FIFTY TEARS AMONG THE BEES 



133 



been all Uirougli the season. It is generally understood that 

 when bees are busily engaged at storing they give up all 

 thoughts of swarming. Not in 1903. I'm not sure I ever knew 

 so bad a season for swarming. We fought our best to prevent 

 it, but every now and then the bees would get the start of us. 



Some 6000 finished sections were taken off during my 16 

 days' absence, and on my return I foimd everything about the 

 work kept up in as good shape as if I had been at home. And 

 Miss Wilson was still alive. 



Fig. 41 — Miller Feeder Dissected. 



We didn't get the last sections off the liives till well along 

 in September, and the final footing up was not conducive to 

 despondency. From 124 colonies, spring count, we had 18,150 

 pounds of comb honey (about 20,000 finished sections), in- 

 creasing to 284 colonies; or an average of more than 146 pounds 

 per colony, with 129 per cent increase. As the storing was 

 mainly by one set of colonies and the increase by another, it 

 would perhaps be fairer to say that 100 colonies averaged I8IV2 

 pounds per colony with no increase, and that each of the re- 

 maining colonies was increased to 7% colonies with no surplus. 



