June, 1913. 



American Vee Journal 



pose of the drones, so that you will take 

 none there except in the one hive. 



A Difficult Swarm— Old Queens— Placing Frames 



1. What is a t'ood way to hive a large 

 swarm of bees from a bee-tree ? The small 

 entrance is about 20 feet from the ground, 

 and the tree is much too valuable to be cut. 



2. In requeening how can I keep the old 

 queen in good condition for several weeks 

 until I find out whether or not I shall need 

 her? 



3. Can large brood-frames be interchanged 

 successfully with shallow extracting frames 

 which were also used as brood-frames ? 

 Will it make any difference to the bees if 

 the large frames do not iiuite hans. but only 

 set in the brood-chamber ? I am trying to 

 use a number of deep supers as bodies: they 

 measure exactly the same depth, but the 

 frames of the regular bodies are just a little 

 too tall to hang in them. 



4. In hiving a swarm where only the queen 

 and not quite two frames of bees can be 

 captured, should the division-board be used 

 as in nuclei, and about how many frames of 

 comb or foundation should be given them ? 



Kentucky. 



Answers.— T. Your question puts me 

 very much where those bees are— "up a 

 tree." I have some doubt whether there is 

 any way by which you can get those bees 



into a hive— provided the tree is not to be 

 cut— without costing more trouble and labor 

 than the bees are worth. Possibly you might 

 smoke 'em out. if you can in some way 

 secure footing enough to operate so high up 

 in the air. The first thing is to decide as 

 nearly as you can where the colony is 

 located with reference to the entrance, for 

 I take it from what you say that there is 

 only one entrance. That maybe at the top 

 of the cavity, at the bottom, or somewhere 

 between. With your ear against the tree, 

 listen to the noise of the bees when you 

 pound upon the tree, and you may be able 

 to locate them. If the entrance be at the 

 top. or near the top, then make another 

 hole at the bottom; otherwise make a hole 

 at the top of the cavity. Then into the 

 lower of the two holes send something 

 whose odor will drive the bees out of the 

 upper hole, carbolic acid, tobacco smoke, 

 etc. Even ordinary wood-smoke from a 

 smoker may suffice if persisted in. .•\s soon 

 as the bees are out, plug the holes so they 

 cannot return, and then treat them as a 

 swarm. 

 2. The best way is to keep her in a nucleus 



of one or two frames. You may be able to 

 keep her in a queen-cage provisioned with 

 queen-candy, especially if you put a dozen 

 of workers with her. and keep her in a 

 warm place. 



3. If I undestand you. the bottom-bars of 

 the frames will rest on the hive-floor. That 

 will be all right except for the annoyance 

 that the bottom-bars will be glued to the 

 floor. For a temporary thing it will do. but 

 hardly for a permanency. 



4. A division-board is not needed, but it is 

 better to have a dummy; that is a board like 

 a division-board, but having a space all 

 around. The hive may be filled at first with 

 combs, or you may give only one comb more 

 than the bees can cover, adding others as 

 they are needed. 



Apiary of J. H. Warner & Son, of Middleburgh. N, Y. 



Keeping Down Increase 



I desire to keeij down increase and rear 

 new queens every year, and as I am busy I 

 want to do this the simplest and easiest way 

 possible, 



1. How would this do? When a swarm 

 comes out, hive it in a new hive on the old 

 stand, put a queen-excluder over the en- 

 trance so as to get the old queen, kill her, 

 then set the section of hive containing the 

 brood and queen-cells on top of the new 

 hive containing the swarm, and the super 

 also, if there was one on the hive, placing the 

 other section of brood on some weak colony? 

 After shaking the bees out in front of the 

 parent colony, would not this give a new 

 queen, keep down increase, and give a good 

 crop of honey? We would cut out all of the 

 cells but one. or would that be necessary ? 



2. Just before the clover bloom comes, or 

 before the bees show signs of swarming, say 

 two weeks before the main honey How, how 

 would it do to take one or two frames of 

 brood and young larvae, six full sheets 

 of foundation, put them in a half brood- 

 body, and set this on a section of empty 

 combs; set this on the old stand, shaking 

 part of the bees from the old frames; then 

 set the old hive, queen and all near by on a 

 new stand, and in 4 or s days put a super of 

 full starters on the queenless part, and 

 after the flow is over unite them? AVould 

 the new queen kill the old one. so that we 

 would have a new queen in each colony so 

 Xxez.\.vA-(.'ilh,iut ezcr havini; to lout lip the old 

 i/in-iii? I don't like to hunt for queens. I 

 had settled on the Chapman plan of taking 

 the old queen away, but that means you 

 will have to find her first, which is a job in 

 full colonies. I have tried every plan given, 

 and I believe to iust look over one frame at 

 a time is as good as any. Subscriber. 



Skv-scrai'Ers in a Western Apiary. 



Answers.— I. Yes. this would work well. 

 You would have to cut out all cells but one. 

 else the first virgin out of her cell would be 

 likely to issue with a swarm. Instead of 

 that, it would be a little better if you would 

 wait until you hear the young queen piping 

 in the evening (this would be a week or 

 more after the issuing of the swarm), and 

 then the next morning kill all queen-cells. 

 This would be a little surer to give you a 

 good queen than to kill all cells but one. for 

 the cell left might not be the best, and in 

 rare cases might even contain a dead larva. 



2. I don't believe you would like this. You 

 would hardly get the very best queens in 

 this way. For one thing, queens reared so 

 early are likely to be poor. Then you are 

 not certain which part would be queenless, 

 and if it should happen to be the one set on 

 a new stand, it would likely be too weak 

 and discouraged to rear a good queen. If 

 the queenless part were left on the old 

 stand, a swarm would too often issue with 

 the first young queen. 



LEWIS BEEWARE MEANS I 



GOOD QUALITY, SCIEN- 

 TIFIC WORKMANSHIP 

 AREFUL PACKENC 

 FFICIENT SERVICE 



.Send for Anniinl Cntnlo}? n-hieh iviJI toll 

 you \vli4i In \<nir nearest DiNtribiiter. 

 G. B. Lenis ConB[i:iny, AVatertoivn, Wis. 



