56 A YEAR'S WORK IN AN OUT-APIARY 



CHAPTER XII. 



CLOSINQ WOEDS; FUETHEE SUGGESTIONS TO THE PLANS GIVEN IIT THE PRE- 

 CEDING CHAPTEES. 



After using what has been given in the previous visits, both in the 

 home yard and out-apiary (for the plan is equally good for the home 

 apiary) In its different stages of growth, as it developed during the ten 

 years between 1889 and 1900, and pretty much entirely for the past five 

 years, I wish to say that I believe it ahead of any and all other plans 

 used up to the present time, in that it gives the largest possible number 

 of bees at the right time for the harvest, with little or no disposition 

 to swarm; controls swarming perfectly, puts all honey not needed for 

 the rearinig of bees or winter stores in the sections, and that with the 

 least possible work that can be used when working for section honey. 

 Doing this it is of great value in the home apiary, and an actual neces- 

 sity for an out-apiary worked for section honey. An additional value that 

 attaches itself to the plan is that the sealing or cappings of the honey 

 in the sections are nearly or quite as white as those where honey is 

 built by new swarms where they are hived in contracted brood-chambers 

 having only frames with starters in them below, which all know is of 

 a whiteness heretofore secured in no other way. This fact alone would 

 be of suflScient value to pay any bee-keeper for adopting it, even if it 

 were not "head and shoulders" above any thing else in securing a big 

 crop of section honey without any swarming. 



The cause for this white capping, as I view it, comes from the 

 bees fully cleaning, perfecting, and partly or wholly filling the combs 

 along their tops, with honey, which, later on, after the "shook" swarm- 

 ing has taken place, become their brood-nest; or when these combs are 

 occupied for their brood-nest proper, none of this cleaning of old combs 

 is indulged in, or cappings from over emerging young bees handled, to 

 carry bits of old comb or travel stain into the sections while they are 

 being capped, as is the case with all other ways of using old combs. 

 I have noticed for years that, when bees are cleaning old combs, or 

 where much brood is emerging near the top-bars to the frames just 

 under the sections, more or less of this refuse matter is worked into the 

 cappings to our section honey. Even where new swarms, hived on 

 starters, put brood next to the top-bars to the frames under the sections, 

 the cappings to such sections as are sealed after this brood begins to 

 emerge are not nearly so white as it was previous to this— especially 

 along the comb in the sections near the bottom. 



Then the labor part in producing section honey by the plan as here 

 outlined is much less than with any of the other plans recommended 

 m our bee books and papers, so tar as I have tried them, and I have 

 tried nearly all. A man of usual working ability should be able to 

 work five out-apiaries, in connection with the one at home, with little 

 If any help except, perhaps, a few days when he is making swarms and 

 setting the bees in and out of the cellars. Were I from 25 to 40 years 



