The American Apicultiirist. 



ENTERED AT THE POST-OFFICE, WENHAM, AS SECOND-CLASS MATTEIt. 



Published Jlonthly. Henry Alley, Manager, 



VOL. V. 



WENHAM, MASS., JULY i, 1887. 



No. 7. 



We deal in flrst-class npiaii- 1 Established in 1883. Terms: I 

 an supplies of all kinds, lowest | $1.00 per year, oO cents per six | titled" to one of 

 prices. Prompt delivery. I months, 2.5 cents per three I queens anytime li 



Send for price list. | months. Cash in advance. | and Oct. l", by rei 



Address all communications, AMERICAN" APICULTURIST, Wenham, Mass 



Fiu- the American Apiculturht. 



COMB HONEY 



METHOD NUMBER SIX. 



K. L. Taylor. 



PLENTY OF STORES, VIGOROUS QUEENS, 

 SPREADING BROOD, ETC., ETC. 



It is to be presumed that every 

 one who enters upon beekeeping 

 in any of its branches is possessed 

 of bees and of a range that will 

 supply proper pasturage. 



The next thing and the most im- 

 portant of all, in order to success 

 ill the production of. comb honey, 

 is to secure a crowded population 

 in each colony at the opening of 

 the surplus honey season, with 

 colonies populous enough at the 

 right time. Only the grossest neg- 

 lect can ordinarily prevent the 

 securing of an abundant crop. To 

 attain thiscondition, attention must 

 be carefully given to the following- 

 particulars. First : the bees must 

 have been wintered well. In win- 

 tering, let every one pursue the 

 course in which he has had the 

 greatestsuccess ; butlet him be sure 

 that each colony has not only suf- 

 ficient good stores, but enough and 

 more than enough. I believe more 

 colonies are destroyed or rendered 

 worthless by starvation or semi- 

 13 



starvation during winter and spring 

 than from any other cause. Sec- 

 ond : each colony must have a vig- 

 orous queen. A queen is at her 

 best in her second year and there 

 are only exceptional ones tiiat can 

 be profitably kept beyon<l that age ; 

 and I have no doubt it would pay 

 well to remove a large proportion 

 of them at the age of one and a 

 half years. I find in my own ex- 

 perience that the bees themselves 

 supersede queens declining in vigor 

 promptly in exceptional cases only ; 

 the apiarist must do the work, or 

 else be content with having a con- 

 siderable percentage of his colo- 

 nies worthless, so far as surplus 

 comb honey is concerned. 



Third : we must consider spring 

 management. Spring protection is 

 valuable and I have no doubt that 

 "■' spreading the brood" may some- 

 times be indulged in profitably ; but 

 I do not wish to emphasize these 

 points here, for I would put all the 

 stress possible under this head 

 upon the absolute necessity of hav- 

 ing continually an abundance of 

 stores convenient to the brood 

 nest. To secure this is better than 

 to furnish protection : it is protec- 

 tion and much more. It is prefer- 

 able to the " spreading of brood :" 

 it is a substitute for that and bet- 

 ter. President Wilder, when asked 

 to state the three most important 

 things necessary to be done to se- 

 (1G5) 



