June, 1914. 



1:>1 



American Hee Journal 



that knocks out returning swarms. 

 That, however, does not knock out en- 

 tirely his using the plan, for he may 

 anticipate the swarming by dealing 

 with the colony before swarming ; that 

 is, when he finds queen-cells well ad- 

 vanced. Indeed, that may be better 

 than to wait for actual swarming. 



But he does not want to search for 

 queens. That's a more serious affair. 

 Yet even then, something like the plan 

 may be followed. Here is what may 

 be done, giving details as fully as may 

 be allowed: When it is found by the 

 presence of sealed queen-cells or large 

 grubs in queen-cells that the bees are 

 bent on swarming, go to the hive con- 

 taining the colony to be treated, which 

 hive we will call A, and set btside it 

 an empty hive which we will call B. 

 Lift A off the stand, and set B in its 

 place. One by one lift the frames out 

 of A, brushing back into a A every bee 

 from each comb except one, and then 

 put the beeless combs into B. In this 

 way it is made certain that the queen 

 will be left in A. The one comb is left 

 in .\ so that bees and queen will not 

 desert. The vacant place left in B 

 may be filled by adummy or by a brood- 

 comb of any kind from elsewhere. Fill 

 ■out A with frames of foundation or 



comb. If supers were on A, as most 

 likely there were, they were of course 

 set aside temporarily while making the 

 changes of comb mentioned. Now set 

 these supers on B, and over them place 

 the cover. Set A on top of all, and 

 cover it up. 



There is no communication between 

 the two hives, each having its own bot- 

 tom-board and its own entrance, as 

 also its own cover. A large part of 

 the bees are in A, but none of the field- 

 bees will remain in it, for upon their 

 return from their first journe) afield," 

 they will steer straight for the lower 

 enrance and enter B. Of course all 

 cells upon the combs were killed at 

 the time the bees were brushed from 

 them. Ten days later all cells again 

 started are killed, and the brood-comb 

 with its adhering bees is taken from A 

 and put in B, after which all bees re- 

 maining in A are brushed upon the 

 ground in front of B, and allowed to 

 run in at the entrance. A is now taken 

 away entirely, and any combs in it dis- 

 posed of wherever desired. 



This plan with its variation is not by 

 any means given as an improvement, 

 but as fulfilling the desire to operate 

 without being obliged to hunt for 

 queens or to have them clipped. 



Bee-Keeping 



In Dixie^ 



Conducted by J. J. Wilder. Cordele. Ga. 



A Good Honey Crop for Dixie 



Up to this date (May bi the reports 

 from all sections in Dixie show that 

 we have already had an average honey 

 crop. Mr. S. S. Alderman, a beekeeper 

 down on the Apalachicola river, in the 

 great tupelo gum belt, reported some 

 time ago that the bloom was not as 

 great this year as usual, and he feared 

 the flow would be correspondingly 

 light, but my apiarist in the tupelo 

 gum region reports a good crop. 



South Florida has again had a great 

 crop. The poplar and other spring 

 honey plants up in the hills and moun- 

 tains are now giving a great yield. 



The market is practically bare of 

 honey, and at present new honey is 

 bringing a good price, and shipments 

 are moving rapidly. As we have no 

 uniform prices for honey in Dixie, it is 

 needless to state a figure, but let me 

 suggest that every beekeeper add one 

 or two cents to his former prices ; this 

 will mean considerable in the wind 

 up against the higher prices of bee- 

 supplies. 



Wants to Move Bees to Make Increase 



Mr. Rish, a beekeeper down on the 

 .\palachicola river, wants to know if 

 he could move ."lO colonies of bees up 

 the river 7.5 or 100 miles to the cotton 

 fields, and increase them to 100 colo- 

 nies during the cotton flow ? 



Yes, this could be very well done. 

 The cotton is a good honey plant, also 

 a great pollen plant, and the flow is 



long, and bees would naturally build 

 up rapidly, and probably store enough 

 surplus to carry them over winter. But 

 I entertain a doubt whether it would 

 be best to undertake this venture or 

 make the increase right where they are. 

