264 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



©e aii« 



^meesi^ 



BY E. W. ALEXANDER. 



¥NTIL we know more about the 

 successful wintering of our bees, 

 than we do at present, the subject of 

 increase will be one of much impor- 

 tance to all of us, especially to those 

 who are anxious to have large apia- 

 ries as soon as possible, therefore I 

 take it for granted that most of us 

 would like to have some way marked 

 out whereby we can make a good in- 

 crease every year, and, at the same 

 time, have it done without sacrificing 

 much of our surplus honey in order to 

 doit. 



WHEN TO MAKE INCREASE. 



I will suppose that you have been 

 caring for your bees as you should, 

 since taking them from the cellar. If 

 so, then, June first, they are crowded 

 full, and have their hives packed from 

 side to side with brood, and are in the 

 right condition to gather a fine sur- 

 plus, provided your principal harvest 

 comes in June or July; if so keep them 

 from swarming all that j'ou can and 

 do all in your power to induce them to 

 store their honey in the surplus parts 

 of the hive. 



This course of management should 

 be followed until about the first of 

 August, when, with many of you, the 

 season for surplus honey is nearly over, 

 and you are ready to make your in- 

 crease for the season. Now, if you 

 have been getting ready for a good in- 

 crease, you ought to have as many 

 nice, young, laying queens on hand as 

 you have of full colonies; if so, it is 

 but a short job to divide each colony, 

 giving the queenless part to one of 

 these queens; then, with but little at- 

 tention after this, they will all make 

 good colonies for another year. This 



gives you a chance to double your col- 

 onies each year, except what you lose 

 in the winter and early spring. 



About 25 years ago I lived in a lo- 

 cality where my principal harvest was 

 in June and July; and I was quite suc- 

 cessful with this course of manage- 

 ment, but, of late years, living as I do 

 in a locality where the principal har- 

 vest comes in August, I just reverse 

 the time of increase and make all my 

 new colonies about the first of June, 

 which gives me two months to build 

 them up for the August harvest. This 

 I like very much, as it gives me twice 

 the number of colonies to gather sur- 

 plus. 



I do wish I had time to dwell long- 

 er on this important part of summer 

 management, but, as there are some 

 other things to which I wish to call 

 your attention, I will have to drop this 

 for the present; but do try and remem- 

 ber the advice Doolittle has always 

 given on this subject, that is "not only 

 have your hives crowded full of bees 

 at the cojinneiiccinent of your harvest 

 but have l/iose bees of th^ proper age/^ 



HOW TO EASILY SECURE QUEENS FOR 

 MAKING INCREASE. 



Now without entering into any de- 

 tailed account as to how you may have 

 lots of surplus lajang queens on hand 

 all through the summer, I will merely 

 say that at any time when you have a 

 colony that is queenless from any 

 cause, especially from swarming, and 

 it is rearing queens, take a part of the 

 combs containing some brood and 

 honey, and put them into one or two 

 empty hives, setting them on top of 

 each other on the old hive with two 

 wood-zinc, queen-excluding honey- 



