A YEAR AMONG THE BEES. 
31 
quantity of bloom has somewhat the effect of prolonging its 
time, for the latest blossoms, that with a few trees would 
amount to little or nothing, are enough to keep the bees busy. 
So it happens that I can scarcely recognize any interim 
between fruit-bloom and clover. A few items from a 
memorandum for 1882 may be interesting : 
Apr. 4.— Last bees taken out of cellar. 
May 8.— Plum-bloom out. Bees still work on meal and 
sugar syrup. 
May 10.— Wild plum, dandelion, cherry, pear, Siberian, 
Duchess of Oldenberg. 
May 31.— Saw first clover blossom. 
June 5.— Apple about done. 
June 12. — Commenced giving supers. 
June 13.— Clover full bloom— plentiful. 
June 20. — Locust out. 
Aug. 1. — Clover failing. 
Aug. 5.— Robber bees trouble. 
You will notice that the earliest apple-bloom (Duchess of 
Oldenberg) commenced May 10, while the Janets and other 
late bloomers were still in blossom on June 5, several days 
after the first clover was seen, making about four weeks of 
apple-bloom. Possibly this was unusual— certainly the clover 
lasted unusually long, being about 7*4 weeks from the time 
the bees commenced working on it, for they do not seem to 
commence work till after the blossoms have been out some 
time. You see that 1 did not commence putting on supers 
till 12 days after I saw the first clover- blossom, and if I had 
had only a dozen colonies, I might have waited later, but 
with a large number I must commence in time so that all 
shall be on as soon as needed. A little time before bees 
commence work in supers, little bits of pure, white wax will 
be seen stuck on the old comb about the upper part, yet I 
hardly wait for this, but go rather by the clover. 
Another year (1884), I saw the first clover-blossom on May 
21, apple being still in the full bloom ; and I commenced 
putting on supers on June 2. One year, I remember, clover 
failed on July 4, the earliest I ever remember. 
