THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



85 



the morning are much more litible 

 to be robbed at best, and for this 

 reason I set out mostly in the af- 

 ternoon. By this phin all the fa- 

 tigue usually attendant upon this 

 work is overcome as well as the 

 mixing of bees, keeping record of 

 where each hive stood the year be- 

 fore, etc., etc. As soon as set out 

 the next work is to see that all 

 have plenty of stores, and if in a 

 tight-bottomed hive clean off the 

 bottom -board. As I use loose 

 bottom-boards, a clean bottom 

 board is placed on the wheelbar- 

 row to set the hive on, so I do not 

 have to disturb the bees afterward, 

 on this account. To find out about 

 the honey or stores, the first cool 

 morning go to the hive, take off the 

 cover and carefully raise the quilt 

 or honey-board and look for sealed 

 honey along the top-bar of the 

 frames. If plenty is seen they are 

 all right till they are to be over- 

 hauled three weeks later. If little 

 or none is seen they must be fed ; 

 for if we are to reap good results 

 from our bees they must have 

 plenty of stores at this time to en- 

 courage brood-rearing. For food 

 at this time I prefer combs of sealed 

 honey set in next the cluster to 

 anything else. If no such can be 

 had, we must feed syrup, of course ; 

 but the feeding of syrup, thus early 

 in the season, entices many bees 

 out to perish in unfavorable weath- 

 er. Three weeks later, the hives are 

 to be opened for the first time (un- 

 less vve have some essential cause 

 for opening them before), and the 

 brood nest reversed by placing the 

 two centre cards of brood on the out- 

 side and the outside ones in the 

 centre. By so doing, a great gain 

 is made as all the older brood are in 

 the central combs which are gener- 

 ally filled nearly to the outside of 

 the frame, while only small patches 

 of eggs and small larva are in the 

 outer one. This reversion causes 

 the now inside frames to be filled 



entirely with brood in the short- 

 est space of time, while there is 

 little danger of chilling the brood 

 as there would be if the spreading 

 plan was adoj)ted thus earl^^. At 

 this time we should also know that 

 each colony has plenty of stores to 

 last two or more weeks, for at no 

 time should the bees feel that they 

 must economize in honey, if brood- 

 rearing is to go on rapidly, which 

 it must at this time if we are to 

 get a good harvest. In about ten 

 days a frame of empty comb is to 

 be inserted in the centre of the 

 brood-nest, or better still, a frame 

 of honey which has previously had 

 the sealing to the cells broken. By 

 the removing of this honey the 

 bees are greatly stimulated and 

 brood-rearing accelerated. In eight 

 or ten days more the brood nest is 

 again reversed, when, if all has 

 worked well, there will be brood in 

 all but the two outside combs, and 

 generally in these, but if not there 

 soon will be, owing to full sheets of 

 brood coming next to them. If hon- 

 ey is now coming in, the surplus 

 arrangement is to be put on in a 

 day or two, and it is better to put 

 it on in a week or so in any event. 

 This, in brief, is my plan of man- 

 agement from the time of setting- 

 out till the first honey flow from 

 clover. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



PRICE OF HONE Y. 



Dr. C. C. Miller. 



G. W. Demaree talks quite sen- 

 sibly in March '' Api " and I think 

 it is time some one talked a little 

 on that side of the question. The 

 idea that the price of honey can be 

 fixed in advance by beekeepers with 

 no reference to demand and supply 

 seems to be in the minds of some, 

 and it has been somewhat amusing 



