Junk, lOlj^ 



G L E .\ N I N G S IN B K E CULTURE 



339 



that Dr. Miller alhules to the fact that E. 

 E. Root puts all the sealed or hatching brood 

 above, and tlie unsealed brood below with 

 the queen; and then he continues, "Please 

 tell us why that was better than putting 

 sealed brood below and unsealed brood 

 brood above; also why it was better to put 

 up only part of the brood instead of the 

 regular Deniaree plan of putting up all the 

 brood, with the possible exception of one." 



Now, it just happens that of the two sug- 

 gestions in Dr. Miller's last sentence, the 

 first is not Demaree 's and the se.ond is a 

 combination of the plans Deniaree gave in 

 1892 and 1894, while E. R. Root's plan was 

 the one given by Demaree in 1895. How- 

 ever, Mr. Root was apparently quite uncon- 

 scious of the fact, for in a footnote he 

 straightway proceeded to put up a very 

 good defense in which he said: "We do not 

 claim that this procedure is better than 

 the Demaree plan." 



Sealed. Brood Should be Above. 



This last quotation of Dr. Miller 's raises 

 the question whether the sealed brood should 

 be put above or below. We feel convinced 

 that it, together with all but a small patch 

 of the unsealed, should be put above. This 

 leaves the upper and lower colonies In the 

 same condition as the new and old colonies 

 of a natural swarm. 



Demaree 's Plan Underwent Changes. 



During a period of about ten years his 

 plan underwent certain changes. Just what 

 his finally perfected plan was we cannot say, 

 unless it was the one given in 1895. 



In the American Bee Journal, page 619, 

 1884, in an article entitled ' * Controlling- 

 Increase, ' ' his idea was to make the colony 

 queenless for a time. When the colony first 

 showed signs of sw^arming he placed on the 

 old stand a new hive of empty combs, one 

 containing some larvae just hatched. On this 

 was placed whatever supers the colony 

 chanced to have. He then placed the old 

 hive at right angles to the new one, leav- 

 ing in it the queen and a few bees, most of 

 the bees having been shaken in front of the 

 new hive. At the end of five days he grad- 

 ually turned the old hive, bringing the 

 entrances beside each other, and then at the 

 end of ten days turned it back again, thus 

 turning more of the field bees into the new 

 hive. • At this time he also removed the 

 queen-cells and gave young larvae. When 

 all danger of swarming was over he tiered 

 the old hi\e above the new one. 

 Demaree 's Plan of 1892. 



In 1892 (American Bee Journal, page 545) 

 Demaree discarded this plan, saying that 

 "any system that requires a divided con- 

 dition of the colony, using two or more 

 hives, is not worthy of a thought." He then 

 proceeded to give a full discussion of his 

 plan, concerning which we especially call at- 

 tention to the fact that the method was ap- 

 plied at the commencement of sw^arming, 

 but usually before any cells hail ap])eared, 

 instead of after the cells were far advanced 



and sometimes even cajjped, as in the plan 

 we advocate; that the j)uipose was swarm 

 ])revention only, instead of either preven- 

 tion or control — and that the brood was, 

 therefore, never removed from tlu; hive; 



Super. 



Super. 



Combs of brood in cen- 

 ter of super. 

 Empty combs at sides 

 of super. 



Queen-excluder. 



Queen, empty combs 

 and 1 comb with eggs, 

 unsealed brood. Foun- 

 dation or starters may 

 be used. 



Demaree's Plan of 1892, for 

 pievention of increase. Ap- 

 plied to strongest colonies at 

 ( oin.nencement of swarming, 

 but usually before appearance 

 of any queen-cells. If ap- 

 plied after swarm issues, no 

 brood or eggs are left in 

 brood-nest. 



and that the surplus supers appear to have 

 been placed above the super of brood in- 

 stead of between the brood and lower story. 

 Following is a statement of his 1892 plan: 



"When your apiary is as large as you want it, 

 what would you give to be able, by a simple, practi- 

 cal manipulation at the beginning of the swarming 

 .*:eason, to hold all your colonies in full strength of 

 working and breeding force steadily thru the entire 

 honey harvest? You can do it, beyond a doubt, by 

 practicing my new system of preiventing swarming; 

 and if you have the ing-enuity to apply proper man- 

 agement to suit the new cnndition, your surplu.s 

 yield will be larger than by any other method madci 

 known to the public. 



"I have practiced the new systefn largely for the 

 past two seasons, and my surplus yield was never so 

 large, tho it is well known that the past two seia- 

 sons were not r.liove the av;'i-a;e as honey-yielding 

 seasons. 



"As I have already intimated, my plan of prevemt- 

 ing swarming, and entirely preveinting increase, is 

 accomplished by one single manipulation right at 

 the commencement of swarming. Only one hive 

 and its outfit is used for each colony.- Any system 

 that requires a divided condition of the colony, .us- 

 ing two or more hives, is not worthy of a thought. 



"In my practice I l;egin with the strongest colo- 

 nipis and transfer the combs containing I)rood from 

 the brood-chamber to an upper story above the 



