342 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



June, 1918 



lie started in the niajority of cases ; but they can 

 be cared for easily later on." 



We consider this system a very good one 

 for those who desire no increase and have 

 such large swarms that there is no danger 

 of dulling the brood when applying the 



Combs of brood. 



Queen-cells started in ; 

 rna.iority of cases but ' 

 easily cared for. 



Super of combs. 



tjueen-exclnder. 



Full .sheets foundation, 

 1 comb brood. 



J. L. Byer's Plan of 1914, for 

 sw!ir>n prevention. Applied 

 before swarming fever shows. 



plan so early. It will readily be seen that 

 this plan is to be applied before any cells 

 are started, and is for swarm prevention 

 alone, thus offering no provision for those 

 desiring increase and also a crop of honey. 

 On the other hand, it should be noted that a 

 super of combs intervenes between the up- 

 per and lower hives. Eight here is where 

 it seems to me the plan goes away ahead 



of those preceding, for it places the new 

 and old swarms further apart, renders the 

 condition of the upper one more nearly that 

 of a queenless swarm, and makes it less' 

 likely that any cell-builders from, the hive 

 of brood will enter the lower story and be- 

 gin cells there. When using this plan before 

 queen-cells appear, probably one super in- 

 tervening would be all that is necessary; 

 but if apjilied at a later stage, when ad- 

 vanced queen-cells were present, of course 

 more supers would be required. 



Many beekeepers v/ho do not care to raise 

 so much of the brood before any signs of 

 swarming appear, place from one to three 

 frames of brood above, allowing the queen 

 access to both stories; and then a few days 

 after the opening of the season place the 

 queen in the first story below a queen-ex- 

 cluder. We have also don© this, and then 

 later applied the plan we first described if 

 occasion arose. 



The Plan We Have Used for Five Years. 



In Gleanings, page 574, 1915, is a full dis- 

 cussion of the plan which we like best, and 

 whicli is given in outline in the second para- 

 graph of this article. It is for either 

 swarm prevention or control, and is to be ap- 

 plied after the queen-cells are started; or 

 even after they are sealed, if desired. It is 

 quite possible that this form of plan appear- 

 ed in print at some earlier date; but if so, 

 we have not happened to run across it. As 

 previously intimated, the plan is a gradual 

 development, and therefore many people de- 

 serve the credit for its final form. It is 

 doubtful if any one person originated it; 

 but certain it is that the credit should not 

 be given to Demaree, since his plan consist- 

 ed meie'y in raising the brood, and Lang- 

 stroth also did that more than fifty years 



A Xicw of tl.c lloiai' Van! o: .S. .-\. Niver, (iroenliold, Cab lliis .Vpiary bs Conipo-;c(l of Artilicial Increase. 



