138 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



results for others that it has for me, and 

 therefore meet with general favor. The de- 

 tails of its construction are based on a thor- 

 ough working knowledge of the instincts 

 and natural activities of the bees, and every 

 step in the system to be described in the ap- 

 plication of the swarm-controller in its vari- 

 ous uses and functions is made to conform 

 to these natural laws. There is, therefore, 

 no i)ossibility of failure or disappointment 

 except through gross carelessness or neglect 

 of duty on the part of the operator. I have 

 tested it for a number of years, and what I 

 shall say is the result of experience and not 

 theory. It very greatly reduces the labor, 

 and simplifies the processes of bee-keeping. 

 The control of the swarming impulse dur- 

 ing the honey harvest is one of the most 

 important subjects to the beekeeper. In 

 my hands the device has been uniformly 

 successful. I also make increase with it, al- 

 most automatically, at will. Transferring 

 is no longer the disagreeable, wasteful, and 

 gummy job it used to be. By the use of the 

 controller, bees are transferred from box 

 hives almost as readily as artificial swarms 

 are produced. As a feeder it has no equal. 

 The apiarist can feed his bees at any time, 

 night or day, as easily as he can feed his 

 chickens or his horse. The feeder is always 

 in place, does not have to be stored away 

 and hunted up again when needed. It re- 

 quires no attention, and is not in the way. 

 It affords the most natural and efficient 

 means of storing and caring for empty 



ed between two hives, into a closed cham- 

 ber. On top of this is seen a square piece 

 of board, which is the cover to the feeder 

 hole. This block is turned aside, and an in- 

 verted Mason jar is set in its place, thus 

 completing the feeder. 



The openings in the sides are closed as de- 

 sired by metal or wooden slides that are 

 pushed in at the main entrance, against the 

 inner sides of the openings. On the right 

 side is seen a perforated zinc slide closing 

 this entrance. Fig. 2 shows the opposite 

 side of the controller, with its entrances. 



HOW TO ADJUST THE SWARM -CONTROLLER 

 TO THE HIVE. 



Kemove the ^-inch cleat at the rear of a 

 Danzenbaker bottom-board, thus making a 

 new entrance. Place the hive-body on the 

 bottom-board and fasten it. Apply the left 

 side of the controller, as seen in Fig. 2, to 

 this new entrance so that it will register 

 with the openings in the side of the control- 

 ler, and make it fast to the hive with two 

 screws through the holding- cleat. It is fast- 

 ened to only one hive, preferably to an emp- 

 ty one, which we call the "annex." The 

 hive containing the bees to which this com- 

 bination is to be joined is i)repared in the 

 same way by removing the ^-inch cleat at 

 the rear of the bottom-board, making a new 

 entrance at the rear of the hive. The annex 

 is now set up against this hive so that the 

 entrances coapt as before on the ojijiosite 

 side. The device, ])roperly positioned be- 

 tween two hives, is seen in Fig. 3. 

 Here also may be seen on top 

 of the controller two metal 

 slides ready for use, and one 

 provided with a I'orter bee-es- 

 cape used in transferring. Fur- 

 ther back on top of controller is 

 seen the cover to the feeder 

 hole. The rear end of the con- 

 troller is here closed with a mov- 

 able shutter. 



I'ie. 1.— Siiaiuoii s device lor controlling swarming, 



combs and surplus honey ever devised, and 

 is worth to any l)eekeeper, for this purpose 

 alone, more than double its cost. 



Its principal uses will be described in a 

 series of articles, of which this is the first. 



Fig. 1 shows the general form of construc- 

 tion. In plain words, it is a box with open 

 ends, having a central transverse 

 partition which divides it into 

 two equal compartments. In each 

 side there are twoojienings, 5X5^ 

 in., which are the entrances into 

 the hives on either side. The 

 central pari it ion lies transversely 

 across the chamber between these 

 two entrances on either side. The 

 top is K) in. long, and the bottom 

 is 19 in., giving 1>^ in. at each end 

 of the bottom as an alighting- 

 board. The depth of the entrance 

 is I'/s inch. The left-hand en- 

 trance is closed with a shutter, 

 converting this end, when adjust- Kig 



HOW TO PREVENT SWARMING. 



The practical beekeeper en- 

 deavors to keep his colonies from swarming 

 during the honey-liow. It is then, as a 

 rule, that the swarming impulse develoi)s. 

 Congestion of the hive with bees and hon- 

 ey is probably the principal determining 

 cause, as well as want of room and a crowd- 

 ed house. Before this state of affairs comes 



The other side of the device shown in Fig. 1. 



