THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



329 



Kcir Ibe American Bee Journal. 



Building up Colonies— Swarming. 



W. H. STEWART. 



I believe that all bee-keepers are 

 agreed that it is necessary to so 

 manage each colony that the hive be 

 well lllled witii bees by the time the 

 honey-How begins; and, also, tliat the 

 colony be kept in that strong condi- 

 tion during the honey-gathering sea- 

 son. 



It would not be a difficult matter 

 for a skillful apiarist to work most of 

 his colonies up to this condition, and 

 to have them ready to secure the 

 honey when it comes ; but with most 

 of us it is a difficult uiatter to main- 

 tain that condition, from the fact that 

 just about that time the swarming- 

 feversetsin; and although we may 

 have the supers on, and tlie surplus 

 work well started, young swarms are 

 very liable to issue, and the parent 

 colony thus becomes reduced in 

 strength. It is for this reason that so 

 many plans have been invented to 

 prevent natural swarming. If I mis- 

 take not, all such plans have failed, 

 and the bees swarm just about as 

 often as they would if they were al- 

 lowed to have their own way. 



In this locality, the greater portion 

 of our surplus honey is gathered from 

 basswood, whicli comes in bloom early 

 in .Inly ; that is also the time that the 

 bees are in the height of their swarm- 

 ing. As an effort to prevent their 

 swarming by any means yet discov- 

 ered, is not only a failure, "but attend- 

 ed with much extra labor, and con- 

 suming much valuable time just when 

 one can least spare that time, I have, 

 for the last two seasons, just allowed 

 them to swarm, and at the same time 

 so manage them that the parent col- 

 ony is kept strong, and the storing of 

 surplus goes right along as briskly as 

 though no swarming liad occurred. 



I have not learned from the bee- 

 books or papers, that any one is man- 

 aging as I do, but in tile reports of 

 the many bee-conventions I read that 

 Mr. A or B often asks ttie questions, 

 " How shall we prevent our bees from 

 swarming V" " How shall we prevent 

 after-swarms V" My plan prevents 

 after-swarms altogether. 



When a colony is sufficiently strong, 

 I put on the super, and put up one of 

 the frames of brood from the brood- 

 chamber; then place frames of comb 

 or foundation on both sides of the 

 comb of brood, and put a frame of 

 foundation in the brood-chamber in 

 place of the brood that I have carried 

 above. The bees will commence work 

 on the foundation given them below, 

 and also in the surplus cliamber, if 

 honey is coming in. Thus far my 

 management is not unlike that of 

 some other bee-keepers. 



When the bees are well started with 

 their work in the upper story, I re- 

 turn the frame of brood to the brood- 

 department, or if the frame of foun- 

 dation given in its place is well drawn 

 out, and eggs deposited in it, I give 

 the frame to some weaker colony, 

 which is thus rapidly built up to the 

 required condition. 



Now comes the swarming, and 

 av/ay goes most of the bees, taking 

 the old queen with them, and what 

 bees are left must care for the great 

 amount of brood that is found in the 

 brood- chamber ; and as a matter of 

 necessity, the work in the surplus 

 apartment must be discontinued until 

 a sufficient number of young bees can 

 be matured to lill the places of those 

 that made up the swarm. I5y this 

 time the most of the honey-flow is 

 past, and the parent colony is seldom 

 found able to do more than provide 

 for the coming winter ; hence, many 

 bee keepers remove the surplus de- 

 partment, cut out all (lueen-cells but 

 one, to prevent after-swarms, and 

 after the new colony has been at work 

 a few days, give it to them, and look 

 only for surplus from this new colony, 

 which is not always sure to produce 

 much, if any, from the fact that the 

 best of tlie honey-flow may have 

 passed before this newcolouy is ready 

 to send a full force above. 



To avoid this delay and liability of 

 a failure to secure the entire hoiiey- 

 flow without the waste of an hour of 

 time, I allow the swarm to issue, and 

 when they are clustering, or after 

 they have all clustered, I get them 

 well clustered in my Sheitard's hiving- 

 box (as per Mr. Shepard's directions), 

 then hang the box on the fence, a 

 limb of a tree, or an empty hive will 

 do, and then go to the parent colony, 

 lift out and examine closely all the 

 combs above and below, and destroy 

 all the queen-cells except one or two 

 on a single comb, place that comb 

 with the adhering bees, in an empty 

 hive, and give it also either two or 

 three frames of empty combs or foun- 

 dation. Now carry the old hive, with 

 all the bees and combs, both upper 

 and lower departments, with all 

 combs except the one with the queen- 

 cell, taken from them just as they 

 were arranged before the swarm left 

 it, place it in a new locality, and then 

 hive the swarm in it. 



