Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-06-06

Mr.. N. Quinby sends us the follow

AA6
Surplus honey is the first considera-
ton in bee-keeping. All boxes intend
ed for use, should be ready now. One
hive in hundred may store surplus, in
a good season, during apple blossoms.
It is not always economy to put on the
boxes ut this time because dande!ions
blossom now, and the abundant pollen
that the bees get from them, will strain
the combs yellow, and give an unpleas-
ant flavor to the honey. Notwithstand-
ing yellow color is preferred for
cheese and butter, the honey for mark
ct, to be nice, must be purely white.
Manage to have the bees use oil this
honey to rear their brood, and get
strong force ready for clover time.
Those who expect to increase their
colonies this season should, if they
have not already done SO, prepare their
empty hives ct once. am greatly in
favor of Averill paint for hives some
light tint is preferable to the clear daz-
cling white, Hives OF two or three col
ors, alternated with each other. seem
to assist the bees to distinguish their
own from their neighbors' hive. I do
not assert that this is better than oil
paint, only say it seems better, as
there is no smell of the oil which APP
pears to be offensive to the bees. When
new swarms are hived in oil-painted
hives, greater percentage desert and
90 to the woods than in those unpaint.
ed.
Establish this rule at the beginning
Of the season, that is, to allow no bees
to cluster outside for want of room in.
side. Extreme hot weather should be
the only excuse hereafter for idle bees
outside. Any one expecting the best
results from his farm, garden. orchard,
dairy, or apiary, without effort or
knowledge on his part, will be likely
to reap short crop, and soon prefer
some other pursuit. To know how to
obtain the best results from hive of
bees, one must either learn by expert
ment himself, or adopt the experience
of others. It seems now to be pretty
we'll understood that the best results
can not be Obtain ed with the old box
hive. Another years experience proves
that transferring from box to movable
comb hives-of the right kind, of
course-pays for all trouble. For di-
rections see Bee Notes for May, 1871,
After transferring, the hive is in condi
ton to be controlled. Being able to
reject all drone combs, and thereby
preventing useless horde of consum-
ers, is of itself sufficient to remunerate
all trouble. Eggs laid in drone cells,
hatch out dr0nes; the same eggs, if
laid in worker cells, produce workers.
Swa1ming is not always-may not
say, seldom Unsatisfactory in box hives,
hives. when the bees manage it them.
selves. The bees have been brought
up in Ignorance of what we can do for
them, tor the very good reason that we
did not know ourselves, and they sup
pose That it is necessary to provide a
successor for the mother to the hive.
before taking the old one away.
AS q rule, natural swarmine
does not take place short of a week or
ten days preparation. Quite often at
the beginning, there are abundant bees
to spare swarm-bees live but short
time, and often die as fast as they hatch
out, when the hive is full-but at the
time they get READY, they have not in
creased, have been idle during the pre-
paration, and whole swarm has lost
several days in harvest time. Could q
swarm have been taken out, as soon
a. there were bees enough, and put in
to empty combs, ample winter stores
would have been secured. Suppose
that, just at this time, when they have
prepared to leave, a change in the at
mosphere prevents the secretion of
honey in the flowers, and your
swarm has an empty hive to fill, and
no means do it with. Have no combs
in which to rear brood the old bees
are dying every day, and it is possible,
before the next yield Of honey, there
are too few bees left to accomplish
much. THIS can be avoided, if you I'M
derstand it. When you have decided
to take this matter into your own
hands, you should become familiar
with the appearance of the hive that
mas bees to spare a swarm. The next
thing IS to know when the flowers are
secretlng honey in abundance. When
pee. Dees ana honey are right, then is tlle
Time to make the swarm, regardless
OF any preparation of theirs.
Every day that colony is
without laying queen, in summer-time
reduces the profit of keeping it. The
old queen goes, or ought to 20. with the
1!rst swarm, whether natural, or artl.
nc1aiiy made. In natural swarms, they
usually leave sealed cells with young
queens to supply her place in the OLD
hlve. 1t would be profitable to havc q
queen, fully mature, artlficially reared.
to supply her place, whether cells ar,
left open or not. At the end OF q week
Tire hive should be opened, and all
qnocn-cells removed, when the LAYING
queen may be~afely introduced. If
mature queen is on hand the next best