34 



THE BEE-KEEPERS ' REVIEW. 



summer stands beware of any combination 

 of circumstances that may tend to the accu- 

 mulation of moisture in the brood chamber 

 or on the packing. The entrance should be 

 large and kept entirely free from snow, ice 

 and dead bees. Snow around the hive may 

 do no harm, and indeed, even be an advan- 

 tage while it is dry, but unless every thing is 

 favorable and the bees in good heart, I should 

 remove it when it gets soft and damp. Un- 

 less the ground is quite dry, I should prefer 

 to have the hives raised up from it a few 

 inches. 



Now is the time to perfect plans and make 

 preparation for the coming season of activi- 

 ty. Ordinary common sense would dictate 

 that every thing possible should be done in 

 the present season of comparative leisure 

 that will help to relieve the pressure then. 

 There is also another reason for this course ; 

 exertion that would be grievous toil in June 

 is a keen pleasure in these days of frost and 

 snow. Besides whether success or failure is 

 to attend the operations in the apiary the 

 coming season may very likely turn on 

 whether proper preparation is made now. 

 If every thing is left to be done in June some 

 things will not be done at all, and among 

 these we may be sure of finding the work 

 pertaining to the apiary. 



On account of the uncertainty attending 

 the wintering of bees, some may hesitate to 

 enter upon these preparations fearing lest 

 there may yet be such a loss of bees as to 

 render their efforts at timeliness bootless. 

 But with February half gone there need be 

 little danger of that if the bees are still 

 quiet, closely clustered and free from dis- 

 ease, provided of course they have plenty of 

 stores. If on the other hand they are active, 

 failing to cluster and give evidence of being 

 affected by the usual winter disorder, plans 

 for the future should still be matured, but 

 their execution need progress at such a pace 

 only as the condition of the bees from time 

 to time seems to warrant, for it is altogether 

 likely that the demand for new hives to 

 house new swarms in and for new cases to 

 receive the surplus, will be somewhat lim- 

 ited. 



Let it be supposed, however, that the con- 

 dition of the bees is good and gives promise 

 that the winter will be passed without any 

 serious loss among them, what provision 

 then should be made in the way of hives, 

 brood-frames, cases for sections, and ship- 

 ping crates ? I include the last item because 



including all of a kind in one lot is a great 

 economy of care, steps, time and money. 

 One trip to the lumber-yard should secure 

 all the lumber that is to be worked for a year, 

 whether that work is to be done at home or 

 at a mill. For shipping crates provision 

 should be made for enough to contain the 

 largest crop that is possible, for what are not 

 wanted will keep. When the lumber for 

 these is all cut it must be kept closely piled 

 in a dry clean place and nailed only as re- 

 quired. I prefer the Heddon crate to hold 

 14 sections, 7 to the foot, with a 2x'J glass in 

 one end. For this the lumber for sides, 

 strips to hold glass and the pieces for the 

 back end should be about one-half inch, that 

 for covers and bottoms one-fourth inch. 

 For cases there should be provision for at 

 least two to each colony, spring count. 

 Where the honey flow is great, the old Hed- 

 don case is good enough, but for poor years 

 the single tier wide frame is better. With 

 these, in such a season, the sections are kept 

 cleaner and better filled and a larger propor- 

 tion of those begun is completed. In cut- 

 ting the tops and bottoms of these frames, 

 instead of making the cut straight through 

 the block, if it is allowed to be somewhat 

 curved, the pieces will appear bent, and if 

 nailed up with the convex side in, the frames 

 will clasp the sections much more closely. 

 Norway, or more properly red pine, is excel- 

 lent for these. As to the number of hives to 

 be prepared that will depend on circum- 

 stances. Do not think to accept more than 

 one swarm from each colony, and ttie num- 

 ber of empty hives provided may be as much 

 less than that as is desired, and the apiarist 

 is then to depend on the prevention of swarm- 

 ing and doubling up to keep the increase 

 within the measure of his preparation. By 

 all means h ve the brood frames wired. 



Costly lumber should not be got for this 

 work. Except for the frames and covers, 

 white pine shipping culls are good enough. 



I shall close this article by offering two 

 items of counsel which I would make as em- 

 phatic as possible : 



Let no one be lightly lured into the adop- 

 tion of a hive that is not approved by a re- 

 spectable number of successful bee-keepers. 



In cutting up the stuff for hives, etc., let 

 no piece pass muster that is not exactly of 

 the size and shape desired. 



Lapeeb, Mich. 



Jan. 27, 181«. 



