Proceedings of the Farmer^ Club. 157 



bees to winter safely. The value of the two is the honey the hives 

 contain. The queenless hive is at once opened, and the bees 

 brushed in with the others, and the entrance closed. By this opera- 

 tion I have a fine swarm to winter, and a full set of frames and 

 honey. All good stocks of bees scantily supplied with honey now 

 receive a full frame in exchange for an empty one, and are put in 

 fine Avintering condition. The hives are now thoroughly packed, 

 each hive receiving tw^o bushels of planing mill shavings. Nothing 

 more can be done for perhaps three months. Should a thaw occur, 

 the dead bees on the bottom boards are removed with a wire hook. 

 By this timely aid no bees will be lost on the snow. When the 

 ■weather becomes warm in March, two blocks are laid on each side 

 of the hive, leaving a small opening between them for the passage 

 of the bees. In April, a few hives are examined, which in the fall 

 had the least honey. If they still have enough, all others are 

 presumed to have, and no further examinations are made. At this 

 season the bees are searching for pollen whenever the weather per- 

 mits, but little is to be found. A large flat box is set in a smmy 

 place, away from the rain and wind as much as possible, and about 

 half its bottom covered with rye flour. The bees soon find it, and 

 after saturating small particles of flour with honey, they are carried 

 on their legs to the hive the same as pollen gathered from flowers. 

 It undoubtedly answers the same purpose. 



In May, a few populous hives are given one or more boxes, as 

 they seem to need. This is continued through the apiary as long 

 as the honey season lasts. When a box is full it is removed, if the 

 colony has as many partially filled ones as they are likely to need. 

 If not, it is allowed to remain. No idleness is allowed for Avant 

 of room. Nothing to obtain honey from is the only pardonable 

 excuse for idleness in an apiary. All boxes are removed as soon 

 as the season is passed, sealed and packed in a dry upper room. 

 No box is ever put on a hive which does not contain three pieces 

 of clean drone comb, about an inch square, in its upper corner, the 

 web running parallel to the glass. The bees occupy them sooner, 

 and straight combs are secured. The combs are obtained early in 

 the season from hives having such combs. In the boxes they are 

 valuable, in the hives worse than useless, producing only drones. 

 All my queens having dipt wings, no first swarms ever light on 

 trees. When a swarm issues, the queen falls in front of the hive, 

 and is at once caged. As soon as the bees are circling in the air, 

 the entrances are closed with sticks previousty fitted, and the caged 



