while early in the season such a division of 

 the brood-nest is very likely to bring about 

 quite disastrous results by preventing the 

 bees from clustering on the brood so as to 

 keep it from chilling. But suppose in the 

 fall work with the bees, not having brood in 

 many of the combs we cannot tell except by 

 the size and character of cells which combs 

 ought to have a place near tbe center of the 

 hive where we want the brood-nest to be 

 established the following spring, and which 

 ought to be placed outside or left out alto- 

 gether, and suppose by chance we get one 

 of these combs of irregular ordeep, crooked 

 cells, "store combs," as they are called, 

 near the center, then when the bees com- 

 mence brood-rearing, the latter part of the 

 winter, they will cluster on one side of this 

 misplaced comb, and when we open the 

 hive in the spring there will generally be a 

 smaller area occupied by brood in such 

 hives than in such as have had their combs 

 better arranged and are equal in other- 

 respects. If, however, the comb happens to 

 be suitable for drone brood the queen will 

 not be slow in finding it out, and we will 

 have a great lot of those big-headed, lusty 

 fellows — the drones, in process of develop- 

 ment. 



Let us examine now the arrangement of 

 combs, brood and pollen in a model colony, 

 that is, one in prime working order. Taking 

 it early in the season we rind the bees 

 gathered between the central combs so that 

 the cluster is nearly globular in form, its 

 center being at the* center of the hive. 

 Within this cluster and about the center is 

 arranged worker brood, the quantity con- 

 tained in each comb being less as we leave 

 the center ; thus, with the exception of the 

 space between the combs, the brood pre- 

 sents a spherical form. Only a few cells of 

 honey and pollen are scattered among the 

 brood, and 1 might remark just here that 

 compactness in the arrangement of brood is 

 one of the points of superiority of Italian 

 bees ; the developing larvte and pupae gen- 

 erate heat, which favors brood production, 

 besides a smaller number of mature bees is 

 required to cluster over a given number of 

 occupied brood cells. Just at the edge of 

 each circle of brood we find at the top and 

 at the sides, pollen-cells— a strip two or 

 three cells wide ; on either side of the space 

 occupied by brood is a comb whose cells on 

 the surface toward the center, are almost 

 wholly used as store-cells for pollen. The 

 honey occupies the space outside of the pol- 

 len, that is, the tops and ends of the frames 

 and the entire body of the outside combs. 

 As the season advances the bees enlarge the 

 sphere of brood, and store the pollen farther 

 from the center of the hive, using up the 

 stock hist gathered. This matter will cer- 

 tainly be plain if we let a hatter's block 

 represent the spherical brood-mass ; the 

 hat which he puts o;i the block, the arrange- 

 ment of pollen-cells ; and the air outside, 

 the surrounding honey, which extends, 

 when undisturbed, as far as the harvest and 

 the gathering force of the colony will 

 admit. 



We are to conclude then, that the body of 

 each comb and most of the combs must be 

 composed of worker brood cells, and that if 

 there are any combs containing drone cells 



or irregular cells they are to be placed out- 

 side of the brood-nest. To this, however, 

 there is one exception : the colony having a 

 queen from which we wish to rear drones 

 should have one or two frames of drone 

 comb placed near the center. 



With comb foundation and care all this 

 can be attained, and the increased amount 

 of brood reared will repay the extra atten- 

 tion and expense. 



PROSPECTS FOR HONEY. 



The prospect for a good yield of linden or 

 basswood honey is very good. It rarely 

 happens that these trees, Tilia Americana, 

 blossom as profusely as they are about to 

 this year, even very young trees are cov- 

 ered with buds, and already their fragrant, 

 delicately yellow blossoms which droop in 

 graceful tassel-like clusters, are unfolding 

 their honey laden depths which the eager 

 bees do not pass unnoticed. 



The linden honey ranks very high, being 

 light, good flavored, and free from the pecu- 

 liar quality which makes clover honey, as 

 well as some other kinds, leave a burning 

 sensation in the throat. When first gathered 

 it is verv aromatic and possesses an agree- 

 able mihty flavor, and all things considered, 

 is " not bad to take." It crystallizes sooner 

 after having been gathered than do some 

 other kinds, but now that the crystalliza- 

 tion or "candying" of honey is very gen- 

 erally known to be an evidence of purity, 

 this is no objection. 



The linden commences to blossom in dif- 

 ferent parts of our State from July 1st to 

 15th, and usually continues about 2 weeks. 

 At this time of the year the colonies of bees 

 if they have been rightly managed, are 

 always strong in numbers and thus able to 

 send out a large gathering force, especially 

 as few bees are needed to care for the brood, 

 Several other plants would each probably 

 furnish as much honey under the same cir- 

 cumstances as does the linden, but the best 

 reports have come from the latter. ItJ is 

 quite a common thing during the best days 

 of the linden harvest for a good colony (one 

 hive) of bees to gather 10 or 15 lbs. of honey 

 per day, and many report much larger 

 yields. One man, Mr. J. W. Ilosmer, of 

 Minnesota, whose word I have no reason to 

 doubt, stated some years ago in the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal that one of his colonies 

 stored 51 lbs. of liquid honey in one day 

 during the linden yield. 



It is a popular, yet erroneous, idea that 

 bees gather just as much honey one pleasant 

 day during the working season as any other 

 day. Frequent examination of surplus 

 honey boxes placed on the tops of frames or 

 hives, or the use of the honey extractor will 

 dispel this notion ; or another way is to 

 have a hive containing a fair colony sus- 

 pended by means of a spring balance and 

 note daily increase (sometimes decrease) in 

 weight. This is especially valuable during 

 such a yield as linden or buckwheat, and 

 when no after harvest can be expected, for 

 it is then advisable to continue taking honey 

 as long as possible, and still not deprive the 

 bees of winter stores. Corn-tassels some- 

 times furnish quite a supply of honey just 

 after the linden, and later still, buckwheat, 

 where abundant gives nearly always much 



