1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



555 



observation, covering a period of 30 years, I 

 am sure that bees of all ages, in about equal 

 proportions, go with a prime swarm ; and 

 when any plan for making a swarm arises 

 which compels the old bees, or field-workers, 

 to become nurse-bees and perform the labors 

 which, when the bees are in a normal condi- 

 tion, devolve on the young bees, we should 

 net adopt it." 



" Have you a plan which you consider meets 

 all of the requirements of the laws governing 

 the hive? " 



"I think so, or, at least, as nearly as may 

 be." 



" Well, what is it?" 



" Have you any queen-cells on hand? " 



" I suppose there are plenty in any of those 

 hives which have swarmed during the last 

 week." 



' ' You will see why I asked about the queen- 

 cells before we get through. Now to the plan : 

 Take a box holding from three pecks to a 

 bushel, and place it on a wide board a few feet 

 from the hive you wish to make the swarm 

 from, raising the front edge on a little block, 

 enough so the bees can run under. Now open 

 the hive you wish to make the swarm from, 

 and find the queen, caging her on one of the 

 combs, when all the frames are put back in 

 the hive again. If you do not see plenty of 

 unsealed honey, uncap some along the top- 

 bars of the frames and close the hive. Now 

 blow in quite a little smoke at the entrance of 

 the hive, and rap on the sides of it as you 

 would in driving bees, rapping at intervals, 

 and leaving the entrance open so that the bees 

 returning from the fields may enter the hive. 

 In from five to eight minutes open the hive 

 and take out the frames and shake the bees in 

 front of the box, and thus continue till you 

 get at least three- fourths of the bees in the 

 box. When you come to the frame which has 

 the queen on it, place her at the entiance of 

 the box and let her run in vdth the bees. 

 When you get the desired amount of bees in 

 the box, put the frames back in the hive and 

 close it." 



"Why do you run the bees into such a box 

 instead of into a hive all prepared for them ? " 



" If you will not be impatient I will tell you 

 so you will see the reason. Now, we will sup- 

 pose that you have three-fourths of the bees, 

 and the queen in your box. You are next to 

 take the box of bees to the shade of some 

 tree and lean the box against the tree in an 

 inclined position, with the open side of the 

 box outward, leaving it there three-quarters 

 of an hour, at which time you will find them 

 clustered in the upper part of the box as they 

 would be on the limb of a tree, if they had 

 swarmed naturally. During the three-quar- 

 ters of an hour, if you have more to make, 

 keep on making from other hives in the same 

 way. At the end of the time, hive the bees 

 that are in the box the same as you would 

 hive any natural swarm. Put the hive on the 

 stand you wish them to occupy, and see that 

 all of them go into the hive, and they will 

 stay and work the same as a natural swarm 

 would." 



" Then this leaving them the three-fourths 



of an hour with the open side of the box out 

 is to make them think they have left home, 

 so they will mark their location as does a 

 swarm ? ' ' 



"Exactly." 



" I see now why mine would not stay when 

 I shook them into a hive. But what about 

 what is left in the old hive ? " 



" The next day after making such a swarm, 

 give the old colony a queen-cell from one of 

 the hives you say have such, giving cells from 

 the colonies which have those the nearest 

 ripe, and the work is done. If you have stop- 

 ped to think as we went along you will see 

 that you have bees of all ages in your made 

 swarm, just as there would be in a natural 

 swarm, and that each bee has its sac full of 

 honey the same as they do when they come 

 out themselves, the drumming causing them 

 to fill themselves full more completely than 

 they do when swarming. By being left three- 

 quarters of an hour to cluster in the box they 

 mark their location anew, the same as a natu- 

 ral swarm, as you expressed a few moments 

 ago." 



" But is the old colony in as good condition 

 as if it had swarmed naturally? " 



" I think so, fully, and more so ; for in nat- 

 ural swarming the first young queen does not 

 emerge from her cell in less than seven days, 

 unless the swarm has been kept back by bad 

 weather ; while with our made swarm, and a 

 ripe cell being given, they will have a queen 

 in two days from the time of making. If pre- 

 ferred, and you have them, a laying queen 

 can be given to the old colony." 



" Why would not this be a good plan to 

 work an out-apiary, where there was no one 

 to take care of swarms when they issue? " 



" It would. And it is equally adapted for 

 those who can not be at home between the 

 hours of 8 A. M. and 4 p. M. to care for their 

 bees when swarming naturally." 



"Well, I have bothered you long enough, 

 and think I understand how to work. Good 

 day." 



CROWFOOT AS A HONEY-PLANT. 



In our locality it grows extensively, and I 

 think it produces a nice lot of honey when it 

 is the most needed, as it comes right after 

 fruit-bloom and dandelion, and lasts from 

 about May 10 till white clover comes. 



Rohr, W. Va. W. D. KepharT. 



ABSCONDING SWARMS. 



I am a beginner in bee-raising. I had a 

 swarm of bees Monday. It clustered on a 

 limb of a tree. I cut the limb and laid it on 

 the ground in front of the hive. After they 

 entered the hive I set it with the rest of my 

 hives, and they worked like little men on 

 Tuesday, making 3 combs about 5 inches 

 around, and on Wednesday morning not a bee 



