THE BEE-KEEPERS* REVIEW. 



"3 



into a siiifile softion, and putting on 

 tlio softious, there was so much 

 SAvarming-oiit that 1 cann' very nearly 

 being diseouragoil. Finally 1 lii>gan 

 using both sections of tlu> hive for a 

 brood-nest for the lirst three days. On 

 the fourth day 1 set the upper sec- 

 tion, and the supers, to one side (cross 

 Avise of an empty hivi'), then set the 

 loAver section off the bottom-hoard, 

 returned the upp<M' section and supers 

 to the old stand, and shook down in 

 front of them the few bees that were 

 clustering in the lower section. I 

 used starters only in tlie franu^s, and. 

 at the time of r<Muoving the section, 

 the combs in the upper section Aver(> 

 usually one-third or one-half complet- 

 ed. Some of the combs in the lower 

 section weie just nicely .started, and 

 I used this lower section as the uppei 

 section to the ne.\t hive in which 1 

 put a swarm. 



This management did away entirely 

 with the swarming out after liiving. 

 It gave the bees plenty of room until 

 they had cooled off and settled down 

 to work, when It mattered little how 

 much they were scpieezed, there was 

 no swarming. 



THE SIMMINS' METHOD OF SHOOK- 

 SW'ARMING. 



While talking with Mr. A. D. D. 

 Wood, of Lansing. Michigan, he called 

 my attention to the Simmins' method 

 of practicing shook-sAvarming. He 

 said that it had lieen described Avithin 

 the last feAA' months in some of the 

 journals — he thought it was Gleanings. 

 I do not seem to recall having seen 

 this method mentioned in the jour- 

 nals, and I .-un writing aAvny from 

 home. but. as Mr. Wood described it, 

 I can see that it offers possibilities 

 .md advantages, under some condi- 

 tions, not available in ordinary shook- 

 SAA'arming. 



In brief, the plan is that of thor- 

 oughly arousing the bees of tAVo col- 

 onies, inducing them to till themselves 

 with honey, the sjiiue as in all shook- 

 sw aiming, and then shake the bees of 

 tlu' two colQuies into one hive; thus 

 making a mammoth sAvarm, the same 

 ;is when two n.-ilnnil sw.-iiins nnitt\ 

 When the honey-llow eomes early, is 

 of short dnnW^ion, and condj honey is 

 de-ili-ed. this i)l;in gives an immense 

 IVrrci- :it ex.-ielly the rigid time. With 

 fU', Unary shook-swarniing it is n«»ces- 

 sary to wait until Ji colony is almost 

 i'ea(.y to sw;nni. or else the shook- 

 sw;;rm Avill not be large enoitgh to 

 wor ; to the best advantage. By shak- 

 ing the bees of tAA'o colonies together, 

 a poAA'erful SAvarm c;ni be secured 

 (luite early in the season, before the 

 sv> arming fever has developed, or 

 (pteen cells been started. 



One of the old queens can be glA'en 

 to the shook-sAvarm (there Avill be 

 no dang(>r to lier, as the bees are 

 alarmed and tilled AA'ith honey), the 

 other qtieen being left undisttu'bed. If 

 increase is desired, a qtieen, or a ripe 

 (lueen cell, may be giA'en to the queen- 

 less colony. If no increase is desired, 

 the tAA'o depleted colonies may be 

 ui'ited*by setting- one hiA'e OA'er the 

 other. Stich a colony A\ill be an ex- 

 cellent one, a little later, for extracted 

 honey, and Avill proI)ably need aii up- 

 per story. 



This plan allows of making shook- 

 SAvarms early in the season, before 

 sAvarming symptoms develop, secures 

 an enormotis force for the production 

 of comb honey at exactly the right 

 time, preA'ents natural swarming, and 

 alloAvs a man to make a little increase, 

 one colony from two. or to prevent it 



As I think over the neAA- methods 

 that are connng up. the k;M'ping of 

 more bees, the establishment of out- 

 apiaries, I can not resist the conclusion 



