THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



85 



swarms is the turning point of success 

 or failure. There are many ways of 

 managing for comb honey, but the 

 sum total of them all is in keeping 

 the force all together, not allowing 

 auy division of colonies. Some bee- 

 keepers hive swarms back in the old 

 hive, first destroying all queen cells. 

 This, however, will not always pre- 

 vent them swarming a second time. 

 Tlie plan that will succeed with one 

 colony will not always do for another, 

 and the bee-keeper that will get the 

 largest crop of comb honey must so 

 manage as to keep the working force 

 all together. 



Another plan is to remove the old 

 hive to a new location and hive the 

 swarm in a new hive on the old loca- 

 tion, thus getting all the working 

 force together on the old place. This 

 will give an increase of one, and give 

 a fair crop of honey in a'good season, 

 and is a good plan so long as the api- 

 arist wants increase. 



There is still another plan coming 

 into use, that I expect to try this sea- 

 son, which is as follows : Begin by 

 gradually moving two hives together 

 so they are side by side , at the open- 

 ing of the honey season, about the 

 time they are ready to swarm, or you 

 can wait until one swarms. Then 

 turn the entrance of both hives back 

 and put a new hive between them, 

 with the entrance in the original po- 

 sition, so as to catch all the working- 

 force of both old colonies. This will 

 make a powerful working force, and 

 will no doubt work well. 



Waynesburg , Pa. 



Don't go to dinner and leave that 

 big swarm of Italian bees hanging in 

 the sunshine. 



A Word to Beginners. 



BY STANTON E. HITCHCOCK. 



Now is the time when the bees claim 

 the constant attention of the bee- 

 keeper if a large amount of honey is 

 expected, and every precaution should 

 be used which will tend to assist 

 them in storing honey. I have seen 

 people set out and feed the bees in the 

 height of honey flow, thinking it 

 would be of much benefit, but it only 

 kept the workers at home when they 

 should have been in the field. Begin- 

 ners often make a mistake in this 

 way, and then they get discouraged 

 and quit the business, exclaiming, 

 "There is no money in it." They 

 were anxious to secure the coveted 

 honey, and would not listen to advice. 



A man whom I knew commenced 

 in the spring with a few colonies pur- 

 chased of a well-known apiarist. He 

 knew nothing of the business. The 

 man of whom he purchased gave him 

 a few points in regard to caring for 

 them. He took them home and 

 thought he knew more about them 

 than the apiarist, He began by in- 

 troducing his own methods. The re- 

 sult was, he lost his bees before fall. 

 A man like him I call " Know it all.', 



Now, friends, don't think all begin- 

 ners are like the above, and don't 

 think this is intended for a personal 

 thrust. But it shows how bee cul- 

 ture is regarded by some people. 

 Some whom I have met think if a 

 man can hive a swarm of bees he is a 

 successful bee-keeper. But being 

 able to hive a swarm of bees is the 

 smallest part of it, and in order for 

 one to become a successful apiarist 

 he must study and not be afraid to 

 learn . 



