46 A YEAR'S WORK IN AN OUT-APIARY 



forty-four above. Such work as this is enough to cause the queen to 

 produce all the eggs In her ovaries in about two years; and as the 

 work of superseding as given above iu easily done, I think it well pays 

 to kill any queen when two years old, and give a cell to the colony, 

 unless it is a queen that has proven herself of extra value, when I would 

 keep her to breed from the next year, should she live through. 



Having the hives all ready for the buckwheat harvest, the poor 

 queen matter disposed of, and the completed supers on the escape-boards, 

 I next attend to any and all the minor things about the apiary that 

 need attention, when the honey is loaded and a start for home is made. 

 If there is more honey than can be carried at one load, it is left right 

 on the hives over the escape-board till I can conveniently come after 

 it; for it is just as safe there as anywhere it can be left, unless we have 

 a building at the apiary for the purpose of keeping honey, which I do 

 not, nor do I consider it needful. If I feared the work of thieves, I 

 would take this honey to the farmer's house, or go back immediately 

 for it; but as it is, I often leave it over the escape-boards for a few days 

 or a week, till some convenient time comes to bring it home. 



In the above I have given the reader the work done during the 

 seventh visit to this apiary. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



PBOGEESS IN THE SUPEBS. 



Nearly a month has passed since my last visit to the out-apiary, 

 and it is now August 18. The buckwheat is now in full bloom, and 

 the snow-white 0elds, nestled down here and there among the meadows, 

 cornfields, and pasture lands, remind one of the days in early spring 

 when the snowbanks are loath to leave under the enlivening influences 

 of the oncoming summer sun. With the blooming of buckwheat, cool days 

 and colder nights come on, which are not what is needed for a good 

 yield of honey from that source. Hot days, with heavy dews, and an 

 occasional foggy morning, are the ideal for a prolific yield of nectar 

 from buckwheat. But the bee-keeper always looks on the hopeful side, 

 seeing the silver lining to the cloud, even though this lininig may be 

 on the side from him, and hidden from his outstretched arms. In just 

 such a hopeful mood I am again at the out-apiary, this time to see that 

 all colonies have sufficient room, should there be a heavy flow from 

 buckwheat through returning good weather. 



Notwithstanding the poor weather, I find that most of the colonies 

 are well along In the super next to the brood-chamber, while the most 

 of them are beginning work on the foundation in the one above Four 

 or five are quite well advanced in these, and with such the supers are 

 exchanged, the one being nearly completed set over that having less 

 work done in it, with a super of empty sections on top of the two In 



