360 



({LEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



.lUKK 1 



Heads of Grain 



from Different Fields 



Does a Swarm Without a Queen Ever Remain 

 Hived? 



Reading noolittle'sconiinents regarding a part of 

 the swarm returning to the old hive, page 425, July 

 15, 1909, brought to mind a question over which I 

 have puzzled somewhat. Do bees ever swarm and 

 remain in a new location without the ciueen? A 

 year ago I would have said no. unhesitatingly; but 

 now 1 am not so sure about it. Last summer we 

 had but few swarms, but, as usual, had a few hives 

 piled up ready for use if needed. One day after scouts 

 had been working about the entrance of one of them 

 for some days a large swarm came from a distance 

 and entered the hive. The swarm was so large that 

 it was (litHciilt for the bees to get into the hive, 

 and I expected good results from so large a swarm 

 early in the season. The.v set to work vigorously 

 and built new combs, and were filling them raind- 

 ly when I Hrst looked into the hive a few weeks la- 

 ter. The surprising thing, however, to me was the 

 fact that no young bees were present in the hive, 

 and all the brood was drone brood scattered about 

 in the irregular way that unmistakably meant lay- 

 ing workers. 



Seeing that the case was hopeless, since the work- 

 ing force had been very largely diminished during 

 the honey-flow, and with no new bees to take their 

 place. I set them over another swarm in order to 

 save the few bees remaining. 1 should like to know 

 whether any similar case has been observed, and 

 whether the veterans can account for this in any 

 other manner than the swarm coming otT without 

 the queen. In this case the bees entered the hive 

 themselves without assistance, so there is no reason 

 to believe that the queen might have been killed or 

 injured by that operation: and had she been, the 

 bees would likel.v have returned to the old stand. I 

 believe that 



DR. MILLER'S PLAN FOR SWARM CONTROL 



is about the best I have read. I thought I had one 

 about worked out with less labor. However, this 

 season 1 have nearly 100 per cent increase, which in- 

 dicates that I am on the wrong track and will have 

 to go back and begin over. 



•STARTKKS I'SED BEFORE THE FLOW BEGINS IN EAR- 

 NEST. 



( )n the question of starters 1 realize that I am not 

 quite orthodox: but so far as I can see, there is very 

 little difference in results where bottom starters are 

 used and where nearl.v or quite full sheets are used 

 above. Then I u.se snuill starters at the beginning 

 of the season, for quite frequently the flow starts so 

 Slowly that the bees will tear df)wn the starters be- 

 fore work begins. Later, when the flow is on in 

 earnest, of course the larger the starter the better 

 the result. 



NO NEED OF WETTING SECTIONS. 



1 notice some comments on the best method of 

 wetting the groove in the sections. For some time 

 past I have not wet them at all. and find that, by 

 using Nf). 1 sections, there is i)ractically no break- 

 age, and the work is much more satisfactory. I 

 think that, without wetting, we do not break half a 

 dozen sections per thousand, and we broke as many 

 when wet. Fr.vnk (". I'ellett. 



Atlantic, Iowa, July 21. 1!H)9. 



[The fact that you found no .young bees and onl.v 

 drone brood does not prove that a cpieen did not 

 go with the swarm. The strong presumi)tion is, 

 that one was present when the swarm went forth, 

 and continued with it until it found its new (luar- 

 ters. The queen i>robably died from some cause al- 

 most immediately after she and her bees got in 

 their new home. It is safe to say that no swarm 

 would go far without a ciueen. 



In regard to the need of wetting sections, a good 

 deal will depend on how long those sections have 

 been made — that is, how (Irjj they are. When sec- 

 tions are freshly made, or when the atmosphere 

 where they have been stored is moist, probably no 

 wetting will be necessary. .Sections stored in a 

 room heated by furnace or steam will require to be 

 moistened at the grooves.— Kd.] 



To Prevent a Swarm from Issuing while Another 

 is in the Air. 



