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rHK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



ing of Xn^i lioney season, l)y placing one of the 

 sections of the larger size under the small hive 

 containing the slock. All these sections or 

 ekes are of equal size, without bottoms, and 

 with an opening six inches square in the top. 

 The bees, being thus provided with enlarged 

 room early in the season, will rarely incline to 

 swarm; but will usually fill two or more such 

 sections with combs, l)rood, and honey, in the 

 coin-se of the second summer. In the following 

 year additional sections are setunder from time 

 to time, beginning at the opening of the sea- 

 sou, and continuing the enlargement till the 

 hive is thirty-six inches high. The original 

 small or narrow hive is now to be removed, 

 and its contents appropriated, if the bee keeper 

 is satisfied that at least forty pounds of honey 

 remain in the store hive, after the removal of 

 the original swarming hive. The bees are now 

 wholly in the large-sized or store hive, the open- 

 ing in the upper section of which is to be closed 

 with a suitable cover, when the removal is 

 made. 



The transfer having thus been etfected, we 

 have populous colonies, in well-filled, well-sup- 

 plied, and spacious domiciles, and are prepared 

 thenceforward to prosecute beeculture steadily 

 with an eye to pecuniary returns. 



There are three fundamental rules on which 

 success in bee culture in cottage hives, in dis- 

 tricts of the second or third grade, depend. 



The first is never prune away empty combs 

 or parts of combs, in the lower sections of either 

 swarming or store hives, unless they have be- 

 ccnne very mouldy. Nevertheless, if a section 

 has not b. en entirely filled with comb, it must 

 be removed in autumn. It should, however, be 

 carefully preserved and replaced under the hive 

 in the spring; for the production or renewal of 

 comb involves much labor and a large expendi- 

 ture of honey — all of which can be saved, if the 

 bees can be furnished with clean empty combs 

 at the opening of the honey season. 



The second rule is, the store stocks must in- 

 vari ibly retain a double portion of honey for 

 their winter's supply; that is, each must have 

 at least forty pounds of honey in reserve, at 

 the commencement of winter, in a locality 

 where twentj^ pounds are usually deemed suf- 

 ficient. 



The third rule is, store stocks nmst never be 

 permitted to swarm. Swarming may be pre- 

 vented by placing your stocks in some well 

 shaded and well sheltered location; by giving 

 your bees ample room early in spring; and by 

 having the hives duly ventilated. 



That internal heat promotes swarming is a 

 conceded point, and if the hives be exposed to 

 the direct rays of the sun, the internal heat 

 must be greatly augmented. Hence hives in- 

 tended to produce swarms should stand in warm 

 situations, though not exposed to the direct rays 

 of the sun, because such exposure compels them 

 frequently "to hang out" idly without produ- 

 cing the anticipated swarms. Store stocks, on 

 the contrary, should always be placed in cool 

 situations. For them the northern or north- 

 eastern side of a building or wall, or tl)e shade 

 of ft spreading tree, is to be preferred, wlvile 



the latter has the advantage, moreover, that it 

 is equally suited to the wants of swarm stocks. 



But it may be urged that when we hare secured 

 the full number of colonies which we propose to 

 maintain in the apiary, we shall have them all 

 in the warm positions in which they were placed 

 while we were engaged in multiplying stock; 

 and the inquiry will be, how are we to change 

 the location without losing many bees, as these 

 will return to their accustomed stands, and thus 

 weaken the colonies? Some would sujipose that 

 after the bees have been confined to their hives 

 for nearly three mouths in winter, they will 

 have forgotten their previous location and may 

 safely be transferred to any other ])osition in 

 the apiary without risk of loss. This is not al- 

 together correct. We have placed stocks in a 

 dark chamber from the middle of November to 

 the end of March, then removed them to a new 

 location, and still many of the bees returned to 

 their former stand in a neighboring garden, 

 and were lost. To guard against such occur- 

 rences, and yet remoTethe store hives to a more 

 shady locality, where they are to remain per- 

 manently, we transfer each parent stock to the 

 desired place, immediately after a swarm has 

 issued, and set the swarm where the parent 

 stock stood. We may repeat, however, that it 

 is not absolutely necessary to have distinct 

 stands for the swarm and the store stocks; be- 

 cause the former should not, anj'' more than the 

 latter, be exposed to the sun during the heat 

 of the day. Any airy situation, with an east- 

 ern aspect, when the "hives are shaded by trees 

 in the afternoon, is well suited foreither or both 

 kinds of stocks. In the absence of trees, re- 

 course may be had to a temporary roof or awn- 

 ing, to shield the store stocks from' the sun after 

 ten o'clock in the forenoon. 



As the store stocks are or ought to be very 

 populous, it becomes necessary, whenever their • 

 hives are filled with comb and brood, that they 

 should have plenty of fresh air at all times, 

 otherwise the bees will be constrained to cluster 

 on the outside, hanging there idly. As a ready 

 means of ventilation, all our hives are provided 

 with openings in the top, six inches square, cov- 

 ered with wire gauze. Over this a piece of 

 board is fixed, which we remove when ventila- 

 tion is required, and place over the gauze an 

 inverted box, bowl, or flower pot, to exclude 

 light. This suffices for circulation of the air, 

 and light being excluded, the bees do not close 

 up the"meshes of the gauze MMth propolis. The 

 larger the opening in the top the more effectual 

 the ventilation; butifthe weather be very warm, 

 and the population very dense, more room may 

 be required. In such case we lift the top board 

 and interpose an empty section between it and 

 the main hive. This facilitates the removal of 

 impure air, and furnishes circulation in all parts 

 of the hive. The wire gauze on the top must 

 be kept covered by an inverted empty box, to 

 exclude light. This arrangement is very effi- 

 cient and useful during the warm weather; but 

 should a sudden reduction of temperature take 

 place, it will be well to lay a piece of stout cloth 

 on the wire gauze, to keep in the heat. The 

 section thus introduced serves the doubk' pur- 



