96 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



April 



colonies that have the ability to make 

 honey in the good old-fashioned way 

 than it is to keep small hives and 

 frames that are easy to handle though 

 the bees have been taught to suck up 

 sweetened water from little wooden 

 troughs. 



Wheelersburg, Ohio, March 12, 1903. 



Spring Losses. 



(L. E. Kerr). 



TO THE enthusiastic and wide- 

 awake keeper of bees there can 

 be no more critical period 

 than that in which he is endeavoring to 

 get his colonies, somewhat weak and 

 demoralized from the ravages of win- 

 ter, safely over to settled, warm weath- 

 er. He knows, or ought to know, that 

 every worker now is more valuable 

 than a dozen will be in the course of 

 a few weeks when all danger of dwind- 

 ling is past and new honey and pollen 

 is coming in plentifully, and he will 

 let no opportunity pass to give his 

 bees all the protection and aid that lies 

 within his power. 



It is a matter of history where whole 

 apiaries have, after coming safely 

 through the ordeal of winter, succumb- 

 ed to the condition of things that conies 

 about naturally during a cold and back- 

 ward spring when they have not been 

 properly prepared to withstand the 

 greater ravages of those months. It 

 would be safe to say that a strong col- 

 ony, in a warm hive, with an abun- 

 dance of the best honey, would pull 

 through any kind of a spring, and come 

 out in the bes,t possible condition, if 

 left entirely to themselves. 



I have been experimenting, more or 

 less, every spring since I first began 

 keeping bees thirteen years ago, with 

 foods calculated to stimulate the bees 

 to rearing brood which would become 

 mature bees in good time to take the 

 place of the old ones which would be 

 dying of?. As far as inducing the bees 

 to begin brood rearing goes I have 

 been successful in this, but for every 

 young bee added to a colony by spring 

 feeding, two old ones will be lost by 

 venturing out in the fields at a time 

 when it is impossible for them to ever 

 return to their hive. When left to 

 themselves bees keep to their hives 

 at such times and though they are a 



little slower to begin brood rearing 

 they will ultimately outstrip those that 

 have been fed. 



It is imperative to not handle bees 

 in the very early spring. Where a hive 

 cover is pried loose at that season, ■ 

 those bees are left in '. bad way to car- 

 ry on brood rearing, if not, indeed, in 

 a fair way to join th2 silent maioiivy. 



Hurricane, Ark., Feb. 16 i'j03. 



Self Dependance — Winter Work. 



(Bessie L. Putnam). 



BEE-KEEPING, perhaps more 

 than any other rural pursuit, 

 tempts the amateur to depend 

 upon some one else when the difficult 

 times come. This may be pardoned in 

 the beginner providing he shows a dis- 

 position to learn how and has the 

 "nerve" to carry this knowledge into 

 practical use. But the one who is 

 afraid of bees and bound to remain 

 afraid of them had better buy honey 

 than bees: the purchase of the latter is 

 pretty sure to render him an annoy- 

 ance to his neighbor. 



There conies to mind a man whose 

 house had a room built in the cham- 

 ber, after the old-fashioned plan, exclu- 

 sivelv for bees, a hole being made in 

 the outer wall for their exit. Seeing 

 some swarms oflfered cheap at a public 

 sale, he invested, having no idea of how 

 to care for his new purchase and no 

 inclination to learn. They were placed 

 in their apartment and allowed to at- 

 tend to their domestic afifairs without 

 being molested by any of the family. 

 Finally it was discovered tha,t they had 

 accumulated a goodly store. A neigh- 

 bor who was a practical bee-keeper was 

 summoned, and spent a day trying to 

 bring order out of chaos. For, as 

 might be expected, the bees had fash- 

 ioned their comb into all conceivable 

 shapes and places. Much of their la- 

 bor was wasted by not being properly 

 directed in the beginning; much by no,t 

 being attended to at the proper time. 



Time passed, and the bees worked as 

 before,. The next year the same man 

 was c^led to collect the season's store, 

 not a member of the family having the 

 courage to face the insect band. The 

 result was as before, — there was a large 

 percentage of waste on account of the 

 neglect. But the most discouraging 



