564 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



Fie. 2. — Covers, chaflf-trays, and burlap removed to allow the bees a flight, 

 ered with snow. 



These entrances are cov- 



theii set the hive with the brood on top, and 

 l)lace one of the queens previously purchas- 

 ed in with the brood. A small entrance 

 at the back should be provided for this up- 

 pev colony. In Ihis way the brood will sure- 

 ly have ])lenty of heat to hatch, and the two 

 queens, though separated, will lie in one hive. 

 In 15 to 20 days both queens should have 

 their combs about filletl with brood. At 

 this stage raise the upper colony and place 

 a body containing emjity combs below it, 

 and ]iut the screen and upper body on top 

 as before. Reverse this top colony so that 

 the entrance will be in front; also put over 

 it a body with empty combs. This gives 

 two sets of combs for each queen, with a 

 screen between to keep the queens apart. 

 In 20 days more, or by the time the honey- 

 flow begins, the four bodies are filled mostly 

 with brood and young bees. Now remove 

 the qireen from the top bodies, and take out 

 the wire screen. In eight days remove all 

 queen-cells and give a large entrance at the 

 top, and then all the bees from above will 

 work from the top entrance, so the honey 

 will come in at two entrances. After the 

 first extracting, there is no danger of swarms. 

 This is the only ad\ antage two queens or 

 more can possibly have in one hi\ e. 



A PLAN FOR REQUEENING AND SECURING 

 PLENTV OF FEED FOR AN OFF YEAR. 



I have another plan which I certainly 

 think will be an advantage to the bee-keep- 

 ers of California, in some res])ects similar to 

 the above. As a general thing, every two 

 or three years we have to feed, and this is 

 quite an expense, and takes off much of the 



inofit of a good crop, especially if one has an 

 apiary of 800 or 1000 colonies. The i)lan I 

 refer to will give, after one good year, a 

 supply of feed a year ahead, and it will be 

 in the combs all ready to feed. 



Sup])ose we have 400 colonies for next 

 year. This winter, if we find we have enough 

 rain to insure us a crop of honey next year, 

 we will prepare that many empty hives with 

 a wire screen for each, and frames of founda- 

 tion or empty combs. Make arrangements 

 with a queen-breeder in the South to furnish 

 400 queens by the 1st of April. These can 

 be bought for 50 ets. apiece or less. 



The queens being at hand, begin at No. 1. 

 Remove the old hive to one side; place the 

 new hive containing the foundation or emp- 

 ty comb in its place. Take from the new 

 hives three or four of the empty frames, and 

 set to one side. Now open the old hive; find 

 the queen, and, with the frame she is on, 

 place in the new hive. In the center take 

 a frame with larvse and eggs and place it 

 by this, and one or two with honey on each 

 side. Place the screen on and shake most 

 of the bees from the old hive in front of the 

 entrance. Now put the old hive-body on 

 the screen; jilace the sealed brood in the 

 center, and the combs containing honey 

 next to them, and the empty frames taken 

 from the new hive. Put one of your queens 

 in with the brood, and close up. A small 

 entrance should be given this upjier hive by 

 boring a >^-inch hole, which can be plugged 

 up afterward. In eight or ten days, enough 

 of the brood above will be hatched to keep 

 the rest; so, remove it to the place in 

 the apiary where you want it to remain. In 



