THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



165 



run mostly for increase and queen 

 rearing for several previous seas- 

 uiis. uut for the future we resolved 

 to run it exclusively for increase, 

 in order to establish more out- 

 yards, and for replenishing any 

 yards that might be decreasing in 

 number. When there was no honey- 

 flow, the home-yard bees were fed, 

 v stimulate brood-rearing. Many 

 queens were reared throughout 

 this season, for there was much re- 

 queening to be done at all the 

 yards. From the home-yard we in- 

 creased the number of colonies in 

 outyards, and two new yards were 

 established that season, making 

 thirteen in number. 



In number of colonies we could 

 have gone much farther had it 

 hot been for unreliable help. 

 Our Stock of Bees 



Up to this time I have not had 

 much to say about our stock of 

 bees, this subject having been 

 crowded out by other topics. This 

 stock in my first apiaries consist- 

 ed of the common black or brown 

 bees, but when I had increased to 

 three or four yards I purchased a 

 few Italian queens, and when this 

 stock would not swarm too much, 

 it was much better than the form- 

 er stock of common bees. But I 

 could not, situated as I was, con- 

 trol that bad feature in them. So I 

 had to abandon the Italian stock, 

 or rather I did not give this parti- 

 cular stock any attention, and it 

 soon disappeared. The other stock, 

 the black or brown, was giving me 

 but little trouble by swarming. But 

 in a few seasons, when I could give 

 my bees most of my attention dur- 

 ing the season, I bought some more 

 yellow stock, and soon had my 

 home-yard stocked with it. No 

 sooner had I done so, however, 

 than my bees were making all 

 kinds of trouble about town, by 

 entering grocery and drug stores 

 for sweets. At times the bees were 

 fairly furious, especially at the 

 close of the first honey-flow. Dur- 

 ing these times my neighbors and 

 their children were often severely 

 stung. Soon the city authorities 

 took up the matter, and upon in- 

 vestigation pronounced my bees a 

 nuisance, and notified me that I 

 could stay, but the bees must go. 

 The people had their eyes on me 



and my business, and this surely 

 lowered me in their estimation. I 

 felt no small degree of despondency 

 over the outlook. I had bought 

 iand 111 the city and outlined my 

 business, and I did not see how I 

 could move. I told the town au- 

 thorities that I could not move the 

 bees away at that time, for the 

 hot weather would make the under- 

 taking almost impossible — that it 

 c mid not be done without a great 

 loss to me. However, I gave them 

 my promise that I would move the 

 bees as soon as the weather was 

 a little cooler. Just before the 

 time came to move the hives, I 

 learned of the gentle Caucasian 

 bees. I went to the city authorities 

 at once, and they assured me, that 

 if such stock would not do mis- 

 >':hief about town, and if I would 

 obtain it and adopt it, the matter 

 would be dropped. 



About the same time I received 

 from the G-overnment one Caucas- 

 ian queen, with notice that two 

 more queens of same stock would 

 soon follow. The first was imported 

 direct to me; the other two, which 

 soon reached me, were sent on 

 from Washington, D. C. It was too 

 late in the season to do much re- 

 queening that year, but I did do 

 some, and the next spring I went 

 at it again. I soon had my home- 

 yard stocked with Caucasian queens 

 of my own raising. Sure enough, 

 the trouble with the bees stinging 

 the neighbors was at an end. It 

 has been so ever since that time. 

 I mention this to show what a 

 boon the Caucasian stock has been 

 to me. I still had considerable Ital- 

 ian stock here and there in var- 

 ious out-apiaries. I intended how- 

 ever to requeen as soon as possible, 

 since the black bees were not 

 prolific enough to give more than 

 one crop of honey in a season. I had 

 two honey-flows, one in spring and 

 one in summer. The black stock 

 would gather but little honey dur- 

 ing the last flow, while the Ital- 

 ians would gather from both. I 

 still have many colonies of Italian 

 bees in the most remote territory 

 that I cover, but they are not 

 nearly as good an all-purpose as 

 the Caucasian. Therefore I have 

 stocked with the latter as rapidly 

 as I could. 



