340 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1917 



southern end of Lake Michigan, and within 

 about an hour's ride of Chicago. It is con- 

 nected by steam and electric lines to a num- 

 ber of other towns and cities varying from 

 a few hundred to fifty thousand or more in- 

 habitants. These lines assist not only in 

 marketing but also occasionally in visiting 

 the outyards. However, excellent stone roads 

 extend almost everywhere, and apparently 

 nearly eveiy one who doesn't run a big 

 machine has a Ford. Just outside the city 

 limits, and almost within sight of one of the 

 largest universities in the world, our home 

 is located. Fifteen miles to the northwest, 

 and a like distance to the northeast, are two 

 other main yards, forming with the home 

 yard a triangle having its base along the 

 Calumet River and within a short distance 

 of the Dune region of the Great Lakes. In 

 addition to these I have two outyards, each 

 about five miles from these main yards. 

 Some may wonder why the yards are so far 

 apart. There are two reasons. One is that 

 with clover on one side, and the autumn 

 flowers of the marshes on the other, we can 

 take advantage of both ends of the season 

 without mo\'ing bees. The other is that I 

 happen to own the land — quite an advan- 

 tage when one wishes to erect permanent 

 buildings. At each of the main yards is a 

 good honey-house surmounting a bee-cellar 

 made of concrete or brick, and built ex- 

 pressly for the purpose of wintering. Each 

 building is equipped with a full complement 

 of tools, including not only an extracting 

 outfit and other tools commonly used, but 

 also hammer, saw, ax, shovel, as well as 

 lumber, nails, and all supers and other hive 

 parts likely to be used in the season's work. 

 I believe that depreciation and the interest 

 on the investment in buildings and equip- 

 ment of this kind are less expensive than the 

 loss of time and labor occasioned by carry- 

 ing about the necessary tools and material, to 

 say nothing of the loss and annoj^ance caus- 

 ed when articles needed are left beliind. 

 Furthermore, a good building supplied with 

 stove, table, work-bench, and other conven- 

 iences, enables one to continue work in spite 

 of rainy weather or sudden storms, which 

 may cause considerable loss of time in out- 

 yards under ordinary circumstances. The 

 cellars are dry, well ventilated, and hold 

 nearly a constant temperature of 45 degre?s 

 from the time the bees are carried in, about 

 December 1, to the time they are taken out, 

 about April 1. No attention at all during 

 the winter is needed. 



Usually in March, before the outdoor 

 spring work begins, the hives and supers 

 are gone over, necessary repairs made, and 

 painting done. Drone comb is replaced 

 with full sheets of foundation, wax is 



rendered, and tools are made ready for the 

 summer's campaign. 



In ean'ying bees out to the summer 

 stands we find that two men can easily 

 make the thirty-mile trip, clean up the yard, 

 carry out 150 colonies of bees, and place the 

 entrance-blocks, all in a day's time. If the 

 weather is warm, and the bees inclined to 

 fly or crawl out, they are first smoked in, a 

 notched lath tacked over the entrance, and a 

 tuft of loose cotton used to close the open- 

 ing. The cotton is not removed until 

 toward evening. Cement hive-stands, which 

 may be left on over winter, save a consider- 

 able amount of labor. As the hives are 

 usually dry when taken from the cellar, it is 

 seldom found necessary to clean bottom- 

 boards. Carrying out the hives is rather 

 hard labor, and thus far I have not been 

 able to find an easy way; so I usually try 

 to get some husky man to do the carrying. 

 From this time on until extracting begins I 

 have no need of a helper. 



Within a week from the time the bees are 

 removed from the cellar, if the weather is 

 favorable, the yards are again visited. To 

 do away with the necessity of loosening the 

 sealed covers, examinations are made by 

 tipping the hives up from the bottom. 

 Very weak colonies are placed carefully 

 above a strong one with a queen-excluder 

 between. Moderately weak colonies are re- 

 moved to the stands of strong colonies, 

 while the strong ones are put where the 

 weak ones formerly stood. Those short of 

 stores are fed by inserting a full-depth 

 comb of dark honey reserved from the last 

 extracting the fall previous. I believe this 

 to be the easiest and best way of feeding, 

 and it helps to dispose of the dark honey. 

 Since comparatively few colonies as a rule 

 need attention, a few hours' work is suffi- 

 cient for each yard. 



The queens are usually clipped during 

 the latter part of April ; but if the weather 

 conditions are unfavorable it may be post- 

 poned until fruit bloom, at the time of the 

 next operation, which consists in placing a 

 second ten-frame hive-body over an exclud- 

 er on all strong colonies. This supering 

 effectively holds in check any tendency to 

 swarm at tlois time. Any queenless colonies 

 are placed on the top of other colonies as 

 tho they were supers. 



About May 1, bees of the poorest stock 

 are hauled to the two outyards and given 

 a second liive-body without an excluder, 

 since the extra amount of room tends to 

 delay and in some cases to prevent June 

 swarming, and distributes the work so as to 

 avoid a rush in the busy season. When 

 moving, no screens are used. A tuft of 

 cotton closes the small opening at the en- 



