GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Sweet-clover hay cut with a mowing-machine, and raked Into cocks for curing. 



take their flight from this new entrance, 

 and return to the common entrance of the 

 swarm-controller, and enter the annex, or 

 hive on the left, where they find their queen 

 and the conditions that satisfy the swarm- 

 ing impulse; viz., a new hive, combs to 

 build, and relief from a crowded house. The 

 supers should now be replaced, one over 

 each hive. 



Two courses are now open in dealing with 

 the queen-cells in the old hive. They may 

 be cut out and destroyed, or placed in nur- 

 sery cages to be utilized in making further 

 increase; or one of the choice cells may be 

 left to hatch and become fertilized. If the 

 first plan of removing all queen-cells be 

 adopted, cells will require to be cut out again 

 in eight days. The old colony will then be 

 without material from which to rear a queen, 

 and the entrance to the swarm-controller 

 on the side next to the old hive may now be 

 opened, and the regular entrance, or the one 

 at the back of the hive, closed, compelling 

 the bees again to work through the control- 

 ler. Both divisions are now working from 

 one common entrance; and, being of the 

 same family odor, they will very soon inter- 

 mingle; and, finding their queen on the left 

 side in the annex, most of the bees will re- 

 turn to her, and the original conditions of 

 the hive will be re-established, minus the 

 desire to swarm, which has been gratified 

 and eliminated. 



Having two sets of combs now instead of 

 one, the select combs are placed with the 

 queen, and all others stored in the annex, 

 where enough bees will remain to care for 

 any surplus thus stored. If it is desired to 

 save one choice queen-cell in the old hive 



the same process of division is employed as 

 above; and when the young queen is fertil- 

 ized, having taken her flight from the ex- 

 treme right of the old hive, this entrance is 

 now closed, and the entrance into the 

 swatm-controUer opened. The two colonies 

 now work from one common entrance, the 

 front vestibule of the controller. After a 

 few days place a queen-excluder over the old 

 queen in the annex, and on top of the ex- 

 cluder an empty hive body. Transfer all 

 the frames with their adhering bees and 

 young queen into this empty super, over 

 the excluder. Fill the old hive with frames 

 of foundation, and allow it to remain as an- 

 nex, and place all supers over the queens. 

 We now have a double-decker with two hive 

 bodies, two queens, and two supers, as seen 

 in the cut. If it is not desired to work the 

 two queens in this way, one of the divisions 

 may be moved to a new location. If this 

 course is chosen, both colonies should be 

 sufficiently strong, and equalized before sep- 

 arating. 



It will be observed that the first process 

 controls the swarming impulse without mak- 

 ing increase. The second process doubles 

 the breeding capacity of the hive; but all 

 the bees work together in common, storing 

 in the one set of supers. The third plan di- 

 vides i^ermanently the working force, and 

 is one method of making increase. The bee- 

 keeper will be governed by conditions pres- 

 ent as to which course to pursue. If the 

 swarming impulse comes on during a great 

 honey flow the first plan is obviously the 

 one to employ as this will give the least pos- 

 sible break in the working forces. By plac- 

 ing a super over each division for the eight 



