366 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



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HIVING SWARMS HAVING QUEENS WITH 

 CLIPPED WINGS. 



"Good morning again, Mr. Doolittle. I 

 have been thinking over what we talked 

 about the other da5'^ regarding swarming 

 with clipped queens. I did not know that 

 I fully understood the matter, so came over 

 again to see if you would not tell me a little 

 more fully the particulars in the matter." 



" Glad you came, Mr. Smith, for I touch- 

 ed but lightly on the managing of the 

 swarms, as we were more particularly dis- 

 cussing whether it was best to clip or not." 



"But do you really think that you can 

 hive a swarm easier where the queen is 

 clipped than you could one having their 

 queen flying with them, were it not for the 

 risk of their going off to the woods ? " 



" I certainly do. The ease with which 

 natural swarming is conducted, where all 

 of the queens have their wings clipped, is 

 one of the greatest reasons I have for clip- 

 ping queens' wings. Because the queen 

 has her wings clipped, it does not follow of 

 necessity that the swarm must be hived on 

 the returning plan which I outlined a little 

 the other day." 



" But is not the queen likely to get lost in 

 this swarming process, or stepped on when 

 you are trying to find her? " 



"No, I do not think so, although some 

 have written that way. In an experience 

 covering over thirty 3'ears, with nearly ev- 

 erj' queen's wing clipped in my apiaries, I 

 have yet to step on or lose the first queen, 

 from any cause arising from her having a 

 clipped wing. In fact, I am so well pleas- 

 ed with the plan of natural swarming with 

 queens' wings clipped, after trying all oth- 

 er plans used in such natural swarming, 

 that I would as soon think of going back to 

 the old box hives as to return to the old 

 way of letting the queens have their wings 

 as nature made them." 



" That is saying a good deal. And now 

 suppose you tell me a little more fully about 

 that returning plan you spoke briefly of 

 tlie other day." 



" I will try to do so, for there are some 

 items which sometimes bother people that 

 I did not touch upon. When a swarm is 

 seen issuing, I (or Mrs. D. ) step to the rear 

 of the hive and then look on the ground to 

 tke sunny side (you can always see the 

 best with the back to the sun, especially if 

 you have a bee-veil on) of the same to see 

 if there are many bees there, thereby indi- 

 cating the presence of the queen; and if 

 not, which is usually the case, step up on 

 that side and glance over the ground in 

 front of the hive. If the swarm has nearly 

 done issuing, the queen is readily found by 

 a little cluster of bees being about her. If 

 just commencing to swarm, look at or near 



the entrance where she will be seen run- 

 ning as soon as she comes out." 



"But you said something about a wire- 

 cloth cage the other day, did you not ? ' 



" Yes. Have on hand a round wire-cloth 

 cage lyz inches in diameter, by 6 or 8 inches 

 long, made by rolling a piece of wire cloth 

 around a stick and sewing the sides to- 

 gether with a wire raveled from the same, 

 when a stopper is fatted into each end — one 

 permanently, the other removable. As soon 

 as the queen is seen, hold the open end in 

 front of her in such a way that she will run 

 up into it, and immediately hold tIVs open 

 end in front of the entrance so that the out- 

 going bees of the swarm will run in with 

 her to the number of from 20 to 50. These 

 bees help much in caring for her, and to 

 bring the swarm where you want it. If 

 the bees are through running out, then you 

 can get the little cluster which gather about 

 her in the cage with her." 



" What about moving the hives ? " 



" As soon as you have secured the queen, 

 lay the cage down in front of the hive, 

 when you will move th-^ old hive back, 

 and put in its place the one which the 

 swarm is to occupy, when the cage with 

 the queen is to be laid near the entrance. 

 Place the old hive where you wish it to 

 stand, or move it up beside the new one at 

 right angles, a la Heddon, as you prefer. 

 Have, in a convenient place, two sheets, 

 one of which is to be placed on each of the 

 hives on either side nearest the one now 

 awaiting the swarm, so that they can be 

 spread over them should the swarm attempt 

 to enter these hives upon returning, which 

 they very rarely will do if only one swarm 

 is in the air at once, and if the caged queen 

 and the bees with her is left at the entrance 

 of the new hive. When about two-thirds of 

 the bees have returned and entered the new 

 hive, pull the stopper out from the cage, 

 which liberates the queen, when all run in 

 together. If the queen is allowed her lib- 

 erty as soon as the first bees run into the 

 hive, the whole swarm will sometimes take 

 wing again, and this is the reason that we 

 wait about giving her her liberty till at 

 least two-thirds are settled in the hive. If 

 several swarms come out together, more 

 sheets are needed, so that, if more than the 

 right proportion of bees draw toward one 

 of the new hives placed on the old stands, a 

 sheet can be thrown over for a little until 

 the bees are drawing about alike to all." 



" When we first began you hinted at an- 

 other way of managing these swarms hav- 

 ing clipped queens beside this returning 

 plan." 



"Yes; and a very simple plan, and one 

 preferred by many, is the following: Go to 

 the woods and get a light tough pole, or, 

 what is better, three or four of them of dif- 

 ferent lengths, the shortest being about 8 

 feet long, and the longest 20, sharpening 

 the large end of each. If these are of bass- 

 wood, and cut in June, when they will peel, 

 they will be the lightest and strongest of 

 any thing possible after being peeled and 



