1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



231 



solution to be unwise. Try a strong solution 

 of it on bright tin, and you will observe that 

 it has a very corrosive effect. Cans thus 

 treated are at once attacked by the acid in 

 honey, discoloring and injuring the flavor of 

 the honey. We leave our cans in the sun 

 about a week, if we are not needing them, 

 then go over them in the heat of the day, 

 when they are hot, and we can easily pick 

 out any doubtful ones by the odor, and leave 

 them for a few days longer. When sunning 

 does not remove the odor, another suds 

 treatment may hasten the cleaning. 



Where access to a steam-plant is not pos- 

 sible, the same results can be obtained by 

 the thorough shaking of the hot suds and a 

 longer sunning. 



Camp Verde, Ariz. 



HOW TO RUN SUCCESSFULLY AN OUT- 

 YARD FOR COMB HONEY. 



Read at the Fulton and Montgomery County 

 Bee-keepers' Association. 



We take it for granted that we have bees 

 and supplies for an out-apiary. Then the 

 first thing that is to be considered is its lo- 

 cation. I will talk from experience and not 

 theory. 



1. Have it as near home as possible with- 

 out interfering with the home yard. 



2. Give it the best pasture you can. 



3. Protect it from heavy winds, especially 

 from the north and west. 



I do not know that I could do any better 

 than describe right here my present out-api- 

 ary, which is run exclusively for comb honey. 

 It is located three miles from my home yard, 

 almost at the top of the Champion Hills, 

 on the north side sloping down at an incline 

 of about 200 feet to each half-mile. It is 

 protected on the west and north by a thick 

 hedge of plum and chokecherry-trees, and 

 on the east and south by an orchard of ap- 

 ple-trees. On the south side of the yard is 

 the honey-house, facing north and looking 

 over the bee-yard. At the east side is a 

 honey-cabinet for the filled surplus supers. 

 The hives are placed in groups of twelve, 

 with two hives on each stand arranged in a 

 semicircle, six on each side, facing each 

 other. The groups of hives are in rows 

 each way, giving an alley 12 feet wide with 

 the rear of the hives on either side. The 

 honey- house rests on wooden blocks so it can 

 be moved when a new location is desired. 

 Just inside of the door, in easy reach, is a 

 four-inch Bingham bee-smoker, two whisk- 

 brooms, honey-knife, hive-opener, a propo- 

 lis-scraper, Alley drone-traps, queen-cages, 

 bee-veils, screw-driver, and an extension 

 hiver. Inside is a work-bench with a fair 

 supply of tools. The bees are taken out of 

 the cellar about ten days after we think it 

 is time to take them out. With clean bot- 

 tom-boards, and entrances closed so that 

 about two bees can pass out at a time, they 

 are corked up as warm and snug as possible. 

 I don't do as much building-up by feeding in 

 the spring as I used to. It is a slippery 



piece of business with an out-apiary. But 

 little more is done until fruit-bloom. 



To run an out-apiary for comb honey suc- 

 cessfully you must cut corners at every 

 turn, and make as few trips at possible. 



Supers with sections containing full sheets 

 of foundation, and hives filled with frames 

 of worker comb or wired foundation, must 

 be prepared. 



I make about sixty trips during a year, for 

 an outyard of 125 colonies, spring count, 

 which requires about eighty days' labor of 

 ten hours each. With an average season 

 this includes every thing in relation to it. 



The condition of each colony is recorded 

 by the position of a half -brick on each hive. 

 I can step out in the yard, and in a moment 

 tell those hives that need attention to-day, 

 to-morrow, or the day after, without going 

 over the whole yard. Each colony is exam- 

 ined about once a week, or as the seas< n re- 

 quires. Then all the bricks are re-adjusted. 



At the time of removing supers I use the 

 bee-escape under the supers, then they are 

 removed to the honey-cabinet. Here they 

 are totally freed from the bees, and taken 

 to the home apiary before the sections are 

 removed from the supers. 



One thing that must not be forgotten is 

 the settlement for the use of the premises. 

 Whatever the consideration maybe, let it be 

 a cash deal every time. Meet the landlord 

 more than half way, and, after making a 

 full payment in cash, give him a liberal sup- 

 ply of honey for the free favors you have 

 received. The rule that works well at the 

 home yard will succeed at an out-apiary. 



The form of a cube is best for a brood- 

 nest. The one that I use for comb honey is 

 13 by 12, and 12 inches deep. See that all 

 drone comb is removed from the brood- 

 chamber, and worker comb put in its place. 



Almost all of my increase is by natural 

 swarming. 



Don't stand ten minutes for a little bee to 

 get out of the way for fear it might get 

 hurt. Let some things remain a secret to 

 the inquisitive neighbor. A cloth lightly 

 saturated in carbolic acid or kerosene will 

 hustle the bees out of the supers. Bait-sec- 

 tions in the super are a little gold-mine to 

 the bee-keeper. Have the honey-house at 

 the south side of the yard, facing north. You 

 can see the bees much more readily. 



MAKING AN EXHIBIT AT THE COUNTY 

 FAIRS. 



Read at the Fulton and Montgomery County 

 Bee-keepers' Association. 



BY G. W. HAINES. 



Make your entries early so the officers of 

 the grounds will have your space ready. 

 Even if you are sure you will be the only one 

 to make an exhibit, do your best, for the 

 benefit of the bee-keeping industry. Re- 

 member, good exhibits make good fairs. 



Enter as manv races of bees as yon ran, 



