8 STATE ENTOMOLOGIST OF COLORADO 



as conditJoiis seem to warrant it. A good queen should brood in 

 twelve frames just before the main honey flow. 



Protection: Do not be in a hurry to remove the winter packing. 

 Some beekeepers make the mistake of removing the packing in April. 

 If bees were put in their winter quarters in proper condition they 

 should not be unpacked until about the time of the last 

 killing frost. If for any reason it seems necessary to open up the 

 brood, be sure to do it on a warm da\' when the bees are flying freel>'. 



Water: Bees use considerable water during the time of brood 

 rearing. It is a good policy to provide water near the apiary. This 

 sometimes helps to keep the bees from gathering water where spray- 

 ing has been done. 



Robbing: Bees are prone to rob at this time of the year. Take all 

 precautions to guard, against this as it may be the means of spreading 

 diseases as well as loss of colonies. 



SUMMER MANAGEMENT 



If you have had success in bringing your colonies up to their proper 

 strength for this time of the year, you are now facing the problem of 

 preventing all possible swarming, which if not controlled, will render 

 your colony useless or nearty so when.it comes to producing a surplus 

 of honey. Swarm control is one of the most important problems of the 

 beekeeper at this time of year. The thing that makes the problem 

 difficult is the fact that the beekeeper is here working against the nat- 

 ural instinct of the bee. 



If the colony is strong at the beginning of the honey flow and shows 

 indications of swarming, it may be divided artificially. Some meth- 

 ods of management may call for examination of colonies periodically 

 to cut out queen cells, and to keep queens clipped to prevent swarms 

 leaving, but this entails a large amount of work and even though the 

 queens are clipped, will not prevent the desire on the part of the bees 

 to swarm, nor will it prevent the effort to swarm Avith subsequent loss 

 of time in honey production. 



We should strive to so manipulate the colonies that we may keep 

 the impulse to sA\arm at tlie minimum. 



The requisites to prevent swarming may be summarized as follows: 

 a minimum of drone comb, ample breeding room, plenty of storage 

 room for honey, young queens, and ample ventilation. 



Drone Comb: The use of full sheets of foundation, both iu the 

 brood chamber and in super frames will to a large extent do awav 



