204 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



In keeping the Review posted as to my 

 experiments in this line, I must acknowledge 

 failure this season, and thank friend Hasty 

 for sparring up my courage in giving it at 

 once (Review, page 187). Swarming was 

 greatly retarded by use of the dummies and 

 late compared with my neighbors, most of 

 the swarms being between the 20th and 30th 

 of June, some of the parent colonies having 

 stored upwards of forty pounds previous to 

 the issue. At first thought I attributed the 

 failure to new dummies which I substituted 

 for those of last season, but upon reflection, 

 seeing that my hives were too small and the 

 season unusually favorable to swarming, 

 concluded that possibly it was not in the 

 dummy, but a return of the crowded condi- 

 tion like that of swarming hives. My hives 

 have a capacity for but eleven frames, and 

 upon careful consideration have concluded 

 that with a space for fifteen or sixteen, a 

 little less than half of which could be oc- 

 cupied with dummies, better results might 

 be obtained. I am really surprised that the 

 additional room for three frames (occupied 

 by dummies), should have produced such 

 satisfactory results heretofore, and to have 

 retarded swarming to the extent it did this 

 season, all things taken into consideration. 

 There was, however, a noticeable fact pre- 

 sented which has given me great encourage- 

 ment for the future uou-swarmer. It was 

 the unusual number of bees which remained 

 with the parent colonies almost without ex- 

 ception. So strong »vere they that the stor- 

 age of honey in the supers was continued or 

 resumed in two or three days, and which has 

 given me an average of about sixty pounds 

 per colony, with about forty pounds more in 

 sight; some sweet clover, however, will be 

 mixed with the latter. 



Although the flow was great and tended to 

 fill the bee keeper with enthusiasm, still the 

 brood chambers are very much clogged with 

 honey, to the exclusion of brood. This of 

 course is unfavorable to the best results just 

 at present, still, with a favorable season 

 from this out, although not in a basswood 

 locality, I shall look for at least 100 pounds 

 per colony. 



I learn that the intensely warm weather 

 has ruined a few colonies by softening and 

 breakage of the combs in this and doubtlefs 

 many other localitiis: still none of mine 

 have suffered. The dummies favor ventila- 

 tion, and should one comb soften and drop 

 from the top bar the dummies would pre- 



vent further disaster by holding it partly in 

 place. 'Three or four years ago I had 

 several hives in which a single comb 

 became detached while the others remained 

 intact by reason of the dummies. 



Another advantage derived from the use 

 of dummies is that already alluded to in af- 

 fording more perfect ventilation, and with 

 the additional room prevents the usual 

 crowding or clustering on the outside during 

 warm weather. The result has been, and is, 

 that no loafing colonies are found in my 

 apiary. There is a marked difference in the 

 aggregate amount of honey stored when 

 every colony in the yard is doing some- 

 thing. Of course the equalization of colo- 

 nies during the month of May, as set forth 

 in a previous article, is the prime essential 

 to such a result. 



The conditions which have changed from 

 time to time in bee keeping, as in all 

 branches of human affairs, are marvelous. 

 The revolution caused by the invention of 

 movable frames and comb foundation has 

 enabled the specialist to produce a much 

 finer product of comb honey at greatly re- 

 duced cost. We look at the quotations to-day 

 and compare with the price of thirty or forty 

 years ago, feeling as though the bottom had 

 dropped out of bee keeping. But when the 

 Quinby system was in vogue and honey com- 

 manding twenty-five cents per pound, how 

 much were we able to secure per colony as 

 compared with to-day? If an average of 

 twenty-five pounds per colony was obtained 

 it was considered a good one. To-day we 

 are far in advance of that, with a price com- 

 mensurate with the outlay. 



The advent of movable frames and comb 

 foundation were at the time of high prices, 

 and those who first occupied the field en- 

 joyed the golden age of bee keepmg. 



To-day we are upon a better basis as re- 

 gards profits than when honey commanded 

 twenty-five cents per pound. We can pro- 

 duce at least three times the quantity, and 

 with factory-made supplies at a cost not ex- 

 ceeding the per centage of former years. I 

 am speaking strictly in reference to honey 

 production. True the value of, and sale of 

 colonies was greater than to-day. 



The abundance of No. 1 clover honey this 

 season will doubtless have a tendency to de- 

 press the market, especially as many who 

 keep a few colonies will sell their surplus at 

 what may be offered them, considering it 

 clear gain. Bee keepers should be firm in 



