258 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



of honey 1 had in my hands, and for an instant I 

 didn't know but somebody would get hurt. He 

 rather excitedly asked me, "Did you tell me I 

 lied? " Did you ever: But I was in a fix. I simply 

 replied that he didn't ask that question in the right 

 way. So he took it back and wanted to know what 

 he Should say. and I very kindly informed him that 

 he should say. " Did I understand you to say that I 

 lied?" Lie at once repeated my words, and I very 

 innocently replied that I did not know how he un- 

 derstood me. My reply showed my guilelessness. 

 and his own company joined in the general laugh, 

 and tried to get him away: but he seemed to have a 

 liking for " our boys," and I asked them to let him 

 stay with us awhile, assuring them that we would 

 not hurt him. and would not even let our bees sting 

 him if we could prevent them. So they all, except 

 my friend, went of laughing and we gave them a 

 cordial invitation to come and see us again. This 

 was the only time, I believe, when there was a 

 cloud on our horizon. A. B. Mason. 



Auburndale, O. 



Well, old friend, it is too bad. and it 

 makes one feel sad to think that those boys 

 should have been so naughty as to nag and 

 worry you in the way you mention. I do 

 not blame them for laughing, because al- 

 most every one laughs as soon as he gets ac- 

 quainted with you, aDd I did not know be- 

 fore that a man could be found with cheek 

 enough to get mad. even if you did intimate 

 to him that he was not telling the truth. I 

 suppose you gave him one of those cards 

 with the thousand-dollar offer on it. and 

 that he went away thoroughly satisfied and 

 thoroughly converted. I suppose a great 

 many people went away from that honey- 

 exhibit a little wiser in regard to this mat- 

 ter of adulteration, and I am inclined to 

 think that you are about the best man to 

 undertake the great task of getting such a 

 great stream of humanity to give up error 

 and accept truth. Our work is not done 

 yet ; and I hope, doctor, that you are still 

 using your big gifts among the people where- 

 ever you meet them. 



PREVENTING AFTER-SWARMS. 



A. E. HANUH S METHOD. 



-TT A VING noticed in Gleanings and other bee- 

 HJ periodicals, from time to time, various plans 

 l-j to prevent second swarms, all of which I 

 AA have tried without satisfactory results, and 

 having finally adopted a method of my own 

 which is somewhat different from any I have ever 

 seen in print, 1 will, with your permission, give it 

 to your readers, that another drop may be added to 

 the great fountain of knowledge from which a clear 

 and invigorating stream is constantly flowing over 

 the pages of Gleanings. 



As stated above, 1 have tried various plans to pre- 

 vent second swarms by hiving in different ways, 

 such as moving the old hive to a new stand, and 

 hiving the new swarm on the old stand; also set- 

 ting the old hive on the new swarm or the new one 

 over the old; also hiving the swarms by them- 

 selves, and giving them a portion of the brood from 

 the parent hive, etc. All of these have proved to 

 be unsatisfactory to me. owing to the fact that 

 these methods have a tendency to lessen the 

 amount of surplus, since the old hive is so reduced 



that it is a long while before it becomes strong 

 enough to work in the boxes. Hence we have only 

 the new swarm to depend upon for a surplus, 

 where we depend wholly upon clover and basswood 

 for box honey. I always aim to keep every colony 

 strong— the ones that have cast a swarm, as well as 

 the new ones. My experience teaches me that light 

 swarms during the honey season give no profit. I 

 would rather have half a bushel of bees in one hive 

 than divided by two, hiving a peck in each hive, 

 when the honey season is at hand. 



In hiving lees, the plan that suits me best is to 

 return one -third of the swarm to the old hive, 

 and hive the remaining two-thirds in a new hive, 

 and add to it. as soon as may be. one or more two- 

 thirds swarms i without queens this time), each time 

 returning the third of the bees to the hive from 

 which they came. The surplus queens, if good 

 ones, may be returned to their respective hives 

 after cutting out all the queen-cells. By this meth- 

 od the old hive is kept well stocked with bees, and 

 work in the boxes is but little interrupted; the 

 new colonies are made very strong, and are in the 

 best of conditioti to store a large amount of honey 

 in the boxes. As I do not desire a large increase of 

 colonies, I strive to secure a large surplus, regard- 

 less of increase. 



To prevent second swarms I go to the hive four 

 days after a swarm has issued, lift out the combs 

 one by one, and cut out all queen-cells but one, 

 leaving the best one if I wish to rear a queen from 

 this stock; if not, all are cut out. and a cell from 

 some other is introduced. Then in four days more 

 I again cut out any queen-cells that may have been 

 started, after which there is no danger of more be- 

 ing started. Now. when the young queen hatches 

 and finds no rival, and the bees not being able to 

 rear another, owing to the age of the brood, the 

 young queen is permitted to leave the hive for fer- 

 tilization, without the bees following her; and in 

 due time she will commence to lay. But if the 

 young queen is allowed to hatch before the other 

 cells are removed, as recommended by some writ- 

 ers, even )f the cells are removed very soon after 

 the queen hatches, there is dauger of a second 

 swarm. But if all surplus cells are removed before 

 the queen hatches, there is no danger of a second 

 swarm; at least, that has been my experience the 

 past few years. 



One night last season my son reported six second 

 swarms that day (this being only his second sea- 

 son in having charge of an apiary, and he had for- 

 gotten my instructions of the year before); upon 

 inquiry I learned that he had not removed the cells 

 the second time; or on the eighth day, thinking 

 that, if he removed them soon after the young 

 hatched from the cell left in the hive when looking 

 them over on the fourth day after the swarm had 

 issued it would be as well. But the result was six 

 after-swarms in one day. I visited his yard next 

 day, and assisted him to cut out the surplus cells 

 from all that had swarmed seven or eight days pre- 

 viously, and cautioned him to attend to this matter 

 in the future, which he did, and the result was no 

 more second swarms. 



It may be asked, why I cut out the cells so soon as 

 the fourth day. My answer is, that it sometimes 

 happens that a swarm is retarded from coming out, 

 for some days, owing to bad weather or some other 

 cause. In sujh a case the young queen will hatch 

 sooner than the eighth or ninth day; hence this 



