PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE W T FALCONER MANPG CO 



VOL. VII. 



MflRCH, 1897. 



NO. 3. 



Removing Bees from the Cel- 

 lar in the Spring. 



BY AV. Z HUTCHINSON. 



The first thing to be decided upon 

 is the time for taking them out. Of 

 course no definite date can be given ; 

 it depends upon the condition of the 

 bees and the state of the weather. If 

 the bees are clustered closely and are 

 quiet there is no hurry whatever in 

 taking them out. If they are restless 

 and daubing their hives some with 

 excrement, it shows that they have 

 nearly reached the limit of their en- 

 durance, and each day only aggravates 

 the trouble. If this is in raid-winter 

 there is no use in taking them out for 

 a flight — they are doomed, and all 

 fussing with them is time wasted. If 

 it is near spring, and warm, settled 

 weather may soon be expected, the 

 first warm day should be iraprovecj by 

 putting the uneasy colonies on their 

 summer stands. This may save them 

 and it may not. It depends upon how 

 badly the bees are affected and how 

 soon warm weather comes. 



But, supposing the bees have win- 

 tered usually well, and are quiet, as I 

 have already mentioned, there is no 

 special need of hurry in rushing them 

 out the first day that is warm enough 



for bees to fly. The bee keeper will 

 do well to remember that such days 

 may be very scarce for some time to 

 come. How frequently we hear of 

 some colony being overlooked and left 

 in the cellar until some time in May, 

 and that such colony proves as pros- 

 perous and profitable as any in the 

 yard. If there are any bees out of 

 doors, wait until these are seen bring- 

 ing in pollen, and it will then be am- 

 ple time in which to carry out those 

 in the cellar. If there are none in 

 the open air, carry out a few, and 

 when these begin to bring in pollen it 

 will be time enough to carry out some 

 more. 



By the way, there is no necessity, 

 in fact there is an objection to rushing 

 out all of the bees of a large apiary in 

 the same day. It is hard and exhaus- 

 tive work, and the putting out of so 

 many colonies all at the same, or about 

 the same time, and in close proximity 

 to one another, often leads to the mix- 

 ing up of the bees. This might not be 

 such a serious matter, but some colon- 

 ies are often terribly weakened there- 

 by. For instance, a colony is in full 

 flight when another is set down by its 

 side. The bees from the second hive 

 will just about be in full flight when 



