The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-06-08
for the faruler.
THE APIARY.

Permit me through the medium of yonr paper,
To remind those who keep bees, OF the necessity
of having their hives prepared before the sN arms
issue The time will soon arrive when the stron-
rest stocks will throw off their first colonies,
Ard if hive has to he prepared after the oees
have settled, the probability Of losing them is
greatly increased. The ''bad luck" which per-
sons have with bees, can lie traced dlree'y -
m. pareut hive all is hustle and confusion. No
nrrparation has been made for giving them
cheering welcome. hive is wanting, and the
tirae is precious Sometimes one Is MADE, anu
before il is finished, the bees have be-
6o,ef, tired of waiting in the hot sun, and leave
for the timber; OF, an old musty, dirty hive Is
found, which perhaps has stood all winter III
damp cellar full OF potatoes, and after some
cleaning and busting, the neat, tidy little IN
sscts are forced into the filthy box, their owner
| seeming to suppose they are as indifferent to an
L unelean dwelling he is. They soon undeceiye
| him by taking their departure for the woods.
l without much as saying "by your leave, 81,
I and he consoles himself by declaring, THAT Is
( inst my luck always" OF course it is.
II A clean, sweet hive would have turned his
/ lnck completely. A suitable hive should always
( be IN readiness, and the bees should be intro
Edrced to it as speedily possible.
/ There are a great variety of hives, but some
ff.Tm of the movable comb hive 10 Indispensable
7 10 the apiarian who wishes TO know what Is 60
| ing on in his hives. II the moth gains access to
| a weak hive, and the worms are constructing
/
| frames and the fact is revealed at once; and the
sharp point of q knife furnishes the ehectual
remedy If n swarm is feeble, . frame or TWO
| exchanged with some other strong stock that
| can spare q few Thousand unmatched young bees
| will soon make it vigorous. II hive Is fonnd
TO be too light in the fall to give reasonable ex-
peetation that it can't live on its stores over VIM
| ter card or two of honey from some stock
| which has a surplus makes that all right BY
transferring half of the frame to an empty hive,
| and introducing a laying queen, raised IN nu-
cleus into the part which is destitute Of one, an
artificial swarm is formed with very little trou-
BILE, and no risk that it will leave for the woods
Thus. in all respects, il is convenient, and the
apiarian who lie determined to achieve success IN
The management of his bees and is willing 10
take the trouble necessary to secure it, will use
no other especially If he has once tried IT.
There are but two objections that have
ever heard urged against the moveabls-como
hive One is the increase of trouble and expense
of construction. The advantages are SO great
however as greatly to overbalance all that An
other is that bees will sometimes build their
comb across, instead of leDgthwise OF the frames
If triangular comb guide, made by saving
| piece of wood of the proper length and an lneh
square through the opposite angles, he nailed TO
| the upder-side of the strip of wood which forms
| the upper part of the frame, so as to present
, sharp, well defined edge along the whole length
of the frame where the bees are expected to fas-
ten the comb they will rarely rail to commence
along this edge, especially if the hive Is inclined
at an angle Of about thirty degrees by elevating
the rear part, and taking care that 1t stand per,
| fectly level from side to side. The frame should
always extend from front to rear. Few persons
who have once used the moveable-com6 hive
when properly constructed, will be willing to
, return to the use of the old-fashioned box.