THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



87 



reartnl in tiic l)rood-chainl)ev, till 

 the lioiK'3' is deposited in llie sur- 

 plus department, and tlie matter of 

 swarming is fully under my control. 



I was led to these experiments 

 by the knowledoe that bees always 

 rear their brood in cells seven-six- 

 teenths of an inch deep, and never 

 seal it up in deeper cells ; and that 

 they alwa^'s deposit stores in much 

 deeper cells if room is given for the 

 purpose. On those facts (and that 

 the}' are facts, anyone can easily 

 prove), J built my theory, which 

 was this ; if I can so fix my hives 

 that no cells in the brood-chamber 

 can be built deeper than y'g- of an 

 inch, and at the same time give the 

 bees a chance to build as deep cells 

 as the}' choose in the surplus de- 

 partment, vvhy have I not solved 

 the comb-honey problem, and got 

 full control of the matter? 



I then (using the L frame ^ of 

 an inch wide) shaved the brood 

 combs to 'q of an inch wide, and 

 spaced them in the brood-chamber, 

 just bee space apart. By this means 

 the cells must all be kept -^^ o'i an 

 inch deep. On the approach of the 

 honey season, I gave ample room 

 in the surplus department, with the 

 result from first to last that tiie 

 theory I had formed was practical 

 and practicable. 1 also found that 

 swarming was equally' under my 

 control. If I wanted swarms, I 

 gave less surplus room, and got 

 them. With ample room no swarms 

 issued at all. 



The plan I have imperfectly out- 

 lined above is the best I know of 

 for preventing excessive swarming, 

 and it has the further virtue, that 

 it accomplishes a work that has 

 been found difficult with many, 

 viz., the producing of surplus comb 

 honey. 1 have tested this plan for 

 six seasons ; others have tested 

 it also, and 1 have found the 

 same results to follow in every in- 

 stance. One thing if no more is 

 in its favor ; it does not require the 



expenditure of a single dollar for 

 patent hives ; it can be applied to 

 any hive that carries a suspended 

 frame. 



I give the plan as my idea of the 

 best, and hope it will be tested, 

 criticised and improved upon. 



North. Auleboro, 3Iass. 



For the American ApicuUurist. 



SMOKING BEES— FEEDING 

 BEES, 



ANSWER BY A. N. CLARK. 



1. How often can we smoke the bees to 

 open tlie liivu without nijury to the colony? 



•I. Is it a good plan to leed the bees in the 

 spring 80 as to stimulate early brood-rear- 

 ing ? If so, how early ? 



Mrs. W. O. Calkins. 



Constantia, N . Y. 



1. Excepting daring a honey- 

 flow, I think bees can, without ap- 

 parent injury, be smoked as often 

 as it is necessary to handle them. 



Mr. A. I. Root and many others 

 advise us to use as little smoke as 

 possible. Now, while it is possi- 

 ble to open hives with little or no 

 smoke, I prefer to blow two or 

 three puffs of smoke in the en- 

 trance belbre raising the cover. 

 This tends to subdue them so that 

 they do not take wing ; conse- 

 quently are less apt to sting, and 

 will better cling to their combs 

 when handled, and by always keep- 

 ing our bees in subjection we tend 

 to breed a better dispositioned 

 strain. 



Undoubtedly, if all apiarists 

 would judiciously use plenty of 

 smoke, we should hear of less in- 

 stances of municipal corporations 

 deciding bees a public nuisance. 



During a flow of honey little 

 smoke, is needed, as bees are too 

 busy to pay any attention to ordin- 

 ary disturbances ; much smoke 

 would tend to confuse and dis- 

 courage, thereby retarding them in 

 their work. 



2. There is no object in feeding 



