242 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



METHOD ADJUSTED TO A CLOVER LOCALITY 



BY lONA FOWLS 



Since J. G. Brown's defense of the 

 Alexander method for the West, p. 27, Jan. 

 1, I have watched in vain for an article 

 from a clover locality bearing upon the 

 subject. It just now happens that our 

 honej'-flow is from white clover and alsike. 

 Also " Ave really keep bees and are kept by 

 them." Tlierefore I shall venture to explain 

 jns( liow we have adjusted the Alexander 

 plan to our locality so that we have been 

 enabled, during the past three years, to 

 systematize and lighten our work, and at 

 the same lime to increase our crop mate- 

 riallv. 



THAT BEEKEEPER CONVENTION. 

 The members of the " convention," as they stand on and before Mr. 

 .Johnson's porch. First on the left, Mr. Wilder; next to him. Mr. Raub, 

 the man who made such a siiccess with an incubator after he was 80 years 

 old; next, Mr. Clute. Last, on the right. Mi". Ratray, from Michigan. Mr. 

 Redout is the central tlgure in the background. See page 2,51. 



Pet'haps I should state at the beginning 

 that .we believe it a great mistake to en- 

 deavor to prevent swarming. If you will 

 allow the analogy, it seems to me a good 

 teacher recognizes the value of activity in 

 her pa])ils, and seeks not to prevent it but 

 rather to guide it so that it may work out 

 to their advantage and not to their detri- 

 ment. Our plan is quite similai-. 



At the oi)emng of the season we watch 

 very carefully for the fii'st indications of 

 swarming, overhauling each apiary once a 



week, and giving every colony plenty of 

 room. If queen-cells with eggs or very 

 young larvae are found, they are torn down. 

 But whenever a more advanced stage is 

 discovered we immediately put our system 

 into operation. 



The hive is moved to one side and replaced 

 by one containing foundation or empty 

 combs (preferably the latter). One of the 

 central frames is then exchanged for a 

 frame of brood with the queen but no 

 queen-cells. 



At this point occurs our first divergence 

 from the Alexander plan. He advocated 

 putting the queenless 

 colony right on top 

 with nothing but the 

 honey-board between. 

 Now, if we should do 

 that at this time of the 

 season the chances are 

 that the swarming 

 tendency would very 

 rapidly develop into a 

 mania, with the result 

 that we should lose the 

 use of those bees just 

 when we most needed 

 them. Therefore, be- 

 tween the queenless 

 swarm and the lower 

 hive we place at least 

 three shallow-depth 

 supers of empty 

 combs, or probably 

 two, if full-depth su- 

 pers are used. Should 

 it so happen that we 

 are obliged to use 

 partly filled cases be- 

 tween the two swarms, 

 no harm is done pro- 

 vided we leave plenty 

 of room. However 

 (and this is very im- 

 portant) the super 

 immediately below the old swarm must be 

 entirely empty. The new swai-m below noAv 

 has so little brood and such an abundance 

 of room, and they are so far removed from 

 the nurse bees and cell-builders, that they 

 completely give up the idea of swarming. 



Here our method differs widely from Mr. 

 Alexander's. He waited five days; and then 

 if there were any cells with larvae lie sepa- 

 I'ated the two swarms at once. If not, ho 

 left them for ten or eleven days Itefore 

 separating, and then one day later he gave 



