206 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



^*.iiiir 



:^ 





Apiary of J. B. Holsinger, Johnstown, Pa. 



SWARM CONTROL. 



Our system of swarm control was 

 to prevent swarming conditions as far 

 as possible by ample ventilation, room, 

 and re-queening. In spite of all this a 

 percentage of them would be found pre- 

 paring to swarm and were handled about 

 as follows : If a colony was found with 

 extra well filled supers and the cells 

 started, probably caused by over-crowd- 

 ing, cells were destroyed and new empty 

 supers of combs given, some brood 

 raised up or taken away and full sheets 

 of foundation or full combs given in the 

 brood nest. This treatment would often 

 cure such a colony of swarming. 



If a colony had not been filling its 

 supers up to the average, had plenty 

 of bees and no very good reason for 

 preparing to swarm, only perhaps lazi- 

 ness, they were treated to shook swarm- 

 ing and left destitute, a sure cure for 

 such a colony. 



If a cpieenless colony was found the 

 cells were destroyed and a young laying 

 queen introduced. 



Superceding colonies were treated in 

 the same way, also all colonies where 

 the queen appeared to be failing. Every 



young queen successfully introduced, 

 makes a colony that can be counted on 

 as safe and passed without the usual 

 examination. If a colony is work- 

 ing well, from and to the entrance, 

 no clustering there, the super showing 

 good progress and the bees up well into 

 the corners of it, a further examination 

 is often unnecessary and much time can 

 be saved. 



EXTRACTING THE HONEY. 



Our extracting was done much in the 

 usual way. My helper brushed one side 

 of the comb while I brushed the other. 

 He then put it into a super on the wheel- 

 barrow. I would have another ready 

 while he was doing that and in this way 

 we could take off say 15 or 20 supers in 

 about half an hour and proceed to ex- 

 tract. No bee-escapes were used. No 

 engine, but during the extracting season 

 we had 14-year-o'.d help to turn the ex- 

 tracter, wash tins, etc. 



Such a crop could very reasonably 

 be expected again as I have had better 

 averages per colony many different 

 years before and with power driven ex- 

 tractors and an extra helper or two, 

 twice as manv colonies could be man- 



