226 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. is 



In my list of German journals in the pre- 

 vious issue I overlooked Bienen- I'ater, one 

 of the best journals published in that 

 tong-ue ; also Praktischer IVegweiser, Oran- 

 ienburg-Berlin, Prussia. 

 \\u 

 BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



In the issue for February, Mr. R. L. Tay- 

 lor has an article on foul brood, vehich is 

 certainly worth all the journal costs a year. 

 It is said of Mr. Taylor that he "holds 

 foul brood at arms' leng-th, and laug-hs at 

 it;" hence it is likely he understands what 

 he is writing about. 



\h 

 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Although I have not had much to say 

 about the Old Reliable lately, it is not be- 

 cause it does not deserve it. Mr. York is 

 not relaxing any of his efforts to make his 

 journal indispensable to every bee-keeper. 

 The high moral tone of the journal is very 

 commendable. Mr. Hasty is always at his 

 best here. 



UNITING BEES IN SPRING. 



"Good morning. Mr. Doolittle. Nice 

 morning for the first of March." 



" Yes, this is a nice morning, Mr. Smith. 

 Soon be time for active work with the bees 

 again. Think the few I have out may pos- 

 sibly fly a little before night. They will 

 if it keeps still and clear as it is at present. " 



" The most of my colonies are coming out 

 weak, I fear, and I came over to have a 

 little chat with you about them. What 

 shall I do to get the most comb honey and 

 also a little increase?" 



"Had you asked me this question some 

 years ago I should have said, 'Unite these 

 weak colonies as soon as possible in the 

 spring;' but from later experience I will 

 now say, leave each colony in its own hive 

 till June." 



" What has caused you to change your 

 mind?" 



" Later experience has proven to me that, 

 where two or more colonies are so weak 

 that the3' will not live till summer, if left in 

 their own hive without reinforcing, they 

 will not live through till summer if united, 

 no matter if as many as half a dozen such 

 colonies are put together. And I am not 

 alone in thus thinking, for my experience 

 has been the same as that of nearly all of 

 those who have tried the same thing and 

 reported in the matter." 



"Deciding that it is not best to unite 

 weak colonies in early spring, what shall be 



done with them so I can secure comb honey 

 from them?" 



" After trying every thing recommended 

 in our different books and papers, and not 

 being pleased with any, I finally worked 

 out the following after much study and 

 practice. All colonies which are consider- 

 ed too weak to do good business alone are 

 looked over, about the time pollen comes in 

 freely from elm and soft maple, and each 

 shut on as many combs as the}' have brood 

 in, by means of a nicely adjusted division- 

 board, so that the heat of the little colony 

 may be economized as much as possible; 

 and, also, seeing that each has the neces- 

 sary amount of honey in these combs, or 

 within easy reach, to last them at least 

 three weeks." 



"Why is it necessary to have so much 

 food on hand?" 



" If we would have brood-rearing go on 

 rapidly in any colony in early spring, and 

 especially in weak colonies, the bees must 

 not feel poor in honey, nor have any desire 

 to economize what they have. Such weak 

 colonies can send only a few bees to the 

 field for nectar, even when the flowers are 

 yielding plentifully; hence, if we would 

 make the most of our reduced colonies we 

 must give them so much food that they are 

 willing to use it extravagantly." 



"How long should the colonies be kept 

 shut up this way?" 



" These colonies are to be kept shut up 

 on these combs till they have filled them 

 with brood clear down to the bottom corners, 

 before more combs are added." 



"Why is this necessarj'?" 



"Because breeding will go on faster with 

 the heat, and cluster kept in compact shape, 

 than it would if both were spread out over 

 more combs. In no case do we allow more 

 than half the number of combs we use in 

 our hives; and if any colony in early spring 

 has brood in more than one-half of the 

 combs, the same colony is good enough to 

 take care of itself without confining it with 

 division-boards. ' ' 



"When these combs are all filled with 

 brood, what then?" 



"Then the stronger of these has a frame 

 taken from it, taking the one having the 

 most nearly mature brood in it, this frame 

 being given to one of the next weaker col- 

 onies, or, say, to one which lacks one frame 

 of having half that the hive will contain." 



"Why don't you give this to the weak- 

 est?" 



"That is the question I used to ask; but 

 don't make this mistake, which many do, 

 of giving this frame of brood to the very 

 weakest, hoping to get it ahead faster. 

 The answering of the question is this: 

 The weather has not yet become steadily 

 warm enough so but there is danger of los- 

 ing the brood by chilling, as well as injur- 

 ing the brood they may already have, should 

 a cold spell occur, as I did several times 

 while I was experimenting. By giving it 

 to a colony nearly as strong as was the one 

 from which it was taken, both are benefit- 