 There is always some honey coming in 

 on the river from snow vine and other 

 similar vines, and this would make it 

 ideal for increasing where they are 

 located. 



Mr. J. K. Isbell and S. S. Alderman, 

 of Wewahitchka, Fla., have for a num- 

 ber of years moved their bees up the 

 river to the cotton fields in order to 

 build them up in numbers and stores 

 for winter, and at the close of the cot- 

 ton flow moved them back down the 

 river for winter and spring, but their 

 latest report shows that it does not pay 

 them, and that they expect to discon- 

 tinue this practice. If the flow should 

 not be lieavy enough to make the de- 

 sired increase, a cheap grade of honey 

 could be obtained and a slow feed kept 

 up with good results. It is a lot of 

 trouble and expense to move bees, and 

 this compared to feeding might prove 

 more unfavorable than leaving them 

 where they are for this job. 



Bacl( to the Blue Ridge Mountains 



On June 1, myself and family, consist- 

 ing of wife, small daughter and an or- 

 phan girl we have taken to rear, will 

 leave for our summer cottage up in the 

 Blue Ridge Movmtains, where we ex- 

 pect to spend the summer months. My 



mother, who has had the privilege of 

 visiting us but one time in 18 vears, on 

 account of sickness in her family, will 

 join us and spend the time there with 

 us. We used to spend this time at the 

 seashore, but find that it is more satis- 

 factory in the mountains. This is not 

 done so much on account of my broken 

 down condition as for the betterment 

 of my wife, who has been almost a 

 helpless invalid for years. But I am 

 usually almost to this point in health at 

 the close of the spring work, after the 

 heavy strain of mental and physical 

 labor. 



It may be a surprise to those who 

 have never visited me, to know 

 that I take a cheap helper and work 

 from two to five apiaries daily during 

 the spring months. This work con- 

 sists of looking over brood-nests, ven- 

 tilating hives, adding storing room, 

 making increase where it is wanted, 

 and keeping it down where it is not 

 wanted. I cannot make the trips by 

 an automobile, but very often travel by 

 rail. At this time all of our experi- 

 enced helpers have all they can do, and 

 are usually under as great physical 

 strain as I am, but the responsibility 

 of the entire field is on me. Besides 

 this, from 10 to 30 letters go out every 

 24 hours to beekeepers in different 

 parts of the country, who are not in 

 any way connected with my own bee- 

 business, but desire information. This 

 all plays heavy on a small, frail man, 

 and he must get out from under it as 

 soon as he can. 



By June 1, the spring crop of honey 

 is gathered, and removing, packing 

 and shipping is under full way. This 

 can all be done by the well-trained 

 helpers I have without my constant 

 oversight. The sales of the crop of 

 honey made falls to me, and I am more 

 centrally located up in the mountains 

 to do this work. The summer and fall 

 flows come on slowly, and are not so 

 heavy, and no danger of swarming if 

 the bees have plenty of ventilation and 

 storing room, and our help can easily 

 keep up this work. By the time this 

 task comes on, the surplus spring 

 honey has been removed and packed. 



At the close of the slow summer flow 

 I am back, and take up the work of 

 making the last increase, requeening 

 and the last general apiary work. My 

 correspondents will please take notice 

 and address me after June 5 at Moun- 

 tain City, Ga. 



The Cause of Swarming— Ventilation the 

 Deciding Factor 



The Editor commenting (page 152) on 

 Mr. Randolph's article under "Swarm- 

 ing Xotes," page 104, strikes a " key 

 note" when he says, " While there are 

 no doubt cases in which other factors 

 so strongly favor swarming that no 

 amount of ventilation will prevent it, 

 the likelihood is that when other fac- 

 tors are almost but not quite strong 

 enough to carry the day, lack of venti- 

 lation is the deciding factor to cause 

 swarming." 



Bees for several seasons under the 

 care of a thoughtful and prudent api- 

 arist with good equipment, will swarm 

 but very little naturally during a honey 

 flow if weather conditions remain good 

 during this time, so that the field bees 



