720 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. lo 



stronp colonfes from contracting the swarm- 

 iug fever befoie ihe main hdney-fiow we 

 give them a full upper story of emi)ty combs 

 above a queen-excluder. This will prevent 

 the storing of honey in the brood-chamber, 

 which will be filled with brood. 



When ihe harvest is in full swing, and 

 the top story is about half full of uncapped 

 honey, assuming that each colony is provid- 

 ed with a switch-board we will begin opera- 

 tions for the control of swarming by placing 

 the top story, bees and all, down upon the 

 vacant side of the switch-board, and ex- 

 change the central comb for a comb of brood 

 and bees, including the queen from hive No. 

 1; put on a queen-excluder and a super of 

 sections; close the hives and throw the 

 switch, thus closing the inner entrance to 

 hive No. 1, and at the same time open the 

 inner entrance to No. 2 without changing 

 the appearance of their outside entrance. 



The returning field bees, laden with nec- 

 tar, will enter the new hive through their 

 accustomed entrance without a moment's 

 hesitation, and no time is lost to the bees in 

 getting accustomed to new surrounding, 

 which in the midst of a good honey-flow 

 means a gain of se\eral pounds of honey 

 over other methods where bees are shaken 

 and otherwise unduly excited, by throwing 

 them into an abnormal condition, causing 

 them to sulk and loaf for a day or two, when 

 a colony in a normal condition would show 

 a gain of 5 to 10 lbs. per day. 



The switch on the back side is thrown in 

 the opposite direction to provide a new en- 

 trance for colony No. 1, which has been so 

 smoothly rob'ed of its field bees, and which 

 should now be given a (fueen. The honey 

 in the new brood-chamber will go into the 

 sections to make room for brood. 



A strong point in the new system is that 

 the brood in colony No. 1 is held in reserve 

 to reen force the swarm; therefore, as soon 

 as a goodly force of young bees are again 

 Hying from No. 1, which will be in about 

 eight to ten days, we will throw the switch 

 on the back side, again closing the inner 

 entrance to No. 1, and, opening the inner 

 entrance to No. 2, the returning field bees 

 will scamper into hive No. 2, i)ellmell, de- 

 posit their load of nectar, and scud to the 

 fields as though noihingout of the ordinary 

 had happened. This is what w^e understand 

 by v>erftct control of bees. 



Hive No. 2 is now crammed full of bees 

 with an entrance at each end >^ by 12 inches, 

 and a one-inch space below the frames, both 

 of which are important factors in solving 

 the problem of swarm control. 



The entrance to No. 1 now being closed we 

 will again provide a new one by o])ening the 

 auxiliary entrance on the side. This will 

 usually settle the swarming question during 

 an ordinary honey-tlow; however, should 

 the harvest continue until the brood begins 

 to hatch in No. 2 it is advisable to shift the 

 field bees back into No. 1. This is easily 

 and quickly done by reversing both levers, 

 thus closing both the inner entrain es to No. 

 2, and opening both the inner entrances to 



No. 1, transferring the supers (bees and all) 

 over to No. 1. The entrances to No. 2 being 

 now closed, we will open their side entrance. 



All four entrances are now open, and the 

 side entrance to No. 1 may be closed in a 

 day or two; otherwise it will serve as a check 

 to the next shift. Since the bees that have 

 a habit of using that entrance will not be 

 shifted by the levers, these entrances are al- 

 so used as safety-valves against the possibil- 

 ity of weakening a colony so as to cause the 

 loss of brood. It will be noticed that, after 

 the first shift, positively all that is required 

 to control swarming is to throw the switches 

 once in eight to ten days and transfer the 

 supers. The hives being so close together, 

 this.can be done without moving from one's 

 tracks; however, during a good honey-flow 

 it Will, perhaps, be necessary to a(ki an 

 empty super at each shift, which may be 

 placed at the bottom, and the partly filled 

 ones (bees and all) on top. 



At each shift a strong force of young bees 

 is called into action to re-enforce the swarm, 

 which is steadily increasing in numerical 

 strength instead of decreasing, as is the case 

 with natural and shook swarms. If no in- 

 crease is desired, no queen is given to No. 1, 

 from which the bees are shifted over into 

 No. 2 at intervals of ten to twelve days. 

 After the second shift but few bees will re- 

 main, and the hive and combs may be used 

 as desired. 



A noticeable feature of the system is that 

 the double entrances always go with the 

 strong colony, and the small side entrances 

 with the weak one. As a further aid to 

 swarm control we usually raise the back end 

 of the cover during very hot weather. Thus 

 the field bees may be shifted back and forth 

 from one hive to another automatically at 

 intervals of eight to ten days without dis- 

 turbing their equanimity in the least, or in- 

 terfering with the serenity of their usual oc- 

 cupation. 



Again, this is what we understand by per- 

 fect control of bees. Sectional hives have 

 no advantages under the new system, since 

 the new principle reduces frame-handling 

 to the minimum, and entirely precludes 

 any necessity for handling brood-chambers. 



Birmingham, Ohio. 



To be continued. 



A BEE-LINE STRAIGHT UNDER FAVORA- 

 BLE CONDITIONS. 



Conditions Under which it is Made to Deviate 

 from a Straight Course; an Interesting Dis- 

 cussion. 



BY RALPH P. FISHER. 



Compared with my experience, the defi- 

 nition of a bee-line as given in Dr. Miller's 

 Stray Straws, p. ()12, October 1, is very mis- 

 leading. The investiga'ions of one Felix 

 l*lateau, and the footnotes of the editor, I 

 fear, are not quite complete, wherein the 

 following is offered to strengthen the point 

 at issue. In hunting bee-trees the bee-line 