In my early experience I often had trouble with 

 two or more .swarms issuing at the same time and 

 getting mixed up. This I find can be avoided by 

 always having my smoker ready at a moment's no- 

 tice. As soon as I see a swarm issuing 1 go into the 

 yard: and if I see another swarm issuing 1 give 

 them a good "drubbing" with smoke, and then 

 they will not come out. 1 have used this plan for a 

 number of seasons, and have never seen it fail. 



WHAT TO DO WITH AKTER-SWARMS. 



After-swarming is another thing that is often 

 very perplexing to the beginner— how to prevent it 

 or what to do with little worthless after-swarms. 

 My plan may not be new nor the best, but I find 

 that it works well and is quite simple. Hive the 

 after-swarm in a super: take it back to the parent 

 hive: place it (»ver the old hive with a sheet of news- 

 paper having several pencil-holes punched in it be- 

 tween, and the bees gradually filter through and 

 seem to lose their identity. In three days I remove 

 the super if the old hive does not need it. and things 

 move along as if nothing had ever happened. 



A gunny sack tied to a hydrant which is allowed 

 to drip constantly makes the best watering-place 

 for bees I have ever found. The water is always 

 pure and thoroughly aerated, and no bees get 

 drowned. 



Rising Star. Texas, May 3. .1. W. Boase. 



The Bees of Shaded Colonies Work Right Along 

 During the Hottest Part of the Day. 



The i)ast season I had six colonies that were so 

 shaded by apjjle-trees that the sun shone on them 

 only a few hours in the late afternoon, and, .strange 

 as it may seem, these were the colonies that gave 

 me the most honey the past poor season. While it 

 is true that colonies that are out in the sun work 

 somewhat better early in the morning. I am con- 

 vinced that the shaded colonies make up for the 

 lo.ss during the hottest part of the day. I have no- 

 ticed again and again, no matter how hot and sul- 

 try it was. the shaded colonies worked right along, 

 while those that were out in the scorching sun did 

 not work nearly as well from noon to two o'clock. 

 Then the shaded colonies did not make prepara- 

 tions to swarm as early as those that were out in 

 the sun : in fact, some of them never tried to 

 swarm, and, consequently, they were the ones that 

 gave me the most honey. 



La Crescent. Minn.. Feb. 23. tl. A. li.\RBiscH. 



[Your experience seems to be the opposite of 

 most others, if not all others, that have reported. 

 This is an important question, and we hope others 

 will report. — Kd.] 



Yellow Sweet Clover in Kansas, etc. 



Yellow sweet clover commenced to bloom here 

 the last week in April. It is in full bloom now, and 

 all kinds of stock like it. As for pasture, .sown with 

 alfalfa it prevents bloat. All missed places and al- 

 kali spots I sow with it. I have four acres of it. 

 1 think it is next to alfalfa for pasture and forage 

 crop. I sowed a bushel of alsike for pasture this 

 spring — the first T have tried. I put it on bottom 

 land. Thev say it does better there than on up- 

 land. The yellow sweet clover does not grow as 

 rank as the white, and makes better i)asture. 



Concordia. Kan.. May 11. .bUjN W. Wilso.n. 



Old Foundation Just as Good as Fresh. 



In regard to old or new foundation. I will .say my 

 experience shows the old is just as good as new — 

 that is. I always begin putting foundation in the 

 sections in the fall and winter for my next season's 

 crop. 1 almost always have to i)Ut in a few the 

 next spring, and I can't see any difference. They 

 work on one just as well as the other. 



Luce, .Mich.. May 9. W. Craig. 



Silverhull Ahead of Japanese Buckwheat. 



As regards .lapanese buckwheat, page 250. it has 

 been strictly out of it for years in this neighbor- 

 hood, as it does not yield as many bushels as the 

 silverhull. and the local mill and buyers prefer the 

 latter variety. 



Coleman, Mich., .Vpril 28. F. H. Clark. 



