358 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



the queen has the brood-nest full, and be- 

 fore she begins to feel cramped for room — 

 while the weather is f avoi able, and the bees 

 are finding nectar enough to keep the queen 

 laying — remove from the brood-chambefr 

 one or two combs, according to the strength 

 of the colony, and pick those containing the 

 most sealed brood, and, after cutting out all 

 queen-cells, place them in the center of the 

 super of empty combs and then set them 

 back on the hive over an excluder. Care 

 must be taken to see that the queen is not 

 on the combs removed; and in place of the 

 combs removed give frames with drawnout 

 comb or fuU sheets of foundation, as the 

 case may be. This gives the queen room 

 for laying, and the brood in the upper 

 story will soon hatch, and the bees vsdll 

 begin storing in them. In about eigbt or 

 ten days go thru the super and remove 

 queen-cells if any have been started ; and if 

 the queen has things pretty well filled up 

 again, then repeat the operation. Give the 

 queen plenty of room, also the bees an 

 abundance of room for storing, but don't go 



to extremes. Watch them and use judg- 

 ment. Also give them plenty of ventilation, 

 especially those in the sun and those in close 

 places where the air has not a chance to 

 circulate freely. The hive raised up on to 

 %-in. blocks in front, and a small entrance 

 at top, suits me best. With the metal top 

 and inner cover this can be accomplished 

 easily. Slide the inner cover back a bee- 

 space, and place two small blocks in front 

 of it on the corners of the super for the 

 outer cover to rest on. This will hold it up 

 at the forward end, and give a bee-space, 

 besides sheltering the opening from rain 

 and sun ; but you must weight the cover 

 down or it may blow off. Placing %-inch 

 blocks under the four corners may be all 

 right, but it does not suit me. I don't like 

 to work around a hive that is open right in 

 front of where T always stand when work- 

 ing with them. The scuffing around of my 

 feet seems to irritate them. I prefer to 

 have the rear of a hive on the bottom- 

 board. 



Fillmore Co., Minn. 



FORTY YEARS OF COMB-HONEY PRODUCTION IN OUT-APIARIES 



r.Y J. E. CRANE 



I have been running out-apiaries for 

 comb honey for nearly forty years, and 

 most of this time I have had several such 

 yards. 



Much of one's success will depend on 

 doing everything when it sbonld be done. 

 Supers must be filled with sections with 

 starters in place. All hives should be put 

 in readiness during cold weather, or at least 

 before it is time to work with bees. As soon 

 as warm weather comes so it is safe to open 

 hives, every yard should be looked over, 

 and all put in shape for brood-rearing. If 

 one colony is found short of honey, honey 

 should be given it — a solid comb from a hive 

 that can spare it, or from those that have 

 been kept over in our storerooms. Weak 

 colonies should be shoved up on to three or 

 four combs with a tight division-board; or. 

 if none is at hand, a solid comb of honey 

 next to them. 



Next will come the clipping of the queen's 

 Avings. Apple-blossom time is the best for 

 this work, as the fewest bees are then in the 

 hive, and there is little danger from rob- 

 bing at this time. Two men should go thnt 

 a yard of eighty or one hundred hives in a 

 day, basides doing any other work neces- 

 sary. Clipping queens is very necessary 

 when running outyards for comb honey, as 

 such yards are much more liable to swarm 

 than when run for extracted honey. When 



I first began I thought it necessary to hire 

 a man for each yard during swarming time; 

 but I have found it much more economical 

 to clip our queens and look after all the 

 yards myself. 



Where many bees are kept in one place, 

 some swarms are likely to issue during our 

 absence; but with queens' wings clipped 

 they will return to their own or some other 

 hive — ^sometimes two or more to ttie same 

 hive. When we find them we divide them, 

 giving the bees to those hives most needing 

 them, or use them for making new colonies 

 with brood we have taken from other hives 

 to discourage swarming. 



A sm.all building, if not absolutely neces- 

 sary, is a great convenience for storing 

 supers, combs, and honey, and we have at 

 all our yards a building eight by ten, or 

 usually ten by thirteen feet, for this pur- 

 pose. 



At the approach of clover bloom we give 

 all colonies supers with sectiors filled with 

 full sheets of thin foundation, or all colo- 

 nies strong enough to begin work in them 

 promptly. During the spring we do not 

 aim to Adsit outyards more than once in two 

 weeks ; but with the blooming of white and 

 alsike clover we may expect preparations 

 for swarming, and each yard should be 

 visited once in eight or nine days, not only 

 to control swarming but to put on or take 



