192 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



represent from fifty to seventy-five per 

 cent, of my colonies. 



ADVANTAGES OF PLACING WEAK COL- 

 ONIES IN A SEPARATE LOCATION. 



If you have out-apiaries, and in- 

 tend to practice shook-swarming-, it is 

 best to begin preparations when ready 

 to move the bees from home. First, 

 sort out all those that are weak, or 

 not likely to store any surplus, and 

 take them two or three miles away 

 from the locality where you expect to 

 secure your surplus, and leave them 

 wherever you can secure the rig'ht to 

 leave them, furnishing' them with full 

 sets of combs, and they will do the 

 rest. If you have time it may pay to 

 visit them at the beginning- of the 

 honey-flow, as some colonies will sur- 

 prise you by the amount of bees and 

 stores they have. Putting the weak 

 colonies by themselves, away from 

 competition, is better and far easier 

 than all the nursing and fussing you 

 can do. It not only gives the weak 

 ones a good chance, but it leaves the 

 whole field to the bees from which you 

 expect a surplus. 



Another thing you might do, if you 

 can spare the time from the main 

 apiaries, is to go, just after the 

 swarming-season, and kill all the 

 queens. A few colonies may fail to 

 secure a laying queen afterwards, but 

 don't worry any over that, as those 

 that have good queens will be enough 

 better to make up for the loss of sev- 

 eral queenless ones. 



When you can have your choice in 

 location, it is best to select a place 

 where the hives will be in the shade, 

 at least afternoons; and then put the 

 hives in rows, and number each hive. 

 Leave four or five feet between the 

 hives if possible. 



HOW TO MAKE A "SHOOK-SWARM. " 



We will now suppose that you have 

 them in rows running north and south, 

 with the numbers beginning at the 

 south end — 1, 2, 3, etc., toward the 



north. Now let us suppose that you 

 visit this apiary on June 15, and, 

 after rousing up the whole colony in 

 No. 1 by the use of smoke, lifting off 

 heavy supers, and tearing the brood- 

 nest all to pieces, you learn that the 

 bees have queen cells that will be 

 sealed in about four days (with the 

 new plan mentioned in the February 

 Review the same information can be 

 secured in one minute, or less, and the 

 bees not know that anything has hap- 

 pened) ; the colon 3' could well be left 

 vmtil two days later, but, as you have 

 them all roused up, and filled with 

 honey, a very essential thing, it is bet- 

 ter to shake them. 



. Take a full-sized brood-chamber, 

 having one empty comb, the rest of 

 the frames being supplied with inch 

 starters — this is supposing you want 

 no increase; if you want increase use 

 full sheets of foundation, but, in no 

 case, use more than one drawn comb, a 

 full one is better, as its only use is to 

 catch the first pollen. Shook-swarms 

 bring in some pollen, even while you 

 are at work with the colony, while a 

 natural swarm gathers almost none 

 for a day or two. These hives should 

 be kept on the ground in the shade if 

 possible. Put both hands under the 

 back end of the hive from which the 

 bees are to be shaken (No 1), raise it 

 a little and carry it around to the 

 right until it is nearly in line with the 

 row of hives. Now take the front end 

 and carry it around to the right one- 

 fourth of a circle, after which, with a 

 little changing, it will be one width of 

 the hive further south than it was or- 

 iginally, with the entrance to the 

 west instead of east, as before. Set 

 the empty hive on the old stand, re- 

 move the supers from this No. 1 to the 

 new hive, and then shake all the bees 

 ofl: the combs and hive, in front of the 

 empty hive, giving them a good sprink- 

 ling with water while they are on the 

 ground or going in. It has a wonder- 

 ful effect on them, and should be used 



