MANAGEMENT OF OUT-APIARIES 



57 



board, if any still adhere, are jarred off in front of the hive, and I go to 

 Ao. 4 treating it in the same way I did No. 1, only using the bottom-board 

 trom No. 1 instead of a "reserve" by turning it deep side up. In this way 

 I keep on till all are thus treated. 



By this swinging process, as here given, which I always use in chang- 

 ing the bottom-board both in fall and spring, there is not half the fatigue 

 and none of the backache that are experienced by the usual way of lifting 

 hives which are heavy with honey; and I would reeoinmend it to any and 

 all, in any and every place where it can be used. 



In this change of hives and bottom-boards, any that are Hght in stores 

 are quickly detected ; and if any such are found, they are so marked as I 

 go along. I do not find any of these light colonies often«r than once in 

 three or four years ; and when I do, all that is necessary is to open the hive 

 and take out one, two, three, or four of their nearest empty combs, and 

 give them as many heavy ones from the reserve pile. 



Allow me to emphasize right here what has been spoken of before. 

 Every time a reserve pile of hives or supers having honey in them is 

 opened or worked at, great care should be taken to know that such are 



THE LirTING-S WINING MOTION. 



closed again when we are at work in the out-apiary, for there is no one 

 to look after matters after this till we come again. At the home apiary 

 some of the family (or myself) are sure to have their attention attracted 

 if the bees get to cap*ying stolen sweets. But at the out-apiary no one is 

 near, so they have things their own way. One fall, just as I had the last 

 colony fixed, a stranger who was afraid of bees called to me to come to the 

 road, some 20 rods away'. After transacting our business I thought 

 there was no need of going back, as I had done all of the necessary work 

 with the bees, so "hitched up" and went home. When going to set the bees 

 in for winter I found I had left the pile of reserve combs of honey un- 

 covered, after taking out those needed for feeding just before I went to 

 see the stranger, and that all of the honey that pile contained was gone. 

 At another time I was not particular enough to see that the cover over 

 one of these piles was down so it was bee-proof ; and when going the next 

 time the honey in that had all disappeared. It is always best, just before 

 leaving, to know that all is closed up tight and bee-proof.^ 



1 Those who have not tried to fix a pile of hives so they will stay bee-tight when 

 ex]^osed to the weather would be surprised to find how many things can happen that 

 will let the bees in. A slight warping of the covers is often sufficient to permit bees 



