1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



15 



but such a device for producing compression 

 would give excellent results in connection 

 with the Hoffman frame. —Ed.] 





■eX^ 



SPRING MANAGEMENT. 



A knock at the door! Mrs. D. ushers in a 

 stranger. He sits down by the fire, holding 

 out his hands to the same, and says, ' * Cold 

 day, this!" 



' ' Yes, stranger, this is a cold day. Ten 

 below zero when last I looked." 



"This, I suppose, is Mr. Doolittle, the 

 bee-man." 



"That is what I am called by some." 



"My name is Weeks, and I should hke to 

 talk with you a little time, if agreeable, 

 about what to do with bees in the spring 

 when we commence active operations with 

 them, say from the time they are set out of 

 the cellar till the first flow of nectar which 

 gives a surplus." 



' ' Well, I am agreeable. What is your 

 first flow of nectar, Mr. Weeks?" 



' ' That flow is usually from white clover 

 in our section." 



' ' By your saying ' set out of the cellar ' I 

 am led to think that you winter your bees in 

 the cellar." 



"Yes. I have not been in the business 

 long, but I think cellar wintering is the best 

 way to winter bees here in the North. ' ' 



' ' Undoubtedly that is correct. And the 

 first work that will confront you in the spring 

 will be setting the bees from the cellar, so 

 we will talk about that first. I follow a dif- 

 ferent plan in setting the bees out from 

 what most apiarists do; and after trying all 

 the different plans for years which have been 

 given I like the one I now use better than 

 any other." 



' ' I did not know that there were different 

 plans for setting out, and I shall be only too 

 glad to hear of yours. ' ' 



"I always leave a few colonies outdoors 

 during winter, to ' liven up the gloom ' a 

 little should a warm day occur; and, begin- 

 ning with the first day in which these out- 

 door bees gather any pollen, I commence at 

 about 2:30 p.m. to set out a part of those in 

 the cellar, say from ten to fifteen colonies, 

 as the case may be, scattering them about 

 the bee-yard so that they will be as far apart 

 as possiljle, and yet be within the limit of 

 what space I wish the yard to occupy " 



"Why do you do that? I set mine out all 

 at once, and supposed every one did, setting 

 each on the stand it occupied the summer 

 before. ' ' 



"Yes, that is the way I formerly did; but 

 in setting out as I now do, there is no need 



of keeping track of where they formerly 

 stood, and yet not having any mixing of 

 bees, as is the case where all are set out at 

 once and near together. Were all set out at 

 once, as most apiarists do this work, there 

 will be more or less of colonies mixing up, 

 unless each colony is set on the same stand 

 ' it occupied the fall previous. To set them 

 thus requires a great deal of extra work, 

 numbering hives, stands, etc., which is quite 

 an inconvenience, and even then does not 

 prevent some colonies getting far more than 

 their share of bees. ' ' 



' ' I know that the numbering of stands, 

 etc., requires work, but had supposed there 

 was no other way. But go on." 



' ' To set out, I place my spring wheelbar- 

 row and lighted smoker near the door of the 

 bee-cellar, when I carefully open the door, 

 quickly step in, and take the hive nearest 

 the door, placing it on the wheelbarrow, 

 when the door is immediately shut again. 

 The bees in the hive now begin to realize 

 that their long winter nap is at an end; and 

 unless some precaution is used they will, fly 

 out of the hive to quite an extent." 



' ' Yes, and sting like adders — at least 

 mine do. Tell me how you remedy this." 



' ' To avoid this state of affairs I now blow 

 several puffs of smoke in at the entrance or 

 under the hive, when a wet cloth is so placed 

 that it will keep the bees in till they are set 

 where they are to stay, when the cloth is 

 taken off and the bees allowed to fly." 



" Don't they rush out pell-mell at first?" 



" No. They come out as leisurely as they 

 would had they not been disturbed; while, 

 had not the smoke been given, they would 

 have all piled out of the hive with a rush, or 

 pell-mell as you put it." 



"I am glad to learn about this, as mine 

 have always bothered about coming out and 

 stinging, scattering all about on the road to 

 the apiary, and getting lost." 



" Yes, I know of these troubles from for- 

 mer experience. And this going out slowly 

 not only overcomes that part, but it is a 

 great advantage to them in marking their 

 location and repelling robbers. The next 

 pleasant day more are set out in the same 

 way, and at about the same time, scatter- 

 ing them about as before, but paying no at- 

 tention as to how near they come to those 

 already out, for they are liable to mix only 

 with those set out at the same time. ' ' 



"There is another new thought to me, 

 and I am led to believe that is right. One 

 time it clouded up while I was setting the 

 bees out, so I had to stop for that day; and 

 I noticed when I set the rest out that they 

 did not mix at all with those set out before. 

 But after setting out, what next?" 



"The next work after setting out is to 

 know that all have plenty of stores. 



' ' Yes; but how can this be found out should 

 it be too cold for the bees to fly, as is often 

 the case?" 



"To find out in this matter I generally 

 look after the honey the first cool morning, 

 when I carefully raise the quilt or cover and 

 look for sealed honey along the top-bars of 



