The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-07-12
not be able to build up for winter, much less give

transferring, Wnon properly UOnG. ana at the
right time, usually puts new life in the bees. In
stead of hanging out, and loafng at the entrance,
they go to work with a vigor and vim that will
surprise you. They realize the fact that there is
work to be done, and l. it does not take them long
to get about it, either. Bees do not loaf or hang
out unless there is a cause for it. They are natu-
rally of a restless, stirring disposition and are
never happier than when hard at work. IF they
loaf it is Il because the box is full of honey and they
haven't room to store more, or because there is
none in the field. Be the cause as it may, either
may be remedied with proper management. If the
former be the cause, then take the surplus honey
off or provide them with room to store more. If
the latter, then provide them with an artificial
feld-give them something to work on and they
will work. Plant an acre or two in sweet clover
and then watch and see if they hang out and loaf.
I'll wrant you they will not, provided you give
them room to store the surplus in. [ have one of
the ~prettiest patches of sweet clover this year /
have ever seen, some plants standing as high as
eight and ten feet. And Notwithstanding the
fact that I have fifty colonies within range, they
are doing no hanping out this summer as was the
case last year. Instead of the combs being
empty and dry as was the case last summer, they
are now being filed daily and I am kept busy TAX
ing off the full sections and putting in empty
ones, and these full ones goes as fast as I can take
them off at twenty cents each. So far as [ know,
I am the only one around here that is making any
honey at the present time. In fact, the old "vet-
erans'' around here pronounce the crop a failure
this year. However, while they are walking around
with long faces and their hands In their pockets, |
am Saving wood" and have no complaints to
make. I will admit that the spring was anything
but favorable-cold and dry and no nectar in the
1n1 -
then I knew that as soon as the seven top tur-
nips / sowed last fall began to blossom things
would pick up. This would give my bees sufficient
honey and pollen to rear brood with and fill my
boxes with a force of workers that would give me
a crop of honey from crimson-top clover, and
from crimson-top clover they would go to white
clover, and then on to sweet clover which would
run them until golden-rod began to bloom in the
fall. You see, my preparations for this year were
made last fall, and now I am reaping a harvest of
delicious honey, while others around here are
bowling like a pack of hyenas and "cussing' their
bees because they are doing nothing, when they
themselves are to blame and not the bees. Their
bees did the best they could, and all they could,
under the circumstances.
But to the subject. AS stated, I think right now
about the best time to transfer, because at this
season of the year the brood combs usually con-
tain less brood than at any other time, and there
fore are much easier to handle. [ would not adj
wise transferring during the spring honey-fow be-
cause it would interfere more or less with the re-
suits of the crop. If you should wait until late in
the fall it would most likely throw your bees back
to such an extent that they would not be able
to build up for winter. Therefore, / say, transfer
your bees now, or as soon from now as possible.
WALTER L. WOMBLE.
Wake Co., N. G.