216 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



challenging the United States on the point of 

 stock ; but now I crawl back into my shell, 

 and decide to invest more in promising strains 

 of bees than ever before. When compared to 

 stock, the hive question is a small one. Let 

 every honey-producer say, "I want the best, 

 and am willing to pay for it." Let those who 

 are confident they have the best (I am not) 

 quit talking about selling their best queen for 

 $100 or $200, for it is a losing deal to a practi- 

 cal bee-keeper. Compared with their wealth- 

 producing power, such queens as we see de- 

 scriptions of lately should not sell for .?200. 

 Had I a queen equal to one or two described 

 of late, twice that would not get her. 

 Grayson, Cal., Dec. 22. 



ro„V^«n«Nsf| 



^WlTH 



AMONG THE BEES IN SPRING ; SPREADING 

 BROOD FOR HONEY AND INCREASE ; 

 UNITING TO KEEP DOWN IN- 

 CREASE AND TO RUN 

 FOR HONEV. 



Burt D. Buckley, Salamanca, N. Y., called 

 on me by letter a few da)'s ago, wishing me to 

 tell him and the readers of Gleanings just 

 how I managed the bees in spring so as to se- 

 cure good results in comb honey. While read- 

 ing his letter I was reminded of a conversation 

 I had with a gentleman who came to see me 

 on this very subject a few years ago ; and as I 

 remember our talk quite well, and seeing no 

 reason for talking differently at this time than 

 I did then I will imagine it is Mr. Buckley 

 talking with me, instead of the gentleman of 

 former years, and in this way give Mr. B. just 

 what I would say to him were he right here in 

 my presence. 



"Mr. Doolittle, I called to see you this 

 morning about how to manage bees in the 

 spring so as to secure the best results from 

 both the strong ones and the weak. How 

 early should I commence operations? " 



" From 30 years' experience I am persuaded 

 that there is nothing gained by commencing 

 too early, as from six to eight weeks is suffi- 

 cient time to build up a fair colony in the 

 spring to one sufficiently strong to store honey 

 to the best advantage." 



" But what am I to understand by ' too ear- 

 ly'?" 



" As white clover is the first plant to yield 

 nectar in sufficient quantities to pay to work 

 for honey for surplus, here in York State, the 

 time of its general blooming is to be our guide. 

 In other sections of the country, doubtless 

 other plants or trees may be a guide to go by ; 

 but all should know just what gives the first 

 yield, sufficient to pay in surplus for a special 

 working fof that yield." 



" About what time does white clover begin 

 to yield nectar? " 



" As clover usually begins to yield nectar in 

 this locality about June 15 to 20, the first of 



May is soon enough to commence managing 

 the bees for increasing their brood more rapid- 

 ly than they naturally would." 



' Do you think it pays to go into the brood- 

 chamber and overhaul the frames, etc ? Some 

 are opposed to such a thing, believing more 

 harm than good results therefrom." 



"I know some think it does not pay 1o 

 change the brood-combs by way of reversing 

 them, putting combs of honey in the center 

 of the brood-nest, etc. ; but after years of ex- 

 perimenting I am satisfied that it pays vie, 

 whether it does others or not." 



"Well, how do you manage?" 



" Before telling how I manage I want to tell 

 you of one experiment tried to see if it paid 

 lo try to build the bees up in spring faster than 

 they would naturally do it themselves, for on 

 this matter of pay rests nearly all there is of 

 bee-keeping, to the average apiarist." 



" I shall be glad to hear it." 



" One spring, several years ago, I set apart 

 ten colonies, all of which had plenty of hon- 

 ey, and were as near alike as possible, to ob- 

 tain ten colonies of bees at that time of year. 

 After seeing that all were in proper condition, 

 five were left to themselves, and the other five 

 worked according to the plan which I will 

 soon tell you about. The five let alone were 

 two weeks behind the others in swarming, and 

 upon footing up the results in the fall I found 

 that they gave only two-thirds as much honey 

 as the other five which were managed as I 

 usually manage bees. From this and many 

 other experiments of a similar nature which I 

 have tried I conclude that it pays, and so at- 

 test my faith by adhering to that which gives 

 me the greater profit." 



' ' That does appear right, and makes me anx- 

 ious to hear more in the matter. How do you 

 proceed ? " 



' ' About the first of May I go over the whole 

 yard and examine each hive to see how much 

 brood there is ; and all colonies which do not 

 have an equivalent to 2^ frames full are shut 

 upon the frames of brood they do have by 

 means of a division-board, or dummy, as it is 

 sometimes called ; while those which have 

 that amount, or more, are allowed the whole 

 hive. To keep the smaller ones in the best 

 possible condition, and guard against starving, 

 a frame of honey is left beyond the dummy, 

 under which the bees can go and carry in this 

 honey as needed." 



"Is that all you do with the strong colo- 

 nies? " 



" At this lime the strong colonies have their 

 brood-nest reversed by putting those frames 

 having the least brood in them in the center 

 of the cluster, and those having the most at 

 the outside." 



"What's that for?" 



" This causes the queen to fill these center 

 combs with eggs as fully, or more so, as were 

 those which were in the center before ; while 

 the brood in those now outside is not allowed 

 to decrease at all. Thus quite a gain is made 

 with very little danger of chilling any brood, 

 no matter how the weather may shape in a day 

 or two." 



' ' What is the next move ? " 



