^'; 





MANUAL OF THE APIAEY. 29 



-= y form of a frame of comb with the lower half cut off. The 



:. J?!^'^ ..„,„N, ^°P ^^^ (b, mg. 13) is two inches wide and one-half inch 

 thick, with a central hole (c, Fig. 13) one inch Avide by 

 three long. Tacked to the edge of this top-bar is a bag 

 made of drilling, which should not reach nearer the ends 

 FIG. 13. than one inch, and should not be more than half as deep as 



the hive. This is put into a hive either at the end or between the frames. If 

 at the end and a quilt is used to cover the frames the quilt need not extend 

 over the feeder, but tuck in closely beside it, thus precluding any bees gaining 

 entrance to the feeder. If it is placed between other frames the quilt should 

 be stuck to the top bar of the feeder, and a hole or flap cut in it immediately 

 above the hole in the bar. If a honey board is used, the bar of the feeder can 

 be fastened to the honey board, with the hole immediately beneath the .same in 

 the honey board.' Now, to feed we have only to raise the top of the hive, and 

 with a tin pail with a long spout turn in our feed. As the bees can not get 

 above they cause us no trouble. And the feeding becomes a matter of great 

 ease and rapidity. The drilling should be just fine enough to permit the syrup 

 to ooze through; I have even used very closely woven unbleached factory. 

 These feeders can be washed out when not in use, and can be used for feeding 

 whenever it is desired, for whatsoever purpose. 



COLONIES SHOULD NETEE BE QUEEKLESS. 



Suppose the queen is laying 2,000 eggs a day, and that the full number of 

 bees is 40,000, then it will be seen that each day that a colony is without a 

 queen there is a loss equal to one-twentieth of the working force of the colony, 

 and this is a compound loss, as the aggregate loss of any day is its special loss, 

 augmented by the several losses of previous days. Now, as queens are liable 

 to die, to become impotent, and as the act of increasing colonies demand the 

 absence of queens, unless the apiarist has extra ones at command, it is impera- 

 tive, would we secure the best results, to ever have at hand extra queens. 



HOW TO BEAR QUEEKS. 



As queens may be needed by the last of May, preparations looking to the 

 early rearing of queens must commence early. When preparing the colonies 

 for winter the previous autumn, be sure to place some drone comb somewhere 

 near the centre of the colony that has given the best results the previous season. 

 In March, and certainly by the first of April, see that all colonies have plenty 

 of bee-bread. If necessary, place unbolted flour, rye is best, in shallow 

 troughs near the, hives, It will be well to give the Avhole apiary the benefit of 

 such feeding before the flower.? yield pollen, but the colony under consideration 

 should be given frames containing bee-bread which was stored the previous year. 

 At the same time, March or April, commence stimulative feeding. If you have 

 another colony equally good with the first, also give that the pollen, and com- 

 mence giving it feed, but only worker comb should be in the brood chamber. 

 Very likely in April drone eggs will be laid in the drone comb. I have had 

 drones flying the first of May. As soon as the drones commence to hatch out 

 remove the queen. If two equally good colonies are being fed, remove the queen 

 from the one that is without drone comb. This queen may be used in making 

 a new colony, in manner soon to be described under artificial swarming, or in- 

 creasing the number of colonies. This queenless colony will immediately com- 

 mence forming queen cells. (Fig- 11.) Sometimes these are formed to the 

 number of fifteen or twenty, and they are started, too, in a full vigorous colony. 



