1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



483 



cause {hey have then acquired the swarming fever to such a 

 degree that they insist on leaving, even though the hive may 

 be left writhout either a queen or the means of rearing one. 

 We will agree that this is rather an exceptional occurrence, 

 but it does occur occasionally. 



If we have been unable to prevent the issue of an after- 

 swarm, and do not wish to keep it, we hive it as we would any 

 other swarm, and return it to the parent hive after 48 hours, 

 say on the evening of the second day. The result is almost 

 always satisfactory. Very probably the swarming-fever has 

 abated by that time, both the parent hive and the swarm have 

 measured their strength, and find it under average, the young 

 queens are allowed to tight it out, and the victor remains in 

 undisputed possession. 



The returning of the swarm to the parent hive after a 

 lapse of 48 hours has even succeeded in the case of primary 

 swarms, but with less regularity. It is especially when a few 

 bad days diminish the crop, or cool weather sets in, that this 

 may be made successful with primary swarms. 



We have often noticed that it takes but little to induce a 

 secondary or afterswarm to return to the old stand. We will 

 give an illustration of this out of our own experience : 



During the summer of 1878 we had five apiaries of our 

 own, and had engaged to care for another apiary belonging to 

 Mr. A. Daugherty, of Rocky-Run, Mallard P. O., on the edge 

 of the Mississippi lowlands, some 14 miles south of us. We 

 were to furnish him with empty hives for the swarms. That 

 year was a very good one for the bees. His bees in small hives 

 sent forth twice as many swarms as we had expected, and the 

 clover crop was only half over when he found himself short of 

 hives. He sent us word at once, but we were very busy, and 

 it was fully a week before we could take down a load. We 

 found that he had hived secondary swarms in all sorts of re- 

 cipients — boxes, kegs, barrels, old churns, cheese-boxes, etc. 

 We thought best to immediately transfer the latest of these 

 into the frame hives we had brought. So we transferred some 

 15 or 20 that had been hived less than four days, by shaking 

 the bees out of the box they occupied to the front of the new 

 hive. In every case but one or two they left before the day 

 was over, and returned to the parent hive. They were evi- 

 dently displeased at the liberties we had taken with them. 



Hamilton, 111. 



Making Swarms Stay Put Back — Watering Bees 



BY DR. E. GALLUP. 



I am asked how Mr. Oderlin succeeds in making swarms 

 that are put back stay. He cuts out queen-cells, raises the 

 extracting super and places another one under, or if working 

 for comb honey, raises the set of sections and places an empty 

 set of sections under. He says in managing in that manner 

 they almost invariably stay. He only occasionally has to put 

 a swarm back the second time. By the above management he 

 has an extra-strong working-force. He has had as high as 16 

 swarms in one day. He keeps a man in the apiary all the 

 time (if not there himself) during swarming-time, and prefers 

 to have his bees swarm, for they are the colonies that produce 

 the most honey. How is that going to suit the non-swarming 

 advocates ? 



Somewhere In the American Bee Journal some one tells 

 how to water bees, but he does not tell it rightly. I have a 

 small platform or board permanently fixed out of the wind 

 and convenient to the apiary. Now cut a small block from a 

 board, 4 inches square is sufficient ; cut a crease out each way 

 in the form of a cross. Fill a two-quart Mason jar with 

 water, place the little board over the mouth of the Jar, creased 

 side down ; hold it there, and reverse or tip it over, place on 

 the platform, and you have just what the bees like. Those 



creases must come outside of the jar, but not to the edge of 

 the little block. 



I keep about four jars — two with the salted, and two with 

 fresh water. Some days the bees will use the salted water 

 more freely than the fresh, and some days the reverse, and 

 some days about alike. Do not make the water too salt. I 

 find by experience that about what you take between the 

 thumb and first two fingers is about right — not too large a 

 pinch. 



I have for years salted my bees in that manner, and have 

 a strong belief that it is very advantageous. The water only 

 comes down out of the jars as fast as the bees require, and 

 you can see at a glance when the jars need replenishing. Bees 

 that are kept salted are never seen sucking around the pig- 

 sty, urinal, or where slops are thrown out of the farmer's 

 kitchen. It is on the same principle of the Boardman feeder, 

 or the arrangement for watering little chicks, turkeys, etc. 



This season I have fed my bees for stimulating when they 

 could gather nothing, with just sweetened water, half a tea- 

 cup of sugar to a two-quart jar of water ; kept them breeding 

 right along. I fed on the watering platform. 



I started in with one good colony in the spring, and now 

 have 18. I shall report in the fall, in full. A part of April, 

 most of May, and up to the middle of June, was bad. It is 

 good now. Santa Ana, Calif., July 9. 



Fifteen Years' Experience in Bee-Keeping. 



TiY MRS. SALLIE E. SHERMAN. 

 (Continued from page 469.) 



I never saw a case of foul brood, and I hope I never will. 

 I have had a few cases of the nameless bee-disease. I decided 

 in every case that it was caused from the honey. The first I 

 ever saw of it there must have been a quart of dead bees at 

 the entrance, and others crawling out trembling and dying. 

 Upon opening the hive and taking out all the honey in their 

 hives, and giving different white capped honey, they ceased to 

 die, and in a few days were all right. The honey I took from 

 them all had a watery appearance. 



In 1888 I had about a ton of honey, enough of which was 

 gathered from milkweed, to so strongly impregnate it with 

 that strong, fiery taste, that it could scarcely be eaten at all. 

 By a mere accident I found that if it was exposed for some 

 time to the atmosphere the strong, peppery taste all left it. I 

 then put it in shallow vessels, exposing as much of it to the 

 atmosphere as I could conveniently, covering it with thin 

 cheese-cloth and letting it remain thus for a time. I was en- 

 abled to sell it at the usual price. This little item is worth 

 remembering and putting into practice, should occasion re- 

 quire it. 



Not so with comb honey. I know of no way of removing 

 it, as it is sealed, and so of course remains hot. This is a very 

 strong point in favor of extracted honey, in a country where 

 such objections are liable to come up in the honey-producing 

 flora. 



All very dark and unsalable honey, together with the 

 washings of all vessels, etc., was put into the vinegar barrel, 

 that nothing be lost. I usually had a good market right at 

 home for all I made. I remember, however, on one occasion 

 that my vinegar was not quite as strong as I desired it, and 

 having seen somewhere that yeast put Into the vinegar would 

 greatly hasten its turning, and add to its strength, I thought, 

 " That's just the thing I have been needing. I don't see why 

 I hadn't thought of that myself." So I fixed up my yeast, and 

 let it get good and sour, then to the vinegar barrel I went and 

 poured it in — a whole gallon, stirring it thoroughly all the 

 while to get it well mixed. I sold a few gallons along as my 

 neighbors wanted it. It was fine, too, I assure you. It beaded 

 beautifully. 



