228 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



CONVERSATIONS WITH 

 DOOLITTLE 



AT Borodino, New York 



UNITING WEAK COLONIES; WHEN TO DO IT. 



" It looks to me as if I had quite a num- 

 ber of wealc colonies on hand. Some of them 

 were wealc in bees last fall, but I concluded to 

 winter them. Can I unite them to advantage.?" 



"Yes. Have you tried the Alexander way of 

 building them up by setting the weak ones over 

 the strong ones, and, later on, when both are 

 strong, setting the upper colony cff on a separate 

 stand.?" 



" Yes, I tried that last year, and the queen 

 which was in the weak colony was killed every 

 time, and in some of the trials the bees and all 

 were killed, so that a total loss was made. Do 

 you recommend that plan.?" 



"Hardly; for my experience and that of my 

 partner, Mr. Clark, has been somewhat similar to 

 yours. Years ago the books and papers used to 

 tell us that the time to unite was when it was dis- 

 covered that any two colonies were too weak to be 

 of use alone, which generally hjippened in Aptil; 

 but after practicing this for a few years I became 

 convinced that colonies thus formed are no bet- 

 ter at the end of two or three weeks than each 

 one would have been if left separate. I have put 

 as many as seven remnants of colonies together 

 in April, the seven making a good large colony 

 at the time, and in a month all were dead." 

 " Not very profitable, I should say." 

 " No; but, of course, all might have died, even 

 had they been left separate. " 



"But how did you work to make the uniting 

 profitable.?" 



"After coming to the c.nclusion that I could 

 not unite bees with profit in the early spring I 

 adopted the following plan, which has proved 

 successful for more than a score of years: On 

 some cool morning, about the middle of April, I 

 look over all of my bees by removing the cover 

 and chaff packing to such hives as aie fixed this 

 way, when the quilt or covering immediately 

 over the bees is rolled up along its edges, so I 

 can see how strong in bees the colonies are, and 

 all that do not occupy four spaces between the 

 combs are marked." 



"But my bees have their covers sealed down 

 by propolis; hence I would have to break things 

 apart to look at them." 



" Glad you spoke of this. In that case the hive 

 is raised from the bottom-board, when a glance 

 up between the combs will tell you regarding 

 matters the same as looking down from the top." 

 "All right. Now what am I to do with the 

 colonies which occupy less than four spaces be- 

 tween the combs.?" 



"The first warm day they are to be confined 

 with a division-board on as many combs as they 

 have brood in, together with one full frame of 

 honey placed next to the side of the hive. The 

 rest of the combs are stored away in the honey- 

 house till they are needed later, when the colo- 

 nies are stronger. The entrance of these colonies 

 is now made at the side of the hive, opposite the 

 frame of honey, and in this way we have no trou- 

 ble from having these little colonies robbed out." 



" How large an entrance should be given.?" 



" Not over one-half inch for the smaller ones, 

 and not to exceed an inch in length for the btst 

 ones, ^et the colonies alone for about two to 

 three weeks, according to the weather, unless we 

 find by their not flying that some have died, in 

 which case we take care of the hives so robbing 

 will not get started on the honey they had. At 

 the end of three weeks the best will have their 

 frames full of brood clear down to the bottom of 

 the combs, except the one which had the honey 

 in, and that will probably have some brood in it. 

 When we find the colonies in this position, we 

 move the division-board along; insert the frame 

 having some honey and some brood in the center 

 of those filled with brood, and put in a full frame 

 of honey next to the side of the hive, as the suc- 

 cess of these little colonies depends quite largely 

 on having all the stores their wants call for, as 

 they will not have field bees enough to help them 

 along this line very much. In about a week 

 more the comb set in between the brood will be 

 filled as full of brood as the others. I go over 

 them in this way once a week till I have five 

 frames of brood in the strongest, when I take a 

 frame of brood just emerging from the colonies 

 having five full fiames, and give it to the next 

 strongest, say one that has four frames, putting a 

 frame partially full of honey from those stored 

 away when we commenced, where the frame of 

 brood came from. I keep on till all of those fix- 

 ed with division-boards contain five frames of 

 brood and one of honey." 



"About what time of the year is it when all 

 are likely to be full.?" 



" From the 10th to the 20'h of June, according 

 to the season. I now go to No. 1 and open it, 

 looking the frames over till 1 find the one the 

 queen is on, when it is set outside, and the four 

 remaining frames and all of the adhering bees a'e 

 taken to No. 2. I now spread the five frames of 

 brood in No. 2 apart, so as to set the four framt-s 

 brought fiom No. 1 in each alternate space made 

 by spreading the frames in No. 2 This com- 

 pletely fills out the hive of No. 2, as it now has 

 nine frames full of brood and one of honey. 

 The hive is now closed, when in a few days it 

 will be ready for the sections, which is generally 

 right in time for the harvest from white clover; 

 and, according to my experience, fully as good 

 work will be done by this colony as by those 

 considered the best at the time we put in the di- 

 vision-boards in April." 



"Good! But what becomes of No. 1.?" 



"As there were only four frames taken from 

 this, there is still left the one of honey next to 

 the side of the hive, and the frame of brood, bees, 

 and queen standing outside. I now place the 

 frame of brood back and put a frame partly filled 

 with honey between it and the one of honey, ad- 

 justing the division-board, when the hive is clos- 

 ed. I now have a nice nucleus from which to 

 get a queen to use, if one is needed for any pvir- 

 pose; and if not, this little colony can be built 

 up to a good one, often storing quite a surplus 

 from buckwheat." 



" Then, by this process of uniting, my numbers 

 would not be diminished so far as I can see." 



" No, not in the least, unless some of the colo- 

 nies were too weak in the spring to survive, or 

 you used the nucleus for queens during the season 



