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rHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



REPLIES by Prominent Apiarists. 



Uniting Nuclei and After-Swarms. 



Query, No. 117.— What is the best way 

 for doubling up, or uDitinR, two or more ouclet, or 

 after-swurnjs, in the tall, preparatory to wmter- 

 ing ? When Is the best time to do it?— C. G. B. 



By using ibe cage-plan which I gave 

 for forming nuclei, on page 277 of the 

 Bee Jouunal for this year, and as 

 described by me on page 344 of the 

 Bee Journal for lsS4, when I was 

 uniting nuclei. The best time is the 

 last of this month (Sept.), or the hrst 

 of next.— G. M. DooLrrTLE. 



Have all the nuclei that are to be 

 put into one hive, queenless,excepting 

 one. Carry the combs with the ad- 

 hering bees and hang them in the 

 hive that has the queen. The best 

 time is after a few days of cool 

 weather, just as it begins to warm up. 

 — W. Z. Hutchinson. 



I unite a large number of nuclei 

 every fall. Let the nuclei be queen- 

 less (all but one) three or four days, 

 then just before sunset unite them— 

 combs, bees, and all. They never 

 fight one time in twenty. If you 

 want to reduce the brood-nest it can 

 be done afterwards. I usually unite 

 them as soon as I have no use for tlie 

 nuclei, and never later than the first 

 killing frost.— G. W. Demakee. 



It is best to unite them just as soon 

 as surplus storing is over, if not be- 

 fore I have united bees satisfactorily 

 by taking the queen from one hive a 

 day or so before the union, and then 

 putting the frames together in one 

 hive.— Dr. C. C. Miller. 



Do the work as early as convenient. 

 If your bees will not unite peaceably 

 by mixing up the bees and combs as 

 you place them in tlieir permanent 

 hive, spray them with water scented 

 with peppermint essence. — James 

 Heddon. 



In doubling up nuclei or swarms, I 

 wait until near evening and then 

 unite them, without smoking or per- 

 fuming, alternating the combs. But 

 the queen to be given them should 

 always be caged 24 hours, or until the 

 bees cease to "ball" the cage. If 

 they start queen-cells, destroy them, 

 and they will soon cease to " ball " the 

 cage. There is always less disturb- 

 ance to the bees to unite towards 

 evening, when during the night they 

 will get settled and go right to work 

 in the morning.— Dk. G. L. Tinker. 



Bring the hives gi-adually together 

 if practicable in the first place, if not, 

 unite without so doing. I then re- 

 move the least valuable queen, and 

 one-half the frames from one liive ; I 

 take one-half the frames from the 

 other, and place them in a new hive 

 interchangeably. This mixes the 

 bees up to such an extent that they 

 have no disposition to quarrel. The 

 bees remaining in both hives I mix 

 together, and then allow them to run 



into the hive containing those first 

 moved.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



I do it as soon after the first hard 

 frost as the weather will permit. By 

 moving them a few feet each day, I 

 get the nuclei, close side by side. I 

 then smoke both thoroughly, mix the 

 frames, and shake the bees in front. 

 I do not think this last is often neces- 

 sary. They will usually unite kindly 

 by simply placing the frames in the 

 hive alternately without removing the 

 bees at all.— Prof. A. J. Cook. 



Replacing Aged Queens. 



Query, No. 118.— How should I proceed 

 to replace queens that are past their useful age ? 

 -L. L. T. 



Let the bees do it themselves, as 

 they always will if there is Italian 

 blood in them.— G. M. Doolittle. 



Remove them from the hive, and 

 introduce others.- James Heddon. 



Kill them, and introduce young, 

 laying queens.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Kill the queens and introduce new- 

 ones according to the methods well 

 known, and described in all the bee- 

 books.— Prof. A. J. Cook. 



I would not replace them unless I 

 wanted to change the breed of bees. 

 The bees will make fewer mistakes if 

 tlie matter of superseding queens is 

 left to them, than the smartest bee- 

 keeper in the land. If I had a queen 

 that failed to fill her combs at the 

 right time with eggs, I would remove 

 her and introduce another in her 

 place.— G. W. Demareb. 



