THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



carrj' out the plans and rules, laid 

 down by Lang-stroth and Quinby, in 

 their masterful works, written fifty 

 years asjo I 



In the matter of controlling- increase, 

 no plan that requires any subsequent 

 manipulation, or fussing-, is practical, 

 and that is why I prefer to practice 

 shooi<-s warming. 



I have eleven apiaries, averag-ing- a 

 little over 100 colonies each, and it re- 

 quires a little over one hundred miles 

 of travel, each week, to visit them all; 

 hence, it is possible to see thein only 

 once every six days, and the Stachel- 

 hausen plan of giving brood for a day 

 or so, and then taking it away, is not 

 possible; and, in mj' locality', it would 

 not be best. 



I will not attempt in this article to 

 give my plans through the whole 

 swarming season, with the whole 

 ^^tring of apiaries, for, in some apia- 

 , ries, where there is a prospect for a 

 good late flow, I piefer to shake a 

 whole yard at once, making, perhaps, 

 from 75 to TOO per cent, of increase, 

 thus bringing swarming to an end early 

 in the season. 



To illustrate the plans we follow, I 

 will first say tl]at I aim to see how 

 little work I can do in early spring in- 

 stead of how much. 



THE INFLUliNCK OK KALI- AND SPRING 

 MANAGEMi.NT. 



The previous autumn, I see to it that 

 each colony has a vigorous qneen, 

 plenty of bees and honey; and, if not 

 full of hone}', I feed sugar syrup until 

 it is full; then, when March comes, I 

 let them alone, and when April comes, 

 I let them alone; and when May comes 

 I let them alone; until at least the 20th 

 of the month. Any eight-frame hive 

 well provisioned the fall before will 

 have ample stores until this time. 

 Now, if Nature is not meeting the 

 needs of the bees begin to feed, and 

 keep it up until the flow commences; 

 many bee-keepers rowwifwri? feeding too 

 soon, and quit too soon. 



Don't practice spreading brood be- 

 fore June 1st. It don't pay. 



Now, June 1st, or earlier in the 

 season, if conditions require, go over 

 every colony in the apiary, and note 

 the condition, and draw from the 

 strongest and give to the weakest. 

 You have now established a date. 



The season is now on when we 

 may expect swarming; and, as I in- 

 tend to hold the swarming down to the 

 minimum, I examine every colony every 

 six days. I say six days, because 

 that is just the right time; four or five 

 days is too soon for conditions to suffi- 

 cientl}"^ develop, and seven or eight 

 days is too long, and some colonies 

 will have started cell cups and devel- 

 oped their young queens sufficiently to 

 have swarmed by the eighth day. 



HOW TO DISCOURAGE AND DIMINISH 

 SWARMING. 



The second examination is a very 

 important time; some colonies are pre- 

 paring to swarm, but none are shaken 

 as long as there are weak colonies that 

 will take one or more frames of brood; 

 and, besides, a large per cent, of the 

 colonies from which brood is drawn 

 will not again off"er to swarm if work 

 now begins in the super. All colonies 

 that have queen cells or queen cups 

 should be deprived of such cells. 



Now comes the third visit, and a 

 large per cent, of the colonies from 

 which cells were removed on the last 

 visit will be found to have given up 

 swarming, if work has begun in the 

 supers; and it is wise to anticipate 

 their needs and give too much room, 

 rather than not enough, at this season 

 of the year. 



WHEN THE TIME COMES TO "SHAKE." 



After having discouraged many col- 

 onies from swarming, on the two pre- 

 vious visits, by drawing brood and cut- 

 ting out cells, we will find quite a per 

 cent, that are still determined to 

 swarm; and now is the time to use 

 thoroughness and judgment — and don't 



