THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



89 



during his absence ; and that no 

 injury will be caused to his bees 

 by tlieir use. I have tested such 

 traps myself, and know of hun- 

 dreds who have tested them also, 

 and have yet to learn of failure 

 where used properly. I can most 

 heartily and cheerfully recommend 

 them to all beekeepers, and par- 

 ticularly to those whose business 

 calls them away from the apiary 

 during the swarming season, be- 

 lieving firmly that no one who uses 

 them one season will ever be with- 

 out them thereafter. As Mr. Leach 

 asks for the best way to prevent 

 swarming, my answer can be pre- 

 dicted from the above. The rem- 

 edy is inexpensive, and when it, is 

 considered tiiat excess of drones 

 can be prevented, or those that are 

 undesirable prevented Irom flying 

 during the mating season, it is an 

 actual necessity. 



Foxboro, Mass. 



For the American Apictilturist. 



HONE T vs. BROOD. 



C. VV. Dayton. 



Here, on the forty-third par- 

 allel, the bees are removed from 

 the cellar from April 21 to April 

 25. From that time to May 15, 

 the colonies become smaller because 

 3'oung bees are not reared fast 

 enough to take the place of those 

 dying of okl age. 



From May 15 the colonies in- 

 crease in size, until June 20 finds 

 the brood-nest equal to the full 

 laying capacity of the queen. 



This is the best time for the 

 honey harvest to begin, and the col- 

 onies that are in that condition at 

 that time are the ones that roll up 

 the honey and cause the least 

 trouble by swarming. Bees sel- 

 dom prepare for swarming when 

 there is plenty of field labor. 



June 20 is about the time our 

 honey harvests begin. If the api- 

 ary is well balanced, the honey 

 gathering colonies are of about 

 equal strength and read}' for it. If 

 the colonies are allowed to build 

 up without help, some colonies 

 will be weak and others strong. 

 Such a condition should be avoided. 

 One good colony is worth more for 

 honey-gathering than one hundred 

 that are weak ; therefore do not 

 make all weak for the sake of hav- 

 ing them equal in strength. 



To get honey we must have a 

 strong colony, even if it takes the 

 brood and bees of several weak 

 colonies to make it. 



Our honey harvests seldom last 

 thirtj'-seven days, the length of 

 time that is required to get bees 

 from the new laid eggs into the 

 fields as honey-gatherers. Thus 

 it shows that all eggs laid after the 

 harvest begins become idle board- 

 ers and consumers of the stores of 

 the colon}', except that they are 

 required to maintain the existence 

 of the colony. 



Twenty thousand is plenty for 

 this purpose, and that number can 

 easily be I'eared in four L-combs. 

 As is usually the case, the brood 

 occupies eight or ten combs for a 

 large share of the harvest, rearing 

 raft alter raft of worse than use- 

 less bees. The loss in this di- 

 rection is great. It might often 

 bring failure in the place of suc- 

 cess. 



I think the six extra combs of 

 brood are fully equivalent to six 

 combs of honey ; this would equal 

 thirty-six pounds of honey wasted 

 in rearing worthless bees and 

 twenty pounds more for their sup- 

 port, making fifty-six pounds to the 

 colony and 5, GOO for an apiary of 

 one hundred colonies. 



My aim is to secure that 5,600 

 pounds of honey. I have never 

 known a season when the colonies 

 could not support all the brood 



