THE AMERKjAN APICULTUIUIST. 



119 



liiive a large force when there is no 

 hone}^ for them to gather. Tlie 

 bees themselves understand this 

 point so well, that they carry on 

 comb-making and brood-rearing 

 simultaneously with honey gather- 

 ing and cease when hone}' is no 

 longer found in the fields. There 

 is an exception to this, however, 

 and that is in early spring ; then 

 they seem to realize that their de- 

 pleted forces must be strengthened, 

 and rear brood just so long as any 

 stores are found in the hive, but 

 will continue if fed as long as the 

 feeding is kept up. 



To get our colonies up to full 

 strength in time to gather the first 

 secreted nectar, is the point to work 

 for as soon as the weather will ad- 

 mit. On the first day when the 

 bees can fly out safely, the exact 

 condition of each hive should be 

 ascertained, queens supplied, or 

 the means of rearing them given, 

 ample stores for both bees and 

 brood furnished, the hives con- 

 tracted to suit the size of the col- 

 ony, all upward ventilation shut 

 off, and the hives well packed so 

 as to retain the heat needed for 

 the maturing brood. It takes 

 twenty-one days from the egg be- 

 fore the worker emerges from the 

 cell, and about fifteen more before 

 it becomes a forager ; now if the 

 flora of one's locality is known, 

 it is easy to determine how early 

 brood-rearing should be begun in 

 order that the forager may get the 

 earliest honey crop. One axiom 

 must be remembered here. A large 

 colony will gather far more honey 

 and rear far more bees than will 

 the same if split up into three or 

 four. So care should be taken 

 that colonies do not accumulate so 

 rapidly as to spoil all chance of 

 success. The secret of success 

 lies simpl}' in strong colonies sup- 

 plied with young and prolific 

 queens. 



In building up in spring, if feed- 



ing is needed to be done, care 

 should be taken not to feed too 

 rapidly or in too large a quantity. 

 If the hive contains sealed stores, 

 a few cells uncapped each da_y will 

 be ample ; if the stores are minus, 

 only enough should be fed to keep 

 the bees alive and hive w^ork }>ro- 

 gressing. Too much manipulating 

 at any time is undesirable and in 

 early spring is positively injurious. 

 The young beekeeper for some rea- 

 son seems to think he must be con- 

 stantly pulling his hive to pieces, 

 and overhauling the brood-cham- 

 ber to see if the queen is laying or 

 not. There is no need of a full 

 examination after the first is made, 

 if that was made thoroughly. Hav- 

 ing learned the condition of each 

 colony and supplied its wants, 

 there is no further need of over- 

 hauling a hive, except to add a 

 frame of brood as needed, where 

 a weak colony is being built up. 



It is onh' by practical expe- 

 rience that much of the knowledge 

 of how to manage in spring is ac- 

 quired, but the careful study of 

 ''Alley's Handy Book," and the ar- 

 ticles in the Apicultuhist will aid 

 the beginner amazingly. These 

 hints are not given with the idea 

 that one can learn the business 

 from them, but as a sort of help in 

 the right direction ; and if any one 

 is so aided, I shall feel well repaid 

 for giving them. 



Foxboro, March y, 1887. 



[The Jibove was intended for the April issue. 

 but caine too late.] 



WHAT KILLED THE BEE^? 



Shipleifs I'uiiU, Mo. 

 Mk. Alley : 



Please send nie the eleven essays on 

 "How to Winter Bees?" I lost one- 

 tliird of my bees last winter. Some 

 left fifty pounds of honey. Can you 

 give me the reason for it? The l)ies 

 were on the summer stanils, souic 

 were in log hives and others on eight- 



