THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



373 



Explanatory.— The figures before the 

 names indicate the number ot years that the 

 person has kept bees. Those after, show 

 the number of colonies the writer had in the 

 previous spring- and tall, or fall and spring:, 

 as the time of the year may retjuire. 



This mark © indicates that the apiarist is 

 located near the center of the State named; 

 5 north of the center; 9 south; 0+ east; 

 ♦O west; and thisc^ northeast; NJ northwest: 

 c>» southeast; and 9 southwest of the center 

 of the State mentioned. 



For tlie American Bee JournaL 



flien to Unite Weak Colouies. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



I wish to explain my position re- 

 garding Query, JSfo. 24(5, as I notice 

 that scarcely one of those answering 

 that query fully agree with lue. Most 

 of them seem to think that if the 

 uniting of weak colonies is to be done, 

 the earlier in the season it is accom- 

 plished the better the result ; while 

 from years of experience along this 

 line. I am positive that such early 

 uniting is a mistake. 



One says that if united early " two 

 weak colonies will sometimes pull 

 through ; if left alone, they may die." 

 This is just exactly what I used to 

 think, and so practiced early uniting 

 till I became convinced that if a 

 colony would " pull through " at all 

 it would do so alone just as well as 

 when united. After being forced to 

 this conclusion, I thought to more 

 positively prove it ; so, one spring, as 

 I had 10 weak colonies 1 united 6 in 

 one hive, 3 in another, and left one 

 alone, which was scarcely an average 

 of the whole, as to strength. This 

 uniting was done about May 1, and in 

 less than three weeks' time the colony 

 formed by uniting the 6 was all gone, 

 but 8 bees and the queen, when I 



E reserved the queen and closed the 

 ive. During the same time the one 

 not united " held its own," while that 

 where the 3 was put together was 

 scarcely better than was this. On 

 .June 10 the one having no help had 

 by actual count 8-5 bees beside the 

 queen and the one made from them, 

 102. 



As I was then anxious for all the 

 bees I could get, I did the best I could 

 with them without helping them from 

 other colonies. The one having the 

 85 bees built up and stored 5 pounds 

 of honey in sections, besides having 

 enough tor winter ; while the other 

 got in good condition to winter safely, 

 as did the other. Since then I have 

 united no more weak colonies in early 

 spring. 



After a careful watching I find the 

 reason for this seemingly inconsistent 

 state of things t;o be, that with united 

 colonies the bees seem to be incited 

 to great activity, by strange bees 

 being thrown together, thus starting 



a large lot of brood, the care of which 

 wears their life out so that they 



Eerish with old age before any young 

 ees hatch to take their place, while 

 those not united do very little, and 

 rear only enough brood to take the 

 place of those slowly dying off, thus 

 keeping their numbers about good 

 till settled warm weather comes, 

 when these few (now) young bees are 

 able to hold 5 times the brood they 

 could in early spring, so that they now 

 rapidly increase. 



From the above it will easily be 

 seen why I would not unite weak 

 colonies early in the season." 



Now for the reasons why I would 

 unite just before the honey harvest, 

 rather than let each colony build up, 

 as most of the answers say we should 

 do : If these colonies are left to 

 themselves the result will be little if 

 any better than I gave, from the two 

 mentioned above ; while by uniting 

 just before the honey harvest I secure 

 a splendid yield of honey from the 

 united colony and get the two in good 

 condition for winter. 



My plan of work in uniting, and 

 looking toward that end, is as fol- 

 lows : As early in the spring as the 

 bees can be looked over, all of the 

 weaker colouies are shut on as few 

 combs as they have brood, in using 

 a division-board for contracting the 

 hive. They are now left till warm 

 weather comes, being sure that all 

 have stores enough where they can 

 conveniently get at them to carry them 

 until this period. They are now built 

 up as rapidly as possible by reversing 

 the brood, etc., so that by June 1 the 

 best of them will have live frames of 

 brood, others four, and so on down to 

 one, for the very weakest. As soon 

 as the best has its five frames filled 

 with brood down to the very bottom 

 corners (and none are allowed more 

 combs till they have them thus filled), 

 a frame of hatching brood is given to 

 one having but four frames and an 

 empty comb put in its place. In tak- 

 ing a frame of hatching brood in this 

 way I generally take all the bees there 

 is on it right along, only being sure 

 that I do not get the queen, so that all 

 the young bees on this comb helps 

 to give strength to the next weaker. 



