GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1919 



ny so treated to swarm under certain condi- 

 tions of weather and honey flow, but if they 

 can be induced to do a little work in the 

 supers before the extra hive body and combs 

 are taken away there is less difficulty. We 

 usually give each colony two supers at the 

 time they are reduced to a single colony, 

 each of which is supplied with bait combs. 

 At the same time we see that they have am- 

 ple ventilation and shade, if the weather is 

 warm; for, we believe, to hold down the 

 swarming instinct properly, it is necessary 

 to induce the bees to begin promptly and 

 vigorously in the first supers. In the supers 

 added subsequently there is little, if any, 

 difficulty in expanding the new work ahead 

 of the needs of the bees by placing each 

 added super next to the brood-chamber un- 

 til the foundation is drawn, then placing it 

 on top of the other supers. 



For the same reason many producers of 

 extracted honey transplant the work of the 

 brood-chamber into the super by raising 

 combs from the brood-chamber into it. In 

 the same way, when the second super is 

 added partly filled combs from the middle 

 of the first super may be exchanged for 

 some of its empty ones. If in this way we 

 can make the bees so comfortable and their 

 work so attractive that the field workers 

 are enticed out of the crowded brood-cham- 

 ber into the fields and the younger bees are 

 attracted out of the brood-chamber into the 

 supers to the greatest possible extent, the 

 brood-nest itself is so depleted of bees that 

 the colony is comfortable and the work of 

 the hive goes on without everybody being 

 in everybody else 's way. We want a great 

 horde of bees in every hive during the hon- 

 ey flow, but do not want many of these in 

 the brood-chamber at this time; for it seems 

 that when too many crowd into the brood- 

 chamber, whether they be young bees re- 

 cently emerged, field bees driven in by a 

 spell of rainy weather, or a horde of idle 

 drones, that such crowding among the brood- 

 combs is a breeder of mischief and discon- 

 tent, which may result in swarming cells be- 

 ing started at an early date. This extra 

 population needs to be given a job outside 

 the brood-nest. If too many youngsters are 

 crowded in the brood-nest, some producers 

 of extracted honey remove a part of them, 

 together with most of the brood-combs, and 

 place them in an extra hive body above the 

 supers, as in the Demaree plan.* 

 Killing Queen-Cells. 



In comb-honey production after the colo- 

 nies have all been reduced to a single story 

 and given comb-honey supers we begin the 

 weekly examination for queen-cells, which 

 examinations are continued until the danger 

 of swarming has passed. When any colony 

 has progressed far enough along in the suc- 

 cession of events toward swarming to start 

 queen-cells we usually feel that this may be 

 at least partly our fault in not providing 



*Mr. Byer and otheirs have used this plan. We 

 believe there is no record that Demaree did so. — 

 Editor. 



adequate precautionary measures, tho some 

 seasons we are inclined to blame it on the 

 character of the honey flow and the weather. 

 It is interesting to note, however, that as 

 the years go by the season is blamed less and 

 the management more for these attempts to 

 swarm. When queen-cells are found during 

 these weekly examinations they are destroy- 

 ed, care being taken that none are missed; 

 for if one is left in the hive the results are 

 probably the same as tho all had been left. 

 If the cells contain only eggs or very small 

 larvse, we leave the colony without further 

 treatment another week, hoping that the 

 bees will reconsider the matter and give up 

 the attempt. While we are often disappoint- 

 ed in this, yet so many colonies go thru the 

 season without swarming after having their 

 queen-cells destroyed once or twice that 

 the labor of looking for and destroying these 

 recently-started queen-cells is usually quite 

 profitably spent. 



The Pound of Cure! 



If, however, well-developed queen-cells 

 are found, we know that the trouble has 

 developed too far for preventive measures 

 and some remedy is necessary. Just what 

 remedy is best to use depends so much upon 

 the character and advancement of the sea- 

 son as well as upon the condition of the colo- 

 ny in question, that no set rule is followed. 

 In some cases the brood is taken away from 

 the colony, leaving most of the working 

 force, the queen, and the supers together 

 with the hive on the old stand, as in hiving 

 natural swarms. Later, most of the young 

 bees that have emerged from the removed 

 brood are returned to the colony by some one 

 of the well-known plans for doing this. 

 Colonies treated in this way sometimes at- 

 tempt to swarm again the same season if 

 the honey flow is long, but there is less 

 tendency to do this if the bees are compelled 

 to build new combs in the brood-chamber 

 from starters only. 



In other cases the queen is removed, all 

 queen-cells destroyed, and the colony left 

 queenless until all its brood is sealed. At 

 this time all queen-cells are again destroyed, 

 and a young laying queen, reared from some 

 colony better behaved as to swarming, is 

 introduced. Colonies so treated are in a con- 

 dition similar to the parent colony after all 

 swarming is over and the young queen has 

 mated and begun to lay, except that it has 

 retained its full working force. With us 

 these colonies do not swarm again the same 

 season. 



With either of these plans the first step 

 is to find the queen, and the decision as to 

 which plan will be used is often made while 

 doing this. We note a growing tendency 

 toward killing the queen in colonies that 

 must be treated for swarming, especially if 

 not many colonies attempt to swarm. In 

 extracted-honey production we would usu- 

 ally do so, for after we have done every- 

 thing in our power to prevent swarming the 

 swarmers may as well be weeded out in this 

 way. 



