280 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



ority by much experience and long 

 use, as do also all that have copied 

 me recommend them strongly. Yes, 

 I am prepared to give as a thank- 

 offering my whole apiary to any one 

 that will show me a better and more 

 useful dwellinsf for the bees. 



HOW TO MAKE THE SAME SERVICEABLE 

 IN RAISING BEES. 



Out of the preceding much light 

 has been given as to how to use the 

 stories. If one wishes to have put 

 in a new swarm, place (if the swarm 

 is strong) four such stories- one upon 

 another quite free without attaching 

 them in any way ; only should they 

 not fit exactly on one another they 

 should be glued in the cracks, and 

 the swarm put into it. If, after two 

 or three weeks, the fourth story is 

 half full, if four have been taken, or 

 it is three-quarters full, place another 

 story under to prevent the bees from 

 throwing a swarm which is not good 

 in fact injurious, when the fifth is full 

 as before, put on the sixth and so on 

 until the bees build no more, which 

 generally takes place in August. 



As soon, however, as one has placed 



2Ia such cases one must put neither too 

 many nor too few stories. If one takes too few, 

 if the next day is a warm one, the bees may 

 move out as tlie heat forces them out; but if one 

 takes too many and the room is too great in 

 proportion to their number they are discour- 

 aged and will not build out. For an ordinary 

 swarm three stories are generally sufficient. In 

 my presence some years ago two swarms is- 

 sued about the same time from equally strong 

 parents, one was put in three stories the other 

 in four. Tlie llrst not only filled its three 

 stoiies but a fourth I placed underneath it; 

 the others quit building wlien two were filled, 

 60 I took the fourth away and they at once 

 commenced building again and eventually 

 filled the fourth one. 



a Story underneath, it is necessary 

 to close up the upper entrance after 

 two or three hours or the bees will 

 not continue building readily ; it is 

 also necessary with old stocks which 

 one does not wish to let swarm or 

 from which one does not wish to 

 make nuclei. One gives them in 

 April, if they are populous enough 

 (before, they will not build) and they 

 have enough stores ; the robbing time 

 is past and it is warm enough to build 

 an under story ; for to give several 

 at once is not serviceable. First, the 

 bees prefer building in one rather 

 than two empty ones ; next the in- 

 carrying bees lose too much time 

 running up the empty story ; then 

 they cannot guard the entrance thor- 

 oughly against robbers, ants, moths, 

 etc. When this story is more than 

 half filled give them another and so 

 on ; I always did this placing-under 

 early in the morning when the bees 

 were yet quiet, particularly if the 

 morning is somewhat cool ; one pla- 

 ces a story upon a board^ and stands 

 with the same before the hive. Your 

 assistant stands behind it, raises it. 



3 I generally call this the under-story board, 

 it might also be called the alighting board. It 

 sliould be allowed to project half a foot, so the 

 bees can conveniently fly from it, rest and sun 

 themselves, it is inconvenient for them if they 

 cannot have considerable room at the en- 

 trance. The alighting board is, tlierefore, to 

 be one foot eight inches long and one foot 

 three inches wide. In front it can be made to 

 slope away or cut rounding. With the thick 

 board, I had for many years much trouble on 

 account of warping. I used an oak board 

 which was particularly bad if cut from the 

 whole log, viz., through heart and all; after 

 some rains and sunshines on account of the 

 strength of the board, raised up hive and all 

 from warping. Therefore take lighter half- 

 inch and not such strong material. Let the 

 board have less strengtii than the weight of 

 the colony can resist. Pine is good. 



