THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



73 



BY H. G. SIBBALD. 



»©tt©r 



TT is well understood that if we can 

 1 keep our colonies working- in a 

 normal condition, without swarming, 

 all through the season, that the best 

 results will be obtained. This happy 

 state of affairs seems impossible. A 

 certain per cent, wiil contract the 

 swarming fever; and, at an out-yard, 

 where natural swarming- cannot be 

 permitted, something- must be done to 

 anticipate or cure this troublesome 

 fever. Shook swarming- has been re- 

 sorted to, and, to a certain extent, has 

 succeeded; when nothing- better could be 

 employed it has been called a success. 

 But there are decided objections to its 

 practice. If the shaking process is 

 followed by a day or two of scant honey 

 flow, there is trouble; such as swarm- 

 ing- out, mixing- up, etc. If hived on 

 starters, drone comb is built. If on 

 full sheets or combs, too much honey 

 is stored below. Queens reared under 

 this system are not of the best. A sec- 

 ond and third shaking are often neces- 

 sary. Altogether there is too much 

 labor required; and the constant 

 shake, shake, seems to annoy the bees, 

 which, in turn, annoy us. 



The system which I have discovered, 

 and which I will try and describe, 

 seems to be a vast improvement on the 

 above; and, although I have tested it 

 only the past season, which was not 

 an over bountiful one with us, I have 

 been persuaded by friend Hutchinson 

 to allow it to be published, so that 

 others may try it next season, and 

 thereby have it more thoroughly tested 

 and the sooner a benefit to all if a 

 success. 



When a colony is discovered building 

 queen cells, move it.^off its stand, a 



little to one side. Place another hive 

 on the old stand thus left vacant. 

 This new hive may be empty, or it may 

 contain four or five empty frames. I 

 prefer that it contains two empty 

 combs and a few empty frames with 

 starters of foundation. We next turn 

 to the old colony that has been set 

 to one side, take out one frame of 

 brood with queen cells on it, making 

 sure that we don't get the queen, and 

 place it with the adhering bees, in the 

 hive between the two empty combs. In 

 these two combs will be stored the 

 pollen; thus preventing it from being 

 carried to the supers, which (together 

 with the bees they contain) are now put 

 on the new hive — just as they were 

 taken off for the examination. 



We are now through with this ma- 

 nipulation; and the result will be that 

 the field bees will soon all be back to 

 the old stand. Having been robbed of 

 nine-tenths of their brood, and their 

 queen (but with bright prospects of 

 soon having a new queen) and having 

 very little brood to care for or cover, 

 they soon lose the swarming fever and 

 work very well. As long as there is 

 room in the supers, they are not likely 

 to build much, if any, comb in the 

 partly empty, lower hive. 



The old colony which we set aside 

 will very soon lose its field bees, as 

 they return to the old stand, and, as 

 no new honey will be coming in, the 

 bees in the old hive will conclude there 

 must be a famine in the land, or that 

 the season is over. It is no time for 

 them to swarm. They soon remove the 

 larvae from, and destroy, every queen 

 cell. The swarming fever has been 

 knocked in the head here, and both 



