304 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



disturbecl. A bee coming- in with pollen 

 could go to the outside comb where it had 

 been in the habit of going, and unload as 

 usual. There was not a single cell of pollen 

 in sections over brood-chambers where the 

 outside combs were left in. 



The surplus honey went up into the sec- 

 tions, as the two outside combs were nearly 

 filled to start with, and the four frames of 

 starters in the center were occupied by the 

 queen almost as fast as they were drawn 

 out. This gave us four good worker combs 

 from starters, for it seems to be a fact that 

 the bees will build Avorker combs as long as 

 the queen keeps filling them with eggs. 

 This is the reason it is necessary to contract 

 the brood-chamber. 



If the bees had been given eight or ten 

 frames of starters they would have drawn 

 them out faster than the queen could occupy 

 them, and a large amount of drone comb 

 would have resulted. Then, too, as soon 

 as the bees got ahead of the queen a good 

 deal of honey would have been stored in 

 the brood-chamber. This is the reason one 

 must use starters when following this plan, 

 instead of full sheets, if he is to get the best 

 results. The full sheets are drawn out too 

 fast. 



In a week or ten days from the time of 

 shaking, these combs will be drawn out and 

 filled with brood. At this time, if one should 

 give four more starters he might get work- 

 er comb; but this can not be depended on, 

 and it is more desirable to fill out the 

 brood-chamber with full sheets or with four 

 of the frames that were taken away at the 

 time of shaking. These frames will be prac- 

 tically all sealed now, and a few frames of 

 hatching brood are desirable at this time in 

 order to keep up the strength of the colony. 



"Worker combs can also be built in weak 

 colonies, but they are very apt to be round- 

 bottomed, with the lower corners incom- 

 plete. The following year this corner space 

 is usually filled in with drone comb, maldng 

 an undesirable frame. 



Where starters are used with shaken 

 swarms, as described above, the combs are 

 full and square at the corners, having all 

 the appearance of foundation-built combs. 



As a word of caution, put on supers with 

 bait sections as soon as the colony is strong- 

 enough to warm them up; and be sure there 

 is some work being done in the supers at 

 the time of shaking. The brood from the 

 first colonies shaken can be placed above 

 queen-excluders over the colonies one e\- 

 pects to shake next. Within ten days, about 

 half of this brood will have hatched, and 

 the other half will be sealed. If one wants 

 increase he has merely to set this hive bodv 



of sealed brood and bees on a new stand, 

 and in a feiv hours give them a ripe queen- 

 cell or a C[ueen. This is one of the most 

 satisfactory methods of increase I have ever 

 tried. 



The colonies over which this brood was 

 placed are noAv read}- for shaking. 



Colonies strengthened in this way just at 

 the beginning of the flow usually give me 

 the best results in comb honey. While 1 

 have spoken of leaving this brood over the 

 colonies ten days, a week is long enough, 

 and gives three more days of flow for the 

 sections. The brood from the colonies last 

 shaken can be placed over colonies too weak 

 to work in sections; and if increase is not 

 desired the combs can be left over these 

 colonies to receive what surplus they may 

 make. 



North Topeka, Ivans. 



THREE SWARMS IN ONE HIVE 



BY A. G. LUCIER 



It may be interesting to know how the 

 bees got on the top of the hive as shown in 

 the illustration. Hives No. 1, 2, 3, in a 

 row, were preparing to swarm at the same 

 time. One morning No. 3 cast a big swaim. 

 The bees were hived in the usual manner as 

 practiced with clipiDed cjueens. The very 



Three swarms that united with the bees in one hive, 

 making a colony too large for the hive. 



