Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-11-19
Among the Bees.

Among the Bees.
1t was u calm, lovely morning in May that
the writer took his usual drive out in the forest.
and seated on the spring wagon, was waiting
FOR the dawn Of day. Finally the sky in the
cast appeared gray, and very dim rays OF the
sun began TO appear across the horizon. Iheh l
heard a soft, low twitter OF 8 bird and In a
few moments another; then another, ana In a
few minutes the whole forest was ringing win
The sweet voices OF the songsters. But soon
the IBys OF the sun were penetrating the forest
and lighting up the darkest ncoks and corners.
The songsters began to feed ana their sweet
songs changed TO a chirp out 1aintly heard.
I wonder If any Of the Household have ever
taken such a stoll. Then go out in the oHe
yard as the bees begin 10 pour out OF their
hives over the forest, humming among the flow
ers, slipping the nectar from them, until loaded,
they return to their hives where their keeper 10
rejoicing because Of the millions Of tiny loads
Of honey were pouring into the hives from thou
sands Of bees. Then you have some idea OF the
With my work well planned (which 1 hat
done as l travelled along the road and the bulk
Of the bees well out OF the way in the forest,
/ opened the first hive the first row and
removed the super 1.-THE top story or coned
spartmenD and lifted out three frames OF
comb from the bottom story, the apartment
where the young are reared and which is &C.
cupied by the queen, nurse bees and their
attendants. These three we're ''cho,K
Of eggs and young bees in oil stages OF de-
vclopment and a small rim of honey around the
around the top and end bars or the frames.
] set the frames back I'm their places and ser
the super on, but as II was unusually heavy 1
examined Il and found about half .He frames
filled with honey and nicely sealed. /
removed these frames end loaded them on the
wagon and inserted empty frames containing
comb In their places. / approached the next
hive in the same manner, only sending In a
few whiffs OF smoke at the entrance, and rats
Ing the sent down through the frame a
few more whiffs Of smoke. This thoroughly sub
dued the bees, and / treated this hive as the
other. but found that there not 81 much 1T
a brood because they had run short OF stores
(hOney) I'm early spring, which gave them
backset, for they consume lots Of honey pro-
duciug young bees.
We must keep brood rearing (rsising young
1 took three frames OF scaled brood (young bees
developed but not emerged from their celst
from three otner strong colonies. and removing
three empty COMBS from this hive | inserted
the three frames Of brood. This would butld
them up soon. when the young bees came from
the cells, the colony would soon be In a honey
gathering condition.
] found in the next colony queen cells with
eggs and tiny young queens In them. This ind
Gated that they were preparing to swarm. l
looked over the combs we'll and tore out ali
these cells. This would defer swarming until
I around again, five days later. 1 nave
10 do this to control swarming, lose them. 1
found some finished honey in the super in this
hive which l Put on the wagon.
The next colons examined had plenty and
honey TO spare In the bottom story but moth
ing In The super, and but few young bees and
eggs could be found. This indicated that the
queen was old and failing. l searched over the
combs until l found her and pinched her head
off and introduced a young queen to the colony.