The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-16
WORKING FOR COMB HONEY-PUT-
TING ON SECTIONS.
Methods Practiced by an Expert
Beekeeper.

Beekeeper.
If we have been successful in work
ing our bees for brood, so as to obtain
multitude of bees in the right time
for the honey harvest, as should be
done. would we secure the best results
from them, the next step in working
for comb honey will be putting on the
section-boxes, or part of them, for I
contend that it is poor policy to give
any colony (unless it is in the case of
two prime swarms being hived to-
gether), all of the surplus room on the
start. as such tends to discourage
them, as they do not as yet have a
sufficient amount of bees to take pos
session of so large amount of room.
generally give surplus room
amounting to from % to 80 pounds at
the start, giving as much more room
when the bees have fully taken pos
session of that first given, and finally
the full capacity of the hive (about 80
pounds), when the force of bees in
creases so as TO need it. However, as a
rule, the swarming season arrives be-
fore all the sections are put on, when
old colony has a laying queen.
| Always, in managing bees, the apia-
rist should have an eye on the future
| as regards his honey harvest, until the
| harvest arrives, then bend his every
| energy for the time which is present.
| For instance, my main honey harvest
comes from Eastwood, which blooms
| from the 5th to the 18th of July, so all
my operations previous TO this time
| rc% t@r to ktc-
or all my efforts will result only in fail
ure. Now the time of the bees swarm
| ing has a very important bearing OH
! what secure as cash out of the aplary.
! II they swarm too early they defeat my
plans, and if too late 1t is nearly as
bad. The thing is to have them
! swarm at the right time, which is
brought about as nearly as may be, by
| keeping back the strongest and build
ing up the weakest. This is done by
drawing bees and brood from the
strong and giving TO those which are
weaker, until all are brought to a uni
form strength at the desired time of
swarming.
But" says one, when is the proper
! time for the increase ?" To which
reply, about Is to 20 days before the
main honey harvest Why? Because
this gives time for the young queens
in the old colonies to become fortified,
and not enough time to the new swarm
to get so strong as to desire to swarm
again. Remember, am talking ex-
clusively of producing section honey,
for the production of extracted honey
requires a somewhat different mode OF
procedure, in my opinion, and 1 have
extracted as high as 566 pounds from a
single colony in one season. Nothing
can detract more from our crop OF
comb honey than to have our bees
contract the swarming fever during
the honey harvest, unless it is the hav-
ing them so weak at the time that they
are of little Or no value.
About the first of June, one year, I
was accosted by a neighbor, saying.
Have your bees swarmed YETI" mo -
l said, nor do L expect hem to gener-
ally for the next two or three weeks
We'll" said he, 81 guess you wont
get much from them, for Mr.. S. is bav-
ing Lots of swarms.''
''All right" said 7, 81 shall be glad
to have Mr.. s. secure a good crop of
honey
Well, the result was, during the
height of the honey harvest Mr.. S. was
having lots of swarmS, which he was
putting back, cutting out queen-celis
ETC., in the vain hope to get them tc
go to work, while only now and then
swarm was issuing in my apiary
Win tne SectlonS De1ng nlled as II by
magic.
have often said the securing of the
bees in the right time for the honey
harvest counts more toward cash anc
fun in the apfary than anything else
which is true, but next to this is the
managing of those bees, so they will
be only bent on storing honey durins
the honey harvest: for the lack Of
either gives the apiarist only small
returns for his labor among the bees
After doing all in my power to Sc
cure all swarms between the 18th ant
the 18th of June, if the season is al
early one. or from the 18th of June Il
the 4th of July, should it be late,
frequently get a few from five to eigh
day searlier. and also a few. tina
number of DAYS later, but the grea
bulk come about as have given.
The date of swarning is put on eacl
hive, thus. IN. S. 6-21,'' being put oil
the swarm, and "Sw'd, 6-21' on TIL
old hive, If that IS the date. On tn