86 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUBIST. 



will be sure that in a short time, 

 tliese combs will be full of brood, 

 clear down to the bottom corners, 

 when you can insert an empty 

 comb, or one full of honey (the 

 latter always preferable if you 

 have it), and in a few days that will 

 be full of brood also ; the bees 

 converting the honey into brood so 

 quickly you will hardly realize it. 

 In case the honey is used, the seal- 

 ing to it should be broken before 

 it is given to the bees. When 

 young bees begin to hatch plenti- 

 fully, so as to take the place of the 

 now rapidly-dying old ones ; or 

 still better when two young ones 

 hatch to where one old one dies 

 off, the work of building up can be 

 pushed rapidlv, by inserting two or 

 three combs in the centre of the 

 brood-nest every week. In tliis 

 way it should be no trouble to get 

 bees in time for the harvest, pro- 

 viding 3'ou have colonies of bees 

 in suital)le strength to commence 

 with. This you will have, if your 

 bees have wintered well. If thej' 

 have not so wintered, then you 

 had better build them up as fast as 

 possible, and double them up a 

 week or two before the harvest, as 

 I have often advised, when telling 

 how to run an apiary without any 

 increase. If 3 on can use chaff- 

 packed hives or boxes extempor- 

 ized for the time being, filled with 

 chaff, fine hay, straw, dry sawdust, 

 etc., to put over and around the 

 bees so as to keep an even temper- 

 ature during our fickle spring 

 weather, it will help you much in 

 getting the bees early. It would 

 be better of course to have a more 

 favoral)le location than the one 

 described, but most of us have oth- 

 er ties that bind us where we are, 

 besides the bees, and so we have 

 to put up with such an one as we 

 have, and the man is to be honored 

 that can be contented and bring 

 about good results with only lim- 

 ited bee pasture at his own home, 



where duty calls him to remain ; as 

 much so, according to the condi- 

 tions, as the President of the 

 United States. 

 Borodino, JSf. Y. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



PREVENTION OF AFTER- 



SAYARMS. 



Constantia, Ohio. 

 What would be the best plan to prevent 



alter-swarins? 



Mrs. W. O. C. Calkins. 



ANSAVER BY J. E. POND. 



In answering this question, I am 

 not egotistical enougli to assume 

 that the plan I outline will be 

 found the best plan. I simply 

 give my plan, with the assurance 

 that it works well with myself. 

 No fixed rule can be laid down, liut 

 the general rule of giving ample 

 room is safe to follow ; the ques- 

 tion being as to when and how that 

 room shall be given. Afterswarm- 

 ing I consider to be the result of 

 an abnormal condition of tiie col- 

 ony, and my first step would be, 

 to ascertain the cause. If I could 

 find none, I should at once change 

 the queen. 



If the colony has ample room in 

 the brood-chamber in which to rear 

 its young, and ample room in the 

 surplus chamber in which to de- 

 posit its honey, but little trouble 

 will be found with afterswarms, in 

 a normal colony of bees. Ample 

 room may, however, be given in 

 such a way that it is not utilized 

 for the purposes desired ; tiiat is, 

 honey may be deposited to such an 

 extent in the brood-cliamber as to 

 leave no room for tlie queen to de- 

 posit eggs, and thus the difficulty 

 arises of her being forced into tiie 

 surplus chamber, and a nice lot of 

 comb hone^' is spoiled. 



Some six j^ears ago I began a 

 series of experiments, that I have 

 followed up ever since, with several 

 certain results. All the brood is 



