56 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



are made with the author. It will all 

 appear in the Review before the opening 

 of the swarming-season— probably be 

 finished in the April issue. At present I 

 shall neither endorse nor condemn the 

 system, and 1 would suggest that my 

 readers withold their judgment until the 

 whole book has been copied, then we can 

 discuss it to our heart's content. Here 

 is the first installment of the book: 

 (Copyrighted) 



The one essential in bee-keeping is 

 results. In this practical age the aim of 

 every progressive bee-keeper is to obtain 

 the greatest results with the least ex- 

 penditure of time and labor. 



While some may engage in apiculture 

 for recreation or a love of the pursuit, 

 without regard to the pecuniary returns, 

 the great rank and file are so situated 

 that they of necessity must look at the 

 matter from a dollar and cent point of 

 view. "How to Reduce the Cost of 

 Honey Production to a Minimum," is the 

 goal which they are seeking. 



All short cuts in bee-keeping and all 

 plans to abolish unnecessary manipula- 

 tion are receiving the thoughtful attention 

 of all up-to-date bee-keepers. Much 

 has been accomplished along these lines 

 in the past, and yet there is an urgent 

 demand for better and simpler methods 

 than are now "employed. Bee-keepers, 

 like the rest of humanity, often spend a 

 great deal of time and labor to ac- 

 complish a very little thing. Needless 

 manipulation has a money value, whether 

 performed by yourself or someone else, 

 and adds to the cost of production. In 

 no subject relating to apiculture does this 

 apply more strongly than it does to the 

 swarming problem. Natural swarming 

 as practiced by our grandfathers, has no 

 place in modern bee-keeping. The 

 methods advocated today are far ahead 

 of natural swarming, yet none of them 

 give total satisfaction. Numerous and 

 varied are the plans of swarm-control— 

 that do not control. Systems that do 

 not prevent. There is an element of un- 

 certainty and unreliability about each and 

 every method heretofore recommended. 

 Some of them call for costly hives and 

 fixtures, some for an endless amount of 

 manipulation, and some require all the 

 skill of a trained expert to carry them 

 into execution. None are infallible. What 

 the bee-keeping world is watching and 

 waiting for is some better plan — some 

 simple, sure and reliable method that 

 will prevent swarming at all times and 



under all circumstances. Is there, or 

 can there be, any management, any 

 process or treatment, that will fulfill 

 these requirements? The answer ex- 

 pected would be "No." The good old 

 orthodox ways appeal strtmgly to the 

 great majority of bee-keepers, and it 

 seems a difficult thing for them to cut 

 loose from the old methods that have the 

 sanction of antiquity. The myths, fables 

 and superstitions concerning bees— the 

 heritage of our ancestors — still cling to 

 us with a strange persistency, and nearly 

 every advance in bee-keeping has had 

 to encounter the whims, prejudices and 

 conservatism of the m.asses. In this day 

 of progress and discovery is it safe to 

 deny anything? Many of the unsolved 

 enigmas of the past are being solved 

 today, and why should the non-swarming 

 riddle remain without solution. Now, 

 brother and sister bee-keepers, it may 

 cause you some surprise and it may 

 awaken within you som,e skepticism when 

 1 make the bold broad statement that I 

 can outline a method of treatment that 

 wijl cure the swarming feature eve'ry 

 time and all the time. It will work 

 wherever bees can, as it is founded upon 

 an instinct of the bee which is infallible. 

 The treatment will cure the "swarming 

 impulse" if already acquired, or if given 

 before the bees think of swarming, will 

 prevent swarm preparation. It is either 

 a preventative measure or a pu'ative 

 measure, dependihg upon the time of 

 giving the treatment. It will and abso- 

 lutely does prevent all swarming at all 

 times and under all circumstances not- 

 withstanding that old legend that "Bees 

 Do Nothing Invariably." 



Not wishing to tax your credulity to 

 the breaking point, nor wishing you to 

 think these lines penned in a spirit of 

 egotism, 1 will desist from any further 

 preliminary statements, and outline the 

 plan which 1 have followed for the four 

 years past. 



Use all the well known methods early 

 in the spring to get the colonies strong in 

 bees before the honey flow is on. - Then 

 when the hives are full to overflowing 

 with bees and you have all the force you 

 want— all the bees needed to gather the 

 harvest- go to these mammoth colonies, 

 open the hives, and with the uncapping 

 knife or some other sharp instrument 

 uncap all the sealed brood you find, ex- 

 cept two frames of the sealed brood in 

 each hive, which you leave undisturbed. 

 The two frames of hatching brood will 

 keep up the strength of the colony during 

 the honey flow. Any time within fifteen 

 days give a second treatment, the same 



