128 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



to for food and so actually suffer and maybe 

 starve from reluctance to go outside the 

 cluster. However this may be, it is unques- 

 tionably profitable to supply food without 

 stint, not for winter only, but more especially 

 during the six weeks prior to the appearance 

 of white clover. A fear of want on the part 

 of the bees is about as disastrous as an actual 

 want. If one's time is valuable the amount 

 necessary for this work may be reduced 

 within very small limits and if one has time 

 to spare he may, I believe, profitably try 

 stimulative feeding during any periods from 

 the first of May to white clover when honey 

 is not being gathered. Keep all colonies 

 prosperous and get them strong as soon as 

 possible. 



If in the natural order of things one -has a 

 prospect of more colonies than one desires, 

 about the first of -June is the ideal time for 

 reducing stock by uniting those that are not 

 very strong. To put it in another way, if I 

 had two hundred colonies and desired to keep 

 no more than that number, I would gladly 

 have one-half of them cast swarms every 

 year, or more if they would do it early, which 

 I would hive and then reduce to the desired 

 number the following year by uniting, say 

 ten days, before the opening of the early 

 honey season. I have no desire for a race of 

 non-swarming bees ; I want a fair amount 

 of swarming and I want it early. It is from 

 such colonies that the large amounts of sur- 

 plus come. I would not willingly forego the 

 advantage to be derived from the large re- 

 inforcement of vigorous young queens that 

 may be had at swarming time for almost 

 nothing, to be relieved of the labor involved 

 in caring for the swarms. 



If necessary to be certain of having all the 

 young queens I can use, I remove the colony 

 from which a swarm has issued from beside 

 the hive containing the swarm to a new 

 stand before the queens are due to hatch, and 

 divide it into from two to four nuclei taking 

 care that each has one good cell. In a few 

 days the queens are laying and can be used 

 to replace old queens that are still coming 

 out with swarms or otherwise and the nuclei 

 reunited or given ripe cells and allowed to 

 rear another batch of queens. 



Although at times during the spring con- 

 siderable honey may be coming in, yet there 

 are always some bees on the lookout for hon- 

 ey that can be got in an easier way than the 

 honest way, therefore continual watchful- 

 ness during this entire month, if there are 



weak colonies in the apiary, is necessary if 

 robbing is to be prevented ; indeed, watch- 

 fulness should begin at the very opening of 

 spring. Perhaps there is no other item in 

 the management of the ai)iary that requires 

 the same degree of skill as this, and the dif- 

 ficulty, especially with beginners, is rather 

 in its detection than in stopping it when dis- 

 covered. Where it is suspected, the most 

 decisive measures should be used to learn 

 the facts, and if it exists to discover and 

 thwart the offending colonies. These mat- 

 ters may best be determined by visiting the 

 apiary just before and just after the bees en- 

 gaged in honest industry are on the wing. 

 Like human beings, the bees are more in 

 earnest in the doing of evil than in the doing 

 of good ; so those engaged in deviltry are 

 busy both earlier and later than those hon- 

 estly employed. A few minutes at such a 

 time will reveal the whole situation. Ordin- 

 ary care will prevent danger from robbing 

 except where there are colonies that will not 

 defend themselves. The weakest colonies 

 can protect themselves wheii so disposed if 

 the entrance to their hive is sufficiently con- 

 tracted, and every careful apiarist will see 

 that they have at least this much assistance, 

 but when the bees will not defend their hive, 

 contracting the entrance is no remedy. In 

 such cases the only satisfactory method of 

 dealing with them is to exchange the hives, 

 (. e., to put the hive of the robbers in place 

 of that of the robbed and vice i-ersa. By this 

 plan the weak colony is strengthened and 

 that by bees that will vigorously defend their 

 new home. And the robber colony — it is 

 laughable to see how completely it is non- 

 plussed by the new arrangement. The alter- 

 ed situation seems beyond the power of their 

 little heads to comprehend. With me noth- 

 ing but good effects have resulted from the 

 use of this plan while every other is more or 

 less a failure. 



It is now time that all preparations for the 

 early honey season should be approaching 

 completion, and, among the rest, plans for 

 securing swarms should be matured. In the 

 first place, I would have all queens clipped, 

 especially would I advise it in the case of 

 beginners, even if queen traps are also to be 

 used, it is such a source of convenience and 

 security. Then I would have at least a few 

 queen traps. Even when one is to have his 

 apiary watched during the swarming time as 

 a rule, yet there are many times when this 

 might be inconvenient and in the early part 



