GO 



THE AilERIVAy BEE-KEEPER 



April 



Bee-keepers' Association? Or by a com- 

 mittee appointed for the purpose. There 

 are many who would give more than 

 the "quarter" if the experiments could 

 be placed in the hands of competent 

 men. Some may ridicule the idea of 

 having queens successfully mated in 

 confinement. But just wait till the thing 

 has been accomplished, and see how 

 many will be "claiming the honors." 

 This isn't a scheme to benefit just those 

 who rear queens for sale: but will be 

 a great benefit to the whole bee-keep- 

 ing fraternity. 



Mr. J. S. Davitte, of Georgia, claims 

 to have had lOO queens successfully 

 mated in a tent 30 feet high and 30 feet 

 across, in one season. If this is true, 

 why can we not, with a much larger 

 tent, control the mating of thousands. 



I shouldn't be much surprised if that 

 hard-scrabbling old "Deacon"' came 

 around pretty soon advising us "little 

 fish," to get out of such deep water, 

 but we shan't mind him if he does; for 

 we want to rile up the water, and get 

 the "big fellows" to using their fins 

 ^pens). If we can get them waked up, 

 we "little chaps" will get back to more 

 shallow water and watch proceedings. 

 Swift River. Mass.. Feb. 10, 1902. 



Dividing Colonies. 



(By G. M. Doolitlle.) 



A SUBSCRIBER to the American 

 Bee-Keeper wishes me to tell in 

 that paper some of the plans I 

 use in dividing bees where I wish to 

 make just one new colony from each 

 old one. Says he cannot well look after 

 swarms, as he must work ten hours a 

 day in a manufacturing plant. 



I have three plans which I have used 

 successfully, but before giving either of 

 them I wish to say that no one should 

 attemjjt the division of any colony of 

 bees till the combs which said colony 

 occupies are filled with brood and well 

 covered with bees. In other words, it 

 is a loss all around to attempt to mul- 

 tiply colonies until the hives are in a 

 condition like they usually are when 

 natural swarms come out, for to divide 

 weak colonies discourages both parts 

 of the division, resulting in no surplus 

 honey, and generally in colonies poorly 

 prepared for the winter. 



Having a colony strong in Ijees, 



brood and honey, you can proceed to 

 divide it as follows: Go to where it 

 stands, taking with you a new hive fill- 

 ed with frames, each of which is full 

 of comb foundation, or, better still, full 

 of comb. Remove the old hive from its 

 stand, setting it near by so you can 

 have everything handy for manipulat- 

 ing the same. Now set the new hive 

 on the stand the old one occupied and 

 take out four of the frames, providing 

 your hive is a ten-frame hive. If an 

 eight-frame hive take out only three. 

 Next, divide the six frames left in the 

 new hive, by leaving three of them on 

 one side of the hive and three on the 

 other. Now open the old hive and look 

 the combs over till you find the frame 

 the queen is on, when you will set this 

 frame in the new hive, near the center, 

 taking all the bees on the frame and 

 comb. Having done this, select three 

 more combs from the old hive, two of 

 which are to be those having the most 

 young brood in them, such as has not 

 yet been sealed over, and the other 

 to contain mainly honey. These are to 

 be set in the new hive, bees and all. on 

 either side of the frame having the 

 queen on; when the frames of comb or 

 comb foundation are to be drawn up 

 and the whole number of frames spac- 

 ed as they should be in any well reg- 

 ulated hive, and the hive closed. 



If the season proves favorable the 

 surplus arrangement should be put on 

 this hive a week later, as they will be 

 ready for it by that time. Having finish- 

 ed all that there is to be done with the 

 new hive at the time of dividing, take 

 the old hive and carry it to a new stand, 

 any place you wish it to occupy during 

 the remainder of the season when you 

 will put the four frames of comb or 

 foundation taken out of the new hive 

 in this old hive, pushing the six frame? 

 occupied with bees, brood and honey 

 to one side of the hive so that these 

 frames from the new hive may be put 

 in at the other. This is done so as to 

 have the brood all together at one side 

 of the hive so that there will be no 

 danger from chilling, should the weath- 

 er turn cold, for the larger part of the 

 bees present on the combs will go back 

 to their old stand and into the new 

 liivc, on their first flight after this di- 

 vision. Having the frames all arranged 

 in this old hive in "apple nie order." it 

 is to be closed and left for two days 

 when a laying queen is to be given. If 



