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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



onies shortly after taking them from their 

 winter quarters, I can only repeat what I 

 have already written upon this subject; 

 that is, after they have a little uncapped 

 brood set them on top of a strong colony 

 with a queen-excluding honey-board be- 

 tween, and close all entrances except what 

 they have through the excluder. This we 

 do about five days after they are taken from 

 the cellar, and they seem to locate again so 

 but few if any are lost. The very few old 

 bees that may be lost by this method are 

 merely nothing compared with the gain in 

 bees after both queens have been laying 

 three weeks or more. This is, without any 

 •exception, the best and most practical way 

 ■of caring for those little weak colonies in 

 ■early spring that has ever been made public. 



Another question that many are asking 

 is, " What becomes of the drones that are 

 shut up in the old hive when increase is 

 made?" As I recommended in one of my 

 former articles, first, we have but very few 

 drones in our apiary. I never thought they 

 added much to the surplus honey of a colo- 

 ny, and have often wondered why some bee- 

 keepers rear millions of them m the place 

 of workers; and for that reason it doesn't hurt 

 our feelings if we can trap them in an upper 

 hive until they are dead. The bees usually 

 pull them to pieces and drag the most of 

 them down through the excluder. The man 

 who now allows his bees to rear thousands 

 of useless drones is but one very short step 

 in advance of the man who keeps his bees 

 in box hives. I am sure we secure at least 

 three tons of honey a year more than we 

 should if we allowed our bees to rear drones 

 as some do. In the first place, it requires 

 far more food than it does to rear workers; 

 and then when you consider the advantage 

 of having nearly all the bees in a hive pro- 

 ducers instead of one fourth or more only 

 consumers, it counts much in securing sur- 

 plus. So far as we can prevent we allow 

 only one or two colonies to rear a few, 

 which I think is all that is necessary for any 

 apiary. E. W. Alexander. 



Delanson, N. Y. 



[I wish to indorse as strongly as possible 

 what Mr. Alexander says on the subject of 

 rearing useless drones. I would add further, 

 don't let your bees have drone comb in the 

 first place unless you wish to rear drones 

 for breeding purposes. In this connection, 

 see the last paragraph of "Conversations 

 ;With Doolittle," on another page.— Ed.] 



EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT. 



Timely Advice on what Preparations to Make. 



BY W. R. GILBERT. 



The few short hours of warm weather we 

 have in early spring induces bees to leave 

 then* hives for a good cleansing flight, and 

 much they make of the opportunity. The 

 myriads of bees issuing from some of the 



hives shows that inside they have not been 

 inactive, though unable to fly abroad; but 

 when the early flowers are in full bloom, then 

 the bees become really busy and collect what 

 nectar and pollen such limited breadths of 

 bloom permit. 



If bees, which at that time are badly sup- 

 plied with food, are to depend upon outside 

 sources till the extensive tracts of flowers 

 bloom late in the season, they will indeed 

 do badly throughout the season. About the 

 time we are speaking of is the time for help- 

 ing bees with candy or syrup. The former 

 takes more time for preparation, but it has 

 this advantage— it provides the bees with 

 food that can be taken only slowly, and can 

 not, therefore, be stored in the combs to 

 such an extent as is often done when they 

 are liberally fed with syrup. 



This is the time, too, in which to move 

 bees to fresh sites that are some distance 

 from the present apiary. Breeding has then 

 commenced; and should the weather be mild 

 the bees get just that disturbance in the act 

 of removal that stimulates them in the work 

 they are now performing inside the hive. 



All that need be done now to keep the 

 bees secure inside is to nail a piece of finely 

 perforated zinc over the entrance, and drive 

 two or three natls through the plinths at 

 the side into the floor- boards; and to save 

 them from a lot of bumping, place them up- 

 on a good layer of stravv. 



Let them have a day to settle down, and 

 get a little accustomed to their new sur- 

 roundings, and then change them into a 

 fresh hive, giving them clean quilts, and 

 plenty of them, and a feeder if required. 



While moving the frames from one hive 

 to the other, destroy the cappings of the 

 cells containing honey around the brood in 

 the middle frames. Others may be similar- 

 ly treated after a few days. 



While breeding is progressing, warmth is 

 necessary; therefore see that the tops of the 

 frames are well covered, and that only a 

 small entrance is allowed. 



If the supply of pollen is found to be short, 

 give some pea flour in an old skep or box, 

 upon some small shavings. A little honey 

 will attract the bees; and while they require 

 this substitute for natural pollen they will 

 fetch it. 



Orders for bee-appliances, foundation, 

 frames, and sections in particular, had bet- 

 ter be placed at once to prevent loss of val- 

 uable time, when they are really wanted for 

 use in the hives. 



If excluder zinc is used between the brood- 

 chamber and supers, the frame in the upper 

 apartment may be filled with drone comb, 

 or, rather, drone- sized foundation, from 

 which the bees will build comb of drone- cells. 



Obtain a supply, too, of wide metal ends, 

 unless strips of wood are nailed on the ends 

 of the frames to provide the distances; but 

 whatever distance is allowed, let it be more 

 than that between the brood-combs, or un- 

 capping for extracting will be slow and un- 

 satisfactory work. 



Medicine Hat, Manitoba. 



