310 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May M, 



swarming almost at will. In this case we can give plenty of 

 room, and, as Mr. Simmins, of England, has urged, bees are 

 not likely to swarm with empty space at the front of the hive, 

 nor are they hardly less so if plenty of room is provided for 

 storing in the hive. Thus, by adding a second or third story 

 to the hive, each with its quota of extracting-combs, we are 

 likely to prevent swarming entirely. 



If we work for comb honey — and I must confess there is a 

 pleasure in taking a full harvest of the white comb in neat 

 one-pound sections that is hardly known to him who only 

 produces extracted honey — then this question of swarming 

 becomes a very practical one. The first thing we can do is to 

 put our supers on the hives at the very dawn of the harvest. 

 This may prevent the swarming instinct in case crowded 

 quarters have not already incited the bees to commence prep- 

 arations for swarming by making queen-cells, and beginning 

 to rear queens, and so we may not have swarms, or any at- 

 tempt to provide for them on the part of the bees. This 

 means more surplus comb honey and more profit for the bee- 

 keeper. If when the surplus cases are put on a few sections 

 partially filled from last year are put in the center of the case 

 the bees will, or may be inclined to, go to work at once in 

 them, and when once at work in the sections, swarming will 

 rarely take place, unless young queens are already being 

 reared. Small pieces of white drone-comb containing brood, 

 fastened in one or two central sections, removes this comb 

 from the brood-chamber, where it is not wanted, and still 

 more attracts the bees to work in the sections. 



If the bees swarm before the season opens, or if queen- 

 cells are already formed and peopled when the section-cases 

 are added so that swarming occurs, then it is best to proceed 

 as follows : 



Put the new hive, containing combs if they are to be had, 

 or frames filled with foundation, or at least with starters of 

 the same on the old stand, exactly where the old hive stood, 

 and in case the sections were on the old hive, put them on the 

 new one. Put the old hive close beside the new one, with the 

 entrance facing the opposite way. That is, if the hive, before 

 swarming occurred, faced east, the new hive for the swarm 

 will face east, and the old hive will stand close beside it, but 

 will face west. Of course, if the queen's wing is clipped, she 

 will be caught and caged, and as the swarm comes back she 

 will be permitted to enter with them, and with almost no 

 trouble or work the new swarm is hived, and will go right to 

 work, and very likely in the sections. 



Soon, within a day or two, we gradually commence to 

 turn the old hive around, and by the seventh day after the 

 swarm left it, have the entrance east again close beside the 

 entrance of the new hive. On the evening of the seventh 

 day move this old hive to another part of the apiary. The 

 next morning, as the bees go forth from this hive to work, 

 they will nearly all return to the old place aid enter the other 

 ^ hive, making that colony very strong, and in condition to 

 store a great crop. The other colony will be so re- 

 duced in numbers that the bees will not be moved to swarm 

 again, and will fall in with the first queen that hatches, and 

 destroy all the other queens, and while this colony will not 

 probably give much surplus, it will make a good strong colony 

 by the close of the season, and will very likely have more 

 honey than it will need for the winter supply. This prevents 

 after-swarms, with no pains to destroy queen-cells, and while 

 it will not always prevent further swarming, it will be more 

 likely to do so than will the method of destroying all the 

 queen-cells but one, for it is very difficult to do this last; 

 some cell in a corner or other concealed place will be missed 

 when the third swarm is likely to issue. 



The above method was first given to the public by Mr. 

 James Heddon, of Michigan, one of the brightest and most 

 ingenious and progressive bee-keepers that the world has ever 

 known. I have tried it thoroughly, and rarely failed to make 

 it a success. 



