1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



815 



FIG. 2. A SWARM IN A VERY INACCESSIBLE PLACE. 



Notice at the right a small cluster of bees around the caged 

 queen. 



are the queens. They begin breeding late, but 

 then breed with vigor, so that in a few weeics the 

 hive is full of bees. The brood-nest in spring is 

 wonderfully regular. It is one of those queens 

 that lived eleven months with her daughter in the 

 hive. We do not clip our queens; but about 

 five years ago I began to put on every queen a 

 distinguishing mark every year, varying with 

 different colonies. 



How about the percentage of swarming of our 

 stock ? Dr. Miller demands not more than 3 

 per cent from all colonies. What does that 

 mean.? Let us suppose 100 colonies which are 

 never requeened, but which supersede themselves 

 at the proper time throughout many years. Then 

 they ought, in 100 years, to swarm 300 times (3 

 per cent supposed). One colony, therefore, in 

 100 years swarms 3 times — that is, once in 33/^ 

 years. Well, doctor, you demand a stock which 

 supersedes ten to twelve times without swarming. 

 Then it is allowed to swarm, but afterward will 

 have to support itself for 33 years, and so on. I 

 think, doctor, this is asking a little too much, is 

 it not ? I must confess that our old stock, when 



still dwelling in little straw hi\es, swarmed often- 

 er tlian every 33d year, and it was, indeed, com- 

 pelled to do so. With the uncertainty of the 

 honey harvest, and without feeding, these colo- 

 nies would have diminished rapidly. 



How is it to-day with the swarming of our 

 best stock and with the movable frames ? It is 

 sure that our large hives are fit to restrain swarm- 

 ing ; but, unfortunately, there is no bee-yard 

 that has pure stock for a number of years. The 

 purifying of a race takes many years ; although 

 the conditions with the bee are most favorable 

 at mating-stations, yet scientific experimental 

 breeding is not practiced much longer than about 

 ten years. I myself have reared queens for only 

 seven years, and therefore I can not give a deci- 

 sive judgment. But I can, however, give you 

 some statistics. Mr. Spuhler gives me the results 

 of the past seven years in the field of the associa- 

 tion of bee-keepers of Zurich and surroundings. 

 Of these, in the year — 



1900, 2733 colonies cast 569 swarms, or 20.8^ 



1901, 3110 colonies cast 162 swarms, or 5.2'^^ 



1902, 3158 colonies cast 145 swarms, or 4.6^ 



1903, 3116 colonies cast 351 swarms, or ll.O'^fe 



1904, 3441 colonies cast 321 swarms, or 9A% 



1905, 3706 colonies cast 488 swarms, or 13.2?^ 



1906, 4020 colonies cast 590 swarms, or 14.7^ 



This gives an average of 11.3 per cent of 

 swarms. But you must remember that it was 

 not 11.3 per cent of the colonies that swarmed; 

 for, taking care of the after-swarms, it might, 

 perhaps, be 6 or 7 per cent of swarming colonies. 

 Further, it must not be forgotten that, in the 

 case of about 3000 or 4000 colonies, there were 

 still a great many hybrids; and last, but not 

 least, not all the bee-keepers were experienced 

 enough — perhaps not even willing — to suppress 



FIG. 3.— THE BEES OF THE SWARM SHOWN IN FIG. 

 IN THE NEW POSITION OVER THE QUEEN-CAGE. 