One way is to destroy the old queen 

 in the midst of the honey harvest, and 

 put into the hive a frame of brood, 

 bees, laving queen, and all, from a 

 nucleus.' If your experience is limited 

 you can let the bees do their own 

 superseding.— Dr. C. C. Miller. 



Late in the season the best plan, 

 and a very safe one, too, is to take 

 out the old queen, and in nine days 

 cut out the queen-cells, shaking the 

 bees from the combs, so that none 

 are overlooked, and introducing a 

 queen by caging her, taking care be- 

 fore liberating her that the bees do 

 not "ball" the cage. Another pre- 

 caution is to always let the cage 

 down among the bees. — Dr. G. L. 

 Tinker. 



Remove the old queen in the fore- 

 noon of a pleasant day, and at night, 

 after the bees have all returned home, 

 give them a little smoke, and when 

 they are filled with honey allow the 

 new queen to run in at the entrance, 

 I do not open the hive for 3 or 4 days, 

 and have never yet made a miss of it. 

 —J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Prevention of Swarming. 



Query, No. 119 — To-day (July 19) I have 



had two new colonies that have swarmed, both 

 imviny C(jmraenced to worli in the boxes: one 

 was hived on .lune H, and the other on June 18. Is 

 itC'imnion tor new colonies to swarm ? Can it be 

 prevented ?-MadlBOn Co., N. Y. 



I have never had but one or two 

 such cases. Any means tending to 



prevent ordinary swarming can be 

 used to prevent this. — Dr. C. C. 

 Miller. 



Yes, new colonies quite frequently 

 swarm, especially if their queens are 

 old or have their wings' clipped. To 

 prevent it, use the same measures 

 you would to prevent swarms from 

 any colonies.— J .'^mes Heddon. 



In my locality early swarms are 

 very likely to swarm again if the sea- 

 son continues good for some time 

 after they are hived. You can cut 

 out the queen cells and return the 

 bees with a better show of success 

 than you can with the early swarms, 

 because there is not so much of the 

 honey season before you.— G. W. 

 Demaree. 



This is quite common with rae, with 

 very early swarms, and not easily 

 prevented. The best way is to prevent 

 early swarming by taking bees and 

 brood from the strongest colonies the 

 last of May.— G. M. Doolittle. 



This is not very common. It can 

 be prevented, but that may cost more 

 than it is worth.— Prof. A. J. Cook. 



It is not very uncommon forprime 

 swarms to swarm again, with some 

 systems of management. Give plenty 

 of surplus room, shade and ventila- 

 tion.— VV. Z. Hutchinson. 



To both questions I answer no. 

 Colonies of bees are liable to swaim at 

 any time when they get strong in 

 number, and the flowers are full of 

 nectar.— Dr. G. L. Tinker. 



It is not common for new colonies 

 to swarm, but swarms will issue when 

 the " fit " seizes them. I do not know 

 of any sure plan to prevent swarming. 

 Giving plenty of room is the surest, 

 but that will fail sometimes. The 

 " Heddon " plan (so-called) is perhaps 

 as good as any to prevent new colo- 

 nies from swarming. — J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Fertilization of Q,aeens. 



Query, No. 



Bwarms "mate' 

 swarm ?— T. 



120.— Do queens of second 

 before or utter they lead out the 



After.— James Heddon. 



After, never before ; sometimes 

 when out with a swarm.— G. M. Doo- 

 little. 



Usually after, butthey possibly may 

 before, under cei tain peculiar condi- 

 tions.— Prof. A. J. Cook. 



After.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Perhaps before, but generally after. 

 When they swarm before mating, the 

 swarm often leaves when tlie queen 

 takes her "wedding trip," and such 

 swarms are usually ditlicult to stop. 

 In fact it does not pay to try to de- 

 tain them unless you kill the queen 

 and return them to the mother hive. 

 — Dadant & Son. 



They mate after they are established 

 in their new home.— G. W. Demaree. 



After, in all cases. A second swarm 

 issues before the young queen has had 

 a chance to make her " wedding 

 tour." If the second swarm from a 

 parent colony does not issue till after 

 the young queen " mates," it will be a 



