86 THE beekeepers' directory. 



ately have more brood in these now centre combs, than was in 

 the others removed from the centre. In a few days a comb that 

 has no brood in it is placed in the centre of the brood-nest by 

 taking it from near the side of the hive, after which the nest is 

 spread apart enough so as to take this empty comb. As soon as 

 this comb is filled, more are added, and so on till the hive is full 

 of young bees, in all stages, so that there will be a multitude of 

 laborers at the right time and double_as many as there would have 

 been had the bees been allowed to take their own course. As 

 soon as the hives are thus filled with bees and brood, and honey is 

 coming in from the fields, the surplus arrangement is to be put 

 on, when the bees will immediately take possession of them if 

 all has been done as it should be. In this way the best possible 

 result in honey is secured, far better than by any other plan of 

 which I know. 



Mr. Doolittle has told us how to manage the apiary from the 

 time the bees are taken from the cellar to the time the sections 

 should be placed on the hive. Mr. George F. Robbins of Me- 

 chanicsburgi 111., whose writings are read with so much interest 

 by all the ' readers of the Apiculturist will take up the -subject 

 where Mr. Doolittle left it and give a method for putting "on, re- 

 moving and getting bees out of sections, also how to care for the 

 honey until it is sent to market. Mr. Robbins says : 



"When to put on Sections. 



When the question as to when to put on surplus arrangements 

 comes up for consideration, the conditions attendant upon local- 

 ity and honey sources must be first noted. Nearly all my honey 

 is obtained from white clover, and the bulk of it is usually gath- 

 ere'd in June. I can only write for my locality — let him whose 

 chief source of supply is basswood write for his. 



Clover heads may often be seen as early~as the fifth of May, 

 and the meadows will be white with blossoms two week? or 

 more before the honey flow commences. As a rule, clover here 

 blossoms profusely about the twentieth to , the twenty-fifth of 

 May, and between the fifth and eighth of June my strongest col- - 

 onies will commence work in surplus boxes. The first flush of 

 the honey flow arouses the instinct to swarm. It is thus that this 

 instinct can be easiest diverted into a more profitable channel. 

 Then is the time to put on sections. But only those of sufficient 



