1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTfRE. 



rsi 



whatever number we decide upon for an out- 

 apiary) are occupied at the time of setting 

 out in the spring, there is no need of mak- 

 ing colonies as here given. When we have 

 the full number, four- fifths of the best colo- 

 nies are worked for section honey, while the 

 weaker one-fifth are to care for the beeless 

 brood, and combs, which become the "re- 

 serve combs ' ' in the fall, for the next sea- 

 son. That the reader may understand more 

 fully, suppose that the out apiary is laid out 

 for 75 colonies, and that we have that num- 

 ber in the spring; then we shall want 60 

 hives of reserve combs to go on to the four- 

 fifths of the stronger colonies, which in this 

 case would be 60, the work with each being 

 done as given in chapters three and four. 



In thus working, these 60 hives of beeless 

 brood will be 'stacked on the one- fifth, or 15 

 colonies, where they will remain till the end 

 of the honey season, when they are taken 

 off and stacked away for reserve combs for 

 the next year, as will be given later on. 

 This will make each of the 15 colonies have 

 five hives of brood, the queen being confined 

 to the lower hive by the queen- excluder. At 

 first glance it would seem that some of this 

 brood would be neglected through the giving 

 of so much to one colony; but repeated ex- 

 aminations prove that all is well cared for. 

 As the weather is warm 

 at this time of the year, 

 and as many young bees 

 are emerging from these 

 combs every hour, a few 

 bees on the start can hold 

 things in a perfect condi- 

 tion till all danger is past. 

 When this brood has all 

 emerged, such hives have 

 an army of bees, which, 

 in a good season, often 

 fill all the hives with hon- 

 ey, thus giving us an in- 

 surance for the next year 

 when that needed for 

 brood is so used, and the 

 rest of it carried up to the 

 sections, so there is no 

 loss. It will be noticed 

 that, by this plan, all the 

 honey not used in the ac- 

 tual production of bees 

 goes into the sections, 

 that the bees and queen 

 are stimulated to their ut- 

 most in early spring by 

 this large amount of hon- 

 ey telling them " millions 

 of honey at our house," 

 so that there is not only 

 no loss by having these 

 combs stored full after the brood emerges, 

 but a positive advantage through the stimu- 

 lating effect they have the next spring. If 

 all of the 60 colonies were not ready for 

 treatment on my fourth visit, then I put one 

 or two hives of beeless brood on top of those 

 not quite strong enough in bees to shake, 

 setting this brood under the hive of reserve 

 combs they have, so the brood will all be 



together. This gives such a colony so much 

 extra room that they will not think of 

 swarming during our next ten days' ab- 

 sence, notwithstanding the vast numbers of 

 bees emerging from these two or three 

 hives of brood. 



LA.TE SHOOK SWARMS FOR COMB HONEY. 



When I go to make the fifth visit the re- 

 serve combs are set down on the bottom- 

 board, and the bees from all three hives are 

 shaken out. This gives rousing " shook " 

 colonies; and if a heavy yield of honey is on 

 just at this time, these later- made colonies 

 will even surpass those shaken at the fourth 

 visit, in section-honey production; and it 

 sometimes happens that the yield of honey 

 will make it profitable to shake colonies hav- 

 ing three and four stories of brood, right at 

 the beginning of the basswood flow, thus 

 bringing nearly or quite 100,000 bees in one 

 of these hives of reserve combs, quite well 

 filled with honey, in which case three and 

 four supers of sections are used to give the 

 proper amount of room for their working to 

 the best advantage. However, this requires 

 an extra visit, which may not be convenient 

 when we are working a long string of out- 

 apiaries. 



After having tried this way two or three 

 times I often think it is just as profitable to 



A HIVE PREPARED ON THE DOOLITTLE PLAN. 



let the honey go into the reserve combs 

 But the section honey stored by such a rous- 

 ing colony, right in the height of basswood 

 bloom, is so perfect and handsome in ap- 

 pearance, that my mouth often ' ' waters ' ' 

 for such, and the eagerness of consumers 

 for the same makes it very profitable for 

 market. When it is thought desirable to 

 use this late plan of shaking, colonies can 



