The American Apiculturist 



A .lOUKNAL FOK TIIK NOVICi: AND KXPI'.IiT. 



Devoted to Best Races of Bees, Best Hives, Best Implements and Best 



Methods of Management to make Beekeeping a Success. 

 PUBLISHED MONTHLY. HENRY ALLEY, Manager. 



VOL. VI. 



WENHAM, MASS., AUGUST, 1888. 



No. 8. 



PRACTICAL HINTS. 



On the following pages will be found 

 remarks on conducting the apiary, by the 

 manager of the Aimculturist, giving 

 some of the results of thirty years spent 

 in the apiary. 



Forming new Colonies — How and 

 when to do it. 



So many colonies of bees perished last 

 winter and spring, beekeepers are anxious 

 to increase the apiary as much as possible 

 the present season. As natural swarming 

 may not be sufficient to increase the num- 

 ber as nuich as desired, artificial methods 

 must be resorted to. With the use of 

 foundation and sugar syrup, new colonies 

 may be made at a small cost. I propose 

 to increase the number in my apiary by 

 using to a considerable extent those two 

 articles. In some cases all the frames will 

 be tilled with foundation, and in other 

 cases only half tlie frames will have foun- 

 dation in tliem^ One full colon}' will be 

 divided and made two of, half the brood 

 and honey being given to each colony. 

 When this is done the two frames con- 

 taining the most honey will be placed at the 

 side and those frames having foundation 

 in them will be sandwiched between those 

 containing brood and honey. Well, there 

 is one ditticulty in using foundation in this 

 way. If the bees are fed liberally, or if 

 natural forage is abundant, the cells in the 

 combs containing brood and honey will be 

 extended or built out into the frames of 

 foundatif)n; thus the old combs will be 

 too thick, while those built on the foun- 

 dation will be (juite thin., Tliere is no way 

 to prevent such work unless division- 

 boards are used, the same as devised by 

 the late Mr'. Colvin, and were used in the 

 Langstroih hives to compel the bees 

 to build the combs directly within the 

 Irames. 



My plan to prevent fjiick combs being 

 built has been to open the hive occasionally 

 and with the flat side of a wide knife, press 

 the cells down as much as possible. If 



13 



the foundation is well drawn out, the 

 frames containing the old combs will be 

 moved to the sides of the hive, and those 

 having foundation in them placed by them- 

 selves. Even then it will be Ibnnd that 

 some of the cells of foundation will be 

 worked out deeper than others, especially 

 if there are not bee« enough to cover all 

 the frames, and here again more science 

 must be applied or the combs will not be 

 of a uniform thickness. The thick combs 

 should be moved to the sides and the thia 

 combs placed in the centre of the brood- 

 cliamber. If any project beyond the proper 

 thickness, use the knife the same as for 

 the old combs. 



One strong colony contains a sufficient 

 number of bees to form several new ones, 

 that is, provided queens, foundation and 

 plenty of sugar (or natural forage) ar« 

 used. No one should think of making this 

 operation a success without these three 

 important factors. Nevertheless, the wise 

 beekeeper would not attempt to make 

 more than one new colony from one strong 

 one, especially as late in the season as 

 August 1, and even if but one new colony 

 is made each should have a good queen, 

 and foundation in all the frames. Now 

 how can a colony be divided and each hive 

 contain an equal portion of the bees? 

 There are two ways of doing this. When 

 the bees are divided one hive may be re- 

 moved one-half a mile away, or the queen 

 taken away, and both hives left near the 

 old location as here illustrated. 



3 



1 



Number two is the stand the hive stood 

 on before the colony was divided. Num- 

 ber one and number three are the new col- 

 onies. Neither hive should occupy the 

 old stand. Should they be so arranged 

 most of the bees would return to the old lo- 

 cation. But both colonies being placed on 

 new stands, the bees when they come out 

 will mark the location and return to the 

 hive to which they belong. If this work 

 is performed late in the day, say au hour 



(149) 



