THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



75 



readers, hoping that they, one and all, will give 

 their candid opinion of it, through the Journal. 

 I cannot claim much originality, for tljis plan 

 was picked up, a little licie and a little there, j 

 Let them correct and revise it all they can ; or 

 if necessary reject it altogether, providing they j 

 give us a hetter one. i 



In the first place, our frames are ahout fifteen 

 inches by eleven, inside measure ; witli eight 

 frames to each hive. I now have constructed 

 for one of these hives thirty two smwll frames, 

 seven and a half inches by five and a half, in- 

 side measure. Four of these are now placed 

 into each of the large frames of one hive, and 

 filled with worker comb, which I transferred 

 from an old box hive tliis summer. 



My only object in having these small frames 

 fitted into the large ones in this manner, is sim- 

 ply to winter bees in them successfully. I pro- 

 pose to take these small frames out of the large 

 ones next spring, and place them in two rows, 

 side by side, having sixteen frames in each row, 

 in a low hive made to receive them in that 

 manner. This is to contain a full swarm of 

 bees, and a prolific quefn. I will then make 

 choice of three strong colonies fjr constructing 

 queen cells. Supposing No. 1 to contain the 

 queen from which I wish to breed, as soou as 

 practicable in the spring, I will remove the 

 queen trom No. 2, using her to form an artifi- 

 cial colony. I will then take the queen from 

 No. 1, and put her in No. 2. The bees in No. 

 1 vvid now proceed to construct a large number 

 of queen cells. In about one week, I will take 

 the queen from No. 3, using her sis I did the 

 one from No. 2. Then take the breeding queen 

 from No. 2, and introduce her into No. 3 ; 

 whereupon the occupants of No. 2 will also pro 

 ceed to construct cells, a'* did No. 1, and from 

 eggs laid by the same queen. 



By this time the cells in No. 1 will be ready 

 for removal. I will now" have ready some nu- 

 cleus boxes of a size just sufficient to contain 

 three of the small frames. Take the frames 

 from their hives, together with a sufficient 

 quantity of adhering bees, honey, and sealed 

 brood. In this way the hive containing the 

 sma'l frames is made to furnish bees, brood, 

 and combs for a dozen nuclei, if broken up for 

 that purpose ; if not, a small portion n\ay be 

 taken at a time, filling their place with duplicate 

 frames containing worker comb — thus forming 

 a still larger number, but consuming more time. 

 Into each of these nucleus boxes, I will now 

 insert a sealed queen cell, confine the bees in 

 them for a few days, and in due time each nu- 

 cleus will contain a queen. I am confident that 

 it would be a paying business for every bee- 

 keeper having a considerable number of stocks, 

 to keep on hand at all times a supply o? reserve 

 queens. For directions for keeping your super- 

 numerary queens, see American Bee Jour- 

 nal, September, 1868, page 45. 



I have also a plan for keeping reserve queens 

 at a very small expense, and with but little 

 trouble, which I may give you in another 

 article. 



It is unnecessary, at the present day, to dwell 

 upon the advantages of artificial swarming, ; but 

 the manner in which it is performed by many, 



may, I think, yet be improved. T wish there- 

 fore to present a few remarks on this subject, 

 as it is of vital importance that every one who 

 attempts to perform this operation should thor- 

 oughly understand his business. I have before 

 now followed to the letter methods presented 

 by persons who have their names before the bee- 

 keeping world as learned and reliable men and 

 women, and I have been greatlv disappointed at 

 times, by making a grand failure of the whole 

 thing ! For instance, I was directed, in a very 

 pretty' article by Mrs. Tupper (and I have since 

 seen the plan recommended l)y others) to take, 

 I think, two full frames from the hive, place 

 them in an empty hive, fill out with empty 

 frames, and set this on the old stand. This of 

 course is to contain the old queen. Then re- 

 move the old hive tQ a new stand in the apiary. 

 I never tried this but twice, and will never try 

 it again. It may work satisfactorily for others, 

 but it did not for me. In the first instance, the 

 bees so nearly all left the hive removed, that 

 the moth worms came near spoiling it ; and in 

 the second instance, the hive had so few bees 

 left a few days after beinsc removed, that I had 

 to change places with another — a strong stock — 

 in order to equalize ihem. This is what I 

 should have done at first, when practising this 

 method. 



I tully believe in the system o^ reserve queens. 

 I think that any method of artificial swarming 

 which compels them to raise a queen, after 

 being divided, is all wrong. Still, if we make 

 swarms eafly, we cannot always have a queen 

 on hand. A plan, which I prefer to the above, 

 is to take a stock and divide it equally — that is, 

 to take out one-half of the bees and combs, and 

 put them in another hive. Then put in one or 

 two empty frames and adjust the division board 

 until tliey need more room. Notice, if conve- 

 nient, into wliich liive the queen is put; but if 

 you c;innot readily see her, no matter. You 

 can open them the next moridng, and quickly 

 ascertain which division she is in, as the queen- 

 less one will have commenced building queen 

 cells. Now introduce a fertile queen in the 

 queenless part ; set them side by side on the 

 old stand, with not too much room at first, and 

 you are all right. If you have no spare queens 

 I at command, give the queenless pan aliout five 

 I frames filled with brood and eggs, and adjust 

 I the division board to the five friimes, giving no 

 empty frames for at least a week. About the 

 i time the youns queen hatches, exchange some of 

 the frames with those of another hive contain- 

 ing sealed brood — thus keeping up their num- 

 bers until the queen commences laying. The 

 adjustable division board I consider a very im- 

 portant part of any hive, and a hive without it, 

 is by no means complete. The hive 1 use I can 

 readily adjust to the capacity of from one to 

 twenty-four frames, thus adapting it to the size 

 of any swarm. 



Two frames of comb, with a good queen and 

 bees enough to cover them, makes a strong 

 swarm, if placed in a hive with but little spare 

 room ; but if placed in a full sized hive, they 

 will do comparatively little. This is the 

 secret of building up artificial swarms. 



Now one word, if you please, in regard to 



