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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Arii. 



not emphasized this matter before. I have 

 seen some very pretty cases in the large 

 cities, made to hold 18 or 20 sections. 



ARTIFICIAL INCREASE. 



FRIEND DOOLITTLE GIVES THREE WAYS. 



A CORRESPONDENT wishes me to give in Glean- 

 ings some of the different plans used in making 

 swarms artificially, as it is termed. In complying 

 with this request 1 will give the three plans which 

 have proved the most satisfactory with me; but be- 

 fore doing so I first wish to say, that, for this locali- 

 ty, I prefer natural swarming to any plan of artifi- 

 cial increase where only one swarm is allowed from 

 each old colony, and where said swarm will issue in 

 time to prepare both old and new colonies in good 

 shape for the honey harvest. The first plan I will 

 give of artificial increase is what is termed by some 

 the " nucleus plan." 



To be of the most value the nucleus should be 

 formed eighteen or twenty days before the honey 

 harvest, by having enough bees in it to protect a 

 frame two thirds full of brood, the larger part of 

 which should hatch during the first four or five 

 days, while said comb should contain some eggs 

 just laid, is possible. Besides this frame of brood 

 and bees, the nucleus should contain a frame hav- 

 ing a pound or two of honey in it, the whole being 

 set in a hive and confiaed by means of a division- 

 board. The next day after making, a mature 

 queen-cell should be given, or newly hatched queen 

 introduced. In about ten days, if all proves favora- 

 ble, the young queen will be laying, when I go to 

 the hive from which I formed the nucleus, and se- 

 lect a frame of brood, nearly all of which are gnaw- 

 ing out of the cells, and add this to the nucleus, al. 

 ways putting a frame of comb or comb foundation 

 into the old colony to take the place of the one 

 taken out, otherwise too much drone comb would 

 be built; for colonies that are allowedto build comb 

 under these conditions nearly always build drone 

 comb. I now wait four or five days, when I go to 

 the old colony and take out four frames of brood, 

 from which all the bees are shaken as they were 

 from the last-mentioned comb, when I carry them 

 to the nucleus. I now fill out each hive with empty 

 comb of foundation, and put on the surplus ar- 

 rangement. By the above each colony Is made of 

 about equal strength, and the brood is so taken out 

 of the old hive that the colony does not have a de- 

 sire to swarm. This old colony will have the most 

 field-bees for the first week or so, but the other will 

 soon make the stronger colony of the two. 



THE SECOND PLAN. 



My second plan is to make one colony from each 

 old one, on the principle of division of bees instead 

 of division of brood, as in the above case. In using 

 this plaa we must have queen-cells nearly mature 

 by the time our first colonies are preparing to 

 swarm. Having such cells on hand, I go to a colony 

 preparing to swarm, or one that has Its hive full of 

 bees and brood, and move it to one side of the old 

 location, so as to put a new hive in its place. If a 

 hive is not full of brood and bees, do not touch it; 

 for it is useless to try to increase bees till such is 

 the case. I now look over the combs till I find the 

 one having the queen on it, when I place said comb 

 in the new hive. I next give them a frame having 

 some honey in it, and then fill out the hive with 



empty comb or foundation, when about two-thirds 

 of the bees in the old hive are shaken in front of 

 the new hive and allowed to run in. After this I 

 arrange the frames back in thejold hive, putting a 

 division-board in place of the frames taken out, 

 when the old hive is carried to a new location where 

 I wish it to remain. After the bees thus removed 

 have become reconciled to their queenless condi- 

 tion I give them one of the nearly matured cells, or 

 a virgin queen which will soon be laying. In this 

 way I have secured my new swarm, controlled all 

 after-swarming, and iniioduced my young queen, 

 all to my liking and witu but little trouble. 



MY THIRD PLAN. 



This is one which I use on the weaker colonies, 

 or those which do not get ready to swarm up to ten 

 days before the honey harvest, when I proceed to 

 make colonies from them as follows: A hive is fill- 

 ed with frames of empty comb, and placed upon 

 the stand of one of these colonies which have not 

 swarmed, and all the boxes are taken off and placed 

 thereon, then all the bees are shaken and brushed 

 off their combs of brood and honey, in front of the 

 hive, into which they will run as fast as shaken off. 

 Thus I have a colony that is ready for the honey 

 harvest, as they have the queen, bees, and partly 

 filled boxes all in readincFS for work. Previous to 

 this nuclei have been started, so 1 have plenty of 

 laying queens to use as I need them. I next take 

 all the combs of brood from which the bees were 

 brushed, except one, arranging them in the hive 

 the bees were shaken out of, and carry them to the 

 stand of another colony which has not swarmed. I 

 next take the comb of brood which was left out, go 

 to one of the nuclei, take out the frame having the 

 laying queen on it, and place the frame of brood in 

 its place. Take the frame— bees, queen, and all — 

 and set it in the place left vacant for it when ar- 

 ranging the combs of brood. Now put on the box- 

 es, and, having all complete, I move the colony to a 

 new stand and set the prepared hive in its place. 

 Thus I have a laying queen and enough of her own 

 bees to protect her, together with a hive filled with 

 combs of brood, and all the field-bees from the re- 

 moved colony. The loss of bees to the removed 

 colony stopfc the swarming impulse, and in about 

 a week they have so regained their loss that they 

 are ready for the boxes again. In this way I make 

 one colony from two old ones, but have all in the 

 beet possible condition to take advantage of the 

 honey harvest. These plans all look toward a host 

 of bees in time for the harvest, with no desire to 

 swarm; and thus having them gives an assurance 

 of a large crop of honey. G. M. Doolittle. 



Borodino, N. Y., Mar. 17. 



Old friend, it was rather pleasant, while 

 reading the above, to feel that you and I 

 agree exactly, at least in all essentials, in 

 regard to the matter of artificialincrease ; 

 and I do not know that I have any tiling to 

 add, unless it would be to wait until the 

 time for natural swarms, and let the most 

 of them swarm naturally if they would. If 

 they do not seem disposed to do so, then di- 

 vide ; but as so much more honey is secured 

 from those that do not swarm, uiiless 1 were 

 especially anxious for increase I think I 

 should say, as father Quinby (if I am cor- 

 rect) once said : "• Those that swarm do well, 

 but those that do not swarm at all do better.'''' 

 The number of colonies in a given locality. 



