54 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



before we secure much profit from 

 them. Successful beekeeping means 

 work for a man with brains enough 

 to know that he must leave no 

 stone unturned that tends toward 

 success. Good bees, good hives, 

 lots of brood and bees, the right 

 time, etc., in the hands of such a 

 man, are a power that rolls up tons 

 of honey, and shows to the mass 

 of people that there is money in 

 the business. He will prepare his 

 hives, surplus receptacles, etc., in 

 winter, spread the brood in just 

 the right time to get his bees when 

 they will be of the most value, and 

 the same with all the work of the 

 apiary. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



By Joshua Bull. 



SPRING MANAGEMENT MY SYSTEM 



OF MANAGEMENT KEEPING REC- 

 ORD OF COLONIES SPREADING 



BROOD WHEN TO SPREAD BROOD 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



With the month of March come 

 occasionall}'^ some warm, sunshiny 

 (Xs^ys, which aflbrd opportunity for 

 bees, which have been wintered up- 

 on their summer stands, to have 

 frequent flights ; and a release from 

 their long winter confinement 

 seems to be improved by them as 

 a time of great rejoicing. Their 

 merry hum on such occasions very 

 naturally inspires the heart of ev- 

 ery solicitous beekeeper with fresh 

 hope and zeal and stiujulates him to 

 enter upon the labors of the com- 

 ing season with renewed courage. 

 The first active operations in the 

 apiary in the spring of the year 

 may very appropriately be termed 

 spring management. 



And this is perhaps the most 

 critical part in the science of bee- 

 keeping, and may require more of 



art, tact and skill in order to 

 achieve the most desirable results 

 and have our bees in first-class or- 

 der for the harvest when the first 

 honey flow comes, than at any 

 other period of the year. Although 

 we cannot compel, we can stimu- 

 late and assist them in the work of 

 progeneration by carefully provid- 

 ing for all their needs, keeping them 

 warm, comfortable and happy. No 

 set of inflexible rules can liere be 

 given, specifying just Avhat would 

 be the best thing to do in every 

 case and under all circumstances. 

 Tlie apiarist's best judgment 

 should decide what needs to be 

 done and the proper time to do it. 

 Nevertheless, we should have some 

 system to work by and one which 

 can be varied as occasion requires. 



MY SYSTEM OF SPRING MANAGE- 

 MENT. 



I will now endeavor to describe 

 my system of spring management, 

 not claiming that it is superior to 

 any other, but that it is well adapt- 

 ed to my peculiar notions and that 

 I have, I believe, obtained a fair 

 degree of success therewith. I 

 call it my system, not because it is 

 original with me, for I gratefully 

 acknowledge my indebtetlness to 

 various apicultural writers lor the 

 leading ideas therein. 1 have only 

 arranged the details to suit my 

 own ideal. 



KEEPING RECORD OF COLONIES. 



I have all my queens luimbered 

 with their colonies ; the number is 

 painted in figures on a piece of tin 

 and fastened to the hive with a 

 small screw. If the queen repre- 

 sented by any number is removed 

 to another hive, by uniting or divid- 

 ing colonies, by swarming or from 

 any other cause, this' number is 

 carried with her and attached to 

 her new home, so that tlie same 

 number always represents the same 

 queen so long as she lives. 



