 

 honey-flow of course being good — to 

 let one swarm issue, allowing the par- 

 ent colony to rear a queen, destroying 

 all but one of the queen-cells about the 

 tiftli day after the swarm issues. Pre- 

 vious to swarming, however, when 

 seven or eight frames are well filled 

 with brood. and the bees seem disposed 

 to build bits of comb in all available 

 spaces, the time has come to put on 

 surplus cases. 



Now we will say that five colonies 

 are each in seven frames, and ready to 

 receive sections for the storing of sur- 

 plus honej'. The season is now ad- 

 vanced, and weather warm, so the 

 brood we have to take from the hives 

 to reduce the brood-nest will not sufl'er 

 from exposure. Each hive is opened 

 and reduced to six frames, leaving the 

 best filletl with brood and eggs. Those 

 frames taken out may be placed in a 

 hive with a portion of young bees ad- 

 hering to the combs, and form a new 

 colony. At the expiration of a couple 

 of da3's, a laying queen may be given 

 this colony — ordinarily she might be 

 introduced at once — which will be 

 ready in three or four weeks, or so, 

 for a section-case, and will send ott', 

 probably, a young swarm, which should 

 be made to stay at home, or equivalent 

 to that, of which I will have more to 

 say about subsequently. 



Shaving' the Combs. 



The old hives now have six frames 

 which should be carefullj- shaved, over 

 the portion containing honey, to l- of 

 an inch, and spaced in the hives to 

 bee-space — ; of an inch. If tlie frames 

 are fixed with reversible attachments 

 —as I would have them — reverse the 

 frames and use a dummy on each side 

 so tlic surplus case will fit without 

 leaving any open space. 



Twenty-four or twenty-eight one- 

 pound sections supplied with tliin foun- 

 dation arc enough, and perhaps if half 

 the number could be so arranged to 

 place on at first, it would be better 

 than the larger number. After these 

 sections are all filled with comb, and 

 two-thirds of the upper portion capped 

 over, this case may be raised, and 

 another case of the same size placed 



upon the brood-frames. A wide frame 

 containing eight sections might be 

 placed each side of the brood-frames, 

 — after removing the dummies — but 

 I should expect that they would be im- 

 mediately fillcil with eggs bj- the 

 queen. 



If the honey-flow is copious, our five 

 colonies will each send out a swarm by 

 June 10. Hive them upon empty 

 combs or sheets of foundation, and, if 

 preferred, the new colony formed by 

 frames of brood taken in reducing the 

 old colonies to six frames when putting 

 on the section-cases, maj' be drawn 

 upon to the extent of a frame for each 

 new swarm, replacing the frame so 

 taken by an empty comb or founda- 

 tion, which the laying queen will 

 quickly occupy. 



Restrict each colonj' to sending oft' 

 one new swarm, and these new ones 

 not to be allowed to swarm at all. 

 Such first swarms will probably swarm 

 in about four weeks. Let the swarm 

 issue, hive in the ordinary way, place 

 on a new stand a little distance from 

 the former stand, and put the frames 

 from the parent colon}-, bees and all, 

 into the new hive, in the new location; 

 place on the surplus case, and things 

 will be likely to go on through the sea- 

 son without more trouble by swarm- 

 ing. If thej' do swarm out again, 

 after a couple of weeks, put them over 

 again, and keep them to work in sur- 

 plus room. 



The old colony, having all queen- 

 cells but one removed, five to eight 

 days after sending oft', the swarm will 

 very likely swarm again, in three or 

 four weeks, when the)', too, should be 

 changed over as described for the 

 others. 



Objections may be raised to this 

 ])lan, on the ground that if one has a 

 large number of colonies, it is unde- 

 sirable to increase as fast as this 

 method contemplates. 



In rebuttal it may be urged that, as 

 a rule, the old colony and one new 

 swarm issuing from it — all things be- 

 ing favorable — will store more honey 

 than the old colony alone, prevented 

 from swarming. Again, the method I 

 have given somewhat in detail, con- 

 templates putting only strong colonies 

 into winter quarters. Reduce the num- 

 ber of colonies by doubling up at the 

 end of the honey harvest ; make sales 

 of colonies according to value, reserv- 

 ing the best for yourself, as you would 

 select your sheep and lambs, keeping 

 the best yourself, and turning the in- 

 ferior ones to the butcher at what they 

 will bring. 



But this course of allowing the old 

 colonies to cast a swarm need not be 

 followed, if one is satisfied with the 

 product of that. By running over the 



