1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



523 



SWARMING PROHLEM SOLVED ; THE INFLU- 

 ENCE OF LOCALITV. 



This trip, in many ways, has so far been a 

 revelation and a surprise. More than ever I 

 am impressed with the influence of locality. 

 Some of the teachings in the ordinary stan- 

 dard text-books, viewed from the standpoint 

 of some portions of this great, great country, 

 seem more like idle tales than a sober state- 

 ment of truth. Bees do many strange things 

 in the "wild and woolly West" that they 

 were never known to do down east. For ex- 

 ample, what bee-keeper in the northern and 

 eastern parts of our country ever knew his 

 bees to commence swarming before the actual 

 honey-flow, and then, when it did come on in 

 real earnest, kill ofT their drones, destroy their 

 cells — in short, stop swarming altogether, and 

 get down to real business? Yet that is just 

 what the bees in Uvalde Co., Texas, and Mar- 

 icopa Co., Arizona, do do. 



When Mr. D. M. Edwards, of Uvalde, Tex- 

 as, told me of this as if it were a common trait 

 among bees generally, I thought I misunder- 

 stood him. Said I, " Tell me that over again," 

 and then he went on more elaborately to ex- 

 plain the same proposition. "Why," I ex- 

 claimed, with eyes all amazement, as if it were 

 some sleight-of-hand trick, " tell me how you 

 do it. I'd like to get hold of that trick," and 

 I whipped out my note-book. 



" No trick at all," he replied. " That's the 

 way bees do down here." 



" Wh-a-t ? " I said. "How accommodat- 

 ing ! Why, we poor fellows up north have 

 been bothering our heads over this vexed and 

 unsolved problem for years ; and it is no near- 

 er solution with us now than when we began. 

 So it is literally true that you are not bothered 

 with swarming when honey is coming in quite 

 strong ? ' ' 



He assured me for the third time that it was 

 the fact. It appears that the early bloom 

 yields just enough honey to stir up thoughts 

 of increase among the bees, and then they 

 swarm. When the heavy yields from mes- 

 quite, catclaw, and guajilla (pronounced zvaw- 

 hea) come on, the bees conclude that they 

 must quit their foolishness, and get down to 

 business, which they do in two or three days, 

 for they do not stop the swarming immediate- 

 ly. At this time it is not necessary to keep a 

 man in the outyards longer. 



When I got into Arizona I explained this 

 queer phenomenon to the bee-keepers there, 

 and was met with the calm statement that 

 their bees were just as accommodating for 

 them, "and," said they, "there's a lot more 

 things in your text-books that won't work 

 here at all ; " and before I left the Territory I 

 was convinced that they were right. 



A good bee keeper from the North, until he 

 can unlearn some things and learn new ones, 

 when he comes into these regions he is almost 

 sure to meet with failure for the first year ; 

 and before he " gets on to " the Western no- 

 tions, newly acquired, of the very bees he 

 brought souths he is apt to be a sadder man, 

 even if he is not a wiser one ; and he is gener- 

 ally both before very long. 



There is many another strange thing that I 



have picked up that I will tell about in future 

 issues ; but for the present I must stop push- 

 ing my pencil, as the beautiful climate of Los 

 Angeles that I have dreamed about these 

 many moons is inviting me out — and, hark ! 

 I hear the footsteps of a bee-keeper just out- 

 side of my door. I gladly go to take in new 

 sights, new beauties, and, perhaps, new and 

 strange things. 



RUNNING OUT-APIARIES FOR COMB HONEY. 



The principal diflSculty in running out-api- 

 aries for comb honey lies in the tendency of 

 the colonies to swarm. This tendency is much 

 stronger than when running for extracted 

 honey. The greater amount of room, and the 

 empty comb given the latter, seems to satisfy. 

 Colonies run for comb honey must necessarily 

 be crowded to produce best results, and 

 swarms are likely to follow. 



If we produce comb honey instead of ex- 

 tracted, as has been recommended, the apia- 

 rist must be prepared to meet the difiiculty, 

 and it will pay him to re-read the articles that 

 have lately appeared on this subject in these 

 columns. 



It seems quite a number of bee-keepers in 

 different parts of the land have hit on nearly 

 the same method, unbeknown to each other, 

 although, as Stachelhausen says, Gravenhorst, 

 of Germany, was probably the first one who 

 brought the method to a system and had it 

 published. Gravenhorst's original manage- 

 ment was, in brief, to draw on the weaker col- 

 onies for Ijrood to make the already good col- 

 onies stronger ; finally brush them from their 

 combs, and give them empty hives. The 

 gained brood-combs were used to make the 

 next strongest colonies as populous as possible 

 when they were brushed off also, etc. With a 

 long continuous honey-flow this system may 

 be all right, but not so with a honey-flow of 

 short duration. As many colonies as possible 

 should be brought into that prosperous condi- 

 tion, when they may be brushed off at one and 

 the same time, and that time is at the begin- 

 ning of the main honey-flow. 



By the way, this method of brushing the 

 bees from their combs, and putting them into 

 empty hives (small brood-chamber) is a most 

 excellent plan to treat such colonies as sulk or 

 refuse to work in the sections. It seems to 

 bring them to their senses. 



Young swarms are nearl}' always fed for a 

 few days after hiving, by the bee-keepers in 

 Germany. We believe it is a good practice, 

 particularly should it be rainy for a few days. 

 Brushed swarms would come under the same 

 head. 



Reports that come from across the sea, 

 from time to time, of bee keepers' associations 

 numbered not only by the hundred but by 

 the thousands, make one wonder why in this 

 regard the bee-keepers of this country should 

 be so far behind. However, it is well to look 

 on the bright side ; and it is encouraging to 

 know that there never was a time when the 

 prospect was so encouraging for a large mem- 

 bership in the National Bee-keepers' Associa- 

 tion. If not already a member, by all means 

 send in your dollar. 



