90 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



we get from one to two or three swarms through the white 

 clover season; so we have got weak swarms, but no surplus 

 honey. We could get honey if we could suppress swarming. 



Mr. Stewart. The method of holding down swarming is 

 simple, in procuring extract of honey, because you are not 

 exposing the bees to crowded conditions ; but with comb honey 

 it is a different matter ; there must be a certain amount of 

 crowding. And the main point in that is this, as I suggested 

 to you in my paper, and you will find if you were to submit 

 this or leave it to any man that is well posted in bee keeping, 

 — there is a whole lot given in a few words there where I 

 say use bait sections in the center of the hive, and put theni 

 on early, so that there is no danger of crowding that queen, 

 and not reducing her cells to lay in, for it is very essential that 

 she be given lots of room. But you want to put this super on 

 in time if you want to catch the honey. After they once get 

 the idea fixed in their minds they will go at the queen cells ; so 

 I would rather they would swarm once than loaf around. If 

 you can ])ut those bait sections in, within two or three hours 

 or four or five hours you will have honey in them, and they 

 will draw out the foundations and fill up rapidly, and just as 

 soon as it is two-thirds or three-fourths full, if you will 

 raise it up and put another one in it will reduce the swarm- 

 ing. They will forget the swarming and be content, and from 

 those colonies you will get a great amount of surplus honey. 

 If, on the other hand, after they have filled two or three supers 

 they want to swarm, you can divide them up by taking brood 

 or queen away, or allow one natural swarm, and the seventh 

 day leaving the thriftiest one. If the queen has escaped from 

 one of these cells you cut all the cells. After the queen gets 

 out it is only a question of hours when they will all go out. If 

 you cut them as soon as the swarm issues they will construct 

 others. So about the sixth or seventh day we cut them, so that 

 does away with any second swarming. Ventilate your hives 

 in hot weather ; lift them up on pieces of wood. Shade is a 

 fine thing. See that they are comfortable. But if you allow 

 them to clog the brood nest with honey and sit in the sun 

 with no shade, it gets so hot and uncomfortable they are 

 almost driven to swarm. 



