JUNE 1, 1916 



455 



when the bees are set out the following- 

 spring the heaviest supers placed on the 

 lightest colonies, thus equalizing stores, 

 without greatly disturbing the bees). 



On our first round, which is about tlv.' 

 first of March, these are raised up a little 

 at one end, a peep taken at the bees and 

 stores, and if anything is wrong a mere 

 glance reveals it. If the bees should be 

 short of stores they are smoked out of the 

 super, and a heavier one given from some 

 lieavy colony, but in most cases the light 

 frames are exchanged for heavier ones, and 

 llius the stores are kept equalized. 



Ten or twelve days later the super is 

 tipped up again to see how brood-rearing 

 is progressing; and if the bees are crowd- 

 ing into the super we know all is well. If 

 not, the super is set off: and we examine the 

 nest below and mark the colony by laying 

 a stone or a stick on it so that at the nest 

 round we may know the ones needing spe- 

 cial and immediate attention. 



The others in the yard are making prog- 

 ress, and ten or twelve days later we do not 

 tip the super, but just tip or remove the 

 covers. By this time the queens are moving 

 up in the supers, and we can easily find 

 and lift out some frames of brood from 

 the super and exchange them for empty 

 ones in the weaker colonies; but if there 

 should be no bees in the super of the 

 weaker colony this is not done, but the 

 entire super Ls removed and placed under 

 one in which the queen had made great 

 progress, thus giving her more room at a 

 time when such colonies would soon be 

 contracting the swarming fever. 



On our next round, which is only about 

 eight or ten days later, the weaker colonies 

 are ready for a super of sealed brood and 

 therefore they get a super back. At this 

 lime the queens in the strongest colonies are 

 occupying all combs not filled with honey. 

 On our next round, six or seven days later, 

 we might expect just a little honey coming 

 in, so the supers nearly filled with brood in 

 all stages of development are removed and 

 placed under the lower story, and a storing 

 super placed on top. On the next round, 

 in six or eight days, many of the colonies 

 are ready for this, and on this round our 

 regular ferring-sticks are placed on the 

 bottom-boards, thus giving the hives a good 

 under ventilation from end lo end, the sides 

 of the hives being supported by sticks one 

 inch square and the length of the hives. 

 By the next round all hives expected to go 

 into tlie honey-fiow are thus ventilated. 

 Sometimes a little brood m.ay be chilled and 

 thrown out on account of so much ventila- 

 tion ; but in case of a sudden short cold 



spell, when we might expect considerable 

 damage from this, the bees are stayed from 

 the field, and they cluster under the frames 

 and completely stop the under current, 

 wliich saves the brood. 



Now, our trips around occur evexy six 

 or seven days during the spring flow; and 

 at each visit storing room is added in the 

 usual manner, the empty supers inserted 

 next to the brood-chambers. At each visit 

 we tip the hive-body from the super and 

 glance over the brood-nest in both apart- 

 ments, looking upon and between the combs, 

 and perhaps separating them just a little, 

 the object being to see if any preparations 

 for swarming have been made. If any 

 queen-cells have been started this quick, 

 examination reveals them. If there are 

 cells we stop and go tliru the hive and re- 

 move them. But we rarely have much of 

 this to do, and but little time is lost in this 

 way. We must make sure of it, however, 

 so we have this little work of tipping up to 

 do. 



At this critical time the queen is occupy- 

 ing all comb in the hive-body, for nearly 

 all the honey the bees had at the beginning 

 is in the super, which allows the queen full 

 access to all comb in the body. At the 

 same time, she has more than twice occu- 

 pied all comb not filled with honey in the 

 super, and she has not lacked room. At 

 the same time, this broad open entrance has 

 kept the bees from contracting the swarm- 

 ing fever, because they have had to protect 

 the brood in the super, during rain or sud- 

 den short cool spells, at which time they 

 always contract the swarming fever if they 

 are in closed-up close quarters, for they 

 seem to have nothing else to do. With an 

 open hive, with brood right at the bottom 

 or almost in the open, conditions are right 

 the reverse, and it seems to cure and keep 

 tliem cured of swarming. 



When the honey-flow is coming to a close, 

 and the supers are nearly all filled, the 

 super is removed from the bottom and 

 placed on top of the body; and as the queen 

 at this time is fast diminishing in egg-lay- 

 ing the bees will store some honey in it, the 

 amount depending, of course, on the extent 

 of the flow, and thus they have sufficient 

 stores; and if there is not another great 

 honey-flow expected, the super is left on 

 top the remainder of the season. In it the 

 bees will store the odds and ends of small 

 or light honey-flows. This leaves them 

 heavy with stores, and in the best possible 

 condition for the coming season. 



Suppose increase is wanted at any time. 

 What is more ideal than the arrangement I 

 liavc described? When the brood in the 



