172 
SUMMER MANAGEMENT.* 
Tae question has often been put to me, ‘‘ How and 
at what time can an apiary be best commenced ?” 
Some remarks in reference to this subject will be 
found under the heads both of “Autumn” and 
“Spring Management.” At present the reader is 
supposed to have been put in possession of a prime 
swarm, and the earlier in the season this is done 
the better.t Mr. Golding thus advises on the best 
method of conveying bees: ‘When these are brought 
from a distance, it should be on the day in which 
they are hived, and in a cloth of coarse texture, 
which should be tied round near the bottom of the 
hive, so as to prevent the escape of the bees. Tie 
up the cloth by its corners over the top of the 
hive; and, if carried by the hand, or properly 
suspended, a swarm may be removed in this manner 
for miles.” But if the journey is to last for three 
hours or more, it will be important to ensure top ven- 
tilation. An ordinary skep will thus require to be 
inverted, and this operation must be most cautiously 
performed, turning the hive in the direction in which 
* “Spring” is in this volume placed after “Winter,” for the reason 
explained on the next page. 
+ All careful bee proprietors will take the precaution to record the 
weight of the empty hive, and of its tloor-buard, before stocking it : a 
matter of subsequent importance in ascertaining the contents. "A 
journal, also, recording dates, and the various operations of the hive, as 
they arise, wiil be useful in many ways. : 
