1896. 



TUE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



91 



still upon luck or circumstances which 

 we can not foretell. So our precon- 

 structed and most petted plans aften 

 come to naught. As not all shoes can 

 be made over one last, expecting to fit 

 all and every foot, so we are obliged 

 to modify our plans to suit the seasons 

 as they are. Some years our honey 

 season opens from the first to the mid- 

 dle of June (this is rare); some years 

 about a month later (more often), and 

 other years nearly two months later, 

 closing about August 25 to 28. Per- 

 haps once in twenty years we may ex- 

 pect honey-dew after that, lasting, un- 

 der favorable circumstances, some two 

 weeks. With these prospects I may 

 commence operations the fore part of 

 May if the month comes in warm 

 enough. We may have at this time 

 some colonies exceptionally strong ; 

 often some begin to lay out by May 1. 

 Now, if the honey season dot;s not open 

 till in July these colonies are wasting 

 their energies unless some use can be 

 made of them during May and June. 

 If more increase is desired, dividing 

 these colonies would serve a good pur- 

 pose ; but feeding may possibly have 

 to be resorted to. I have always been 

 an opponent of this kind of feeding. 

 I don't do it ; for if the honey season 

 does fail, more sugar will be needed 

 in the fall ; and should it so happen 

 that bees do not winter well, we may 

 lose our investment. Furthermore, 

 should a fair honey flow set in soon, 

 our divided colonies would not be well 

 fitted to store surplus; they could not 

 be depended on until basswood opens. 

 A better use of these strong colonies 

 can be made by drawing on them for 

 equalization. I greatly prefer to help 

 up the weaker colonies — not the weak- 

 est, however. At this time the weather 



is as yet uncertain and changeable, 

 and we must guard against chilled 

 brood. In equalizing T take but one 

 brood-comb at a time, replacing with 

 an empty comb, or even one solid 

 with honey. The latter I scrape so as 

 to break cappings ; I also select such 

 brood-combs as contain capped brood 

 as much as possible. 



If, by the time apple-bloom com- 

 mences, all colonies should be in tol- 

 erable good shape, some of these 

 strongest colonies may be dequeened 

 and allowed to raise a young queen. 

 Tne old queens may be saved and set 

 aside with a brood-comb and adhering 

 bees, and then allowed to build up 

 during the season. If two such nuclei 

 are united later on, a harvest may be 

 expected of them from buckwheat. 

 But I do dislike to give up any of 

 these queens. Although old they are 

 probably good ones, and I try to save 

 them all. Later on it will be seen 

 that it frequently happens dur- 

 ing the summer that we have brood 

 combs to dispose of. Such I use to 

 build up the nuclei, and I generally 

 succeed in getting them in shape to 

 take advantage of the late flow, so 

 they will give a surplus. 



When the prospect of basswood 

 bloom was good, and no increase, or 

 little of it, desired, I have practiced 

 this kind of dequeening with good 

 success about June 20-25, or about 12 

 to 15 days before the basswood flow is 

 expected ; but nearly matured cells 

 were then given. The object is to 

 have our young queens begin to lay 

 as basswood begins, or, rather, a few 

 days before. Such colonies are prac- 

 tically in the same condition as colon- 

 ies having cast a swarm, oxcept that 