Sometimes bee-keepers remove the queen at the dawn of 

 the honey-harvest, and in about eight days destroy all queen- 

 cells but one. The arguments for this course are : It pre- 

 vents all chance of swarming, which is true in case no queen- 

 cell is overlooked ; stops breeding, and so puts all energy 

 towards the production of honey; and it is claimed that the 

 season will not last so that the bees which would have been 

 produced in case the queen was retained will be of any use 

 for that season. This, of course, only follows in case that the 

 season for storing lasts but four or five weeks, and that there 

 is no later harvest. Such a course would certainly never be 

 advocated in Southern California. Again, it is claimed that 

 this course insures young, vigorous queens each year. This 

 is objected to on the ground of labor — finding and removing 

 the queen in very full, large colonies, not always an easy task 

 — and the objection to the removal of queen and all cessation 



of breeding in the very heat of the season. I think few if 

 any of our best bee-keepers recommend or practice it. 



I have known excellent bee-keepers who only produced 

 comb honey, to practice killing all old queens when the 

 swarms issue, and while the swarm is still out destroying all 

 queen-cells but one. This gives only young queens to all col- 

 onies, but I am sure few of our best apiarists would think it 

 at all wise. 1 think most of our bee-keepers favor swarming 

 once, if the swarming-fever cannot be kept down, and by use 

 of the Heddon or other method cut short all further increase. 

 — Rural Californian. Claremont, Calif. 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. O. C. MILLBR, MAJREKGO. ILL, 



LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! 



Ciilliiis Out 



Dronc-Conib and 

 Worker. 



Replacing witb 



I notice in bee-literature that writers recommend remov- 

 ing drone-comb and placing in its stead worker brood-comb or 

 comb foundation. Some times we find small patches of drone- 

 comb in or near the center of frame. Now, how shall I fasten 

 the foundation in where I remove the drone-combs ? I do not 

 like to cut away the entire strip from top to bottom of the 

 frame, to remove the drone-comb in the center. How shall I 

 manage it? G. W. W. 



Answer. — You needn't cut away any of the comb except 

 the drone. After you have out out the patch of drone-comb, 

 cut away the cells on one side down to the midrib, so as to 

 have a margin of '« to '-4 inch all around the hole. Now lay 

 the piece of drone-comb that you cut out on a piece of founda- 

 tion, and cut a patch of the foundation an eighth of an inch 

 larger all round than the piece of drone-comb. Now put your 

 patch in the hole, pressing the edge of the foundation on the 

 midrib to which you cut down, warming the foundation if 

 necessary. 



It may be better to use pieces of worker-comb instead of 

 foundation. In that case, cut a patch of the worker-comb 

 just about the same size as the pie ;e of drone-comb, laying the 

 drone-comb on the worker to cut by, then crowd the patch of 

 worker into the hole. Of course, with old worker-comb you 

 needn't cut away any of the cells down to the midrib. 



lining Frainc§ of Capped and Partly Candied 

 llunt-y — Keeping Bees in a [»lied. 



1. I lost two colonies last winter with their hives full of 

 honey, and only a small handful of dead bees — queenlessness, 

 I think, was the cause. I use the lU-frame Langstroth hive, 

 with supers for comb honey only. The honey in the combs 

 has commenced to candy ; there is only about 5 or 6 inches 

 square of brood-comb on each of only three frames of each 

 hive, and they are partly filled with honey and bee-bread, and 

 that seems to be dry and hard. Can I use these frames full of 

 capped and partly candied honey to any advantage in the 

 hives of my new swarms? Will they accept and use it? What 

 position in the hive must I put it — outside or center ? How 

 many frames shall I put into each hive? I intend to use 

 foundation starters for my new swarms. Must I clean the bee- 

 bread out of the combs, or can the bees use or clean it out? 



2. I have a lot 60x125 feet, and it is built up all around 

 me. Last summer, wheu I began to take off the honey, the 

 bees got very cross and would sting the children in the alley, 

 and prevented the neighbors from hanging out their washing. 

 (The bees are a cross between blacks and Italians.) So this 

 spring I put them into the shed (upper story). Itis 12x18 by IS 

 feet high in front, 12 feet in the back, with a window in each 

 end. I put one row on the floor, and one 4 feet above, on a 

 shelf, and cut small openings in front of each hive ?fx5 

 inches, and put 6-inch alighting-boards the whole length out- 

 side, and darkened the windows. They are working very fast. 



