322 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. ]5 



have been in doubt in the matter, as quite a 

 few tell me that clipping- does more harm 

 than good ; but after having- several swarms 

 g-Q off to the woods last summer, I have 

 been wondering- what to do, so I came over 

 to consult with 3'ou in the matter." 



"I have always contended that, by hav- 

 ing- the wing-s of all queens clipped, we 

 have the bees under the control of the apia- 

 rist and can handle them as we wish, sep- 

 arate them with pleasure when two or more 

 swarms cluster together, and hive them on 

 the returning- plan when they come out 

 sing-ly." 



"What about this returning plan? I 

 have never heard anything reg-arding it; 

 and if there is a better plan than the hiv- 

 ing- of bees from a limb or some crotch of a 

 tree, I would like to know about it." 



"In using- this plan, all you have to do 

 when a swarm issues is to step to the en- 

 trance to the hive with a little round wire- 

 cloth cag-e ; and when j'ou see the clipped 

 queen running- around in front of the hive 

 hopping- about, trying to Hy, put the open 

 end of the cage down before her, into which 

 she will immediately run, when the cage is 

 stopped and laid in front of the hive." 



"What, don't you have to pick her up 

 and put her in ? " 



" No, not at all. If j'ou will watch her a 

 moment before you let her run into the cage 

 you will see that she is all the time trying 

 to get something to climb up that she may 

 better take wing, as she thinks, climbing 

 up anj' little pebble, chunk of dirt, or spear 

 of grass, etc. ; and on your holding the cage 

 in front of her she will use the cage for the 

 same purpose, and you are to put in the 

 stopper while she is climbing to the top." 



"Well, that is easy. sure. I thought I 

 had to pick her up, and was afraid I should 

 hurt her, and that was one of the reasons I 

 doubted in the matter. But I interrupted 

 vou about the plan. Go on from where you 

 left off." 



" Having the queen in the cage in front 

 of the hive, the old hive is now moved to a 

 new stand, and a new hive, all fitted and 

 fixed in readiness for the swarm, is set in 

 its place. In a few minutes the bees miss 

 their queen, and, as is always the case 

 where any queen can not accompany the 

 swarm, in a few minutes the bees come 

 back, running into the hive with fanning 

 wings, telling-, as plainly as can be, that 

 they are rejoicing over finding their queen. 

 When about two-thirds are in, the stopper 

 is taken out of the cage and the queen al- 

 lowed to go in with them, the same as she 

 would have done had you cut down a swarm 

 from a tree. ' ' 



"Is it as simple as that ? How long 

 have you followed that plan?" 



" I have followed it for over thirty years, 

 and know it to be a good one, and as good 

 a yield of honey is the result as can be ob- 

 tained by any plan where swarming is al- 

 lowed — no climbing of trees, cutting of 

 limbs, or lugging a cumbersome basket or 

 s warming-box about. It is so straightfor- 



ward — remove the old hive to a new stand, 

 put the new hive in its place, and the re- 

 turning swarms hive themselves without 

 trouble, except the releasing of the queen." 



" Have you any other reason for clipping 

 the queen ?" 



" Yes. In clipping I cut the most of all 

 of the wings off so that she is always, after 

 that, very readily found. In making nu- 

 clei, changing frames of brood and bees, 

 etc., if you find the queen you can always 

 know that she is just where she belongs, 

 and not in some place she ought not to be, 

 where she will get killed, or where 3'Ou do 

 not wish her. By having her wings cut 

 short, j'ou can see her golden abdoinen at 

 once, upon glancing over the frames as you 

 lift them." 



"Well, I should think as much of this 

 part as of any of the rest, it seems to me, 

 for it does bother me so to mind a queen ; 

 and I now believe that, if the wings were 

 off, I could much more readil3' find one. 

 Have you any other reason why you clip?" 



"Yes, I have not as 3'et touched on the 

 main reason for clipping, which is the loss 

 of swarms by 'running away ' to the woods. 

 Having the queen clipped, even if 3'our bees 

 do start off' for the woods or some old hive 

 or open place in a house, 3'ou can always 

 rest assured that the3' will come back again 

 as soon as they miss the queen, and run 

 into the hive fixed for them, the same as 

 did the swarm we first spoke about. Your 

 own experience has taught 3'ou what the 

 loss of swarms going to the woods means; 

 and if you had had the wings of those 

 queens clipped last summer, 3'ou need not 

 have lost a single one of those which went 

 off." 



" If that is so, that settles the matter with 

 me. I will try clipping a part of mine this 

 spring, in any event, and then a trial will 

 tell me which I like best." 



"I am glad to hear you talk like that, 

 for that is the wa3' all new plans, or those 

 new to us, should be tried; for it often hap- 

 pens that what suits others does not always 

 suit us. By trying the plans of others on a 

 small scale at first, we are soon able to 

 tell whether they are to our liking; and if 

 they are, we are then ready to adopt them 

 for the whole apiary; and if they do not 

 suit we are not much out for having tried 

 the matter in a limited way. But you can 

 not very well help liking to manage an api- 

 ary having the wings of all the queens 

 clipped." 



" I judge that I shall, but I must be go- 

 ing now." 



"All right! I am glad you called. But 

 before you go I wish to tell 3'ou something 

 else you can do with a swarm having the 

 queen clipped. I do not believe in not hav- 

 ing hives all in readiness for swarms when 

 they come; but in case of emergency, if the 

 queen is clipped you can hold a swarm out 

 on a limb while you make a dozen hives, or 

 all summer if you wish. If you ever wish 

 to do this, as soon as you have the queen in 

 the cage attach a short piece of wire to the 



