1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



303 



make the most of our reduced colonies we must 

 supply them with plenty of food. These colo- 

 nies are to be kept shut up to these combs until 

 they have filled them with brood clear down to 

 the corners, before more combs are added; and 

 in no case do we allow any more than one-half 

 the number of combs used in our hives. As 

 soon as the stronger of these have all the combs 

 they can be allowed filled with brood, a frame 

 having the most mature brood in is taken from 

 them, and a comb quite well filled with honey 

 set in its place, to stimulate them to greater ac- 

 tivity and cause the queen to fill this comb im- 

 mediately with eggs. If the honey is sealed, 

 break the cappings of the cells by passing a 

 knife flatwise over it, or by uncapping it with 

 the honey-knife. The frame of mature brood 

 Is to be given to one of the next weaker of the 

 weak colonies, or say one which lacks one frame 

 of having the allowed number. Don't make the 

 mistake which many do, of giving this frame of 

 brood to one of the very weakest, hoping to get 

 them ahead faster, for the weather has not yet 

 become steadily warm enough so but that there 

 is danger of losing the brood by chilling, as well 

 as what brood these very weak colonies already 

 have. By giving it to a colony nearly as strong 

 as was the one from which it was taken, both 

 are benefited, and both can furnish brood to an- 

 other colony which was only a little weaker 

 than the second, in a week or so. Thus we keep 

 on working the brood from the very strongest 

 down, step by step, as the bees advance and the 

 season advances also, till by the time the weak- 

 est colony (one having, say, only two combs 

 filled with brood by this time), can take brood 

 enough, without danger of chilling, to make it 

 of equal strength with all. 



Having all with the allowed number of combs, 

 we are now ready to unite, which should be 

 done about two weeks before the honey harvest 

 comes, that the best results may be obtained. 

 To unite, go to No. 1 and look over the combs 

 till you find the one the queen is on, when you 

 will set it— queen, bees, and all— out of the hive, 

 so as to make sure that you do not get the queen 

 where you do not wish her, when you are to 

 take the rest of the combs, bees and all, to hive 

 No. 2, and, after spreading out the combs in this 

 hive, set those brought from No. 1 in each al- 

 ternate space made by spreading the combs in 

 No. 3, and close the hive. In a week or so this 

 colony will be ready for the sections; and if 

 your experience is any thing like mine it will 

 make a colony which will give as much comb 

 honey as would the colony which you called 

 your very best some years when your bees had 

 wintered perfectly. In this way you will have 

 half as many colonies in excellent condition to 

 work in sections as you had weak colonies in the 

 spring, and will secure a good yield of section 

 honey ; while, had you united them in early 

 spring, or tried to work each one separately, 



little if any surplus would be the result, accord- 

 ing to my experience. You will probably have 

 all the swarms from these colonies which you 

 will desire, for increase; but should you not, the 

 comb with brood, bees, and queen, which are to 

 be put back into hive No. 1, together with an 

 empty comb and one partly filled with honey, 

 can be built up to a fair-sized colony for win- 

 tering, or two such colonies can be united in the 

 fall. 



WHICH QUEEN GOES WITH THE FIRST, OR PRIME, 

 SWARM ? 



Qrtestion.— Will you kindly let me know in 

 Gleanings which queen leaves the hive with 

 the first swarm — the old or the young one ? I 

 have been asked several times, but I am unable 

 to answer. 



^7iswe?'.— Unless, for some reason, the old 

 quet n, or ihe one which has laid the eggs which 

 produce the bees that accompany the swarm, 

 has become lost or killed, this old queen is the 

 one which always accompanies the first swarm. 

 In case the old queen gets killed just before the 

 swarming season, then the bees will raise other 

 queens from the larvaj hatching from her eggs, 

 in which case a young queen may go with the 

 first swarm; but, as I once said, such a swarm 

 can not be considered a prime swarm. After 

 reading this. Dr. Miller asked in Stray Straws 

 why such a swarm was not a prime swarm, but 

 I think I have never answered. A "prime" 

 any thing is something obtained from its kind 

 when it is in its best or normal condition; and 

 as a first swarm with a virgin or young queen is 

 not sent out under normal or the best condi- 

 tions, it can not be called a prime swarm. Is 

 this correct, doctor? If not, why not? As a 

 rule, ninety-nine out of every hundred first 

 swarms are accompanied by the old, or laying 

 queen. 



[The late editions of the A B C of Bee Culture 

 do not recommend uniting in the spring — see 

 "Wintering," on page 336. The earlier editions 

 did so, and some of the bee-books do recommend 

 the p.raciice as you state ; but I believe it is 

 generally admitted that uniting in the spring 

 one or more weak colonies does little or no good. 

 -Ed.] 



CLOSED-END FRAMES. 



PIGG S METHOD OF FASTENING. 



By J. M. Pigri. 



I notice in Gleanings for March 1st a plan 

 of hive by Mr. E. H. Gabus. Prior to seeing 

 this I had gotten up one to modify the Aspin- 

 wall hive, and I think it also modifies the 

 Gabus hive, because the frames are the same 

 size as the L., inside. The cover is the same 



