be kept from swarming, but this is almost impossible. The Cyprians are energetic workers but also have bad tempers, which bar them from most apiaries.

The Italians, introduced into this country in the sixties, are the most popular among good beekeepers. They are good workers, and, as a rule, are as gentle to handle as any of the other races named. These qualities, together with their rich, golden color, and their ability to withstand some of the worst ravages of foul brood, make them the favorites of our beekeepers.

LOCATION.

The needs of the bees are seldom considered in selecting a location. It is best to choose a sheltered spot, protected as much as possible from prevailing winds. The south side of a hedge, a high board fence or building, or a clearing in the woods, is good. Look out for air currents, such as circulate between two buildings. Have the hives face the south as near as convenient.

SWARM CONTROL.

It requires a large force of bees in each hive to secure a crop of honey. The larger the force when the flow arrives, the better. The beekeeper with one hundred weak colonies would get scarcely any surplus, while the one with only twenty-five or fifty colonies of good strength would obtain good results. This crowded condition, however, is one of the primary causes of swarming, and it is advisable, as far as possible, to have no swarming during the honey flow. Some of the precautions taken for its prevention are the introduction of young queens some time previously; giving plenty of room by adding a super, and when this is partially full, if the prospects look good for the continuance of the flow, inserting another beneath the first; ventilating by giving full, wide entrance, or if the nights are very warm, raising the hive an inch from the bottom board. These methods, while precautionary to discourage swarming, are not preventive and it is advisable to examine every colony occasionally for symptoms, and if at any time it is found that queen cells are started, they should be cut out and a super of extracting combs given without the excluder. A week later, if no cells are started, this can be exchanged for a comb honey super. Should cells be started, however, remove the super, taking the

queen with it, and exchange places with the brood chamber, using this as a brood chamber. Put on a super of section boxes immediately and close the hive. A portion of the bees in the old brood chamber should then be shaken in front of the new hive, leaving only enough to properly take care of the brood, or, if no increase is desired, all should be shaken out and the brood disposed of among weak colonies. This old chamber of brood and some bees having queen cells under way will soon mature a queen and later become as good as any colony.

COMB HONEY.

Much more labor and skill is required in the production of comb honey than in extracted honey. In a great many locations some form of contraction is necessary to secure good work in the super. This is true of our own locality and sometimes it is almost impossible to get the bees to go to work in the supers. To remove some of the frames and replace them with wooden dummies invariably results in poor filling of the outside sections and getting them completed with the rest. For this reason all deep frame hives, if not failures, at least are clumsy. It will be seen, then, that it is better to contract from the top, retaining in this way the whole supering surface. With the sectional hive, removing all but one unit reduces the capacity of the brood chamber to the desired amount. This the queen will keep filled with brood, forcing the honey into the super. This single unit, holding the equivalent of about six and one quarter regular frames, is sufficient to maintain the strength of the colony during the main honey flow, after which another unit should be given for the bees to build up for winter. Obviously it takes but a moment's time with this hive to provide a very large brood nest or to contract to a very small one. Units should never be taken away, however, without giving their equivalent in supers, unless a swarm is desired.

Usually during fruit bloom most colonies will require more room. One unit of brood chamber filled with full sheets of foundation is given. This will be drawn out and occupied with honey and brood at the beginning of the clover flow. This is the unit, with its bright, new combs, that should be used when the brood chamber is reduced to one unit. Fancy, white comb honey would become more or less travel-stained if old brood combs were used

here. The excluder and super of section boxes are added and when this is about half filled another is inserted between. More are added as long as there is a prospect of their being finished, so that sometimes there are four or five on at once. Finished section honey should be removed from the bees as soon as completed. It sometimes takes but a few days to become soiled.

As stated previously, with the regular depth frame, bees are sometimes slow to enter the super, because of insufficient numbers or because of three or four inches of capped honey along the top bar of the brood frame, or because the honey flow is not plentiful enough. One or two sections of foundation should be removed and replaced with some that are partly drawn. These are called "Bait sections" and will generally bring about the desired result, and when the bees have once commenced to work in them there will be no further trouble.

EXTRACTED HONEY.

To produce extracted honey also requires a large force of bees in each hive. Weak colonies should be built up or united in advance so that all will be at full strength when the flow arrives. Either of the above hives can be used with supers the same size as the brood chambers or with shallow extracting supers. The shallow ones will probably be found the most satisfactory. After the combs are built, nine frames should be used in a ten-frame, or seven in an eight-frame hive. This results in thick, fat combs that are more easily uncapped. The excluder should be used.

WHEN TO PUT ON SUPers.

To produce fancy comb honey, full sheets of thin or extra thin foundation should be used in the section boxes. These should be prepared and the supers ready in advance so that there will be no delay when they are needed. This will be about the middle of May if the season should be early and plenty of fruit bloom near by, or the first to the middle of June for clover. A good rule is to put on supers, either for comb or extracted honey when the combs begin to show white along the top bar and the brood nest appears crowded with bees.

THE EXTRACTOR.

This is a machine with a revolving frame inside, used to remove the honey from the combs, and shown in figure 20. After the honey has thus been removed the combs are returned to the bees to be refilled. It is obvious that this is a great saving to the bees both in time and labor, which is very important during a rapid honey flow, and is the reason why liquid or extracted honey, as it is called, can be bought so much cheaper. An extractor is a good investment for a beekeeper with five or more colonies of bees. In setting the extractor it should be securely fastened in place and raised enough from the floor so that a pail will go under the gate. When the frames of honey are removed from the hive, they are taken into the extracting room, or some room that bees cannot enter and the cappings are cut off with a sharp knife (See figure 21). They are then put into the extractor, and after the honey has been removed from one side they are turned around and it is taken from the other.

Figure 20.

Novice nonreversible extractor. (After the A. I. Root Co.)

Figure 21. Improved Bingham honeyknife. (After the A. I. Root Co.)

After the combs have been emptied, if the flow is over they should be stacked over one or more colonies, to be cleaned of what honey remains. This should be done at night so that they will be finished before daylight-when there is danger of robbers. At the end of the season all extracting combs should be put away secure from rats and mice. One mouse alone will do an immense amount of damage if allowed access to them. For protection from the wax moth, which sometimes makes its appearance, a few camphor balls can be used in each stack of combs.

CARE OF EXTRACTED HONEY.

Liquid honey as it is removed from the extractor should be strained into a deep tank and allowed to stand and settle for a