JULY 15, 1913 



Heads of Grain from Different Fields 



Another Hive-stand Suggestion 



" Of the making of hive-stands there is no end." 

 The quotation is not strictly correct, but it suits the 

 ease. And yet, after all, there is a want of hive- 

 stands, ju-dging by the makeshifts so commonly to 

 be seen. As bees take to hollow trees, wall spaces in 

 badly kept buildings, and any place regardless of 

 appearance, the opinion seems to be general that 

 any old thing is good enough for bees. The bee- 

 keeper betrays his careless methods by the appear- 

 ance of his hives and their supports. The conditions 

 are often distressing to see. All will agree that con- 

 venience in handling and easy access to all sides of 

 the hive are prime requirements for a good hive- 

 stand. 



Cheapness should come next. Having cheapness 

 easily within reach, permanence is not so important. 

 Then the simpler the construction and the cheaper, 

 and the less material used, the nearer one comes to 

 an ideal stand, having regard for efficiency. 



/-_^;:r!^ 



The stand which I use and will now describe is 

 the result of circumstances. Having a lot of odds 

 and ends of 2 x 4's from repairing grape-arbors and 

 trellis work, it occurred to me to use some for a 

 temporary hive-stand which was needed on short 

 notice. The thing answered the purpose so well, it 

 is so simple, and so easily made from material which 

 otherwise would be wasted, and is so durable that 

 I have since used no other. 



Cut two pieces of 2x4 or 3x4, each 20 inches 

 long ; also cut two pieces of 1x2, or any width avail- 

 able, each also 20 inches long. Lay the 2 x 4's on 

 the bench or floor, on edge, 16 in. apart, outside to 

 outside. Crosswise upon these lay the inch strips, 

 also 16 in. outside to outside. Tack at each bearing 

 with a three-inch wire nail ; then make every thing 

 square, and di'ive the first nails home, putting an 

 additional nail in each bearing. 



The hive is set parallel with the inch strips so 

 that the foot can be placed partly under the hive 

 when lifting the hive-body or supers. This stand 

 raises the bottom-board 5 inches from the ground, 

 which meets all conditions in this part of Jersey, 

 where the soil is not particularly sandy nor wet. 

 The 2x4 pieces may be soaked in creosote oil some 

 time before being put under the hive. This will 

 help to preserve the wood, and will repel ants for 

 some time. 



Bergen Co., N. J. B. Keep. 



Finding Black or Dark Colored Queens 



As I bought a lot of bees last June, mostly hy- 

 brids, I usually have poor luck in finding black 

 queens. I ordered two dozen Italian queens to be 

 delivered by September 1, but didn't get them until 

 a week or ten days later. By that time the lower 

 body or hive was well filled with honey, and I al- 

 ways have my colonies strong in bees. The weather 

 then was extremely warm, and some queens were 

 dead on their arrival. Some more died the next day, 

 and I had them in tlie most suitable place I could 

 find. Wherever the bees looked bad and lifeless I 

 took them all out, and in their place I put young- 

 bees only. It takes me from one to three hours, as a 

 rule, to find black queens, but not so with the Ital- 

 ians. I can find them on an average in from thirty 

 minutes to an hour, usually in less time — that is, 

 when the hives are crowded with bees. 



So I figured out a plan whereby I could find them 

 more quickly. I had to get them introduced, because 

 it was getting so late the weather might turn cold or 

 rainy, any time. Robbing had started too. I use a 

 cage, but prefer working in the open. 



I moved the hive into which I was going to intro- 

 duce the Italian queen, to one side. In its place I 

 set an empty hive-body with two old combs or good 

 ones. It is a good plan to use dry combs, for the 

 bees will not staj- on them so much. 



I shook all the bees in front of the empty hive, 

 then put on an excluder, and on top of that I set 

 the super with the combs, all except one from whick 

 the bees had been shaken. I use the cages for in- 

 troducing that press into the comb. With one comb 

 out I had room enough to put in my cage with 

 queen. In about two days I took off the upper 

 super. It has been my experience since that I near- 

 ly always find my dark queens. With but few bees- 

 below, the queen is easily found or else is missing. 

 By that time the introduced queen is nearly always 

 gnawed out, or, when released, would be accepted. 

 I have never had a particle of trouble, and have 

 never lost a queen by this method. Besides, it is 

 easy, and is a much quicker method of introducing 

 queens of the dark strain of bees. 



Lake Citv, Minn. Edwin A. Kbinke. 



The Control of After-swarms; First Cell Likely to 



Hatch on the Ninth Day from the Time the 



Prime Swarm Issues 



On page 387, .June 1, A. B. Anthony says, "We 

 have by the ' wing-clipping method ' a decided aid 

 in the handling of primary swarms; but it is the 

 after-swarms that not only can and do make us climb, 

 but that sometimes beat us completely ; and it would 

 not hurt a bit if one more slat could be added to the 

 knowledge our older veterans have given us on the- 

 handling of this problem." 



I do not know that I shaU be able to add the 

 " slat " desired, but will give my method of control- 

 ling after-swarms, whether I practice the " wing- 

 clipping method " or make increase by a modified 

 Alexander method. In addition to my book-record 1 

 keep a record on a thin piece of board of the num- 

 ber, the date of casting the swarm, and when the 

 queen is due to hatch. I count to the ninth day 

 after the swarm issues as the day the cells are due 

 to hatch. That is, the forenoon of the ninth day 

 after the first swarm in an apiary issues, a young 

 queen is quite likely to be hatched. But after the 

 first one, the swarms may issue before the first 

 queen-cell is capped, and so it may be a day or two 

 or even more before a queen is hatched. My method 

 is to look into the hive the forenoon or early in the- 

 aft«rnoon of the ninth day ; and if I find a queen- 

 cell from which a queen has hatched I find the queen 

 and then endeavor to cut out all remaining queen- 

 cells, and finally put on a super of sections. Some- 



