May, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CUhTUKE 



337 



some lioiiey; next, an empty frame, thus 

 making six frames in the cap. The bees 

 will occupy these combs as soon as they 

 are strong enough, and will soon cluster 

 in the empty frames ready to draw out 

 combs. 



TIME FOR THE FIRST SUPER. 



I plan to put the supex's on about tlie 

 second day that the bees are working on 

 clover, or when they begin to store in the 

 caps. They are strong enough for my large 

 supers when they begin to hang over the 

 combs in the cap, and begin to build comb in 

 the empty frames. I super the yard first 

 that is the strongest in bees. Forty out of 

 tifty colonies should then be ready for the 

 suiters. I like to begin putting on the 

 supers as soon as conditions are right, as 

 the three yards require three days for this 

 work. By the time I amve at the last 

 yard I usually find the combs in the caps 

 getting quite heavy with honey. Some may 

 wonder why I do not put on the supers 

 earlier and not be so hurried at the last 

 moment. Well, I like to hustle, and I like 

 to see the bees hustle, and they always do 

 whenever there is any sweet to be found. 



CAPS OFF AND THE FIRST SUPERS ON. 



I always put on the first supers when the 

 bees are working well. I set the cap off on 

 the ground behind the hive, then arrange 

 the brood-nest with a frame of the youngest 

 larvce at the back, then put in one more 

 frame from the cap, thus making twelve 

 frames in all in the brood-nest again. The 

 top of the hive and the brood-frames having 

 been cleaned directly after setting off the 

 cap, I am ready for the super. 



If the clustering bees have started build- 

 ing combs these combs should be cut in 

 strips and placed on the top of the brood- 

 nest under the super. This hastens the 

 work in the super. All that are heavy with 

 honey should be reserved for the table, or 

 melted up. All surplus combs are used on 

 weak colonies. 



MY REASON FOR USING CAPS. 



First, the caps discourage swarming al- 

 most to a certainty when arranged with 

 empty spaces for the bees to cluster. 



Second, when there are bees enough to 

 occupy the supers at once the combs will 

 all be drawn at once and be of an even 

 tliickness. I never use separators in large 

 supers. 



Third, the foundation will not be gnawed 

 and soiled, and the honey will thus be whiter. 



THE SECOND VISIT^ IN WHICH QUEENS ARE 

 REMOVED AND THE SECOND SUPERS ADDED. 



In from eight to fifteen days, depending 

 upon the weather and on the honey-flow, 1 



make my second visit to the yard. The sec- 

 tions in the first super are probably well 

 drawn and partly filled with nectar. I put 

 on the second supers immediately on my ar- 

 rival at the yartl, as the clustering of beas 

 in the new super takes them up out of the 

 brood-nest and makes the work of examin- 

 ation for swarm preparations much easier. 

 After all supers are placed, beginning 

 where I put the first supers on, I examine 

 the brood-nests for indications of swarming. 

 If I find only cell cups, but no eggs in them, 

 I close the hive and pass on. If I find any 

 cell cups containing eggs or hatched larva3, 

 even if very small, I remove the queen. If 

 she is an extra good queen I save her in a 

 nucleus, otherwise I kill her. If the swarm- 

 ing impulse is quite general I may remove 

 the queens from two-thirds of the colonies, 

 or even more than that if there are that 

 number preparing to swarm. If nearly the 

 whole apiary is preparing to swarm I save 

 in nuclei as many of my best full queens as 

 are needed to furnish combs of larvae at 

 the next visit. With a boy to help me I 

 can uncover a hive, remove the supers, find 

 the queen, replace the supers, and cover the 

 hive again at the rate of one hive every 

 seven minutes. I seldom fail finding the 

 queen the first time over the combs. Often 

 Avhen there is not much work to be done I 

 can go over a yard in three hours, putting on 

 or changing supers, looking for queens, or 

 the condition of each colony. It matters 

 not how far advanced an apiary is in this 

 preparation f(n- swarming, for I can so treat 

 every colony that there will be no more 

 swarming for at least eight days longer. 



THE THIRD VISIT. 



In nine days at the longest from the time 

 that I remove the queen I have to return 

 and destroy all queen-cells, as it is possible 

 to have a young queen hatched out on the 

 tenth day after the removal of the old queen. 

 It is not enough to destroy the cells before 

 the ninth day as there yet may be an un- 

 sealed larva over which the bees will con- 

 struct a queen-cell. The queen from such 

 an old larva would be worthless, but she 

 could lead the bees to the woods just as well 

 as a good queen. 



On this third visit I first examine some of 

 the colonies that have not made any previous 

 attempts at swarming, and so still retain 

 their queens. If such colonies are still with- 

 out queen-cells I remove two combs of young 

 larv£e, replacing them with empty comb, 

 starters, or sheets of foundation. I con- 

 tinue thus until I have five combs of young 

 larvae; then I commence on the queenless 

 colonies, destroying evei\y queen-cell and 

 giving each colony a comb of young larva; 



