THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL: 



73 



pose of aiding ventilation, and providing store- 

 room for surplus honey to be removed in au- 

 tumn. Should the season, though warm, i)r()ve 

 so unfavorable that the bees fail to fill the sec- 

 tion even partially with honey, it should be 

 removed about the" middle of August — carefully 

 preserving any empty combs it may contain. 

 If filled with combs and honey it may still be re- 

 moved, provided it be ascertained, on careful 

 examination, that the main hive contains at 

 least fortj' or fifty pounds of honey — the quan- 

 tity always to be regarded as indispensably re- 

 quisite for the proper wintering of a colony. 

 To guard against mistake in this matter, we in- 

 variably weigh every empty hive and mark its 

 weight on it, as also that of the movable bot- 

 tom board. There are, moreover, two other 

 points which must be taken into consideration 

 — namely: that in old stocks the combs are al- 

 ways heavier than in new ones; and that they 

 likewisecontain more pollen. We always make 

 an allowance of fiA'e pounds for the ditference 

 between such hives. 



When by the nadiring process a store hive 

 has reached its normal height of thirty-six 

 inches, no more sections are added below, but 

 we revet to Kupering — introducing sections 

 above, in the manner just described. Formerly 

 we af/ded sections indifferently, above or be- 

 low, as seemed most convenient at the time; 

 but ^o;jg experience has satisfied us that the lat- 

 ter -iijodepf enlarginii- at times injuriously dis- 

 places the brood conilis, and is besides objec- 

 tionable as frequently causing an undue pro- 

 portion of drone comb. Vfe now invariably 

 enlarge by supering, that is, by inserting sec- 

 tions above, alter the ^^tove hive has been raised 

 to the normal height of thirty-six inches by na- 

 diring. The same objection has been urged 

 against the use of narrow hives for swarms, 

 and subsequently enlarging bj^ giving them sec- 

 tions of larger dimensions. But we have never 

 found this disadvantageous in practice. Unu- 

 sually large swarms may, indeed, with perfect 

 propriety be at once placed in the wide hives; 

 but it is then indispensable that they be fed lib- 

 erally in an unfavorable season, to enable them 

 to build a sufficiency of combs to fill the hive, 

 and store it with honey enough for its support. 



If, on rare occasions, a swarm happens to is- 

 sue from one of our store hives, we at ouce re- 

 move the parent stock to a distance, and set the 

 swarm in its place, as before directed. But this 

 seldom becomes necessary, as long experience 

 has taught its that bees kept in wide and tall 

 hives, and managed as we are in the habit of 

 managing ours, have little disposition to swarm. 



\'f(i must, however, notice a circumstance 

 which is apt to occur with stocks thus kept 

 from swarniing, and which consequently do 

 not renew their queens as frequently as others — 

 that is, the gradual decrease of the queen's fer- 

 tility, and her death from superannuation. If 

 this takes place in the month of October, or still 

 later in autum, when young queens cannot al- 

 ways be successfully reared and fertilized, the 

 colony is apt to perish. It is one among the 

 ew disadvantages connected with large and { 

 opulous stocks, that queenlessness iu them is 



not so readily discovered in the spring, as in 

 smaller or feebler stocks. The queenless bees 

 of a strong stock will often fly as briskly when 

 the spring opens, and carry in pollen as plenti- 

 fully as others; and their destitute condition 

 will not be readily detected by a novice in bee 

 culture. When discovered, the evil may be 

 remedied by introducing the queen and bees of 

 a nucleus or reserve colony Avintered for the 

 purpose — the combs and stores of which may 

 be given to an early spring colony, or preserved 

 for the use of the afterswarms we may choose 

 to preserve. 



Beeculture in cottage hives must be conduct- 

 ed in the manner here described, if we would 

 secure regular and permanent success in sec- 

 ond-rate honey districts. We must ever re- 

 strict our operations to some definite or normal 

 number of store colonies, though the actual 

 number in the apiary may at times be greater 

 ! or smaller, according to seasons and circum- 

 I stances. A neglect of or departure from this 

 ! rule, is literally keeping bees at haphazard, and 

 I looking to chance for luck. The result will be 

 I a decayed and ruined apiary, and thorough dis- 

 ; gust with the whole business. Let every nov- 

 I ice carefully read, and re-read and ponder what 

 i we have stated in this article. It contains, in- 

 deed, the very quintessence of beeculture, iu 

 such districts, whether cottage hives or mov- 

 able comb hives be used. We repeat — not the 

 hive hut the sf/stem is the essential matte)', though 

 of course the more convenient and well adapted 

 the implements are, the more easily can our 

 mauiptdations be performed and our system 

 applied. The intelligent reader will therefore 

 readily excuse some minuteness of detail, and 

 the introduction of remarks and suggestions 

 perhaps more appropriately pertaining to some 

 other brancii of the subject. 



A few words now, in conclusion, as regards 

 the i^rofits which may be expected from the 

 adoption of the system here proposed. This 

 consists exclusively of the honey and wax with 

 which our bees can supply us; for the traffic in 

 Italian queens suits only those who have time 

 to devote to it and skill to prosecute it. It in- 

 volves so much trouble, risk, disappointment 

 and vexation, that the Baron of Berlepsch and 

 Mr. Hubler have long since abandoned it as a 

 losing business, and others are preparing to 

 follow their example: The sale of supernu- 

 merary stocks may indeed be turned to good 

 account, by those who are so situated as to be 

 able to multiply stocks rapidly, and can find a 

 ready market for all they have to spare. But 

 it is to his honey and wax that the true apia- 

 rian must look for his profits, and if he devotes 

 to beeculture the same assiduity and attention 

 that are given to other pursuits by intelligent 

 and dilig'ent men, he may confidently look for 

 satisfactory results from his enterprise. 



Repeated observations show that the secre- 

 tion of honey is powerfully iufluencesd by the 

 electricity of the atmosphere: and bees never 

 labor more actively than during humid, sultry 

 weather, or when a thunder storm ieappropoh- 

 Ina: 



