THE AMERICAN APICULTUlilST. 



133 



the two hives, and will so remain 

 till June, or till the bees are ready 

 tu enter the sections. 



One of the advantages in using 

 the wire-cloth honey-board is this : 

 l)y raising the cushion one can see 

 at a glance when the bees com- 

 mence to build brace-combs be- 

 tween the tops of the frames, and 

 that is about the time to place the 

 sections on the hive. All this can 

 be seen, too, without getting stung 

 or having any bees tly out at the 

 toj) of the hive. Now, such an ar- 

 rangement is not an actual necessi- 

 ty, but it is nevertheless a grand 

 idea ; and, notwithstanding I can 

 handle bees and not get stung, and 

 do not fear a bee any more than I 

 do a house-tly, I certainly like the 

 wire-cloth arrangement as above 

 described, for a honey-board. Mr. 

 P. R. Russell, one of our most 

 practical and well-known beekeep- 

 ers, uses these wire-cloth honey- 

 boards during the entire winter 

 and there is not the least objection 

 to doing so. If you have read Mr. 

 Russell's essay on wintering bees, 

 as given in the Oct. (1886) No. of 

 the "Api," you will understand 

 how he prepares his hives in the 

 fall, and he always winters his 

 bees successfully, too. 



QDEEN-KEARING IN THE bAY 

 STATE APIARY. 



By May lOtli, queen-rearing will 

 be well under way, and about June 

 1st, untested queens will commence 

 to be sent out by mail, at the rate 

 of 100 each week. 



We hoi)e to be able to supply 

 about 2,000 queens of the strain 

 described on page 101 in Ai)ril is- 

 sue. We are very enthusiastic 

 over this j)articular strain of the 

 Italians. Yet we will not claim for 

 them that they are the "best strain 

 of l)ees extant" or that we are the 

 most ^'ficientijic queen -breeder in 

 the world" but we will claim that 

 the strain of bees in question will 



winter in any climate and on the 

 summer stand to the satisfaction 

 of any person, and we will also 

 claim for them that, so far as can 

 be, this strain of bees is perfect in 

 every respect and in everything de- 

 sired or expected of bees. 



Our colonies of this strain are 

 very fine, and it would be hai-d to timl 

 twenty more beautiful, healthy and 

 hardy colonies of bees. It is our 

 intention to build these colonies 

 up to the swarming point as early 

 as possible ; and, if possible, Ibrce 

 each one of them to swarm. Thus 

 we shall secure neai'ly two hundred 

 fine queen cells just at the time 

 when they will be most needed. 



By using the drone and (pieen- 

 trap, we shall have no trouble in 

 getting a large number of cells 

 built. When the bees swarm, and 

 while they are in the air, the hives 

 will be opened, and the queen cells 

 removed to the nursery. The re- 

 turning bees will then l)e kept 

 queenless seven days when another 

 set of cells will be ready to be re- 

 moved and then a queen will be 

 introduced, and no more swarming 

 will be attempted by that colonv 

 during the season. 



This plan will be found one of 

 the best and most practical to con- 

 trol swarming, and queen-breeders 

 will find it one of the best methods 

 to practise in cell-building. The 

 honey producer would have no 

 trouble in keeping the swai'ming 

 fever down by such a [)ractice. 



Use the drone and (]ueen-trap. 

 Catch the queen when the colony 

 swarms. Keep her away from tlie 

 colony (bees) that has swarmed. 

 In seven days after the first swarm 

 issues, remove the queen cells, in- 

 troduce the queen that came off 

 with the swarm and no more svvarni- 

 ing need be exi)ected that seas(jn 

 from a colony thus treated. 



If the trap is used to catch the 

 queen, she may be kept in it tbi 

 several weeks by merely [)lacing 



