THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



75 



ings. I have used all these with 

 entire success. Tlie entrance should 

 be kept free from ice or dead bees. 

 If a large sack is made of cheap 

 cotton and filleil with planer shav- 

 ings for the top covering, it can 

 be easily removed for the examina- 

 tion of bees or to pack away for 

 summer. The rest of the packing 

 can remain on the hives during 

 summer without harm. The hive 

 that I formerly made for this pur- 

 pose, with an under entrance, that 

 has been patterned after so ex- 

 tensively, I have discarded, pre- 

 ferring to have the bees enter from 

 the front, and experience proves 

 that bees winter much better in 

 such hives than those with an under 

 entrance. Yet after more than twen- 

 ty years' experience with hundi-eds 

 of colonies, I am persuaded that 

 for the colder sections of our coun- 

 try', in-door wintering is to be 

 preferred where one can command 

 a cellar, or other place where the 

 atmosphere can be maintained at 

 a proper temperature, from early 

 November until late in April. 



The temperature that suits me 

 best is from 50° to 55° the early 

 part of the winter, and 5° to 10° 

 cooler the latter part of the season 

 of conlihement. 



The temperature should be as 

 high as possible, and the bees re- 

 main quiet, which will doubtless 

 vary with other conditions. 



1 have found that when the hon- 

 ey-board is raised one-eighth inch 

 atone end bees remain much more 

 quiet at a given temperature, and 

 the combs cleaner than when no 

 upward ventilation is given. 



SPREADING BROOD. 



Much has been said and written 

 aboijt building up bees during 

 early spring by changing combs; 

 putting combs of brood from the 

 centre of brood-nest to the outside, 

 and putting empty combs, or those 

 having eggs or larva in the centre ; 



but this practice is almost sure to 

 fail of its object in the hands of a 

 novice, antl an experienced apiarist 

 ought to have little use for it un- 

 less for a few weaklings. 



A much better way, to my mind, 

 is to reduce the brood-nest to what 

 combs each colony can cover in 

 early spring, say May 1st, and then 

 increase the size of the brood-nest 

 as re(][uired. Then if the colony is 

 of fair size, with sufficient stores, 

 and fairly enterprising, it will be 

 strong by clover time, A little feed 

 between applebloom and clover if a 

 colony is short of stores, is very 

 helpful in pushing forward a large 

 amount of brood. Nearly all drone 

 comb should be removed from the 

 brood-nest that workers may be 

 reared instead of a horde of hun- 

 gry drones. 



As clover comes into bloom most 

 hives should be full of bees and 

 brood with but little honey or 

 empty combs. 



If any weaklings remain, take 

 two, or more if necessary, and 

 unite the brood-combs, getting as 

 many as possible in the above de- 

 scribed condition. 



WHEN TO PUT SECTIONS ON. 



As soon as honey comes in freely 

 put one clamp of sections on each 

 hive, cover it with enamelled cloth, 

 laying the honey-board over tiiat. 



If honey is abundant most col- 

 onies will enter sections and begin 

 work at once. Still, we often find 

 some colonies strong enough, yet 

 refusing to do anything in our sur- 

 plus department. Whether the 

 workers in such hives are trying to 

 emulate the easy life of the drones, 

 or are discussing the propriety of 

 emigrating, 1 do not know. Usu- 

 ally exchanging their clamp, for 

 one partly tilled, will set them at 

 work. Queens of such hives had 

 better be changed at once. 



SWARMING TIME. 



About this time the heart of 



