Aprii., 1922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



249 



the bees down between the top-bars. The 

 cover, with its adhering bees, should now be 

 turned upside down at the entrance, so these 

 bees can readily crawl into tlie hive. 

 How to Avoid Being Stung. 



Only euougli smoke should bo used to 

 keep the bees down between the combs and 

 under control, since too much smoke con- 

 fuses them and makes them more difficult to 

 handle. The smoker should be going well, 

 so it will respond with a good volume of 

 smoke whenever needed. Smoke is needed 

 only a part of the time. Sometimes it is 

 necessary to use it only a few times while 

 examining the colony, but at other times it 

 is necessary to use it frequently. Smoke 

 siiould be blown across the tops of the 

 frames, not directed down between them. By 

 watcliing the bees one soon learns when 

 more smoke is needed. The bees should not 

 be permitted to line up in rows between the 

 top-bars of the frames with their heads at 

 the upper edge, watching every movement 

 of the operator. Whenever such a formation 

 is seen they should be driven back with 

 smoke. Avoid quick motions. Bees pay but 

 little attention to slow movements, but re- 

 sent quick motions. The beginner will work 

 with greater confidence at first if he wears 

 a pair of good bee-gloves, but later will 

 probably not care to use them. The smoker 

 and veil are essential. If careful about the 

 use of smoke one can examine colony after 

 colony witliout being stung if the bees are 

 working well. If the combs are self-spacing, 

 the wliole set can be pried over toward the 

 opposite side of the hive, by using the hive- 

 tool as a pry, to make room to take out the 

 first frame. Sometimes it is easier to take 

 out the outside frame first; but in many 

 cases it is easier to remove the second or 

 even the third frame first on account of the 

 character of the combs, especially if they 

 are bulged with honey at the top. Pry the 

 frames apart far enough so the first one can 

 be taken out easily and then lift it gently, 

 being careful not to roll the bees against the 

 adjacent comb. When the first comb is out, 

 stand it on end leaning it against tlie hive; 

 or, if there is danger of robbing, put it into 

 an empty hive or a box made to hold two or 

 three combs. Such a box is quite handy for 

 beginners, and its use will often save trou- 

 ble from robbers, or from combs toppling 

 over when they are stood up against the 

 outside of the hive. It is a good plan to 

 put the first two combs taken out into this 

 box. 



The other combs can now be taken out 

 separately by prying each one loose in turn 

 and pulling it away from the adjacent comb 

 before lifting it out of the hive. To exam- 

 ine the opposite side of the comb, hold the 

 frame by the projecting ends of the top-bar, 

 bring the top-bar to a vertical position, then 

 turn the comb using the top-bar as a pivot, 

 and finally bring the frame back to a hori- 

 zontal position but upside down. Eeverse 

 this process to bring the. frame back right 



side up ready to be put back into the hive. 

 This movement keeps tiie comb in a vertical 

 position wliile being reversed. It is not al- 

 ways necessary wlien frames are well wired, 

 but it is a good habit to form when first 

 learning to handle the combs. 



What to Look for Inside the Hive. 



The outside combs should be heavy with 

 honey if the colony is well supplied with 

 stores while most of the brood is in the 

 middle of the hive. In the South strong 

 colonies should now have brood in all the 

 combs except possibly the two outside ones, 

 but in the North brood will usually be found 

 only on two or three frames early in April. 



On a comb taken from the middle of the 

 brood-chamber, there is usually some sealed 

 honey in the upper corners, the cells con- 

 taining the honey being elongated, so this 

 portio)! of the comb is thicker tlian the rest 

 of it. Just below the sealed lioney there 

 may be a little recently gathered honey not 

 yet sealed over. Just below the honey there 

 may be a narrow band of cells containing 

 pollen packed in open cells. In the middle 

 of the comb look for another area of sealed 

 cells, the cajjpings being brown in color and 

 so regularly formed that the outline of each 

 cell is clearly shown. This is sealed brood, 

 as may easily be proven by tearing away 

 some of the cappings, exposing to view the 

 pupae within the cells. Note the difference 

 in the appearance of the cappings over the 

 brood and those over the honey. Somewhere 

 within this area of sealed brood there may 

 be some young bees emerging from the cells 

 after cutting away the capping. In the open 

 cells just beyond the sealed brood, look for 

 the large larvae coiled against the base of 

 the cells. Beyond these will probably be 

 found smaller and smaller larvae toward the 

 edge of the comb until finally it is difficult 

 to see them. If the bees are behaving well, 

 it will now be safe to lift up the bee-veil to 

 permit better vision, w'hich will probably be 

 necessary to see the tiny eggs in the cells 

 beyond the smallest larvae. To see these, 

 hold the comb so the light from the sun 

 comes over the shoulder and shines into the 

 cells, and then turn the comb until the 

 strong light strikes the base of the cell. 

 After once having seen them it is no longer 

 difficult even when looking through the bee- 

 veil. 



Note the uniformity in the position and 

 the distribution of the eggs, one in each cell 

 as far as tlie queen has gone in her work of 

 egg-laying. This uniformity indicates a vig- 

 orous queen. Tliis concentric arrangement 

 of the brood of different ages is found only 

 early in the season before there is much 

 brood and in colonies that are too weak to 

 rear brood extensively, for in strong colo- 

 nies later in the season the queen sometimes 

 fills a comb with eggs within two days so 

 the brood on the entire frame is practically 

 the same age. This should be the condition 

 now in the South, while in the North the 

 concentric arrangement is the rule for April. 



