TH® mimMMifsmm m^nm jq-ukpikxt. 



233 



without the use of wide frames, so as 

 to save their expense. We want, how- 

 ever, an arrangement that will also 

 enable us to use separators or to dis- 

 pense with them at will. Who will 

 coiue to tlie rescue ? 



My correspondent incidentally re- 

 fers to his plan of selling his crop of 

 honey. It pleases me to learu that he 

 makes the commission man buy his 

 crop outright, and to pay cash for it 

 before it leaves his apiary ! This is 

 right, and is preoiselj' what every bee- 

 keeper sliould do. If all would do 

 this, the wholesale dealer would then 

 take an interest in getting his money 

 back as well as a living- profit besides, 

 and this would be one of the means of 

 keeping the price up where it should 

 be. 



St. Charles, Ills. 



SWARM-HIVERS. 



How Culonies are managed 

 Wlien They are Used. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY WESLEY DIBBLE. 



I am in receipt of numerous letters 

 asking for replies to questions in rela- 

 tion to my article on page 72. As the 

 matters are of importance to many 

 others, I would like to answer them in 

 the American Bee Journax. 



My experiments with my plan of 

 hiving swarms, leads to narrow en- 

 trances and wide entrances of hives, 

 queen-excluders on the outside, and 

 queen-excluders on the inside of the 

 hive-entrances. The former is a com- 

 plete failure, while the latter is a par- 

 tial success, and then only when the 

 entrance is clear across the hive. 



With a narrow entrance, there is a 

 dark space between the entrance of 

 the hive and the entrance of the tun- 

 nel, that the queen will seldom pass 

 over. The entrance uiust go clear 

 across the hive. 



I recommend the queen-excluding 

 honey-board in preference to the 

 queen-excluder on the entrance of the 

 hives. If, however, the metal is used 

 on the hives, it must be on the inside 

 so as to keep the queen back, 

 even with the entrance of the tunnel. 

 As the queen goes back and forward, 

 endeavoring to get out, she will march 

 through the tunnel. 



My experiments also lead to using 

 screen-wire, and also queen-excluders 

 for the tunnel that connects the two 

 hives. I advise all not to hesitate to 

 use the wire-cloth in the absence of 

 the queen-excluding metal, as I can 

 see no difference in results between 

 them. I will add here (but not posi- 



tively), that there is no need of putting 

 the cone in tlu; tunnel. 



I think that Mr. Alley has said that 

 after a swarm has issued, and the 

 (lueen has strayed under the bottom of 

 the stand — after the bees find her, they 

 will cluster with her, and not leave 

 her for the oUl hive. 



I partially agree with Mr. Alley ; 

 but even though the bees return to the 

 old hive when swarming, it is soon 

 conveyed from one bee to another, 

 that the queen is through the tunnel, 

 and they will march through it and 

 cluster with the queen in thfe next 

 hive. 



I can answer several questions by 

 telling how I proceed further on. The 

 hive prepared for the swarm has either 

 half-inch starters of foundation, and 

 confined to six frames, or the same six 

 frames with full sheets of foundation. 

 Then comes tlie sections, vvitli a queen- 

 excluder between the two. After the 

 swarm has issued 2-1 hours, or on the 

 next day, exchange the hives, always 

 leaving the surplus case with the new 

 swarm. 



To prevent swarms, from four to six 

 days remove, in the middle of the day 

 (when the bees are well in the field), 

 the old colony to a new and permanent 

 location. If, however, the weather is 

 bad, not allowing the bees in the field, 

 shake or brush the frames, and leave 

 the bees on the old stand. A little 

 good judgment will tell how many to 

 leave, and not rob the old colony that 

 is removed. 



After removing the old hive, you 

 may introduce a laying queen, a virgin 

 queen, or a ripe queen-cell, or leave 

 them to rear a queen of their own. In 

 either case, I think that you will not 

 be bothered with after-swarms. 



I am aware that among practical 

 bee-keepers, there is a diversity of 

 opinion, and upon all subjects they 

 disagree. 



HONEY. 



Prodiiclion, Care and Sale ivlien 

 Extracted from the Comb. 



Written far the American Bee Journal 

 BY JAMES HEDDON. 



I was so verj' busy with my manj- 

 duties about the time you oflered 

 prizes for the three best articles on the 

 production, care and sale (I think it 

 was) of extracted honey, that I never 

 saw the ofl'er and rules given until it 

 was too late for me to compete. 



It strikes me that the specialist of 

 the future will be compelled to use a 

 hive and system of management 

 adapted thereto, with which he can 

 manipulate his colonies and surplus 

 cases very rapidly, and with but little 



exposurit to robbers at a time of ycai' 

 when they are about. He will also 

 ne((d an arrangement or .system of 

 manipulation which greatly discour- 

 ages, or entirely prevents, natural 

 swarming. This he must have, be- 

 cause he must keep more than one 

 apiary, and lu; must not go to the ex- 

 pense of keeping a man in everyone, 

 unless his apiaries contain a large 

 number of colonies, which may bo 

 practical in some localities, but not in 

 all. 



In coming to the consideration of 

 the special production of extracted 

 honey, let me call attention to one 

 point which I consider the greatest of 

 all in comparing the production of 

 comb with that of extracted hone}'. 

 Although the sections had to be 

 bought, pounded together, filled with 

 foundation, placed in the case, and 

 after being filled must be removed, 

 scraped and placed in the shipping- 

 crates, all this labor, most of which 

 the production of extracted honey does 

 not involve, is all made up, if not more 

 than counterbal.anced, by the fact that 

 the sections could be put together, the 

 foundation put in, all adjusted in the 

 storing case, all taken out of tlie case 

 after being filled, scraped, put into 

 shipping-crates ready for market by 

 boi/s and girls, all in doors, at different 

 times of the year, and by persons who 

 could not tell a queen-bee from a mud- 

 wasp ;' whereas, in the production of 

 extracted honey, the services of an 

 apiarist were necessary, and he had to 

 work in the sun among robbers apart 

 of the time, subjecting himself to oc- 

 casional stings, etc. 



This is about the way extracted 

 honej- is produced now-a-days, but it 

 is not the way we are managing at 

 present. We use shallow brood-cases 

 with securely fixed frames, containing 

 eight straight combs. We put them 

 on with a single motion, and we alter- 

 nate and tier them up so quickly rob- 

 bers cannot get a taste ; and by this 

 tiering up plan we get most perfectly 

 ripened honey without letting but 

 little of it be capped over. Here we 

 save labor and material for the bees, 

 and much labor for ourselves. We 

 remove them from the hive by the 

 case, the same as we do with comb 

 honey ; we shake and tremble nearly 

 all of the bees out of these cases, the 

 same as with a comb-honey case, and 

 then stand them up in our screen- 

 house until the few remaining ones 

 desert, just as we do with comb honey ; 

 then wheel the cases to the honej'- 

 house, invert them on a table, loosen 

 the screws, lift the case away from the 

 shallow frames with a motion, leaving 

 the frames upon the table, all ready to 

 be handled. These we uncap, extract 

 in an automatic extractor with four 



