366 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



MvR 15 



[Our correspondent has given us several 

 valuable hints. A small tackle like the one 

 shown here can be purchased at any hard- 

 ware store for a very small sum. A little 

 outfit like this, costing a comparatively small 

 amount, will save a lot of hard work and se- 

 vere strains on the back and shoulders. 



The scheme of pulling the wires dotvmcaixl 

 while imbedding, to cause an upward strain 

 when in the hive, is excellent. If any corre- 

 spondent has suggested it before, we do not 

 now recall it. 



Mr Smith I'efers to one more thing ; and 

 that is, he finds it advisable not to heat the 

 water hotter than 130°. We should like to 

 emphasize this advice, because we believe it 

 to be very important. 



Incidentally we can not help poking a lit- 

 tle fun at Dr. Miller, who had a little fun at 

 our expense because we said at the National 

 convention at Harrisburg that 140° was too 

 hot for one to bear his hand in ; but some 

 people can stand a higher degree of heat 

 than others, especially women ; and as ther- 

 mometers are so very cheap we do not see 

 how any one who does any business in bot- 

 tling can afford to get along without one ; 

 and while one is about it he should get a 

 good one. — Ed.] 



TRANSFERRING BEES. 



Why it is Best to Place the Old Hive Below 

 the New One. 



BY E. W. ALEXANDER. 



In answer to Dr. Miller's ninth "Straw," 

 July 15, 1907, p. 947, as to why I prefer put- 

 ting the undesirable hive under the one I 

 wish to keep the bees in, instead of on top, 

 I will say I have always found them more 

 inclined to commence work above their 

 brood where the temperature is warmer and 

 more even than under the excluder or near 

 the entrance. I should have mentioned that 

 it would be much better to place a frame of 

 brood in the new hive, then the bees would 

 go up, and the queen continue to lay. She 

 will seldom commence laying in dry combs 

 for several days, either above or below the 

 excluder, unless the colony is strong and 

 honey is coming in fast. One of the princi- 

 pal reasons for putting the old hive under 

 is that, at the end of three weeks, it will 

 contain but little honey, and its combs will 

 be about ready for wax ; whereas if the old 

 hive is placed on top, then we have but lit- 

 tle honey in the new hive, and the old one 

 is full of honey in an undesirable condition. 

 This is especially so if we use foundation in- 

 stead of empty combs. It is for these rea- 

 sons that I prefer putting the old hive under 

 the new one. 



In one case the new colony at the end of 

 three weeks will be all that could be desired. 

 In the other case the new colony would be 

 light in honey, and, consequently, scant of 

 brood, and its foundation very poorly drawn 

 out. 1 do not put the new hive under the 

 old one. The object to be gained is to draw 



all that is good in the old hive into the new 

 one as soon as possible ; and from our expe- 

 rience we find the above to be the better 

 way. 

 Delanson, N. Y. 



THE ALEXANDER PLAN FOR WEAK 

 COLONIES MODIFIED. 



More Honey Produced if the Two Colonies 



are not Separated ; Producing Comb 



and Extracted at the Same 



Time. 



BY J. W. DICK.SON. 



In the Feb. 15th issue of last year, p. 333, 1 

 notice an article on the use of excluders. I 

 will give my plan in brief for the production 

 of comb and extracted honey. 



In the early spring, just before I commenc- 

 ed to feed for brood-rearing, I set the weak- 

 est colonies over the strong ones, with a 

 queen-excluding honey- board between them; 

 feed half a pint at night to each colony till 

 the desired amount of brood is reared. Then 

 when the flow comes on I pinch the head of 

 the poorer queen, take off the zinc, and then 

 add bodies filled with exfcracting-frames as 

 needed. Next, I place a super on top filled 

 with sections and full sheets of comb; and 

 when the season is over I take off sections, 

 pack them away, after which I take off the 

 extracting-bodies and extract. 



I will now tell you what I gain by this 

 method. By this plan I have two hive-bodies 

 filled with brood so they are doubly strong 

 compared with those managed in the ordi- 

 nary way, and will make more honey than 

 they will to build up on the Alexander plan, 

 then divided when the flow comes on. Then 

 some of my customers want comb honey and 

 some extracted, so I am able to accommodate 

 all. I can produce as much comb honey in 

 this way as I did when I ran for comb hon- 

 ey altogether, and have the extracted besides. 

 Only about 15 per cent of my bees managed 

 on the above plan ever swarm. 



Now, I guess you will wonder how I keep 

 from reducing my regular number of colo- 

 nies. I do that as follows: I run a few colo- 

 nies for comb honey exclusively, and they 

 will all swarm; then in the spring, if I am a 

 ■little below the normal number I buy a few 

 colonies in box hives at from $1.00 to $1.50 

 each, transfer them on my extracting- frames, 

 and go on as usual. 



I never use excluders for comb or extract- 

 ed honey, only as above stated. My idea is 

 to have the bees from two queens united, 

 and at the proper age to work when the flow 

 comes on. By doing this a larger per cent 

 of them will leave these strong hives in search 

 of honey than if managed differently. 



[We believe that more bee-keepers would 

 find it to their advantage to produce comb 

 and extracted honey at the same time as 

 above outlined. The plan, as a whole, we 

 believe to be excellent because we have test- 

 ed something similar and found it to be good. 

 -Ed.] 



