1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



865 



clean sweep of all bees in several townships 

 here. We had 27 colonies two years ago, 

 and last spring- we got down to 2. 



Ludlow Center, Mass. L. Perham. 



TRYING TO CHECK NATURAL SWARMING 

 BY BRUSHING NOT ALWAYS A SUCCESS. 



There were about 70 colonies 30 miles 

 from home, which were strong at the begin- 

 ning of the honey season. About three 

 weeks before this, a hive with empty combs 

 was placed under each colon}', making two 

 eight-frame hives for a brood-nest. The en- 

 trances were made one inch deep, and 

 shade-boards were placed on t^e covers. 

 When the yield from clover began, I confin- 

 ed the queens to the lower stories with ex- 

 cluders, and placed under each colony a 

 story with frames having foundation start- 

 ers only. This made for each a story of 

 empty combs above the excluder, with one 

 of brood and one of empty frames below it. 

 All this was done to discourage swarming. 



The weather was hot and the nectar was 

 very thin. In five or six days they began 

 to swarm. Each swarm was returned aft- 

 er putting the excluder down on the story 

 with empty frames and removing the queen- 

 cells. In fifteen or twenty colonies I now 

 placed the excluders over the empty frames 

 and put the queens below them. The next 

 day a number of them so fixed swarmed, 

 and some that had swarmed before did so 

 again. 



I concluded to brush the rest at once. I 

 shook the queen and bees into the lower 

 stories of a number of hives, leaving the 

 brood beside the parent hive with bees 

 enough to care for it. This brought the 

 story of empty combs down on the excluder 

 over the empty frames. Several of these 

 swarmed the next day. I now shook a lot, 

 giving them nothing but the empty frames, 

 but they still swarmed from them. Then I 

 tried some with two stories of empty frames. 

 That was better, but no sure thing. At 

 the same time, I was using every means 

 that I knew to induce them to stay in the 

 empty frames. I gave some a frame of un- 

 sealed brood, some a frame of sealed brood, 

 and some had only empty frames. Some 

 would swarm out once after being shaken; 

 some, two or three times. If they came out 

 from empty frames I would give them a 

 frame of brood; if from a hive with a frame 

 of brood, I would take it away. I also 

 placed a few in a new location. All these 

 combinations failed more or less. About 

 thirtj'^ per cent swarmed after being shak- 

 en, and, what was worse, part of them two 

 or three times in a day or two. But every 

 thing went very well after they settled 

 down. 



The best method I could choose from these 

 variations is this: Jar the hive roughly be- 

 fore shaking out, so the bees shall fill them- 

 selves well with honey. Next, shake the 

 bees into a hive of empty frames on the old 

 stand, leaving enough bees to care for the 

 brood. If the swarm does not have plenty 



of room in one story, give them two. In two 

 days, put on the surplus arrangements. 

 By that time comb-building is well started 

 for the queen to lay, and the swarms re- 

 mained better than when the supers were 

 put on at the time they were shaken out. 



I think the season was unusual for swarm- 

 ing. But the point is, brushing failed to 

 prevent swarming to a reasonable extent, 

 in this case. Most of the colonies had not 

 started queen- cells when brushed. The 

 method gives good results, however, and I 

 like it better than removing queens. 



Ada, O., Sept. 8. C. G. Luft. 



[This case was unusual. The bees 

 throughout the yard had gotten the swarm- 

 ing fever to an unusual extent before you 

 tried the expedient of brushing swarms to 

 check their furor. When an apiary be- 

 comes demoralized like this, no repressive 

 measures could bring relief. When bees 

 get agoing like this they seem determined 

 to have their fun out and they do. If you 

 made any mistake, it was in giving too 

 much room at the start. You discouraged 

 them by giving more room than they could 

 keep warm. If you had not put that sec- 

 ond story under the brood-nest nor used 

 the perforated zinc the result would have 

 been difl:"erent. To curtail the egg-laying 

 of the queen at the wrong time will very 

 often induce swarming. — Ed.] 



A PRACTICAL HINT AS TO THE METHOD OF 

 "shaking;" a QUESTION. 



I notice you ask bee-keepers to give their 

 experience with shook or brushed swarms. 

 My experience is limited but satisfactory. 

 This season I had quite a number of swarms 

 issue and then return to the hive from which 

 they issued. Instead of waiting and watch- 

 ing for the bees to come out again I put a 

 hive filled with empty combs or frames of 

 foundation on the stand of the swarming 

 colony, and shook the bees off from the 

 combs of the colon j^ in front of the prepared 

 hive. If the swarming had occurred in 

 June instead of August I should have used 

 frames with starters of foundation for the 

 swarm. I use the word " shook" advised- 

 ly, because, as a matter of fact, I did not 

 brush the bees at all. Brushing angers the 

 bees more than shaking, and takes twice as 

 long to do the work. There is a knack 

 about shaking that is easily learned. Place 

 the fore finger and middle finger of each 

 hand under the shoulders of the top-bar, 

 and the thumb of eiich hand above. Draw 

 the frame upward a little and then make a 

 sudden downward movement. This is ar- 

 rested by the fingers under the shoulder of 

 the frame, and throws the bees off their 

 guard. A second movement detaches near- 

 ly all of them. Those that are left on the 

 combs are allowed to remain to care for the 

 brood and protect the hive. More colonies 

 would have been treated as above if I had 

 been physically able to perform the labor. 

 In future, when a honey-flow is on and I 

 have strong colonies that are doing little or 



