66 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



above the brood- nest, and leave the 

 workers a part of the harvest ? 



SPRING WORK. 



To make bee-keeping a delight we 

 must be in readiness for the busy 

 season. All hives should be ready 

 for use, old ones cleaned, repaired and 

 painted, roofs inspected to be sure 

 that there are no leaks. An inventory 

 taken of sections, and orders sent for 

 more ; better have a few thousand too 

 many than not enough. The smokers 

 examined to see that all is right, and 

 fuel provided. Hats, nails, gloves, 

 etc., inspected and ready for use. The 

 honey house over-hauled and all 

 refuse honey fed to the bees. For sev- 

 eral years I have had a regular feed- 

 ing ground in the open air, and I have 

 never induced robbing : they expect 

 to find it there and nowhere else. All 

 scrapings of wax melted up, and put 

 into shape for sale, or to trade for 

 foundation. It is surprising how 

 much beautiful wax will be made 

 from scrapings of honey boards, sec- 

 tions, hives, etc. Old sections make 

 good kindling, even after the wax is 

 scraped off. Have your dishes all 

 right side up, so if it rains porridge 

 you will catch some. 



Peoria, III. 



" Instructions to Beginners." 



BY M. H. BE WITT. 

 TO GET OUR COLONIES STRONG. 



To get a large crop of honey we 

 must have our colonies strong in num- 

 bers by the time the honey harvest 

 begins. The brood-combs should be 

 filled with brood and the hive over- 

 flowing with bees. To get them in 

 this condition we should begin feed- 

 ing a little daily about the time the 

 first pollen comes in, or if they have 



plenty of sealed stores we can accom- 

 plish the same result by uncapping 

 some honey every few days. If you 

 have to feed do not feed in the day 

 time. Feed at night just after the 

 bees stop work. Do not feed at the 

 entrance. Feed in the hive above 

 the brood. Fill your feeders at night, 

 set them in the hive, and before morn- 

 ing all the feed will be taken down. 

 II' you feed to stimulate brood-rearing 

 feed only one-half pint thin sugar 

 syrup daily. The queen will com- 

 mence to lay and in a short time your 

 bees will be good and strong and ready 

 for the honey harvest when it conies. 

 Be careful that you don't get your 

 bees to robbing while feeding them as 

 above described. 



ARTIFICIAL POLLEN. 



When the spring is late and the 

 flowers are slow about coming out, it 

 is a good plan to feed the bees flour 

 for a substitute for pollen or bee- 

 bread. When the days are warm place 

 the flour in boxes or on boards, and it 

 is interesting and amusing to see the 

 bees load up with the flour and carry, 

 it to their hives. Unbolted rye flour 

 is usually recommended, yet some say 

 unbolted wheat flour is just as good, 



RAISING COMB-HONEY. 



If you raise honey and extract it 

 from the combs so as to return the 

 empty combs to the bees to be filled 

 again, you will raise more than twice 

 as much after you get a sufficient sup- 

 ply of empty combs to keep your bees 

 at work. If you raise comb-honey 

 only for your own use, it will pay you 

 to raise it in large frames six inches 

 deep and the full length of the hive. 

 If you raise it for sale it should be 

 raised in one pound sections. If you 



