242 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



frames can be handled with ease, but 

 after the bees have occupied frames 

 for two or three years, and they liave 

 not been liandled very much, some 

 styles of frames I)ecome glued in so 

 tightly that it is almost impossible to 

 get them out. Of all the frames that 

 I meet, thi're are none that I dread 

 encountering as 1 do the Ilolfman, es 

 peeially after they are thoroughly 

 glued in. I know there is a duuuny 

 at one side that is supposed to come 

 out tirst, but that becomes glued in so 

 th-mly that there is. honestly, only one 

 way to remove it, and that is to invert 

 tlie lii\e and pound it loose. (I have 

 liad to do this more than once.) Then it 

 i-cMjuires a strong screw-driver or a 

 chisel to pry the frames loose— no or- 

 dinary jack knife will answer. And 

 it won't answer to pry against the 

 ends of the top bars either. They will 

 break otf l)efore the frame will come 

 l(>ose. I have sometimes been tempted 

 U> buy a colony with the frames in 

 this condition and express it down to 

 my good In-other Koot. and let him 

 see Avhat :Michigan bees can do in the 

 glue line. 



Mr. Uoot says in his catalogue that 

 the chief advantage of their so-called 

 "all wood" frames, the frame's with 

 no projections, is their cheapness. It 

 is an advantage, but I don't look upon 

 it as the chief. Of all the frames, the 

 one that makes my heart glad when 

 I am opening hives over the country, 

 is the plain, all-wood frames. I can 

 pry this one over a little, and that on" 

 over a little the otluu' way. loosen up 

 the one between and have it out, be- 

 fore the man with the Hoffman frames 

 lias got through saying, "Weill" 

 "Well:" 



No. I have not just tinishcd one* un- 

 nsually trying job. Tin- worst one 1 

 had was threi^ weeks ago, and 1 have 

 ])uri)()sely waited this long that I 

 might be sure I had "cooled off." 



HOW TO STOP A SWARM THAT IS 

 ISSUING. 



Smoking a colony to drive bju-k a 

 swarm that has begun to issue is 

 mentioned in (Cleanings. That is, as 

 soon as a swarm is seen issuing, go 

 to the hive with a lighted smoker, and 

 puff smoke in at the entrance. The 

 writer, a Mrs. Ralph Bulkley. of Ari- 

 zona, says that it succeeds with her, 

 and then the next morning that col- 

 ony is divided, or "shook." I have 

 tried this pl.an several times, and, 

 with me, it was not successful. As 

 long as the smoke was being poured in 

 at the entrance the bees would stay 

 in, because they could not get out 

 through the smoke, but just as soon 

 as there was a "let up," out they 

 would pour again. I was talking this 

 over recently, with some bee-keeper 

 where I was, and he said his experi- 

 ence was like mine. He had tried it. 

 l)ut as soon as he stopped smoking, 

 out they would come again. 



In this connection I might say that 

 there is a plan of stopping a swarm 

 from issuing. Perhaps I might be- 

 ter say that it has proved successful 

 with me— yes, and with Mr. Heddon, 

 of whom I learned it. Mr. Heddon 

 and myself did not clip our cpieens' 

 wings. Perhaps Mr. Heildon does not 

 now. but I do, or should if I had bees. 

 We used a Whitman fountain pump to 

 control swarms. We had a barrel of 

 water standing in the center of the 

 yard, also three or four pails filled 

 with water standing about in differ- 

 ent parts of the yard. Of course, the 

 water in these pails became warm so 

 that it would not chill bees if poured 

 over them. Well, if swarms began to 

 come thicker and faster than we could 

 control and hive them Ave cast an eye 

 over the yard every niimite or two. If 

 a swarm was seen issuing, the sujx'rs 

 were at once lifted off, and about half 

 a pail of water doused into the hive. 

 That stopped the swarming business 



