MANAGEMENT OF OUT-APIARIES 3 



In the home apiary ahuost any plan can be adopted ; but when we jro to 

 an out-apiary a plan nuist be used that will allow us to set out the bees on 

 that day and at that time without danger from mixing so that a part be- 

 come tod strong and a part too weak, and the above is that plan. The bot- 

 tom-board No. 1 had occupied all winter was now turned summer side up 

 and placed on stand No. 2, when colony No. 2 was brought out in the same 

 May No. 1 had been, and placed on it, and so on till- all were out. 



In this way all dead bees, dirt, etc., which had accumulated during the 

 winter, were at once done away with, leaving all sweet and clean, andin a 

 prosperous condition. Owing to too much work of all kinds for two or 

 three years previous when I was alone, the bees at the out-apiary had been 

 allowed to become reduced in numbers to 21 colonies in the fall of 1904, 

 one of which was queenless and weak in bees. An inventory taken after 

 all were out gave 11 good colonies — .t fair, 3 weak, and 2 dead — the dead 

 ones being the queenless colony, and one whiih was made by setting an 



ENTRANCES ADJUSTED. 



upper story off late in the season, thinking it had a queen because the bees 

 did not go down through the bee-escape when it was put under to rid the 

 hi\-es of honey from bees. 



After the bees had settled down a little from their first flight, two or 

 three that seemed light in stores when putting them on their stands were 

 ied by exchanging two frames of empty combs for two full combs of honey 

 left over from the year before. The entrances were now adjusted to suit 

 the size of the colonies, 3 inches by % being given the good colonies; 2 by 

 iKs for the fair, and % by % for the weak. 



Next each hive was looked after to see that all was as tight as possible 

 about the top, and that everything was in good condition for leaving till 

 pollen became plentiful from the elm and soft maple, when we started for 

 home. This was what was done on the first visit for the season of 190.'). 



ing the entranres at the ^time of setting out to prevent the bees rushing out too fast in 

 their first fiight. If the bees have wintered well they are not as much inclined to drift 

 as bees that have wintered poorly. Some prefer to set the bees out on a day too cold 

 for immediate flight so they will fly with less excitement on the first warm day, thus 

 reducing the tendency to drift. 



