100 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



case can be added for a small amount. If you 

 wish to produce some exinicted tioney with 

 comb honey, fcimply buy a set of shallow frames 

 to tit the super, or two b(jdies can be tiered up. 

 There are many piiuts of value m such a hiye, 

 and experieiice m praeiise will bring them to 

 one's notice. I need not say that it pays to paint 

 all wood parts exposed to weather. 



HOXEY Pl.ODVCINO. 



Many of us do not work our bees to the best 

 advantage, and I shall lay down a few rules 

 that may be uf value to some, perhaps old to 

 others. In the production of comb honey it is 

 necessary first to secure a large working force by 

 the opening of white clover, or by tne 15th of 

 June, and I know of no simpler manner of se- 

 curing this large force tuau by using the 

 double-wall hive and the closed end frame. 



If we have our hive well tilled with stores in 

 the fall, no stimulative feeding will be necessary, 

 and, as skunk cabbage, willow and maple yield 

 polen so early, it is uuuecessary to dabble with 

 any sort of aniflcial pullen. But there is one 

 thing very essential about this time and that is to 

 ba sure to provide stimulative feed during the 

 cold and wet season that generally comes on 

 about the tune fruit bloom is beginning to fail, as 

 it is quite important that the queen be fed liberally 

 in order for her to deposit tue required number 

 of eggs a day. Just before white clover opens, 

 the sections that have previously been provided 

 with a good article of thin foundation should 

 be adjusted to the colonies in the strongest con- 

 dition. It does not pay to monkey with the very 

 weak ones only so fir as to see that they have a 

 good quf;en and are doing well. Such colonies 

 should be kept in the frames and built up for the 

 fall flow or fur t'tock another season. It is a good 

 plan to buy you 1:1 queens from some reliible 

 breeder and introduce to all such colonies durmg 

 clover bloom. 



A great many bee-keepers experience trouble 

 in getting their bees started in the sections. 



There are always one or two colonies that get In- 

 to the boxes at once and have quite a start made 

 before all the others. Simply shift a row of started 

 sections with a mi Idle row of one not started, 

 bees and all. Continue tbis practice untd all 

 have at leaEt one row of started boxes. Another^ 

 way is to tier two cases of sections above the 

 strongest colonics, leavii/g out the center row of 

 boxes in each case and hang a frame of brood in 

 all stages in their places. Leave thus until a 

 good start is made, when a row of started boxes 

 can be placed in toe centre of each case, bees and 

 al'. If they refuse to work after this, it is very 

 evident that they intend to swarm, when every 

 eflort shottld be made to encourage them to do so. 

 Disturb them as little as possible and feed a little 

 during unpleasant weaiher. A I just a trap to the 

 entrance ami prepare a new h.ve for each, with 

 starters in the fr&mes n>t over two inches wide. 

 Never hive swarms onto full sheets of foundation 

 or drawn comb, oi' you will be the loser rather 

 than the gainer. S^me co:npetent person should 

 be by the beps during swarming time. Wnen 

 the swaim issuet^, examine the trap fur tbe queen. 

 When found, remove the trap and adjust it to 

 the front of the now hive and place it close beside 

 the parent colony. Leave it until the swarm re- 

 turns, wbich it will do in a few minutes, hiving 

 itself as nice as you please. After the swarm is 

 nicely settled in and on the hive, it can be placed 

 where it is to stand permanently and the queen 

 allowed to run in among the bees. It is safer to 



wait until quite late in the aftemoftn before the 

 queen is released. The case of started sections 

 should be removed from the old hive and placed 

 onto the swarm. If these bees do not show you 

 comb honey It is because there is no honey in the 

 field. In a few days the parent colony will have 

 become strong enough to take a new case of sec- 

 tions. 



To guard against after-swarming, re-ad just the 

 trap to the old colony, catch and kill the queens 

 as fast as they come off with a swarm. Then the 

 trap should be removed to allow the last young 

 queen a wedding flit;ht. If increase is not desired 

 the new hive can be placed on tbe old stand and 

 all the remaining bees shakeu ( If the combs in 

 front of the new hive, at the end of the 8th day. 

 The brood remaining can be distributed among 

 the weak colonies or tiered over some colony that 

 can care for it. 



A good cure for a sulky colony is to take all 

 its brood away and give full sheets of founda- 

 tion. Whin all swarming is over with, look the 

 section cases over and jump the filled boxes to 

 the outride, and bring those just started on to 

 the centre. In a few days more, a new set can 

 be placed under the filled cases on the strongest 

 col 'Uies. Those slow about filling up had better 

 be kept in one case and new boxes added by 

 rows in the center, and gradually tapered down 

 until the close of the clover season. 



As soon as the clover season has passed, all 

 the honey remaining on the hives should come 

 off and the brood frames be examined. Wherever 

 honey is found in any quantity, it should be un- 

 capped, extracted, and the empty combs returned 

 to the hives from whence they came. We have 

 found that it do-s not pay to leave honey in the 

 hives, after clover fails. It is better to extract 

 it and feed it back when necessary, as the bees 

 will do just as well, if not better, without it, 

 for they will m.ike their own living during pleas 

 ant weather. If left on the hive they will use it 

 for brood rearing out of season and thus consume 

 it needlessly. If needed for winter stores, we 

 have it ready to feed back at any time. 

 Extracted Honey. 



The simplest and best method of producing 

 extracted honey, that I know of, is as follows : 



In the spring proceed the same as fur comb 

 honey until the colonies are of good strength and 

 working Will. Just as soon as the fltw from 

 white clover commences (or a little before if you 

 can judge it closely), remove the comb the 

 queen is on and place it, bees, queen, brood and 

 all, in an empty body. Fill the remaining spaces 

 with good, clean brood couilis, and set it onto the 

 bottom board. Adjust a queen excluder anl 

 place the body containing all the remaining 

 brood on top of that containing the queen and 

 the one sheet of brood. Fill the empty space 

 left in the top chamber with an (mpty comb. 

 Close the hive and let them work. If ( xfimined 

 in about ten days the brood in the upper half 

 will be found well hatched out and honey in its 

 place, while the lower frames will be neavily 

 brooded. 



As soon as the honey in the top half is about 

 two thirds caoped, remove the combs and i xtract 

 the honey. Return all the empty c mt)s but one 

 and repeat the operation of shifting tbe queen. 

 Proceed in this manner the entire season, n ver 

 attempting to extract until all tbe brood has 

 hatched out of the upper stoiy. If you do not 

 find this method the simplest and best you have 

 ever tried, then I shall lusi my guess. 



