22 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAJL.. 



one above the other with nothing be- 

 tween them except a single sheet of wire 

 cloth so prepared that each colony was 

 provided with its proper entrance. Of 

 course the lower hive retained its bot- 

 tom-board, and the upper one its cover, 

 but the rest of the covers and bottom- 

 boards were entirely removed. 



The lower hive was raised about ten 

 inches from the ground, then the whole 

 was well packed below, and with about 

 four inches of dry planer-shavings on 

 top and on all sides except about four 

 inches in width of the front left for the 

 entrances. The cover was left suffi- 

 ciently loose to allow the escape of mois- 

 ture into the packing, and the entrances 

 were closed to within about an inch in 

 width. 



During the winter these bees had com- 

 paratively frequent flights, and seemed 

 to be doing well. About March 20th 

 some of the upper ones brought in con- 

 siderable pollen, but the two lower ones 

 exhibited but little signs of life. Then 

 came the blizzard in the last of March 

 and first of April, and when that had 

 passed, and other colonies began to 

 bring in pollen, these remained omin- 

 ously silent — indeed, the silence seemed 

 chronic, and an examination revealed 

 that it really was so— they had all passed 

 away. 



The combs were dry and clean, and 

 the stores abundant, but there were no 

 live bees, and very few dead ones. There 

 was very little, if any, appearance that 

 any had finally perished ia a cluster. 

 Unless the arrangement of the hives 

 and the thoroughness of the packing 

 had deluded the bees into thinking that 

 it was so warm that they might with 

 safety try the open air, and thus ulti- 

 mately perished, I know not how to ac- 

 count for their utter destruction. 



Though the stores of five of the six 

 colonies was largely sugar syrup, the six 

 colonies consumed an average of five 

 pounds and 18 ounces over and above 

 the weight of the bees which had per- 

 ished outside. 



Lapeer, Mich. 



Mm Swams anil FinUiig Queens. 



Written Jor the American Bee Journal 

 BY ClIKSTER BELDING. 



Have you tall trees near your apiary 

 where your swarms alight ? and you are 

 troubled to got them down ? If so, get 

 a stifiP, light pole, the straighter the 

 better ; smooth off all knots, and have it 



long enough to reach, or nearly so, any 

 tree you wish to pick a swarm off. At- 

 tach at the upper end a small pulley of 

 sufficient size to run a small cord or 

 clothes-line. Have a hiving box of light, 

 thin wood, 8x10 inches inside, and 

 about 18 inches high, with plenty of 

 holes bored on all sides, and a couple of 

 cross-bars inside, made of top-bars of 

 old frames, with some comb left on. 



Now procure a small cord (clothes- 

 line will do); it should be twice the 

 length of the pole, and your hiving box 

 should have a wire bail, or cord handle, 

 attached near its top, also a stiff wire 

 loop on one side of sufficient size to slip 

 up and down easily on the pole, and of 

 sufficient length so as not to cause the 

 box to rub against it. Now you are 

 ready; let them file out, and up, if they 

 choose. 



As soon as a quart or so have settled, 

 run a cord through the pulley, stand the 

 pole up against the branch, with the 

 top of the pole above the cluster ; attach 

 a cord, one end to the honey-box bail, 

 and the other end to the bottom of the 

 box ; slip the pole through the wire loop, 

 and run it up just under the bees, and 

 by pulling the cord gently, dislodge a 

 few on the box, or shake the limb with 

 the pole. As soon as a few have entered, 

 drop the box a little, and jar the branch. 

 Have an extra-light pole for this work, 

 and if bees cluster on a large limb, raise 

 the box on top of them, and with your 

 light pole raise up the smoker, well fired 

 up ; give them smoke on the under side, 

 and they will soon enter the box ; and 

 by using the cord and pulley, they can 

 be let down at your feet with ease. If 

 lower limbs are in the way, you can let 

 the box down through them very much 

 easier than you can handle them when 

 the hiving-box is permanently attached 

 to the end of a long pole. 



Now to hive them, carry the box to 

 the hive where you wish them to stand. 

 Have two wedges, about three inches 

 wide at one end, and coming to a point 

 at the other, and a little longer than the 

 hive if from front to rear. Raise the 

 hive in front, and slip these wedges 

 under, shoving them clear to the back 

 of the hive, so that no bee can enter 

 save at the front. Drop down a thin 

 board about 18 inches wide, and two or 

 three feet long, in front of the hive, one 

 end on the stand near the front of the 

 hive. Shake the bees from the box in 

 front of the hive — not too many at first 

 — until they set up the call, and in they 

 go. 



This is the simplest and quickest way 

 we ever tried, and it saves all stirring or 



