l^y 



Cleanings ik bee culture. 





they did. They gainf d only 4 lbs. yesterday. Well, 

 that is pretty good on the ;ast run of elove: 

 mac will blcjoui in about five days: and if the 

 weal her is favorable they will do pretty well for 

 four or five da> 8, and then comes the basswood: 

 and 1 hope by that time swarming will be all 

 through who. as I don't want a -ingle beet 

 moment's time during- basswood bloom.'' 

 " Have you hail any second jwarms tbis season':" 

 •" But one. and that was owing to my nej; 

 have followed your instructions aa given in Gixam- 

 : .Apr. 1, and with what jou have told me 

 from time to time I have succeeded niceiy in pre- 

 venting alter-swarms." 



" JCMPI>' 



" We will go over the yard together, as I l 

 show you bow 1 jump sections. I ought to have 

 shown yon when 1 was here the other day. but I did 

 not think of it. Here is one that needs it. You 

 have doubtless observed that the bees are ? 

 fill and finish the sections at the ends of the clamps. 

 They will often fill and cap the center ones be- 

 fore even drawing out the foundation in the end 

 ones: and in order to have the whole clamp finish- 

 ed up altogether. I "jump" them by placing the 

 end ones in the center and putting the center ones 

 at the ends. 8s these center ones are so wek advanc- 

 ed they will be finished by the time the empty ones 

 are that we have just put in the center. This work 

 I call "jumping." Now, when doing this work you 

 occasionally find a finished section: in that c- - 

 move it entirely and take it to the honey-house and 

 till its place with sections S.Ied with comb left over 

 from last year, of which we have a plenty res 

 for this purpose. How about this record herein thi^ 

 ti.ve- 1 s-.e it reads. "June 3D, hived from 9L"" 



" Ves. sir. this queen is from 9L" 



■" How old is She':" 



"J >ue year old." 



■• H"W do you know":" 



" Well. 1 remember that is the age recorded in the 

 hive she came from." 



■•Very well. You remember now: but would you 

 next spring: Or suppose 1 come here next spring 

 or send some one else, I should have to go to 91 to 

 find the age of this queen. If your records are all 

 like this it will cause us much extra travel another 

 year. You should have made the record thus: 

 June 3D, hived from 91. queen one year. Please be 

 very particular with the records. They are very 

 important to me. as I wish to know the atre of 

 queen." 



" You are right. Mr. Manum. I now see the im- 

 portance of having the records properly made ont. 

 You had explained this to me before: but 1 had 

 ■ :en. In fact, you tell me so many things 

 that I can't remember them all." 



•' Ves. there are a great many things to e 

 about the bee-business, and I never yet had a man 

 who could remember all I told him. and that - 

 why I am looking around after you. A slight mis- 

 take at this season of the year might ccst me the 

 use of one or more colonies: therefore be very 

 caref Lii and try to do JHgt as I tell you. then if there 

 are any mistake- it will be my fault and not 



yours." 



-jri-Y :;. 



" Fred, how does that colony get along fn>m 

 which we t<«ok the combs all away and gave foun- 

 dation:" 



■• They are doing nicely, father. I looked into the 



hive \at nd they had the foundation ail 



drawn out in the frames and box- - i with 



honey except where the queen bat -dber 



bees work as they have since you 

 played that trick on them. Where are you going 

 treday:" 



"1 am going w I have not leer, 



yard for over a » eek. 1 just thought I wou. : 

 around this way ;o inquire after that colon; 

 mac is just opening, and you must loot well to the 

 boxes; don't let the bees lack for room now." 



• H w do you da Will? This is a pretry warm 

 day." 



- • warm 1 was not looking for you 

 to-day.' 



" We.;. I bave to start ont whenever I get the 

 work done in my yard so I can leave. Do you no- 

 tice any difference in the working of the tees to- 

 day: 



?. I do. They started out earlier this morning; 

 than usuai : and I also notice that they ar- 



and yet I do not hear so much of that hum- 

 ming as 1 did before. What are they 

 now:"' 



"They have commenced on sumac. It com- 

 menced to open yesterday, and to-day it is nearly 

 in full bloom. It will last omy four or fiv- 

 and then comes basswood right after it: therefore 

 you mas rll to the boxes and be ready for 



the rush. If you should have any swarms come 

 out now you may hive two or three in one hive, or 

 hive a new swarm in where one came out the day 

 before. There is a swarm coming out now. Did 

 you have any swarms ;• - 



PERM1TTISO SWAl'.iLLSG BUT PREVi -LF.ASF 



f. They are m - 

 swarming- n>«w: there are only six more to swarm: 

 te one that swarmed y- - 



* Well, tnat swan - -eringonthe catcherall 

 right, so that you may come with me and 1 will 

 show you how to fix 2* to receive the new swarm. 

 You say you hived the swarm from 2? in 1*. there- 

 fore we will take six combs from 28 and give them 



in exchange for six frames of their founda- 

 tion. Now. the foundation we will pnt i: 

 there, now cut ail the queen-cells out of i?. This 



5 now ready for the : 

 may hive in here at once: and as their two clamps 

 of sections are pretry well advanced. I will give 

 them one more clamp. There, now I think you had 

 better do the same with the next swarm you have 

 out by putting it into 1*. where this one came from. 

 This method will prevent increase, and keep 

 colony strong, as they should be now for the next 

 15 or 31 lays. You may now introduce virgin 

 queens into thos- :lonies from which we 



removed their queens, to experiment •: la Elwood. 

 - - we took the queen away. 



aeh colony a virgin queen as soon a.i 

 are hatched: don't keep them longer than you can 

 help before introducing, or you may n I 

 cessfr.. . -.y be introduced 



two or three davs old. there is more risk at that age 

 than when only a few hours old. 

 let them run in at the entrance, or run them in by 

 way of the sections : and then in about"-- I 

 in front of the hive for ber. If the bees have re- 

 jected her \ aer there dead: if not. she 

 is all right. -ook to see 

 ecord berQ. L- with date." 



A. E Mancm. 



