1885 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE, 



163 



cessitate a honey-board; but, unlike the Heddon 

 case, only one. By sawing- them ]« of an inch 

 plump, we have the propei- space, between each 

 section case, which facilitates their handling-, with- 

 out killing- bees, and it seems to me much better 

 than two spaces and a honey-board besides, like Mr. 

 Heddon's. 



There is one thing the bee-men here are satisfied 

 with, and that is, it is going to revolutionize the 

 mnnner of i)utting up comb honey here. With the 

 low price of honey and high price of labor, wc must 

 have our honey in shape so as to handle it rapidly, 

 and, at the same time, in a neat and attractive form; 

 if it is not, as you have several times mentioned, 

 "gilt-edged honey," it certainly is "border-edged," 

 as those clamps form a neat and attractive border. 



Please tell everybody on this coast that our annu- 

 al bee-keepers' convention will be the first Wednes- 

 day in March, at Hanford, and every three months 

 thereafter, cilwayx the first AVcdnesday in the 

 month. J. F. Floi!Y. 



Lemore, Tulare Co., Cal. 



Thanks, friend F.. for your kind letter, 

 describing youi- invention. Evidently, you 

 had not yet reeeived your Glkanings for 

 February when the above was written, for 

 you do not answer in regard to the manner 

 of closing the ends of your boxes. You also. 

 in tiering up. iiave a double bee-space, if I 

 don't make anv mistake. 



ARTIFICIAL INCREASE. 



HOW ANl 



TO UNDEltTAKK AKTI IICI AI. 

 SWARMING. 



M. DOOLITTLE, Dear Sn;— Would it be pos- 

 sible for you to give us an article in d t.kan- 

 j INGS on artificial increase, after the 7uicleus 

 • system? A.. H. Xash. 



^ Santa Monica, Cal. 



A few days ago I received the above; and as I 

 have other like requests 1 will comply, by here giv- 

 ing the three plans of artificial increase which I 

 prefer, after trying nearly all the plans 1 cAcr read 

 of. I first wish to say, however, 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 saiil 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 20 

 to. 25 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 dur- 

 ing the first four or five days, while said comb 

 should contain some eggs just laid, if possible. 

 Besides this frame of brood and bees, the nucleus 

 should contain a frame having a pound or two of 

 honey in it. the whole being set in a hive, and con- 

 fined to one side by means of a division-board. The 

 next day after making, a mature queen-cell should 

 be given, or a newly hatched queen introduced. In 

 about ten days, if all proves favorable, the young 

 queen will be laying, when I go to the hive from 

 which I formed the nucleus, and select a frame of 

 brood, nearly all of which are about gnawing out of 

 the cells, and add this to the nucleus, always put- 

 ting a frame of comb or foundation in the old cq]q- 



ny to take the place of the one taken out. I now wait 

 four or five days, when I go to the old colony and 

 take out 5 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 (I use 9 frames in a hive), with empty 

 comb or fdn. and put on the surplus arrangement. 

 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 desire to 

 swarm. This old colony will have the most field- 

 bees for the first week or so, but the other wiH soon 

 make the stronger colony of the two. 



My next plan is to make one colony from each old 

 one. on the principle of division of the bees, instead 

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

 ])lan we wish queen-cells nearly mature by the time 

 our first colonies arc preparing to swarm. Having 

 such cells on hand I go to a colony preparing to 

 suarm, or one that has its hive full of bees and 

 brood (if the hive is not thus full it is useless to trj- 

 to increase them), and move it a few feet to one 

 side of its old location, so as to put a new hive in its 

 ])lace. I now look over the combs until I find the 

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

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

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

 empty comb or fdn., 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 1 arrange 

 the frames back in the old hive, putting in a divi- 

 sion-board In place of the frame taken out. when 

 the old hive is carried to a new location, where 1 

 wish it to renmiu. After the bees thus removed 

 have become reconciled to their queenlcss condi- 

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

 a virgin (jucen which will soon be laying. In this 

 \ray I have secured my new swarm, controlled all 

 after swarming, and introduced my young (lueen 

 all to my liking, and with but very little trouble. 



The thin! plan is one I use on colonies which do 

 not swarm up to ten days before the honey harvest, 

 when I proceed to nuike ef)lonies from them as fol- 

 lows: A hive is filled with frames of empty combs, 

 and placed upon the stand of one of these colonies 

 which has not swarmed, and all the boxes are taken 

 on and placed thereon, then all the bees are shaken 

 and brushed oH' their combs of broo<l and honey, in 

 front of this jireiiared hive, into which they will 

 run as fast as shaken olT. Thus I have a colony 

 that is ready for the honey harvest, as they have 

 the queen, bees, and partly filled boxes all in readi- 

 ness for work. Previous to this, nuclei have been 

 started, so I hav.- 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, ar- 

 ranging them in the hive the bees were shaken out 

 of, and carry them to the stand of another colony 

 which has not swarmed. Next I take the comb of 

 brood which was left out. and go to one of the 

 nuclei, taking out the frame having the laying queen 

 on it, and place the comb of brood in its place. 

 Take the frame, bees, ([ueen, and all, and set it in 

 the place left vacant for it when arranging the 

 combs of brood. Now put on the boxes, and, hav- 

 ing all complete, I move the colony to a new stand, 

 and set the prepared hive in its place. Thus I have 

 n laying queen, and enough of her own bees to pro- 

 tect her, together with a hive filled with combs of 

 brood, and all the field-bees from the removed colo- 

 ny. The loss of bees to the removed colony stops 



