280 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



October 



(From Bee Keepers' Review). 



THE UNITING OF COLONIES-HU- 

 MANE BEE KEEPING. 



BY L. A. ASPINWALL. 



It is questionable as to the advisa- 

 bility of uniting colonies, aside from 

 the timely preparation for winter. 



causes, have small colonies at the close 

 of the season. 



The humane bee keeper will never 

 destroy a colony, even if desired. 

 Large colonies are, as a rule, more suc- 

 cessfully wintered, and are the first, 

 other things being equal, to be ready 

 for the honey harvest. 



As small or nucleus colonies are 

 usually deficient in stores, feeding is 

 concomitant to the work of uniting. 

 Colonies properly united and fed will 

 arrange their food supply so as to be 

 accessable during winter. Even if the 



Uniting in the spring is wholly un- combs are well supplied with honey a 

 profitable— in fact, with the necessary little feeding will bring about a bet- 

 preparation in autumn, all colonies ter arrangement of the stores. 

 should winter successfully. The oc- Having decided that certain colon- 

 casional loss of a queen, however,dur- ies are to be united, the hives should 

 ing the winter will leave some to be "be gradually moved together. In so 

 united with those of less than the av- doing, if one is properly located, the 



erage strength 



Doubling colonies as they issue is 

 readily accomplished. Where swarm- 

 ing is allowed several are liable to is- 

 sue simultaneously^nd cluster togeth- 

 er. When two so unite it will not pay 

 to separate them, taking into consid- 

 eration that increase in these times of 

 overproduction is not desirable ; and, 

 the two if hived tocjether will store 



others may be brought to it. By mov- 

 ing them about one foot every three 

 or four days the work can be readily 

 accomplished with no loss of bees ad- 

 hering to the old location. 



In uniting colonies 1 shall differ 

 somewhat from the methods set forth 

 by some bee keepers and the popular 

 works on bee culture, especially in the 

 use of smoke. The excessive use of 



rather more in average or poor seasons smoke both in queen introduction and 



than if hived separately. uniting is something to be depreciated 



Of course in uniting it is always ad- and is not humane. I shall here di- 



visable to preserve the best queens. A gvess somewhat from the subject of 



choice of queens cannot be made when uniting and speak of the humanity 



Swarms cluster together. Instead of g.i,ie (jf \^^q keepiiio-. 



swarms issuing haphazzard I prefer to Let those who are indifferent to the 



control them, and unite as th« circum- 

 stances require. i 



In treating this subject I shall con- 

 fine my remarks to autumn work. 

 Many bee keepers raise a few queens, 

 and: consequently have nucleus colon- 

 ies to dispose of ; others, from various 



injurious eiftcts of too much smoke, 

 recall the instances when even a little 

 has been j)oured into the eyes and 

 nose. Although the eyes of bees are 

 doubtless less susceptible than our 

 own, still the breathing organs are 

 perhaps equally affected. The imme- 



