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THE AMERICAN BEE JOLHINAC. 



May 5, 1904. 



[ Our Bee-Keeping Sisters J 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson. Marengo, 111. 



A Report— Gathering- Pollen, Swarming-, Etc. 



Now, as regards my bees : A year ago last June I got 

 a hive of bees. L,ast year I kept giviug them room, so that 

 they did not swarm— at least not to my knowledge— and I 

 watched them closely. I obtained a surplus of 58 pounds of 

 honey in sections filled solid, besides a number of sections 

 that were unfinished. The honey is most delicious. How 

 proud I was of my successful venture in bee-keeping ! 

 Please tell me if you think my bees could have swarmed, 

 and yet have given that amount of surplus. 



One warm day, early this month, I raised the coverings 

 just around the sides of the hive, and as far down as I could 

 see, those 10 frames were brimming with bees. Such activity, 

 and such deep roaring I 



On the 21st of this month (April) my bees began carry- 

 ing in pollen. It was of a lemon color. From what was 

 the pollen obtained ? 



I wintered my bees on the summer stand. One of these 

 days I would like to tell how I pack the hive inside and out, 

 for the reign of winter. I feel quite triumphant that my 

 colony is in such fine condition after our long and severe 

 winter. I hope there will be no spring dwindling. I hear 

 of a number of colonies in this vicinity that were killed by 

 the cold weather. 



In what part of the cluster does the queen stay during 

 the winter ? 



I intend to buy one or more colonies this year, but I 

 want to keep the colony I have from swarming, if possible. 



And now you have the history of a very small apiary — 

 a very small " acorn " from which, some day, an •' oak " 

 may grow. Kate V. Austin. 



Wayne Co., Ind. 



It is possible that they swarmed and still gave you 58 

 pounds of honey, but not probable, especially as you 

 watched them closely. 



Most likely the lemon-colored pollen was from soft 

 maple. 



In the winter the queen may be in any part of the clus- 

 ter except the outside or shell of the cluster. 



" Foundation Plan " of Preventing- Swarms. 



I don't think this department belongs to me individ- 

 ually, but — I have a few more questions, if you please. 



I intended trying the " foundation plan" to prevent 

 swarms, but I need 100 more combs in order to have all 

 colonies " double deckers " next spring. 



1. Would there likely be more gain in the end to try to 

 prevent the swarms and remove supers after the white 

 honey-flow, substituting an upper story of full sheets of 

 foundation in order to get these combs ? or let each colony 

 swarm once (or force them), hiving on starters (drone-comb 

 afterwards removed) ? 



2. I have placed a frame hive containing combs over a 

 box-hive, first removing the top from the box-hive and clos- 

 ing all cracks. After the queen commences to lay in the 

 frame hive I intena to make sure she is there, and put an 

 excluder between the two hives (the old box-hive to be re- 

 moved in 21 days). Now, won't the bees below imagine 

 themselves queenless and rear queens and swarm out with 

 these virgins before the 21 days are out? If so, what is 

 best to do to prevent this, and at the same time get rid of 

 the box-hive ? 



3. On page 426 (1903), I notice "Iowa " gives a plan for 

 shaken swarms, and asks questions about the same. Dr. 

 Miller requested him to report his success with his plan, 

 which report I have watched for but never saw. Do you 

 know if he was successful, or if any one else was, with the 

 plan ? 



4. Now, if about swarming time nearly all of the bees 

 were shaken on starters, and supers put on, then the wire- 

 screen having only one hole of excluder zinc, and last the 

 brood added, do you and Dr. Miller think the result would 

 be satisfactory ? 



Wouldn't it be necessary to put a frame of brood below i 



to keep the bees from deserting the queen ? If so, when 

 should that frame be removed ? 



I want those extra brood-combs built, but not at the ex- 

 pense of part of my crop of honey ; therefore I would like 

 to keep the bees together, if possible. 



Mrs. C. D. Mears. 



1. You might get more honey by the first plan, but you 

 would not be so likely to get the combs built, for unless you 

 have a heavy fall flow, comb-building will not be so good 

 after the white-honey harvest. It may not be amiss to say 

 that you are not likely to need enough combs to make aU 

 colonies double-deckers next spring. Unless extremely 

 fortunate you will find some so weak that you will do well 

 if you get them to fill one story. 



2. The bees in the queenless story may, and they may 

 not, start queen-cells. One way to head them off will be to 

 take away the box-hive and put it on a new stand 10 or 12 

 days after giving the excluder. That, however, will leave 

 you a colony in the box-hive. If you will pardon me for 

 saying so, I don't believe you will like the plan you propose, 

 if you should give it a trial. It may be a long time before 

 the queen goes into the upper story, and she may not go up 

 at all. You may do better to put the new hive below and 

 the old one above, first driving the bees out of the old hive, 

 so as to get the queen below, then holding her there with 

 the excluder. Then in 21 days the old hive can be taken 

 away. The objection is that the bees will store a lot of 

 honey in the old hive in that 21 days. Perhaps the English 

 plan may be better. Wait for the first swarm, hive that in 

 the new hive, and 21 days later finish up the old hive. If 

 the first swarm does not come early enough to suit you, you 

 can drive a swarm. 



3. I think he never reported. We tried the plan, but it 

 was not a great success. One trouble, if there had been no 

 other, was that the sections were blackened with the old 

 comb that the bees seem to have carried down to use in cap- 

 ping the sections. 



4. We t/iitik the result would not be different, the bees 

 blackening the sections the same ; but you're never very sure 

 about what the bees will think till the case is submitted to 

 them. It would probably not be necessary to have a frame of 

 brood below to hold the bees with the queen, but the frame of 

 brood will hurry up work there, and it can be removed as 

 soon as the queen lays in the other frames, say within three 

 or four days. 



You can't get something for nothing; and you can't 

 get as much honey if you have the bees do something be- 

 sides. 



I Hasty's AftertliouSiits | 



The " Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B Rural, Toledo. Ohio. 



NEVER-FAILING METHODS OF QUEEN-INTRODUCTION. 



James Poindexter's never-failing way to introduce a 

 queen is enough difl^erent from other never-failing ways 

 that we shall do well to look over its points with care. The 

 methods usually crowed over as reliable methods in point of 

 fact are mostly used when circumstances are favorable in 

 the main. What we are after is a method that can be de- 

 pended upon in famine times, out-of -season times, robbing 

 times, times when bees are " cross as two sticks," and con- 

 trary as two old rams — times when the other never-failing 

 methods all fail. We shall find that Mr. P.'s way takes 

 work and time ; but if it is what it seems to be we can stand 

 that. Point 1 : Make sure no queen is present. (Very 

 necessary, and nothing new about it.) Point 2 : Make sure 

 there is plenty of unsealed honey in the hive. (Valuable. 

 Especially valuable for this method. Often unthought of.) 

 Point 3 : Make sure the bees are all at home — and shut in 

 there. (Usually unthought of. You see, we want to recon- 

 struct their tempers ; and enough unreconstructed ones to 

 make a small ball might defeat everything.) Point 4: 

 Make longer and more thorough work of " drumming " 

 them than previously thought of in connection with queen- 

 introduction. We wish to make sure that every bee has 

 plenty of honey down, and every one in the mental condi- 

 tion of perfect surrender — ready to sing the hymn, " O to 



