342 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



June 1, 1899. 



ness. I give my bees more care during the early spring 

 than at any other time of the year, because this is the time 

 they need more, and in doing this I am looking after my 

 own interests. 



In the first three months of winter there is always 

 plenty of bees in a colony prepared for winter, and as the 

 winter advances they get less in number; after the first of 

 the year thej- will not be so strong, therefore they need 

 more protection, and some shelter, which must be given if 

 wintered out-of-doors. I take out the packing, according to 

 the weather, until it is all taken out. Then they are ready 

 for supers. I remove the Hill's device and take a good, 

 sharp scraper and scrape all propolis from the tops of the 

 frames. " Now the bees are ready for the harvest. 



Cook Co., 111. ^ H. S. Jones. 



Mr. J. T. Hammersmark then opened the discussion in 

 an interesting manner as follows : 



How I Handle My Bees in Early Spring. 



Because I am interested in the bee-cause, and not be- 

 lieving in simply being a drone in the hive of bee-keepers, 

 but rather a worker, therefore have I accepted the invitation 

 to write an essay on the subject. 



In our line of business we all know, or at least we all 

 should know, that to set certain dates for the accomplish- 

 ment of certain duties about the apiary is an impossibility, 

 for the reason that our work must be done when the weather 

 is suitable, and when the bees can fly. The first thing that 

 I should do with my bees in early spring would be to assist 

 them to clean up their house, no matter whether they were 

 wintered indoors or on the summer stands. During the 

 winter months the older bees die off, and if they do not be- 

 come clogged up between the combs in their descent, they 

 fall to the bottom-board, which, by the time spring- comes 

 around, generally becomes thickly covered with these dead 

 bees. Bees also sometimes die in patches on the comb, 

 caused by their leaving the main cluster on some mild day. 

 But the weather suddenly turns very cold, and they cannot 

 get back to the main cluster where they can keep warm, 

 and are therefore soon chilled thru and die. These and all 

 dead bees should be brusht oft' the combs, and the cemetery 

 below them should be removed and a clean, fresh bottorn- 

 board put in its place. All this is a great help to the colony, 

 and it seems to appreciate this help, for one so treated will 

 build up strong in numbers very much faster than one not 

 so treated. 



I would now, should I find a weak colony unite 

 it with a stronger one, so that the two would make one 

 good colony. Feeding the bees with sugar .syrup, or, better 

 still, full or partly full combs of honey, is also now in order, 

 for we must see to it that there is plenty of honey in the 

 hive so that the bees shall not be saving of food, atid there- 

 by limit the queen in her work of egg-laving, for she 

 must eat plentifully in order to lay eggs profusely. Then 

 the larva; also have to be fed, and the bees themselves have 

 to live, so you see it is very important to have plenty of 

 honey in the hive all the time. 



If any colonies are found to be queenless at this early 

 investigation, they should be given a queen, or a comb con- 

 taining brood and eggs from another colony, from which 

 they can rear a queen. A sharp lookout should be kept on 

 these queenless colonies, as they are liable to be robbed at 

 any time now. 



I do not believe it pays to try to build up weak colonies 

 the first thing in the spring, but unite them, and in a short 

 time you can divide them to advantage, if you desire to in- 

 crease your stock of bees. 



In April, when the state of the weather permits, I would 

 cut out all surplus drone-comb. We can leave this work 

 until a later period, but see what our neglect will cost. The 

 queen wastes her time and energy in laying these eggs; 

 the bees waste their time and your honey in nursing and 

 caring for these big, worthless babies. But this is not all, 

 for you must have a hand in this matter also, and cut out 

 this mussy mass of worthle-ssness if you want the best re- 

 sults in honej'. Had I a colony whose population had be- 

 come so decreast during the winter confinement as to be 

 able to care for say only four combs, I would take the sur- 

 plus combs away and follow up these four combs with a 

 division-board, for bj' this change they could keep much 

 warmer, which would also induce the queen to more vigor- 

 ous egg-laying. When needed, these surplus combs should 

 be given back, one or two at a time, moving the division- 

 board back each time until their regular set of combs are 

 returned, then the division-board should be removed from 

 the hive. 



Water placed about in the yard in small wooden tubs 

 with some sort of a float in them to save the bees from 

 drowning in the water is, I believe, of great importance, 

 for on cold days when the bees can barely fly, they can get 

 their supply at home without flying- away to find a drinking 

 place. Also, to supply them with rye-flour before they can 

 gather pollen is of some use. But I do not think this is as 

 necessary' as the water question. The entrance of the hive 

 I would keep contracted down to an inch or two, as this will 

 help to retain the heat which is of so much value just now. 

 When the weather becomes warm and settled, then these 

 blocks or sticks should be removed, and full entrance be 

 allowed. 



As the topic of this essay calls for early spring man- 

 agement, I shall not proceed any further, but will leave j-ou 

 right at this point to finish the season yourself. To the 

 bee-keeper, what I have said is old, and experience that he 

 should have gone thru ; but if the novice or any one else 

 shall derive any benefit from this paper, I shall not consider 

 it work in vain. A great deal more could be said on this 

 subject, still if what has been read in your hearing is fol- 

 lowed out in deed, you are on the right road for strong col- 

 onies by the first of June, and all ready, so far as bees are 

 concerned, for the big honey crop in 1899 — if it comes. 



Cook Co., 111. J. T. Hammersmark. 



A general discussion of the topic followed, by Dr. Peiro, 

 Dr. Miller, C. Beers, H. M. Arnd, Mrs. Stow, Mr. Hogge, 

 and others. 



The next number was a bee-song by Ferdinand Moore, 

 the little son of the secretarj-, which was well received and 

 applauded. 



[Concluded next week.] 



CONDUCTED BY 



rm. C. C. MILT.ER. AJareng-o, 111. 



[The Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail.— Editor.] 



Splints for Stiffening Foundation. 



Where can I get, or how can I make, the splints for stif- 

 fening foundation in the frames ? Minnesota. 



Answer. — I got mine from the A. I. Root Co., but any 

 manufacturing establishment that has machinery for slic- 

 ing separators can make them. The ordinary wood separa- 

 tors are cut into the proper length, the thickness being 1-16 

 inch, then a bunch of them can be sliced into 1-16 splints. 

 The first I used I sliced out of separators with a pocket- 

 knife, but that's a slow way. 



Fastening Foundation in Frames. 



Dr. Miixer : — I see in Gleanings for Dec. IS an article 

 about sticks in frames for fastening the fotindation. 

 1. Please let me know the size. 2. Will these answer for 

 extracting- without any wire in frame ? 3. In speaking of 

 the engraving under No. 1, "half bottom not yet nailed on," 

 does this mean that there are holes in top and bottom bars 

 for insertion of the sticks ? 4. How are the sticks imbedded 

 in the foundation ? 5. Which foundation, " medium or 

 light," is best ? W. C. Myer. 



1. The length is '/$ inch less than the inside measure 

 from top to bottom bar, and the sticks are 1-16 inch square. 

 The reason for having the sticks 's inch shorter than the 

 space between top and 'oottom bar is that it is easier to 

 handle the shorter sticks in putting them in ; and, besides, 

 basswood (of which timber the sticks are made) increases in 

 length as well as thickness when it swells, and when the 

 wood is thrown into boiling wax I think it likely that it in- 

 creases in length. 



2. Yes. I extracted about 300 pounds from such combs 



