A YEAR'S WORK IN AN OUT-APIARY 31 



and queen are stimulated to their utmost In early spring by this large 

 amount of honey telling them "millions of honey at our house," so that 

 there is not only no loss by having these combs stored full after the 

 brood emerges, but a positive advantage through the stimulating effect 

 they have the next spring. Mr. E. R. Root, editor of Oleanings, writes 

 me that he fears the plan as given In this book may be a failure In 

 many localities on account of there being no buckwheat-honey flow in 

 the fall to fill these combs for spring use; but I think his fears are 

 groundless, and I guess he has forgotten the grounds taken In the past, 

 both by himself and his father, "that very strong colonies will store a 

 surplus of honey where weak or only fairly good colonies will hardly 

 make a living." These four and five stories of brood turn out a colony 

 of enormous proportions during the next two months, with an "army" 

 of bees marching in and out at the entrance while ordinary colonies are 

 doing little if anything; and the result has always been plenty of honey 

 in these combs for use in spring, or "millions of honey at our house," 

 even after the poorest season for fall honey I have ever known; while 

 In good seasons from 200 to 300 pounds to each colony has been the 

 result, each of the four upper ten-frame Langstroth hives being about 

 all a man could lift when piling up in the fall. If all of the sixty col- 

 onies were not ready for treatment on my fourth visit, then I put one 

 or two hives of beeless brood on top of those not quite strong enough 

 in bees to shake, setting this brood under the hive of reserve combs 

 they have, so the brood will all be together. This gives such a colony 

 so much extra room that they will not think of swarming during our 

 next ten days' absence, notwithstanding the vast numbers of bees emerg- 

 ing from these two or three hives of brood. 



LATE SHOOK SWAEMS FOE COMB HONEY. 



When I go to make the fifth visit the reserve combs are set down on 

 the bottom-board, and the bees from all three hives are shaken out. This 

 gives rousing "shook" colonies; and if a heavy yield of honey Is on 

 just at this time, these later-made colonies will even surpass those shaken 

 at the fourth visit. In section-honey production; and It sometimes hap- 

 pens that the yield of honey will make It profitable to shake colonies 

 having three and four stories of brood, right at the beginning of the 

 basswood flow, thus bringing nearly or quite 100,000 bees in one of these 

 hives of reserve combs, quite well filled with honey, in which case three 

 and four supers of sections are used to give the proper amount of room 

 for their working to the best advantage.* However, this requires an 

 extra visit, which may not be convenient when we are working a long 

 string of out-apiaries. 



After having tried this way two or three times I often think It is 

 just as profitable to let the honey go into the reserve combs. But the 

 section honey stored by such a rousing colony, right in the height of 

 basswood bloom, is so perfect and handsome in appearance that my 



* See cut on page 32. 



