26 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



However, if the brood hoard is remov- 

 ed, the young queens so hatched are 

 usually balled ;uid killed on their first 

 attempt to fly nut. As a ride hut two 

 or three queen cells are started and if 

 we do not want them to hatch we may 

 cut them out nine days after the queen 

 is put in the lower story. It should be 

 remembered that the above method of 

 procedure should only he practiced at 

 the beginning of or during a honey 

 flow. If done at any oilier time do 

 combs will be built in the lower story, 

 and so the <pieen will have no oppor- 

 tunity to lav. In this case if we leave 

 off the brood board the young queen 

 that hatches in the upper story will lie 

 allowed to mate, but this occurs only 

 when the queen below has laid no eggs, 

 being unable to do so for want of combs 

 to lay in. It is only when the lower 

 queen has brood that the young queen 

 above the excluder will be killed. 

 [Continued in March Number.) 



Improvement in Bee Culture. 



BY G. W. DAM IREE. 



When speaking of modern progress 

 attained in the art of bee-keeping, the 

 average bee-keeper is nearly sure to 

 revert to hive and implement improve- 

 ment as the maximum thought in the 

 premises. This. I think, is a mistake, 

 and is well-nigh universal. That a 

 reasonable portion of time and brain 

 should be applied to this end will be 

 conceded without argument. But to 

 lend every energ}^ in this direction I 

 think is a grave if not a i'atal mistake. 



When we investigate the matter we 

 learn thai bee-keepers are succeeding 

 equally well with the many different 

 sorts and makes of hives. This fact 

 alone indicate- that good management 

 and adaptability to the bee business 



over-tops everything pertaining to 

 honey producing, unless we except 

 those factors over which we have no 

 control, such as excessive rain, drouth 

 and consequent lack of honey produc- 

 ing flora. 



The honey producer should be able 

 to fix the very day his bees will begin 

 to gather the surplus crop, and if his 

 bees are not strong enough to do the 

 work he should make them ready by 

 doubling or even thribling them if 

 necessary. Of course if the object is 

 increase of colonics the apiarist may 

 elect to give up his prospective surplus 

 for increase of bees, and will spend a 

 part or all of his prospective gains in 

 building up his apiary. But when a 

 good season is on I doubt if it ever 

 pays a man to dispose of it in this 

 way. The production of a large crop 

 of honey,- as we have learned by our 

 experience of years, is not a uniform- 

 ly sure thing, and the safest way is to 

 take it when it does come. 



In my own locality there has been 

 a decade of inferior honey seasons and 

 during that time I reduced the num- 

 ber of colonies in my aqiary, and when 

 the past season promised to be an ex- 

 tra good one I was tempted to increase 

 my colonies, but when the time came 

 I resolutely set about the necessary 

 work of making all my colonies ready 

 for the harvest. Over 2") of my col- 

 onies were worked in the double form 

 by hiving the swarms in prepared 

 brood chambers, under perforated zinc 

 excluders. The brood combs in a 

 super, with the surplus cases on it, 

 were worked on the queen excluder; 

 this required tall tiering, but the big 

 double colonies filled them full and 

 my yield of surplus was a gratifying 



