74 The Townsend Bee Book 
remove all but about two inches of dirt from the straw that covers: 
the hives. This is left on so that the bees will not try to fly before 
they are finally uncovered. In the evening, after it is so late that 
bees would not try to fly from the pit, I remove the rest of the dirt 
and the straw. When this is done, there is quite a demonstration. 
among the bees on account of the fresh air which reaches them; 
but, since it is now so dark that they can not fly, there is no. 
mixing. By morning the bees will have quieted down, since the 
nights are usually cool at this time of the year. As soon as it is: 
light in the morning I quietly place the hives on the permanent 
stands, and hardly a bee will come out. By this time they are so. 
used to the fresh air that they usually fly very moderately, and 
rarely get mixed up. An ideal day for the first fly would be one 
when the air is warm but the sky hazy. With these conditions the 
flying is very moderate and there is no mixing. 
Any colonies that are light in stores are placed in a row by 
themselves near the honey-house. This saves a good deal of work, 
and such weak colonies are not so likely to be forgotten as if they 
were placed in some remote corner of the yard, for they may be 
seen every time the honey-house is entered. On this account they 
get better care than if they are scattered all over the yard. 
STIMULATIVE FEEDING DURING THE SPRING NOT ADVISED. 
For some reason, here in Michigan there do not seem to be 
many who practice spring feeding for stimulating. IJ can not say 
whether this is on account of the bad weather in the spring, which 
makes it difficult to get bees to take the feed when they need it 
most, or whether experience has taught the beekeepers of this 
locality that a colony with brood-nest made rich with honey the 
previous fall is in better condition. All indications point to the 
latter cause. 
There is one beekeeper, however, Mr. E. E. Coveyou, of 
Petoskey, who thinks it pays him well to feed for stimulative 
purposes during the spring. I will let him tell his experience in 
his own words. He says: 
‘* After the weather in the spring is settled, and the bees have 
begun brood-rearing long enough so that young bees are hatching, 
I aim to keep them breeding as fast as possible. Lest the weather 
should turn cold, or a frost come as it did last spring, I proceed 
to feed every colony at once. My experience last spring was quite 
serious. In one apiary 131 colonies that were fed continuously 
before and after the frost gave an average of 87 lbs. of honey to 
the colony. Another apiary, six miles from Petoskey, of 118 colo- 
