Vol. XIII. 



JUNE 15, 1885. 



No. 12. 



TERMS: 81.00 PBR ANNUM, IN ADVANCR; 

 2Oople8for«1.90;3for$!i.75-,5for84.00; 

 10 or more, 7Bcts. each. Single NuinlxT, 

 10 cts. Additions to clubs may be made 

 at club rateH. Above are all to be sent 

 to ONB POSTOrFICE. 



ri-BI,ISIIED SKMI-MONTHLV nV 



. p. U., 12c per year extra. 



AN INCREASE OF COLONIES TO PRE- 

 SERVE COMBS. 



A SUB.IECT OF VEUV (lltEAT IM I'OIITANCE INDEED 

 TO MANY OF THE HEE-KEEI'EUS. 



"JTj FTER the great mortality of lir-os the pastwin- 

 9II& ter and spring', the ciiiestion comes from al- 



jR« most every quarter, " What shall I do to pro- 

 ■^^ serve the combs, and how can I increase the 

 few remaining colonies so they will again 

 take all the comlis?" As I propose to answer the 

 first question by telling how to do the latter, I will 

 dwell on the first only long enough to say, that if 

 your bees are so reduced that they can not possibly 

 be multiplied so as to use all the combs left by those 

 which have died, the only thing to do is to fumigate 

 them with burning sulphur every two or three 

 weeks during warm weather, unless you have some 

 moth-proof room in which you can place them, aft- 

 er fumigating them thoroughly twice, which should 

 have two or three weeks intervening between the 

 times, so as to allow all eggs to hatch. The hanging 

 of combs two or more inches apart can not be de- 

 pended upon, as I have had quite a number of 

 combs destroyed in trying that plan. 



The main question before us, then, is, how to in- 

 crease the few remaining colonics as much and as 

 early as possible. As nothing can be gained by try- 

 ing to increase colonies till some of them have their 

 hives full of bees and brood, I advise all to wait un- 

 til at least imc is strong, before trying my plan. 

 When you have such a colony, and desire to pro- 

 ceed, turn to page 304 of tSiiEANiNOS for May 1, and 

 read carefully the plan I there give for forming a 

 nucleus; for this is the system we are to adopt. 

 Besides the strong colony, it will be neceesary to 



have one other fair colony; and if any do not have 

 such a one, I should advise the purchase of one, or 

 a pound of bees with a queen. Having two colo- 

 nies, such as is relerred to, I proceed to the strong- 

 est and get in my bo.\ (as given on page 304) about a 

 pint of bees, which in due time have given to them 

 the queen from the weaker colony, when the bees 

 and queen are left in the bo.\ until the ne.\t morn- 

 ing, and hived as I gave directions, taking the comb 

 of brood from the weaker, and the frame ol honey 

 from the stronger, that are placed in the hive upon 

 hiving them. The colony from which you took tlie 

 queen is now allowed to build (lueen-cells; or you 

 can use the Alley or other improved plans of get- 

 ting queen-cells, whichever you prefer. 



As soon as the first cell is sealed, you are to form 

 another little colon}-, using the same queen as be- 

 fore to form it witli; when in 48 hours I give the 

 first cell which was sealed to tlie little colony the 

 queen was removed from. 



Al>out this time I also make the third little colo- 

 ny, using bees each time from the strong one, and 

 the same queen to form each colony with. In 48 

 hours I give a ceil to the second little colony, and 

 thus keep on forming colonies as long as I have 

 cells or virgin queens to give them; for if the cells 

 are not all used up when it is time for the first 

 young queen to hatch, 1 cut all out but one (which 

 should be left for that colony), and place them in a 

 queen-nurseiy, so that I can use virgin queens in- 

 stead of cells. If 1 was successful in getting a good 

 lot of queen-cells, I have, at the time the last virgin 

 queen is used, from ten to twelve colonies of bees, 

 into which I now begin to place the combs I wish to 

 keep the moths from. I forgot to say, that, after 

 making the first little colony, I placed a comb in the 