In a few days a frame of brood and 

 bees is taken from each of these two 

 five-frame colonies, and given to the 

 one having but three frames, and so 

 keep taking until all have five frames 

 each. Do not make the mistake and 

 try to strengthen the very weakest 

 first, as we are often told to do, for by 

 so doing from J^ to % of the brood 

 will perish from cold. By the above 

 plan we are always safe, and advanc- 

 ing warm weather is in our favor also. 



In a few days after all have five 

 frames of brood, we are ready to 

 unite, and if all has been done as it 

 should be, the uniting will be done 

 about the time white clover begins to 

 yield honey nicely. To unite, look 

 the frames' over of No. 1 until the 

 queen is found, when this frame 

 having the queen on is put outside the 

 hive. Now spread the frames apart 

 of No. 2, when the four frames of 

 brood, bees and all from No. 1 are 

 carried and placed in each alternate 



space between the frames of No. 2, 

 closing the hive. Return the frame 

 having the queen on to No. 1. placing 

 beside it an empty comb ; adjust the 

 division-board and the work is done. 



In two or three days put the sec- 

 tions on the hive No. 2, or tier up for 

 extracting, and see what a " pile of 

 honey they will roll up." At the 

 same time place an empty frame be- 

 tween the two filled ones in No. 1, 

 and in a few days you will have a 

 frame filled with as nice worker- 

 comb as you ever saw. Nearly all the 

 old bees carried to No. 2 will have 

 returned by this time, so that No. 1 

 is a splendid, strong nucleus, just 

 right for building nice, straight 

 worker-comb. 



As soon as the first frame is full of 

 comb insert two more empty frames 

 between the three full ones, and thus 

 keep on till the brood-chamber is 

 filled. If at any time they should start 

 to building drone comb, then use 

 frames filled with foundation, for this 

 is the time foundation can be used 

 profitably. By fall this colony will 

 be in good condition for winter, while 

 No. 2 will have given three times the 

 honey the two would have done if 

 left to themselves, or had they been 

 united in early spring. 



Thus, in brief, I have given the 

 reader the way experience has taught 

 me to be the most profitable in hand- 

 ling weak colonies. 



Borodino,© N. Y. 



For tlie American Beo Journal. 



fort \i U Apiary. 



G. W. DEMAREE. 



Some years ago I read with greedi- 

 ness everything in the shape of bee- 

 literature that fell in my way. I have 

 changed wonderfully in this respect. 

 I now read nothing concerning bees 

 but such as promises to instruct or 

 amuse me. With these preliminary 

 remarks the reader will be prepared 

 to understand what I shall have to 

 say about Dr. Miller's little book, " A 

 Year Among the Bees." 



I have read this little modest work 

 with more than ordinary pleasure. 

 Not that I think that the book gives 

 the best methods of apiarian work as 

 a general thing, but because it con- 

 tains a life-like picture of " work in 

 the apiary " and in such a variety of 

 work and manipulations I have gath- 

 ered some really valuable hints that 

 I shall profit by in the future. One of 

 the ple<\sing features of this little 

 book is, it is wholly free from the 

 advertising feature so prominent in 

 most works on bee-culture. The ex- 

 perienced reader, when he lays down 

 Dr. Miller's " Year Among the Bees," 

 cannot but feel graetful that he has 

 not been bored with the author's 

 horizontal, longitudinal or perpendic- 

 ular bee-hive, or some other bee-trap. 

 In extenuation of this advertising 

 feature in our bee-literature some 

 have put in the plea that Father 

 Langstroth's standard work adver- 

 tised a new bee-hive. I have to say 



