56 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



When lioney is sent to market not 

 more than sixteen sections should be 

 placed in one crate. I need not say 

 that the nicest honey should be put 

 next the glass : that is where the buyer 

 expects to find them. 



SECTIONS AND SECTION CASES. 



The one-pound one-piece sections 

 are in general use. 'I'wo-and four- piece 

 sections are a nuisance in any apiary. 

 A smart boy can put up ten one-piece 

 sections in the same time it requires to 

 put up one four piece section. Then 

 again, when the one-piece section is 

 put up it stays in shape, even though 

 they be thrown in a heap on the floor. 



'I'here are a good many st} les of sec- 

 tion cases in use. I like a section case 

 so constructed that there is a bee space 

 between the sections and the top of 

 frames, and one so made that the bees 

 cannot soil the sections when on the hive. 

 I also like a case- so constructed tliat the 

 sections can be reversed at the proper 

 time. This is quite an advantage, es- 

 pecially in a poor-season, as I find the 

 bees are more likely to fasten the combs 

 on all sides when reversed. When so 

 built in the sections the honey is in much 

 better condition to ship a long distance. 



GRADING HONEY. 



This is one of the new subjects now 

 under discussion. Weil, pick the 

 best first when crating, then it will be 

 best all tlie time. It won't make much 

 difference whether the crates are marked 

 No. I, or marked with a big G. The 

 best quality will consist of the best 

 graded honey, and no markings of any 

 sort can change it. 



This long discussion now going on 

 in soirie of the bee-p:ipers on '-grading 

 honey" is a waste of time and space. 

 But, then, where a fellow is getting $2 

 per column for copy he must say some- 

 thing, even if it is of no consequence. 



TWAXSFERUING. 



Some thirty years ago transferring 

 was a question that hundreds of bee- 

 keepers were interested in. Now all 

 that has gone by. It" the beginner has 



bees in box-hives, let them remain so, is 

 my advice. Have some good movable 

 frame hives made, and when a swarm 

 issues put the bees in them. Of course 

 bees in box-hi\^es cannot be haixUed as 

 those in frame hives. If a colony in a 

 box-hive dies, then transfer the best 

 of the brood combs to frames. Don't 

 start with box-hives and then there will 

 be no transferring to do. 



RE-QUEENIXG. 



Requeen the colonies when the reign- 

 ing queen is old, or has "p:\jved worth- 

 less. Never disturb the queen in any 

 colony that is doing good service, no 

 matter what the stram or variety is. 



INTRODUCING QUKENS. 



I know of no method of introducing 

 queens that is absolutely safe and sure 

 that the beginner can follow. Certain 

 methods- are practised in the Bay State 

 apiary, and generally with good success. 

 One of the safest methods of introduc- 

 inga queen is by the three days' method. 

 That is to let a colony remain queenless 

 , three days ; towards dark on the thiid 

 day blow a little tobacco smoke in at 

 the entrance among the bees and let 

 the queen run in. The same thing may 

 be done by letting the colony liberate 

 a queen from a shipping cage when the 

 bees have been queenless seventy-two 

 hours. 



It is pretty hard for Mr. Demaree to 

 believe that old virgin queens can be in- 

 troduced to full colonies by tobacco 

 smoke ; yet each season during the last 

 thirty years I have introduced 1000 vir- 

 gin queens. No other method for intro- 

 ducing queens is practised in the Bay 

 State apiary. Have introduced by the 

 smoke method upwards of one hun- 

 dred queens in a day without the loss 

 of even one queen. 



It is really tiresome to read some of 

 tlie methods of introducing queens that 

 are practised by many of our promi- 

 nent beemen. As their methods are as 

 unsafe as any given, I cannot see why 

 they make so much fuss over so simple a 

 thing as introducing queens. 



