MANAGEMENT OF OUT-APIAEIES 



15 



fairly good locality, without any help from others, except in setting in and 

 out from the cellar. One man can do this, but I consider it money well 

 spent when paid for help to do this carrying part. 



I always begin any work with bees, where I 'can work in rotation, in 

 hive No. 1, i-ow 1, for this reason: If any colony becomes unduly disturbed 

 at any time during any manipulation of work about it, I am soon behind 

 and away from their range of flight, so am less liable to be tormented by 

 angry bees; for if the object of their anger is out of sight of the entrance 

 of their hive, they soon forsake the following of that object. Any colony 

 after being worked at, or after having work done about its hive, is 

 much more liable to resent having a moving object in front of them, and in 

 line with their flight, than they are before being disturbed. Here is also 

 "another something" which is well worth "pasting in the hat." 



Limch over, I take an empty hive and go to hive No. 1, this being one 

 of the 13 having an upper story put on during the third visit. The empty 

 hive is put down on the ground, close by the side of the colony, as a tem- 

 porary stand, so that by ai lifting, swinging motion, the upper story can be 



CENTER PEAME IS TAKEN OUT AND A PEAMB OP BEOOD PUT IN ITS PLACE. 



easily set on it with scarcely bending the back, which is now done, after 

 prying it up at the back and sending a few puffs of smoke under it to quiet 

 the bees. From the strength it takes to "swing" this upper hive, I judge 

 there is some 50 or more pounds of honey in it, which is more than I ex- 

 pected from the poor season we have had so far. The lower hive, bottom- 

 board and all, is now set off the stand, and a reserve bottom-board placed 

 thereon, when the upper story of 50 pounds or more of honey is set on 

 this new bottom-board and a center frame of honey taken out, which is 

 taken to one of the weaker colonies and exchanged for a frame one-fourth 

 to one-third full of brood, with the rest of the cells nearly empty, after the 

 bees have been brushed from each into their respective hives. This one- 

 fourth-full frame of brood is now set in the hive' on the new bottom-board, 

 to take the place of the frame of honey.^ 



Such a comb seems to be quite necessary, where the upper hive con- 

 tains much honey, as it establishes the brood-nest in the center of the hive, 

 where it should be, and also allows the queen to keep right on laying with- 

 out interruption, the same as she has been doing. If the queen is checked 

 in her laying at this point, as she would be in a hive thus filled with honey, 



