SPRING MANAGEMENT OF BEES 
11 
necessary to remove the bad food from the hive, which 
may be overcome by feeding syrup made from good 
cane sugar; and if the weather happens to become 
balmy and pleasant, the trouble disappears as if by 
magic. 
If the spring happens to be cold and rainy one may 
be certain that feeding is in order; and if only a little 
is fed every day this is a great inducement for the 
queen to lay eggs, weather or no weather. The bad 
weather will go away, and the colony which has been 
carefully nursed will leap to the front in a manner 
which will seem surprising to its owner. 
Bees are like certain individuals — they easily get 
discouraged by poor treatment, and just as easily do 
they get encouraged by good treatment. Perhaps the 
golden rule would be the best rule to apply to bees in 
their spring management. 
This booklet would be incomplete without some 
reference to the methods of Mr. E. W. Alexander, of 
New York, who has a plan of caring for weak colonies 
which is unique. In the March 15th number of 
Gleanings in Bee Culture, 1906, he gives his plan as 
follows : 
IIOW TO GET BROOD FROM TWO QUEENS IN 
ONE HIVE. 
Next the rearing of early queens is very important; also 
early drones. This is something we must not neglect. This 
part of our business has been made very easy and plain by 
such men as Bratt, and I will pass it for the present. But 
here is one thing I must describe to you all, and that is the 
proper and best way to care for our little weak colonies after 
taking them from their winter quarters. It is this: As soon 
as they have some uncapped brood in their hives, take them 
to a good strong colony; remove its cover and put a queen- 
excluder in its place, then set the weak one on top of the 
excluder and close up all entrances to the weak colony, except 
what they have through the excluder, down into the strong 
colony below. Leave them in this way together four or five 
weeks; then separate them and you will have two good colo- 
I nies and will have saved yourself all worry about these weak 
Colonies being robbed, chilled, or starved. When we are feed- 
mg the other colonies we usually give these a few spoonfuls of 
the warm syrup in a comh next their brood. This encourages 
them; and if there is not more than a cupful of bees they 
don’t get much from the feeder under the strong colony. I 
have explained at bee conventions this way of saving these little 
