SWAKMING. 



485 



SWAEMING. 



large entrances will often never start cells 

 nor prepare to swarm. We are satisfied, 

 from experiments that we have been con- 

 ducting, that swarming can be brought veiy 

 much under control, if not entirely prevent- 

 ed before the swarming idea gets into the 

 mind of the colony, by enlarging the en- j 

 traiices or giving plural entrances and room > 

 The ordinary double-walled or chaff hive | 

 will not give that degree of entrance enlarg- 1 

 ment that is always desirable. While it has 

 been made to provide a maximum of one . 

 inch by the inside width of the hive, yet ] 



rear and sides for flight, as well as the front. 

 We visited his yard a couple of times in the 

 midst of the swaiming season. Not on a 

 single hive in the y;u\l of something like 200 

 colonies was tlieie a case where the bees 

 were clustered out in front. They were fly- 

 ing merrily, and very much at work. Con- 

 trary to what Dr. Miller reports, we observed 

 that they were utilizing the back and side 

 entrances as well as the main entrance, al- 

 though it was easy to be seen that the latter 

 was used more frequently than any of the 

 other three. In Fig. 3 the camera caught a 



FIG. 3.— ONE OF VERNON BUKT's HIVES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF C031B HONEY. 



Mr. Burt says this scheme of putting his brood-bodies upon four blocks so as to provide 

 entrances for all four sides goes a long way toward eliminating swarming. 



there come times when a much larger 

 amount of ventilation should be provided. 



Dr. Miller and other prominent bee-keep- 

 ers have for years been raising their hives 

 up on four blocks so that there are really 

 four entrances, back and sides as well as in 

 front. Our neighbor Vernon Buit, of Mallet 

 Creek, has for some time practiced this plan, 

 and he says it so nearly eliminates sv\ arm- 

 ing that he has practically none at all. 



Fig. 2 shows the front of one of his hives 

 with its easy slanting approach to the main 

 entrance in front, while the larger view. 

 Fig. 3, shows how the bees are utilizing the 



number of bees just ready to take wing at 

 these side and end openings, for the bees 

 were flying quite freely from all sides of the 

 hive. 



Of course, merely raising the hives up en 

 four blocks alone will not prevent nor dis- 

 courage swarming. The bees must be given ( 

 plenty cif room before swarming- cells are 

 started. They should also be given a rea- 

 sonable amount of shade. In Fig. 3 one will 

 see that Mr. Burt has some old telescope 

 covers that he formerly used on double- 

 walled chaff hives. These are a good deal 

 larger than the present hives, and, when 



