130 



April, 1914. 



American Vee'Jonrnal 



problem of the economical increase o? 

 colonies between two harvests and 

 shatters the universal theory that in- 

 crease is secured at the expense of 

 the honey crop. Here is the system. 



THE CONVERTIBLE HIVE SYSTEM. 



Assuming that colonies are in con- 

 vertible hives of 16 frame capacity 

 as described in a former article, as 

 the breeding season opens proceed to 

 develop the fertility of the queens by 

 giving empty combs one at a time as 

 often as needed, placing them next to 

 the brood without spreading the 

 brood combs or disarranging them. 





J. E. Hand's Convertible Hive. 



Make the brood nest snug and warm 

 with a close fitting follower, and a 

 warm quilt, see that they have an 

 abundance of stores, and nature will 

 do the rest. The hives face east with 

 the main entrance in the center of 

 the front side, and a small entrance 

 in the south end, to be opened and 

 closed as required. Both entrances 

 are opened and contracted ac- 

 cordingly, to get the bees accus- 

 tomed to using the end one for queen 

 rearing operations. 



The hives will be pretty well filled 

 with brood and bees by June 1st; 

 there will usually be a few light ones, 

 however, and these are utilized for 

 making nuclei, for every colony must 

 contribute to the production of either 

 honey or Increase. Increase demands 

 queens as well as nuclei, and herein 

 lies the advantage of a hive of suf- 

 ficient capacity to meet the exigencies 

 of the situation. About June 1st, the 

 bees will be gathering sufficient nec- 

 tar to admit of queen rearing, and 

 will be using the end entrance freely. 

 Place five combs of brood and honey 

 well covered with bees, next to the 

 south end of the hive, including the 

 queen, and close them in with a 

 close fitting follower, covering them 

 with a cloth, thoroughly separating 

 them from the colony. Bees having 

 the habit of using the end entrance 

 will continue it and breeding will 

 continue while the parent colony Is 

 engaged in queen cell building. 



Prepare a sufficient number of cell 

 building colonies to furnish all the 

 queens needed and enough more to 

 make up for losses, for by this method 



queens cost nothing except a little 

 time. 24 hours later, place in the 

 center of the brood-chamber proper a 

 frame having a cell bar with 4 graft- 

 ed queen-cell cups attached, placing 

 them in the heart of the brood nest. 

 As soon as the cells are capped, ex- 

 change the cell bar frame for the 

 central frame of the nucleus in- 

 cluding the queen. On the 9th day 

 after grafting, as many mating nuclei 

 are formed as desired to increase to 

 full colonies and some to spare for 

 emergencies. These are formed by 

 subdividing the 4 frame nuclei men- 

 tioned, utilizing colonies not strong 

 enough for honey storing, making up 

 the required number by utilizing 

 combs, of brood covered with bees 

 from full colonies not exceeding 4 

 combs from a colony. All nuclei in- 

 cluding the subdivided ones are 

 placed in separate hives, two combs 

 in each hive, each given a ripe queen 

 cell, closed in with a close fitting fol- 

 lower, covered with a cloth, and the 

 entrance closed for 24 hours, releasing 

 them just before dark through an 

 exit large enough for one bee, en- 

 larging it in two days. 



We now have twice as many nu- 

 clei with queens as we have colonies, 

 and no colony has less than 12 combs; 

 the deficit is supplied by giving combs 

 or sheets of foundation, placed in 

 the heart of the brood-nest alternating 

 with combs of brood, which will set- 

 tle the swarming question. It is now 

 June 15 and time to put on the top 

 story with 14 extracting combs; these 

 are spaced wider than brood combs. 

 These strong colonies are given 

 plenty of room in the super until 

 about July 15 when the harvest from 

 basswood usually begins to wane, and 

 all supers are removed; meantime 

 the nuclei have been strengthened by 

 giving, to each, two more empty 

 combs, and the four combs are filled 

 with brood and honey, some will be 

 queenless, and will be united with 

 those having queens. Cage the 

 queens in all the nuclei leaving the 

 cages between the combs with the 

 candy-hole exposed, and make up the 

 full quota of 8 wintering combs for 

 each nucleus by taking combs of brood 

 covered with bees from the parent 





ViEWOFTHE Convertible Hive Arranged 

 FOR Winter Use. 



colonies, taking 8 combs from each 

 colony. 



It is now July 20 and if the flowers 

 yield nectar we will have secured a 

 fine crop of surplus honey, trebled 

 the number of colonies, and every 

 colony has its full quota of 8 winter- 

 ing combs well stocked with brood; 

 the parent colonies will be the strong- 

 er in bees on account of old bees 

 returning home, and should have less 

 brood. In case of a late harvest from 

 buckwheat or fall flowers, these will 

 be self supporting, otherwise they 

 will have to be fed for winter. Sept. 

 15 take an inventory of stock and see 

 to it that every colony is immediately 

 provided with an abundance of winter 

 stores, and snugly packed for winter 

 by the "convertible hive method" out- 

 lined in a former article. 



It will be noticed that while those 

 who favor the migratory system are 

 waiting for cold weather to enable 

 them to carry out their project at 

 an enormous expense, and no small 

 risk, hoping to treble the number of 

 colonies and return them in time for 

 the harvest, we have trebled our 

 number at home at a triflle of the 

 expense, and no risk, and have them 

 snugly tucked up in their winter nest 

 fully a month before the "migrators" 

 start on their expedition to Southern 

 climes; and it is safe to assume that 

 our bees will be in better condition 

 for the next harvest than theirs will. 

 They are welcome to the winter har- 

 vest in Florida, for what it costs to 

 secure it. 



Increase of stock is no small part 

 of the profit with this system es- 

 pecially since it costs so little and 

 every hive is a perfect and complete 

 wintering repository without extra 

 equipment. As a rule, however, we 

 favor only 100% increase in connec- 

 tion with a crop of honey for the 

 following reason: It will be noticed 

 that the convertible hive has 16 

 frames in summer, and S in winter, 

 and less labor will place the 8 ex- 

 tra combs covered with bees into an 

 empty hive, than to brush off the 

 bees and store the combs. 



If the increase is not wanted it 

 may be sold in the spring, or two 

 colonies placed in one hive, separated 

 by a division-board into two distinct 

 colonies, and the extra hives utilized 

 for the current season's increase; one 

 of the queens and two combs of brood 

 are removed for this purpose at the 

 beginning of clover harvest, and the 

 division removed thus uniting the 

 working force of two colonies in one 

 set of supers during the honey-flow, 

 to be again divided at the close of the 

 harvest from basswood, and wintered 

 as two separate colonies. This method 

 ensures a strong force of workers for 

 the early honey-flow without any at- 

 tention, and the queens are not 

 pushed for high pressure egg laying, 

 and the extra queen is at hand for 

 the division; whether the increase is J 

 sold, or united, the increased pro- '| 

 duction will more than pay for the 

 extra hives in one season. 



For safe wintering, the 8 combs in- 



I 



