136 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



prefer a ffood double cover to any 

 natural shade or shade-boards. 



Locations should be as near together 

 as possible; either in a circle, or in a 

 long double line, and so connected that 

 all the bees may be seen before it is 

 necessary for the workmen to come in. 



As many bees should be kept in each 

 location as the location will stand. 

 The fewer out-j^ards, to the number of 

 colonies the better. These locations 

 should al.so be as close together as it is 

 possible to place them for best results. 

 In onr country 100 colonies every 2f^ 

 miles is the rule I have found best to 

 go by, but each man will have to deter- 

 mine this from experience, for himself. 

 I do not advise the putting up of per- 

 manent houses at each yard. With us 

 it is unnecessary; as we alwa3's use a 

 movable extracting house that is car- 

 ried from yard to yard in taking oft' 

 honey. Bulk-comb and section honey 

 are always carried home in the supers, 

 and, at the home-yard, a large, well- 

 built house is necessary for the proper 

 packing of the honey. In this house 

 all supers are cleaned up and supplied 

 with foundation. Very often a team 

 will take out a load of empt3' supers 

 and bring in a load of honey. A crevv^ 

 of efficient helpers can go from yard to 

 3'ard and do the work, while a cheap 

 man can haul in the honej'. 



A portable tent is also used by some 

 in Texas for an extracting house, and 

 is all right and easier to carry than 

 the house on wheels. All extracted 

 honey is put into barrels, and there 

 remains until sold. Bulk comb honey 

 is nicely stacked up in the supers and 

 there remains until we are ready to 

 pack and ship out. 



HOW TO EMPLOY HELP TO ADVANTAGE. 



With out-apiaries it is necessary to 

 have experienced helpers, they must be 

 utilized to the utmost; therefore, have 

 experienced men to do the manipula- 

 tions and actual work in the apiary, 

 while most of the work of making hives 



fixing up supers, hauling of them out, 

 and the work of hauling in and pack- 

 ing of the honej', may be done with 

 cheaper and less experienced men. 

 My experience is that one reliable, ex- 

 pert bee-keeper, with two good assist- 

 ants, in addition to the owner, make 

 enough expert help for running 1,000 

 colonies of bees in out-apiaries. 



The owner should figure out how 

 many hives and supers he will need the 

 next season; then get them in time, 

 and have them all ready for use b3' the 

 time that spring opens up; for he will 

 have no time then to get ready; he must 

 be ready in advance. With his hives, 

 supers and equipment ready and in 

 good shape when the early spring- 

 work opens up, he will have nothing to 

 do except to give the bees every at- 

 tention. Before beginning the spring- 

 work, a suitable camping outfit should 

 be provided for the apiar3'-force. and 

 arranged so that the men can have 

 every convenience possible for a camp- 

 ing-out-life. A good folding tent and 

 a folding spring cot for each man are 

 indispensible; and, if one of the apiary- 

 men is not a good cook, then a cheap 

 man should be provided; one who can 

 also assist the men in whatever wa3' he 

 can when not otherwise emplo3'ed. A 

 light spring-hack is just the thing for 

 the men to go in from jilace to place, 

 and to carry the camping and work- 

 outfit. 



EARLY SPRING-MANAGEMENT — EIXED 

 FRAMES. 



The first thing that we do in the 

 spring is to go through every colon3' 

 and thoroughl3' overhaul them. By 

 this time (Feb. iSth) all should have a 

 little brood on the wa3'. If we see 

 none we scratch the face of a frame of 

 capped honey, and leave it right in the 

 center of the cluster. The next time 

 we come, if no brood is present, we 

 look for the queen; and, if queenless, 

 unite with some other weak hive 

 having a queen. Colonies that we 



