THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



521 



not laid an egg," will not be heard 

 again. I have thorouglily tested the 

 above method, and I can pronounce it 

 perfection in every sense that word 

 implies. 

 Wenham,d Mass. 



Exchange. 



Swarms and Swarming. 



KEY. O. CLUTK. 



Inexperienced bee-keepers often 

 liail the swarms with deligtit. They 

 have an impression that the more 

 swarms tliey get the more prosperous 

 they are, but the old bee-keeper looks 

 upon this process with much less 

 favor. If he could prevent his colo- 

 nies from swarming at all, he would 

 usually do it. If a colony swarms 

 often it will store little surplus, and 

 generally swarms will be only able to 

 till the brood-charaber. If the colony 

 did not swarm at all, and kept ils 

 many workers storing surplus honey, 

 the yield in a good season would be 

 very proHtable. As many bee-keepers 

 still allow their bees to swarm, they 

 should be prepared to take care of 

 the swarms when they come. 



Have hives and frames ready. If 

 you have empty combs use all tlie 

 good, straight worker combs for the 

 brood-chambers of the new colonies. 

 Watch the bees to prevent the escape 

 of swarms, and to know from which 

 colonies they issue. When the swarm 

 clusters, get it into the hive in some 

 way. The way of doing this depends 

 on where the cluster is. If it is low 

 down, on a tree or bush, you can often 

 shake it into the hive,' or you can 

 shake it into a large tin pan or into a 

 basket and pour it into the hive, or 

 you can cut off the branch and lay it 

 down in front of the hive or on top of 

 the frames. If the cluster is high up, 

 you need a ladder and a rope, etc., to 

 get up and saw the branch off and let 

 it down. Sometimes a long bag made 

 of cheese-cloth, the mouth kept open 

 by a wire hoop, fastened to the end 

 of a long pole, can be used to advan- 

 tage. It can be put up under and 

 around the cluster, the bees shaken 

 into it, then brought and poured into 

 the hive. 



When the bees are once fairly 

 started into the hive, put the top on 

 loosely so as to be sure of plenty of 

 ventilation. As soon as all, or nearly 

 all, are in the hive, carry it to tlie 

 place where they are to be left, and 

 set it carefully in position. Any 

 stragglers not yet in will go back to 

 the hive from which tliey issued. 

 Sometimes, after a swarm is hived, 

 and everything seems all right, it will 

 issue again and leave for parts un- 

 known. To prevent tliis is easy. As 

 soon as the swarm is in its new 

 qnarteis, go to another colony and 

 take from ic a frame containing eggs 

 and unsealed brood and give it to tlie 

 swarm. The bees at once begin to 

 take care of the brood, and, getting 

 thus the home feeling, they do not 

 desert the hive. I have never had a 

 swarm desert, if it had thus been 

 given a frame of unsealed brood. 



Iowa Cily.o Iowa. 



For tho Amerlcim Beo Journal. 



Important Subjects at Conventions. 



■\V. II. STEWART. 



I have carefully read the many re- 

 ports of the bee-keepers' conventions, 

 as published in the JJke Journal, 

 and although many good thoughts are 

 there expressed. L must say that some 

 most important items have been over- 

 looked or neglected— items that i)er- 

 tain to our common interest. Every 

 year the important question comes up, 

 " Where and how can we best dispose 

 of our honey ?" Many recommend 

 that each bee-keeper siiould create a 

 home market. This would answer 

 the question in some localities where 

 there is a dense population, and 

 where but few bees are kept ; but 

 where there is but a sparse population, 

 and many bees are kept, it is impos- 

 sible to Hnd a home market. Many 

 members of those conventions have a 

 reputation of being astute business 

 men ; and it seems to me that such 

 men, when met in counsel, should be 

 able to devise ways and means for the 

 proper disposal of the surplus honey 

 crop. 



