1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



451 



Then if you find, as I have done, that re- 

 sults are practically identical, it follows that 

 the manipulations possible with a natural 

 swarm are also i)OSsible with the other, and 

 introducing, uniting, moving short distance, 

 increased energy, etc., are possible after 

 shaking, as we know that we can do these 

 things with swarms. 



As I have stated before, I have no ax to 

 grind in this matter. Personally I do not 

 care whether or not any one takes the short 

 cuts made possible by shaking, thus increas- 

 ing his efficiency. But I do feel the natural 

 affection of a parent for his offspring, and 

 desire to see the bees have a square deal, 

 and then if they do not make good it is their 

 own misfortune. 



The season is right upon us to begin these 

 experiments, and it gives promise of being 

 a good one to put this idea into actual ])rac- 

 tice, as the best results have been ai)parent 

 during a long and abundant How (and, in- 

 cidentally. I have noted that hybrid bees 

 respond more favorably than any others) . 

 Above all, do not " think " conclusions, but 

 know before you draw them. 



lledkey, Ind. 



AN ABSCONDING SWARM THAT WAS NOT 

 CAPTURED TILL COLD WEATHER. 



BY G. W. TEBBS. 



Two farmers living near me purchased 

 two colonies of my Italian bees aVjout two 

 years ago, and had good success so far as 

 honey production was concerned. But 

 when the swarming season came they had 

 difficulty in securing the swarms, owing to 

 the fact that their farms were situated in 

 the midst of swamps connected with Pus- 

 linch I.,ake, which is aljout two miles in 

 length. I advised them to cut the wings of 

 their queens, and so keep them from Hying 

 into inaccessible places when they left the 

 hive. Previously, however, some of the 

 swarms got away into the bush, and api)ar- 

 ently were lost for ever. 



One day last winter we began to clear a 

 portion of the bush about a mile from the 

 hives, and in felling a big tamarack a cloud 

 of bees flew out. When we examined the 



A GARTKH SNAKE CAUGHT KATING BKK.S AT THE ENTRANCE 

 OF A HIVE. 



A SWARM FROM THE COLONY THAT WAS 

 TAKEN FROM A BEE-TREE IN WINTER. 



tree we found that the colony occupied 

 about seven feet of the tree, the entrance 

 being about nine feet from the ground. 

 After allowing the bees to return we put a 

 handkerchief over the entrance, spreading 

 it so as to permit air to enter, and froze it 

 on the trunk with snow, the temperature 

 being about 14 below zero. We then sawed 

 the log above and below the colony, filling 

 the hollow ends with snow, and brought it 

 home. We cut the log half way through 

 just where we thought we could get at the 

 bees, on either ends of the combs, and then 

 split off the sawn half, 

 exposing the combs, 

 'lliis was done indoors. 

 Then we transferred 

 the bees from nine long 

 combs to a hive of par- 

 tially uncapped frames, 

 l^acked them in the 

 usual way for the win- 

 ter, and brought them 

 through in good shape. 

 I shook the bees on to 

 the frames in the hive, 

 and extracted about 

 50 lbs. of honey from 

 the natural combs, af- 

 terward melting them 

 up. The log is preserv- 



