230 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. If). 



him that I greatly enjoyed, and shall never for- 

 get. 



But our ways diverged, and the time for sep- 

 aration soon arriv(>d. Miss Constance was not 

 going with her father, but would go on the 

 same train with me to Tarpon Springs, where I 

 had expected to meet her and have the pleasure 

 of getting better acquainted with her, and of 

 introducing her to a number of my friends; but 

 when I went to look her up next morning I 

 found that she had left the place. 



THE ANDERSON SWARM-HIVER 



Bii Lduis A)Hlc)v<))i. 



In the spring, or before the swarming season, 

 prepare a hive-stand large enough to hold two 

 Dovetailed hives placed side by side, and two 

 inches apart. Place the colony of bees upon the 

 left end of the stand, and an empty hive on the 

 right (the bee-keeper is supposed to be stand- 

 ing in front of and facing the hive.) 



As the swarming season approaches (say 

 from the first to the tenth of May), reverse the 

 hives, placing the empty hive on the left and 

 the colony on the right, taking care to have the 

 front of the hives on a line with each other, 

 and about two inches apart: then set the 

 swarm-hiver upon the alighting-boards and 

 fasten with a screw through the blocks on each 

 end of the hiver, and screw up tight. If the 

 hives stand, upon a line, there will now be no 



outlet for the bees except through the hiver. 

 Now close the entrance to the empty hive by 

 placing a wood strip large enough for the pur- 

 pose against the entrance upon the inside of 

 the hive, to keep the bees out until they have 

 become accustomed to the hiver, which will be 

 after the first day. As soon as they have be- 

 come accustomed to the hiver, remove the 

 strip and put in frames of empty comb or 

 foundation, and the hive is ready for swarms. 

 A small alighting-board should be placed from 

 the entrance to the ground, for the bees to 

 alight upon. If the hives, are placed well to 



the front of the hive-stand when first placed, 

 and well to the rear when reversed, the en- 

 trance to the hiver will be very near where the 

 entrance to the colony was before the hives 

 were changed. 



OPERATION OF THE SWARM HIVER. 



When the swarm issues, the bees and queens 

 pass out of the chamber in the hiver in front of 

 the colony through the perforated zinc and the 

 wire-cloth cones, into the chamber in front of 

 the empty hive, and the queen is there trapped. 

 The swarm, upon discovering the absence of the 

 queen, returns to the hive, and, finding the 

 queen at the entrance of the hiver, which, be- 

 ing directly in front of and communicating 

 with the empty hive, the bees at once enter the 

 empty hive with the queen, and commence 

 work. The hiver may now be removed by 

 taking out the two screws, and all queen -cells 

 except one cut out of the parent hive. 



The swarm may be strengthened, if desired, 

 by removing the hiver in the middle of the day, 

 when the bees are flying freely; the entrance 

 to the hiver being in front of the swarm-hive 

 after the hiver is removed, the field-bees will 

 return to the swarm-hive. If the swarm is 

 considered to be strong enough, the hiver should 

 be removed early in the morning, before the 

 bees are flying. 



WHAT IS CLAIMED FOR THE ANDERSON 

 SWARM -HIYER. 



1. It will hive lai'ge full swarms. 



2. To see if the bees have swarmed, it is only 

 necessary to raise the cover to the empty (or 

 swarm) hive. 



3. Either of the hives may be examined with- 

 out disturbing the other. 



4. If a second swarm issues before the hiver 

 is removed, it will be hived with the first 

 swarm; in such case the old (or laying) queen 

 will be accepted by both swarms, and the 

 young queen balled and destroyed. 



5. If the bees do not swarm, the colony 

 gathers honey just as well as without the hiver. 

 During the season of 1892 the colony that made 

 the most comb honey in my apiary of 40 colo- 

 nies had a hiver attached, but did not swarm. 



6. If drones clog the entrance to the hiver, 

 the perforated zinc slide may be withdrawn, 

 the drones liberated, and the slide returned; 

 the drones may then be destroyed, in the even- 

 ing, at the entrance of the hiver. Or make a 

 small box, three inches high, the size of the en- 

 trance to the hiver, but without top or bottom. 

 For a top, nail on a strip of perforated zinc; 

 and in place of a bottom, make a tin slide to 

 work the same as the perforated zinc slide in 

 the hiver. To clear the hiver of drones, with- 

 draw the tin slide from the box and place the 

 opening in front of the entrance to the hiver. 

 Now remove the slide in the hiver, and the 

 drones will enter the box. As soon as the 

 drones are in the box, return the tin slide and 

 remove the box, and replace the zinc slide in 



