Vol. XTI. 



JUNE 1, 1888. 



No. 11. 



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MANAGEMENT OP OUT-APIARIES. 



HOW TO MANAGE 1000 COLONIES WITH ONLY ONE 

 BEE-KEEPEH AND TWO .ASSISTANTS. 



TN a recent number of Gleanings I have e.x- 

 jMp plained how 1 manage my bees at present so as 

 ^l to obtain a reasonable profit with little labor. 

 "*■ I will now endeavor to answer a little more 

 I'ullj- question No. 'M. and at the same time 

 reply to Mr. France's article on page 1H4. He 

 says that It surprises him when 1 state that one 

 beekeeper with two assistants can manage 1000 

 colonies when distributed in ten apiaries. Well. 

 let us see! Perhaps I should have been more ex- 

 plicit; but I did not think that it would be presum- 

 ed that one bee-keeper with two assistants, i. c, 

 three men, could so divide themselves that they 

 could be i>resent in ten apiaries at the same time, 

 so as to watch for and hive all the swarms. Hiv- 

 ing swarms has usually been the work of some girl 

 or boy of the farmer at whose place I had planted 

 an apiary, and was alwa.vs cheaply done. But out- 

 side of the simple work of hiving swarms when 

 every preparation is made, the queen's wings clip- 

 ped, and second swarms prevented, I do say that 

 three men can very readily handle UHMt colonies of 

 bees advantageously when distributed in ten apia- 

 ries. This is my plan: 



Have your apiaries so located that you can readi- 

 ly reach three or four of them in one day by driv- 

 ing not to exceed twenty miles, going and return 

 trip included. This can be arranged, as it is not nec- 

 essary to have your apiaries more than two miles 

 apart, and sometimes not that. In this way you 



can visit every apiary at least every fourth day, 

 which is amply sufficient. Winter in three or four 

 cellars, and haul the colonies together in the fall. 

 Use the eight-frame Langstroth hive with portico. 

 Have a cross-bar in the bottom of the hive, to'keep 

 the combs from coming in contact with each other, 

 thus, with notches an eighth of an inch deep in the 

 ends of the hive, for the ends of the frames to rest in. 



■ ■mm I 



FASTENING t'UAMES FOR TRANSPORTATION. 



With your hives in this condition it is only neces- 

 sary to sorew down the honey-board and tack a 

 frame of wire screen over the portico, and they 

 are at all times ready to haul. My spring wagon 

 holds comfortably twenty hives, and it takes but a 

 short time to move an out-apiary to the nearest 

 cellar. I suggest using three or four cellars as a 

 simple matter of convenience for spring and fall 

 sui)ervision and winter care. The hauling is no 

 great labor, is quickly done, and at a time when 

 there is little else to do. I assume further, for the 

 sake of this argument, that your only forage for 

 surplus is white clover and basswood, as it is with 

 me. Let us start in spring with, say, 8.50 colonies, 

 and end up the season with 11.50, which will be a 

 fair average of 1000 for the season. As soon as 

 spring opens, examine every colony to ascertain its 

 strength and food supply, and give to each the nec- 

 essary care and attention. If your bees were in 

 proper condition in the fall, and have wintered 

 well, very little attention will be required. About 

 May 10, examine each colony carefully, uniting 