The bees have now swarmed and 

 are hived in a new locality, and in a 

 few minutes are at work as earnestly, 

 and apparently as well satisfied, as 

 though they had been hived in an 

 empty box." They have not lost an 

 hour of time, and have lost only the 

 few bees that have been taken with 

 the single comb that contained the 

 queen cell, and the few bees that 

 were in the field at the time of 

 swarming. This colony thus man- 

 aged will continue the surplus work 

 without abatement. 



Now place the new hive containing 

 the frame of brood and the queen-cell, 

 on the old stand, and the returning 

 bees from the field will, when united 

 with those already on the frame of 

 brood, be able to care for that amount 

 of brood, and rear the young queen ; 

 and having so few bees, and a full 

 sized hive, the colony will not attempt 

 to cast an after-swarm, although 

 there may be more than one queen 

 hatched. The full colony in the new 

 locality will not swarm again that 

 season. 



Having our bees thus arranged, we 

 proceed with the work of extracting, 

 and often find that a queen has de- 



posited eggs in one or more combs in 

 the upper department, and as these 

 combs of brood are in the way, and 

 as we do not wish to waste either the 

 combs or brood, we take them to these 

 newly made small colonies which we 

 left on the old stands at the time of 

 swarming, and thus we soon build up 

 those weak colonies, which many 

 times i)roduce surplus fall lioney, and 

 they are found to be our best colonies 

 when put into winter quarters. 

 Orion, ? Wis. 



For the Atnertcan Bee JournaL 



Progressive Convention. 



The Progressive Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation met in Bushnell, Ills,, on May 

 7, 18S5, with the I'lesident, A. W. 

 Fisk, in the chair. After calling the 

 roll, the convention proceeded to the 

 discussion of questions and receiving 

 reports from members on wintering. 

 Twenty-six members reported <588 

 colonies, fall count, and 4(59, spring 

 count. Taking all together, the loss 

 of the past winter will equal or ex- 

 ceed 80 per cent, in this part of the 

 State. 



Methods of wintering bees were 

 next discussed. Mr. A. W. Fisk win- 

 tered his bees in the cellar, with bur- 

 lap covers over the frames. Mr. H. 

 II. , Soul left his bees on the summer 

 stands, in Quinby hives, with chaff 

 over and at the sides of the frames. 

 Mr. J. E. Suckle, Dr. J. A. James 

 and E. F. Crane left their bees on the 

 summer stands, unprotected. Mr. J. 

 M. Hume uses a chaff hive, with 

 quilts over the frames. Mr. II. W. 

 Cummings left his bees on the sum- 

 mer stands, with outer case, packed 

 with chaff, and chaff over the frames. 

 Mr. Ed. Ueyer wintered his bees on 

 the summer stands packed in leaves. 

 Mr. W. C. Cummings left his bees on 

 the summer stands, with outer case 

 and chaff packing, Jacob Hoover 

 uses chaff packing on the summer 

 stands. J. G. Norton uses chatt' hives 

 and chatf packing on the summer 

 stands. Mr. N. M, Woodman left his 

 bees on the summer stands, partly 

 protected ; spring dwindling and 

 heavy losses were the result. Mr. 

 Wm. Riley left his bees on the sum- 

 mer stands with upper and side pack- 

 ing. Mr. J. N. Bricker wintered part 

 of Ills l)ees in the cellar and part on 

 the summer stands ; he prefers a cel- 

 lar. Miss Cora Castle uses chaff 

 packing on the summer stands. 



The subject of queenless colonies 

 was ne!ft discussed. Mr. J. jSI. Hume 

 gives such a colony a frame of eggs 

 and brood, and a queen or queen-cell. 

 Mr. J. N. Bricker said that it did not 

 pay to bother with such a colony in 

 the spring. Mr. Wm. lliley gives 

 them a frame of hatching brood, and 

 in a few days a queen or a queen-cell. 



Clipping queens' wings was also 

 discussed, but it was thought by the 

 Associiition that it was unwise and 

 unprofitable. 



The subject of comb foundation 

 followed. Messrs. J. M. Hume, A. 

 W. Fisk, J. N. Bricker. and Wm. 

 Riley use full sheets in the sections 

 and brood frames. J. G. Norton uses 



