94 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1. 



but paying no attention as to how near they 

 come to those already out, for they are liable 

 to mix only with those set out at the same 

 time. I sometimes set out about the same 

 number in the morning of a pleasant day, be- 

 ginning to carry out as soon as the mercury 

 reaches 45°, because, in this case, the bees 

 must get through their thickest flight before 

 those already out become very active, or else 

 there is danger from robbing. In fact, those 

 set out in the morning are much more liable 

 to be robbed at best, for at this season of the 

 year, on the days of the first flights of bees, 

 they are always seeking for some weak colony 

 to rob, because there is no nectar coming in 

 from the fields ; and bees having their first 

 flight in the spring are not in condition to de- 

 fend themselves from robbers, and for this 

 reason I set out the most of them in the after- 

 noon. Again, by this plan all the fatigue at- 

 tending this work is overcome, as well as the 

 mixing, keeping a record of where each hive 

 stood, robbing, etc. As soon as set out, the 

 next work is to see that all have plenty of 

 stores; and if in a tight-bottomed hive, clean 

 off the bottom-boards. As I use loose bottom- 

 boards a clean bottom-board is placed on the 

 wheelbarrow to set the hive on, so I do not 

 have to disturb the bees afterward on this ac- 

 count. To find out about the honey or stores, 

 the first cool morning go to the hive, take off 

 the cover, and carefully raise the quilt or hon- 

 ey-board, and look for sealed honey along the 

 top-bars of the frames. If plenty is seen ihey 

 are all right till they are to be carefully look- 

 ed after three weeks later. If little or none is 

 seen, they must be fed; for if we are to reap 

 good results from our bees they must have 

 plenty of stores at this time of the year to en- 

 courage brood-rearing. 



For feed at this time I prefer combs of seal- 

 ed honey set in next the cluster, to any thing 

 else. If none such can be had, we must feed 

 sugar syrup, or liquid honey if we have it; but 

 the feeding of liquid sweets thus early in the 

 season entices many bees out to perish in un- 

 favorable weather, and tends to promote rob- 

 bing beyond any thing else. Three weeks lat- 

 er the hives are to be opened generally for the 

 first time (unless we have some good cause for 

 opening them before), the goodness of the 

 queen looked after, the amount of stores on 

 hand, and the brood nest reversed, by placing 

 the two center frames of brood on the outside 

 and the outside ones in the center. By so do- 

 ing a gain is made, as all the older brood is in 

 the central combs, which are generally filled 

 nearly to the outside of the frames, while only 

 small patches of eggs and larvae are in the 

 outer ones. This reversion causes the now in- 

 side frames to be filled entirely with brood in 

 the shortest space of time, while there is little 

 danger of chilling the brood in this way. At 

 this time we should see to it that each colony 

 has plenty of stores to last two or more weeks, 

 for at no time should the bees feel that they 

 must economize in honey, if brood-rearing is 

 to go on rapidly, which it now must if we are 

 to secure a good harvest of white honey. 



In about ten days a frame of empty comb is 

 to be inserted in the center of the brood-nest, 



or, better still, a frame of honey which has 

 previously had the sealing to the cells broken. 

 By removing this honey the bees are greatly 

 stimulated, and brood-rearing accelerated. In 

 eight or ten days more the brood-nest is again 

 reversed, when, if all has worked well, there 

 will be brood in all but the two outside combs, 

 and generally some in these; but if not, there 

 soon will be, owing to the full sheets of brood 

 coming next to them. If honey is now com- 

 ing in, the surplus arrangement is to be put 

 on in a day or two; and it is better to put it 

 on in a week or so, in any event. This, in 

 brief, is my plan of management from the 

 time of the setting of the bees out of the cel- 

 lar till the honey-flow from clover. Now, if 

 all of this is done properly and you have al- 

 lowed your bees to care for themselves hereto- 

 fore, you may want to get a " double gait " on 

 yourself, as the darky wanted to catch the 

 mule. A physician and his friend were stand- 

 ing on the street corner of a Virginia town 

 when their attention was amusingly called to- 

 ward an old darky belaboring the flanks of a 

 mule in a vain persuasion to make him move 

 on. At last the doctor was appealed to. 

 "Say, boss, I'll give yo' five dollahs ef yo'll 

 make dis hyer mule go." 



With a sly wink, the physician opened his 

 case and took out his hypodermic syringe, fill- 

 ed the needle with an acid, and sent it into 

 the hindquarters of the mule. The effect was 

 magical. With a wild plunge the mule went 

 tearing down the street, with the darky after 

 him, the bystanders roaring with laughter. A 

 short time afterward the darky, dust-covered, 

 approached again. 



" Say, boss, how much was de wuff of dat 

 stuff yo' done squht in dat mule? " 



" Oh ! " said the doctor, " about ten cents." 



Down went the darky's hands in his jean 

 pockets. He fished out two dimes. 



" Hyeh, boss, am twenty cents. I wish 

 yo'd squht twice as much of dat stuff into 

 me, 'case I'se bound to catch dat mule." 



SNOW OVER ENTRANCES J CLIPPING. 



1. How long may snow cover the hive-en- 

 trance without injury to the bees ? 



2. What advantage is obtained by clipping 

 a queen ? Could not the attendant, who must 

 be present to assist the flightless queen, just 

 as easily handle the swarm and quten settled 

 naturally together? A. W. Carson. 



Joplin, Mo. 



[I do not know how long the entrance may 

 be covered with snow. I know only this, that 

 in our locality we never think of uncovering 

 the entrances, and we have had the hives cov- 

 ered almost entirely for six weeks at a time. 

 I should not be afraid to leave hives under the 

 snow all winter. An occasional colony may 

 be lost by snow melting and running into the 



