Vol. XII. 



MAY 15, 1884. 



No. 10. 



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WHAT I DO "WITH MY BEES AT THIS 

 SEASON OP THE YEAR. 



SOMETHTNr, 



AVTNG seen lately that some think that my 

 plan of building- up colonies by spreading' the 

 brood is not a judicious one, and wishing- in 

 no way to mislead any, I am led to tell the 

 readers of Gt.eanings just how 1 nianag-e 

 my bees at this season of the year. Some seem to 

 sui>pose that they should g-o to work overhauling- 

 tlieir bees and spreading- the brood as soon as the 

 bees can fly; but such is not the plan I adopt; for 

 from experience I have found that the less there is 

 done with the bees (except to ascertain that each 

 colony has a queen and sufficient honey) previous to 

 (he time the leaves begin to put out on the trees, the 

 better off the bees will be. If 1 had but four or five 

 colonies, I could, by way of seeing: what I could do, 

 take them into a warm room every cold spell, as I 

 once did to get them ahead as far as possible; but 

 such a plan could not be carried out with an apiary 

 of any size. Unless such a plan is adopted, the 

 spreading- of the brood before settled warm weather 

 often proves worse than a failure, as advanced brood 

 is often killed by these cold spells, which would soon 

 add new life to the colony if they had remained un- 

 disturbed. Thus I defer trying to build up colonies 

 more than they naturally will do themselves, until T 

 am sure of warm weather. 



With this purpose I will now tell just what I do. 

 As soon as spring- opens I go to each hive with 

 smoke in hand, remove the cap, roll back the quilt a 



little, and smoke the bees so they will run out otthe 

 way. Jf plenty of sealed honey is in sight along the 

 top-bars of the frames, 1 let the quilt go back; 

 and after putting on the cap, place a small Wat stone 

 on the center of the top of it. This stone tells me 

 this hive has plenty of honey to last till the bees be- 

 gin to carry in pollen. The next hive is looked at in 

 the same way; and if I see plenty of honey it is 

 marked the same. If I do not so see hone.v, 1 lift 

 the frames to see how much honey thei' have. I f 

 they do not have 5 lbs. at the least, I place two flat 

 stones on the right-hand back corner of the eaj), 

 which says such colonies are to be fed soon. Tf any 

 are found entirely out, they arefed at once by giving 

 frames of sealed honey, or combs filled with sugar 

 syrup, if I have not the frames of honey on hand. 

 These combs of honey or syrup are set on the out- 

 side of the brood at this season of the year, and not 

 between the combs of bi-ood as I do later in the sea- 

 son. Having sot in the feed, the hive is iiiarkc^cl 

 with a stone, the same as was the first. 



I wish to call attention to these stones for marking- 

 hives. In the first i)lace they can be obtained in 

 nearly all localities. If not, pieces of brick oi- til(> 

 can be used. 



a. And most iiMiioi-tant, I cun tell the condition of 

 each hive just as far as 1 can see these stones, which 

 is from one side of the apiar.v to the other. 



;j. Th(!y tell me whatjieeds doing in the ai)iary, at 

 a glance, with no time being consumed writing in a 

 book, on a slate, or any such thing. 



4. If any one enters the apiary and touches the 

 hives when I am not there I know it, for they will 

 always either let the stones slide off the covers, or 



