AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



IT 



I am quite surprised to see in the pro- 

 gramme, But it is a good idea, since 

 union on tlie part of the Association in 

 regard to the work to bo undertaken will 

 surely result in benefit. 



As the appropriation for this purpose 

 is not large, and expenditures had been 

 authorized at Lansing previous to my 

 appointment, experimental work has not 

 been undertaken here, this season espe- 

 cially, as the weather was well advanced 

 when I came here. But besides corres- 

 pondence, planning work, etc., my time 

 had been utilized in making transactions 

 and some general work for the division. 

 The views of the Association in regard 

 to the work to be undertaken, will 

 doubtless be received with great consid- 

 eration. Frank Benton. 



After recess, the Secretary read the 

 following essay by Rev. W. F. Clarke, on 



Prevention of Swarming. 



There are many desiderata in bee- 

 keeping yet. If we could get rid of the 

 stings, many of us would be entirely 

 happy in our apiaries. If we could be 

 sure of a good season every year ; if we 

 could keep a lot of silly bee-keepers from 

 spoiling the market by underselling, 

 putting inferior goods on it, and other 

 foolish practices ; if we could prevent 

 adulteration ; if we could bury the Wiley 

 lie a thousand fathoms deep ; and if 

 we could divorce the bee-periodicals 

 from the supply business, there would 

 be a kind of bee-keepers' millenium. 

 But it would be incomplete without a 

 method of preventing swarming. That 

 is the chief desideratum of all. The 

 anxiety of watching ; the suspense of 

 not knowing at what moment any num- 

 ber out of 100 colonies will rush frantic- 

 ally into mid-air ; the disorder and 

 suspension of work occasioned by the 

 " swarming fever " when it breaks out 

 in an apiary ; these, and other consid- 

 erations, make it very desirable to pre- 

 vent swarming, if it can be done without 

 an injurious revolution in the habits of 

 bees. 



"What causes swarming ? Is it a nor- 

 mal or abnormal thing ? I used to think 

 it was normal ; now I doubt it. Have 

 we any well authenticated cases of bees 

 swarming when their home was in a 

 roomy tree-trunk, a large cavity, in a 

 rock, or a spacious attic ? Is this one 

 of the bad habits they have acquired 

 under man's manipulation ? Have we 

 crowded them into small receptacles 

 where they cannot increase and multiply 

 ad libitum, or have not elbow-room to 

 work freely ? Is it like the emigration 



of human beings from the over-populous 

 countries of Europe ? Some point to 

 the enthusiasm with wliich bees start a 

 new colony, as proof that swarming is 

 normal. You might as well cite the 

 energy and enthusiasm of settlers in a 

 new country. But they left the old 

 home with pain and tears. How do we 

 know that our bees do not have a weep- 

 ing time before they become convinced 

 that there is- nothing for it but to go 

 forth and seek a new home. The queen, 

 we know, vacates her throne reluctantly, 

 and with regret. Emigrants often 

 forsake their native land because of 

 oppressive circumstances that leave 

 them no option but to depart. Mayhap 

 bees leave the old hive for a similar 

 reason. 



My home apiary is an out-apiary, 

 being a mile away from where I live, in 

 the suburbs of the city. During the 

 past season I have experimented much 

 in regard to the prevention of swarming. 

 Having about a hundred frames of 

 empty comb on hand, I took 6 of ray 

 strongest colonies and gave them plenty 

 of space to multiply brood and store 

 honey. Only one of the 6 showed any 

 disposition to swarm, and that one did 

 it under circumstances that made it 

 suggestive, if not conclusive, as to the 

 cause of swarming. 



I transferred a. colony from an ordin- 

 ary 8-frame Langstroth hive into a Root 

 chaff-hive. The queen and one frame 

 full of brood were put in the lower story, 

 nine frames of empty comb also being 

 placed in the lower story. Then a sheet 

 of queen-excluding zinc was laid on. 

 Into the upper story were put the re- 

 maining seven frames of honey and 

 brood, with seven frames of empty comb. 



The bees worked like Trojans until 

 towards the close of the honey harvest. 

 One afternoon, about three o'clock, they 

 started to swarm. By an active use of 

 the sprinkler they were stopped in their 

 mad career. So soon as they had set- 

 tled down I opened the hive and found 

 every frame in the upper story full of 

 sealed honey. Not a square inch of 

 storage room was left. I took out five 

 frames of honey, and replaced them with 

 five empty frames, having inch starters. 

 " Now," I said to myself, "I shall find 

 out whether those bees swarmed for 

 want of more room." 



I could hardly sleep that night for 

 interest in the outcome of the experi- 

 ment. I longed for the daylight that I 

 might see if my bees would resume work, 

 and give up all idea of swarming. That 

 is what they did. The honey season shut 



