182 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



July 



the other has the whole hive. Both 

 were treated as near alike as possible, 

 except this, and the result was that 

 the one shut on the two frames had 

 them filled with brood to the bottom 

 bar and our at the corners by the 

 tenth of May, while the other had 

 brood in the center of three frames to 

 the amount of less than one frame full 

 or a little more than one-third what 

 the other had. When we had gotten 

 thus far, it will be seen that we could 

 put a comb partly filled with honey, 

 (the same having the capping broketi, 

 if it was sealed honey, so the bee, 

 would become excited in manipulating 

 this honey), in the brood nest of the 

 first hive, and the queen under this 

 stimulating process wouhi fill it with 

 eggs and brood in a very short time, 

 and that to the bottom and side bars ; 

 while if we undertook to stimulate 

 the others in the same way we should 

 be likely to ruiu m'lre or less of the 

 brood which they already had. As 

 soon as tl^e bees become crowded in 

 this contracted hive we shove along 

 the division- board and put in the 

 center one omb having the desired 

 amount of honey in, enough to cause 

 great activity with the bees in remov- 

 ing it, yet not enough to be in the 

 way of the queens' depositing eggs 

 in the cells, and so we continue to do 

 until the hive is full, doing this as 

 often as the bees become populous 

 enough to allow it. This hive will be 

 filled with bees and brood long before 

 the other thinks of being so, which 

 will give us many more bees for the 

 harvest, should such be from early 

 flowers, such as clover and bass wood. 

 This is what is called a judicious 

 spreading of the brood. No one, 

 whether novice or expert, should 



think of spreading the brood when 

 the bees are not crowded for room, or 

 when they are covering and holding 

 all of the brood that they can ; for 

 when they have all of tht- brood they 

 can cover it is only a waste of time, 

 brood and heat to spread them furth- 

 er. To illustrate a little farther: Take 

 one of these colonies which we have 

 had shut on two or three combs for a 

 week or ten days and watch and see 

 how many bees are going to the fields. 

 Now at night, take out the division- 

 board and place the two or three 

 combs of brood which they have, in 

 the center of the hive the same as they 

 w(mld have been had not the apiarist 

 interfered, and the next day very few 

 bees will be seen leaving the hive for 

 field work, while if at night they are 

 fixed back as before, double the num- 

 ber of bees will go to the field the 

 next day, this showing conclusively 

 that we are working along the lines of 

 natures wants in contracting the hive 

 to suit her wants. Of cour.se, this is 

 only applicable to April and May 

 weather, and not to weather when the 

 mercury is 90° in the. shade ; for then 

 the heat outside is sufficient for brood 

 rearing in any part of the hive, pro- 

 viding they are only nurse bees 

 enough to feed the brood. Well does 

 this pay ? I say yes ! not only in 

 dollars and cents, but also in the fun 

 there is in seeing the business pros- 

 per in your hands, by dint of a little 

 extra effort put forth to accomplish 

 an object we are desirous of accomp- 

 lishing. It is worth something to us 

 to he successful in our pursuits. 

 Borodino*, N. Y. 



"How to Manage Bees " is a 50c 

 book for beginners in bee keeping. 

 We will send it postpaid for 25c. 



