56 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



If this one difficulty be carefully 

 obviated, we may reasonably ex- 

 pect that our labors in this direc- 

 tion will be crowned with success ; 

 but, however anxious we may feel 

 to "hurry up business," we must 

 not allow our zeal to supersede 

 our better judgment. 



WHEN TO SPREAD BROOD. 



After we once get bees enough 

 in the hive to make it safe to com- 

 mence to spread the brood, it may 

 be best to continue to do so by 

 putting an empty comb in the cen- 

 tre of the brood-nest as often as 

 they need more room, and the 

 stronger the colony gets the more 

 frequently can this operation be 

 repeated. Discretion must be ex- 

 ercised to determine wliat needs to 

 be done and when to do it. 



Do not be continually fussing 

 with them by overhauling them to 

 see how they are getting along 

 just to satisfy curiosity. One of 

 the hardest things for the writer of 

 this to learn about the manage- 

 ment of bees was to learn to let 

 them alone when they did not 

 need any attention. It is an easy 

 matter to handle bees to death in 

 the spring of the 3'ear. AVhen it 

 is necessary to manipulate bees for 

 any purpose, always seek an op- 

 portunity for doing it when the 

 weather is warm enough for them 

 to fly freely without becoming 

 chilled ; for if you overhaul them 

 on a cool or cloudy day, when a 

 disagreeable wind is blowing, they 

 are liable to ball their queen and 

 destroy her, if j-ou do not see to it 

 and release her. When they once 

 get iiito the notion of balling their 

 queen, some colonies will do so ev- 

 ery time their hive is opened ; and 

 this may account for tlie loss of 

 many of the queens which are re- 

 ported missing every spring. 



Every time tiiat any colony has 

 an overhauling, a note should be 

 made of any change in the condi- 



tion thereof, in the aforementioned 

 book. From this record the apia- 

 rist can refresh his memory, at any 

 time, concerning the condition of 

 each and every one of his colonies, 

 without going into the bee-yard to 

 open a hive until such time as some 

 colonies may need further attention. 



No specified time can be fixed as 

 to just how often they will need 

 more room and more combs or 

 some other necessary care ; the 

 best judgment of the apiarist must 

 be constantly exercised in all the 

 details, and then the state of the 

 weather will have much to do with 

 the amount of progress that can 

 be made. When the bees can gather 

 honey and pollen plentifully they 

 w^ill improve much faster than in 

 cool, dull weather. Under favor- 

 able conditions, if the foregoing 

 suggestions are faithfully carried 

 out, we shall be likely to have 

 good, strong colonies, overflowing 

 with bees, all lead}^ for business, by 

 the time that the white honey har- 

 vest will commence. The frequent 

 spreading of the brood keeps down 

 the swarming fever, and we are 

 thus enabled to get very powerful 

 colonies ; at least, such has been 

 my experience. In some cases I 

 liave succeeded in having as many 

 as sixteen or eighteen combs all 

 well filled with brood at the same 

 time, the progeny of one queen, 

 without any help whatever except 

 as above given. No brood had 

 been drawn from other colonies to 

 build them up at any time ; but 

 those were exceptional cases and 

 exceptionally good queens. 



No attempt has been made to 

 make tliis an exhaustive article 

 upon the subject of spring manage- 

 ment ; there are many things left 

 unsaid that might have been said, 

 but if I have succeeded in sug- 

 gesting any hints that may help 

 others one step onward in the way 

 of success then I shall not have 

 labored in vain. 



