10 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



this case, but all that ceuld have been done 

 in this direction would have been accom- 

 plished without danger of curtailing the 

 brood too much by allowing each colony a 

 brood chamber of a single section instead of 

 two. Earlier in the season when bees are 

 inclined to give much more attention to the 

 rearing of brood such cutting down of the 

 brood chamber would without question 

 effect a large saving in the expenditure of 

 food. The contraction of the brood cham- 

 ber would prove very effective in other ways, 

 especially in the saving of honey as fuel, as 

 the size of the space to be warmed would 1)6 

 greatly lessened and a much greater per- 

 centage of bees would be forced into the 

 surplus cases where heat is especially need- 

 ed while the working of wax is going on ; 

 and, too, the amount of the food given stor- 

 ed in tlie brood chamber would be cut down 

 about one half. (See account of my feed- 

 ing back experiment made in 181)3.) 



Again, the choosing of the season from 

 the middle of July to the middle of August 

 would be an advantage in all ways, for the 

 heat of the sun would serve largely to keep 

 up the temperature which must otherwise 

 be maintained by the consumption of 

 fuel, the amount of food would also be de- 

 creased to some extent, and, as comb is 

 made thinner and so goes farther in hot 

 than in cool weather a substantial economy 

 in the saving of building material would re- 

 sult. I shall only continue this to mention 

 one other point already referred to, which 

 is hardly excelled by any in importance as 

 an element in securing the highest success, 

 viz. the providing the bees with sections 

 containing comb well worked out and part- 

 ly filled with honey, such as are usually plen- 

 tiful at the close of the early honey harvest 

 instead of empty sections. This is an ad- 

 vantage in many ways. The combs are in 

 condition for the process of filling to pro- 

 ceed at once, and comparatively little wax 

 needs to be produced, so that the work is 

 greatly hastened and the consumption of 

 honey saved in every direction. The honey, 

 also, in such sections, which is unsalable in 

 that condition, is doubled in value by the 

 completion of the sections ; indeed, without 

 the motive of bringing such sections to a 

 salable condition feeding back should sel- 

 dom be undertaken. 



Review Notes for the Past Year. 



L. A. ASPINWALL. 



11' 



Lapeek, Mich. 



.Jan., 10, 189(5, 



s age brings in- 

 to requisition 

 the powers of re- 

 flection, so old 

 December with its 

 icy fetters which 

 stay the activity of 

 our bees, brings 

 also long evenings 

 for review. This 

 retrospective is a 

 wonderful gift, en- 

 abling us by logical deductions, to compre- 

 hend more of tlie future, and plan our work 

 with greater accuracy. However, Nature in 

 her climatic changes often thwarts our best 

 made plans. But, withal — 



" Slie is 80 coLstant in tlie main. 

 That both sower and reaper sliaro in the gold- 

 en grain. " 



A review of the passing year recalls com- 

 plete success in wintering. No losses to 

 chronicle, no changes in the plan, other than 

 the use of high stands set forth in the Nov. 

 "Review. " At the present writing, I find 

 them thoroughly dry and otherwise all that 

 could be desired. The spring, although late, 

 found me with strong colonies. A plenteous 

 yield of honey from the sugar maple, golden 

 willow and fruit blossoms, induced several 

 swarms during the period of apple bloom. 

 As usual, the Carniolans were conspicuous 

 in being the first to issue. Unfortunately 

 the non swarming attachments were not 

 applied until later. 



During the months of April and May sev- 

 eral colonies manifested the infection known 

 as " bee paralysis. " By the first of June I 

 found fully one quarter of my colonies more 

 or less affected. Although I expended more 

 time and labor in overcoming the disease, 

 than all else beside in the apiary, I feel quite 

 well repaid inasmuch as a permanent cure 

 was effected in all with a single exception. 

 This, however, was treated radically differ- 

 ent from the others, and will probably serve 

 to demonstrate the plan another season. 



Although attended with less labor, more 

 interest centered in the non swarmers. They 

 were applied to nineteen of my strongest 

 colonies early in -Tune. As a result but one 

 swarm issued from them, while all colonies 

 without the attachments cast swarms. I 

 will state in this connection, that the single 



