over and "ripened" by the bees. This plan 

 involves more labor, of both master and 

 bees, and has consequently turned the 

 attention of our most practical producers to 

 the "royal seal of the bees," on raising of 

 comb honey. To aid us in producing large 

 yields we have learned how to prune our 

 combs, or get them straight to start with, 

 how to stimulate our colonies in needed 

 seasons, how to properly construct our hives 

 in size and shape, how to choose the best 

 race of bees, how to svipplant poor colonies 

 with good ones, by controlling breeding, and 

 many more ways too numerous to be men- 

 tioned here. But now I come to our worst 

 enemy to the success of bee-keepers at 

 large, and that is 



OVER-STOCKING. 



While it is true that thousands of pounds 

 of honey yearly come and go, with no little 

 gatherers near to gather it up for our hungry 

 cousins across the waters, still there are very 

 many localities greatly overstocked. I can 

 hardly conceive how one could be favored 

 with a better opportunity to judge of over- 

 stocking than I have been. 1 have had the 

 entire field a part of the time for 10 years, 

 with an apiary of from 300 to 375 colonies. 

 Now, with 2 apiaries, 1 in an over-stocked 

 locality, and 1 in a field nearly all to them- 

 selves, I have a line chance to watch the 

 results. 1 have made a careful estimate of 

 the amount of honey probably consumed 

 yearly outside of the surplus receptacles by 

 bees, brood, brood-chambers and comb- 

 building, within an areaof 3 miles from my 

 home apiary. In round numbers, it figures 

 up to 12.5,000 lbs. With this number of bees 

 kept, we shall never get any surplus except 

 at two or three short periods in the best of 

 seasons. I have watched this matter closely 

 for the past 3 years, and now I say, all honor 

 to our old friend Jasper Hazen, while he 

 may have been somewhat at the other ex- 

 treme, he is much nearer right than most 

 writers upon this part of apiculture. There 

 are too many accommodation theories writ- 

 ten under the golden guise of scientific facts. 

 It may be pleasant to see things in a shining 

 way, "but to succeed we must see them as 

 they "am", as Billings says. We learn 

 faster by experience, and only of late have 

 had so good a chance to experience over- 

 stocking. It seems as though bee-keeping 

 ought not to be overdone in any locality, 

 while so many rich fields lay totally unused. 

 I have no doubt that honey-producing is 

 destined to become a specialty. The more 

 so, because it is different from any other 

 business. It requires different study, differ- 

 ent tools, different tact, and many appliances 

 to make it a success, too costly to be afforded 

 by the owner of a few colonies, particularly 

 when he lives in a well-stocked field. When 

 any field becomes so over-stocked that the 

 business pays no one, the small bee owner 

 will drop out, because he can. The specialist 

 will not, because he cannot. When bee- 

 keeping is run by specialists alone, there 

 will be but little trouble from infringing 

 interests, as no one will care to prosecute 

 the business in a divided field, while whole 

 ones lay open to the sun, and extend a stand- 

 ing invitation to the capital of the honey 

 producers. To beginners who have been 



deceivad by those fellows who scout about 

 the out-skirts of bee literature, writing agri- 

 cultural papers for personal advertising, I 

 wish to say, that I beg of you not to believe 

 for one moment that our pursuit requires 

 little labor, little capital, little sense, as a 

 return for great incomes. There is no sure 

 royal road to wealth, without industry, 

 thought, and self-denial. Our business is 

 too old to contain a bonanza. It is one of 

 great chance and fiuctuation, particularly to 

 the one who makes it a side-issue. For a 

 year or two it will run along quite smoothly, 

 seeming to be almost automatic; but to put 

 and keep it upon a solid basis, and make a 

 permanent success of it, requires thought, 

 labor and capital. It is from bee-keepers of 

 this stamp, that the honey-loving public 

 may expect to be regularly supplied. 



James Heddon. 

 Dowagiac, Mich., A.ug. 27, 1878. 



Prevention of Swarms and Increase 

 of Colonies. 



Read before the North Missouri Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, held at Auxvasse, 

 Calloway Co. Mo., Aug. 7-8, 1878. 



Ladies and Gentlemen :— It has been 

 the custom of nearly all writers on apicul- 

 ture, to describe the process of swarming 

 and increase of colonies; but the time has 

 come when it is more important to many of 

 us to learn to prevent increase, and to work 

 the whole force for honey. Now, I do not 

 claim that anyone can be entirely success- 

 ful in preventing swarms or increase; but 

 by strict attention to their bees they may 

 prevent increase, if they work for extractea 

 honey, and have but slight increase if work- 

 ing for box honey. It is best to begin the 

 season with strong colonies, so that the in- 

 crease of young bees will be gradual. 

 Should you force them to breed faster than 

 natural by giving them empty combs inserted 

 into the brood-nest the result will be an 

 undue proportion of young bees hatching 

 nearly at the same time, and crowding the 

 hive too much. Now, as these young bees 

 remain in the hive about 17 days before they 

 go forth in quest of pollen and honey, we 

 must relieve the overcrowded condition of 

 the hive, and give these young bees some- 

 thing to do orthey will become demoralized. 

 Like children they will get into mischief, 

 unless they have something to do. The first 

 thing these idle bees undertake, unless em- 

 ployment be given, provided forage is 

 abundant, will be the building of queen 

 cells. Since we find that swarming is the 

 natural way of multiplying and increasing 

 the species, the honey-bee being governed 

 by the same instinct of all other animated 

 beings, to perpetuate its race, it becomes 

 necessary to see what the usual conditions 

 are necessary to excite swarming. Go to a 

 hive that is preparing to swarm, and you 

 will find that the hive is crowded with honey 

 or bees— usually both— and perhaps not 

 sufficiently ventilated. Now, if you desire 

 to prevent swarming, you must use a hive 

 large enough to accommodate all the bees 

 that one queen can ever produce. You 

 must keep your bees employed, either by 



