THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



117 



up faster in the spriiif^ I have had 

 lots of colonies in the sprinf,'', rtllinjj;- 

 their twelve combs just as well as 

 their eij^^ht-franie; in fact, not having 

 swarmed they are more uniform. 

 Stronjjf colonies are what we want 

 every time and all the time providinj;- 

 we f;'ive them room. We ;ire told col- 

 onies may be too stronj,'; the moderate 

 pull ahead in the end. With a g-reat 

 bij4^ magnified laui^h people have told 

 me thej^ tried large hives and they 

 were the first to swarm. I grant col- 

 onies may be too strong" if improperlj' 

 managed. Room not being given in 

 the brood-chamber, and it being- al- 

 lowed to be honey clogged, the strong 

 colon}', when willow, maple, or fruit- 

 bloom comes, will crowd with honey 

 the brood-chamber and curtail the 

 brood-nest, and swarm or fall behind 

 for lack of brood room, when the 

 weaker, not storino" surplus, but with 

 enough for stimulation and immediate 

 requirements, gains upon the stronger 

 and outstrips it. For such a condition 

 no allcvance need be made in intelli- 

 g-ent modern bee-keeping". We may all 

 allow this at times; but the system is 

 not at fault — our manag'ement is. 



To those who laugh at the earl}' 

 swarms from larger hives, the above 

 applies, in addition, the fact that, hav- 

 ing- a larger force to begin with, they 

 build up faster, and will swarm unless 

 properly managed. If contraction is 

 practiced, the large hive has no greater 

 need (if as much need) of contraction 

 than the smaller. 



There are far more queens able to 

 use a twelve-frame brood-chamber than 

 bee-keepers realize. Because a queen 

 is not keeping- an eight-frame brood-- 

 charaber full of brood is not always a 

 rea>on for "pinching her," and is far 

 from proof that she could not fill a 

 twelve if given a chance. It is quite 

 as often proof that the bee-keeper needs 

 pinching. What I mean is that brood- 

 chambers are often allowed to be honey 

 and pollen clogged, and in a condition 

 where there is not proper room. Here 

 lies a foundation truth in successful 

 bee-keeping; and how a more uniform 

 3'ield per colony' could be secured, 

 straight evenly spaced combs, not so 

 old that the bees are waiting- for a 

 "rainj' daj^" to chew them down and 

 make them fit for brood. Seeing: that 

 there is plenty of honej', but not too 

 much, and that if the colony has been 

 queenless through swarming, or other- 

 wise, and has become honey and pollen 

 clogged, see that the new queen has 



amiile room to lay without the bees 

 making the room at a loss of time to 

 bees and tjueens. To k^ep a la3'ing 

 queen in the hive all the time, as can 

 be done when not swarming, is a valu- 

 able simple way of gaining- some 

 points in the sj'stem. Some varieties 

 of bees, especially strains of Italians, 

 are more apt to pack honey about the 

 brood, and must be watched more, and 

 this trait properly directed. Bruise 

 honej' so as to bleed; and if there is too 

 much in the brood-chamber, put it 

 elsewhere; either give to colonies tiot 

 so well provided, or, if strong enough 

 and seasonable, give a super with one 

 or more combs, or remove entirely. I 

 took about fifty combs, for this reason, 

 from the brood-chambers last season. 

 I was too much rushed to attend to 

 them, and the moth destroyed them. 

 That is bad enough, but it paid better 

 than to cut down the capacity of my 

 twelve-frame Langstroth brood-cham- 

 bers. 



There is a great difference in bees 

 as to swarming. I am not prepared to 

 say that, if I ran only one-apiary, it 

 would not be Carniolan bees I would 

 keep. If Mr. Aspinwall's hive proves 

 to be a non-owarmer, it is Carniolans I 

 shall have; but in running out-3'ards, 

 and with the busy season we have, 

 bees are .sometimes allowed to crowd 

 even our large hives, and then the Car- 

 niolans lesent the restricted energy 

 more than other varieties. I admit 

 the}' are too much for me in thei'- 

 purity at present; but I aim at having 

 them one-third blood Carniolan. Some 

 strains of Italians doing goo.l work 

 too, but probably not the best, and are 

 easily kept from swarming. Begin 

 with strong stocks in the apiary, and 

 3'ou have a difficulty in preventing 

 swarming- that the badl3' wintered and 

 weak colonies do not give. Have a 

 long flow with but little of break be- 

 tween blossoms, and you have a diffi- 

 dulty those with short and sharp flows 

 do not experience. The condition of 

 man3' ofmv colonies and the conditions 

 under which they are placed are most 

 trying as to swarming, and more is ac- 

 complished than man3' will realize who 

 are not similarl3' ]ilaced. As soon as 

 the brood-chamber is crowded, and the 

 bees require room, supers are put on; 

 a queen excluder, with only a wooden 

 rim and two cross-pieces, is put in 

 place. I grant there ma3' be a greater 

 tendenc\'to swarm with queen-exclud- 

 ers, but not much if the perforations in 

 the metal are obstructed as little as 



