58 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUIUST. 



between them and black bees make 

 a strong working apiary. But all 

 subsequent cross with hybrids 

 should be avoided. Such crosses 

 have never failed to be inferior to 

 the first crosses, in my apiary. 



WINTERING BEES ON SUMMER STAND. 



To winter bees safely on the 

 summer stands the apiarist should 

 study the climate of his locality 

 and prepare his bees for winter to 

 suit his climate. But there is one 

 condition in wintering bees that is 

 common to every place and that is 

 plenty of winter stores. This I 

 discovered years ago when trans- 

 ferring bees from box-hives. I 

 found that plenty of honey in the 

 box-hive meant a strong colony of 

 bees, and light stores always 

 brought through the winter a small 

 colony of bees. Bees do not waste 

 and dwindle awa}' when surround- 

 ed with an abundance of honey 

 as the}^ do when their stores are 

 limited. We ma}^ take a " hint " 

 here and have strong colonies in 

 the spring, if disease does not 

 overtake our bees in their long win- 

 ter confinement. 



SPRING MANAGEMENT OF BEES. 



I want my bees to have such a 

 bountiful supply of stores that 

 they do not have to be disturbed 

 in the early spring till they begin 

 to gather honey and pollen from the 

 early bloom. After this no harm 

 will come from any necessary ma- 

 nipulation. All upward ventilation 

 through absorbents or otherwise 

 should be prevented as soon as 

 spring breeding commences. Bees 

 will manage any accumulation of 

 moisture at that season of the year. 

 In fact they need water to carry on 

 breeding and must have it, if they 

 have to carry it from a distance. 

 The surplus cases should go on the 

 Lives as soon as the weather will 

 admit with safety to the bees, I'or if 

 bees once get the habit of cramming 



the brood-chamber with honey 

 they will lose much valuable time 

 in starting work in the surplus 

 cases. I suspect that bad manage- 

 ment along this line is at the bot- 

 tom of the complaint of those who 

 " can't get their bees to enter the 

 surplus cases." Bees are governed 

 more by " habit " than any of the 

 domestic animals with wliich we 

 have to do, and they must be 

 watched closely. When liees get 

 ill the habit of storing their honey 

 in the surplus cases they will neg- 

 lect the brood-chamber in the fall ; 

 for this reason I confine my bees 

 to the brood-nest at the close of 

 the heated term so as to have the 

 brood-chamber supplied with hon- 

 ey, if there is a fall flow. 



EMPTY SECTION COMBS BROUGHT 

 OVER. 



Quite a number of persons have 

 complained that the empty sections 

 when used again do not give them 

 first-class honey. This trouble can 

 be overcome by shaving the combs 

 down till the cells are about one- 

 half inch deep. If managed in 

 this way the sections will be first- 

 class every time. The job is easily 

 and rapidly done by a Bingham 

 uncapping knife if kept hot by 

 immersing it in hot water. 



TAKING SURPLUS HONEY. 



I am never in a hurry to take 

 surplus honey from the hives, if I 

 have a supply of surplus cases. 

 By the tiering-up plan I keep the 

 honey at the top where the finish- 

 ing process can go on without the 

 bees soiling the combs. Honey 

 managed in this way will ship bet- 

 ter and look better in the market 

 than if it was a little whiter at the 

 start by reason of being taken from 

 the bees the moment it is sealed. 

 And its superior quality will com- 

 pensate for the slight difference in 

 appearance. Good qnalitu will win 

 in the end. 