Another important item is the rates 

 of freight on honey, and it seems to 

 me that the united effort of those bee- 

 masters, if turned in that direction, 

 would accomplisli much more for the 

 fraternity than by the discussion of 

 less important questions, such as the 

 use of honey-boards, introduction of 

 queens, prevention of after-swarms, 

 reversible frames, chaff-hives, etc. ; 

 for these are matters that are treated 

 of in all the bee- books and bee-papers, 

 and can be determined by practical ex- 

 perience by all bee-keepers. There 

 are many bee-keepers in the land who 

 are able to solve these minor prob- 

 lems, and produce many tons of sur- 

 plus honey, and yet when they have 

 it put up in good marketable shape, 

 the same most important questions 

 come up—" What can I do with it ?" 

 "How and where can I sell it for its 

 full and true value V" 



The bee-keepers of the United 

 States should be posted as to the de- 

 mand and the prices of honey in all 

 the markets of the civilized World. 

 They should be as familiar with the 

 markets of London, Paris, St. Peters- 

 burg and Rome as they are with that 

 of New York, Cincinnati or Chicago ; 

 and also should be able to get the 

 lowest possible rates of through 

 freight on cars and boats. 



But what is or has been the modus 

 operandi at those conventions in re- 

 gard to the sale of honey V We notice 

 that on several occasions certain in- 

 dividuals had on exhibition large 

 quantities of honey, and were doing 

 their best to sell the same, and yet 

 during the whole session very little 

 was said or done in regard to the 

 sales or market for bee-keepers in 

 common. Again, these men had 

 most likely secured low rates of 

 freight in moving their honey to and 

 from those conventions, but they had 

 done Uttle or nothing for others in 

 that line. The idea in regard to these 

 matters has, therefore, seemed to be 



" every man for himself," and a " sur- 

 vival of the litlest." 



It is true that the 15ee Journal 

 reports the price of honey in many of 

 the cities, but not all ; and then we 

 are left to take our chances and send 

 our products to a stranger who sells 

 it as he thinks best, and rejjorts also 

 as he thinks best, and at the same 

 time we have no means of ever know- 

 ing positively where our honey went 

 or what price it brought. Why not 

 have in each city a commission man 

 chosen by the National Convention, 

 to take charge of what honey is 

 shipped to that market V AVould it 

 not be well for these commission men 

 to have an understanding with each 

 other, and so manage that honey 

 could be shipped from one point to 

 another to make the best sales V 



Orion, p Wis. 



For the American Bee JournaL 



My Method of Hiving Swarms. 



EOnEKT CORBETT. 



Having read the Bee Journal for 

 years, and noticed several methods of 

 hiving swarms, I desire to give mine. 



Mr. Hutchinson (on page 4,37 of last 

 year) says that his apiary is located in 

 a young orchard of low trees, in 

 which there are no limbs but what 

 can be reached by means of a ladder. 

 He speaks of his hiving implements, 

 clothes-basket lined with cotton and 

 covered with burlap sewed fast at 

 one side. I also have a step ladder, a 

 pair of heavy pruning shears to cut 

 olf branches, a fine-tooth saw for cut- 

 ting large limbs, a quart dipper, a 

 fountain pump, and two large tin- 

 pails. When the swarm begins to 

 cluster, Mr. II. has to see that they 

 locate in a convenient place for basket- 

 ing them. If they do not so locate, 

 he must use his shears, and this takes 

 time. After he has the trimming 

 done, he brings the basket, lays the 

 cover over on one side, places the 

 basket close to the cluster, shakes 

 them off the branch, drops the basket 

 a little, throws over the cover, and 

 secures them for the present from 

 escape. Bees will not live in their 

 house, if it is open, neither will they 

 stay in his basket without being com- 

 pelled to do so. Mr. II. deserves 

 much credit for the way in which he 

 handles the bees after getting them to 

 the hives. 



In the Bee Journal of July 30, 

 1884, and on page 487, is an article on 

 this subject by G. M. Doolittle, who 

 practices the clipping of queens' 

 wings. I have not done much hiving 

 with the queens' wings clipped, and 

 neither would it suit me, as I have 

 but one hand to work with, and so I 

 cannot hold the queen and clip her 

 wing at the same time. The plan 

 may be a good one, but it does not 

 suit me. If the bees are under con- 

 trol, there will be no trouble, even in 

 letting the queen have her flight with 

 tlie bees. 



The following is a description of 

 my basket and pole : I take a fruit 

 skit or basket (the basket is bell- 

 shaped, and while occu4)ied with fruit 



