Vol. X 



Published Monthly by The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. 

 JULY, 1900 



No. 7 



OUT-APIARIES. 



Their Management for the Prevention 

 of Swarming. 



BY F. GREINER. 



IT DOES not lie within the scope of 

 tliis article to advise or to discuss 

 ways and means to bring our colon- 

 ies up to the required standard of 

 strength. It is supposed that at least 

 the majority of our colonies have 

 already attained that state of 

 development. 



The principal drawback in running 

 out-apiaries is that the bees are apt to 

 swarm and that the swarms are apt to 

 go to the woods. It is therefore imper- 

 ative that our management be such as 

 to prevent all swarming. 



We might run our out-yards for 

 extracted honey, giving plenty of room 

 to both queen and bees, always 

 supplying empty comb etc.; there would 

 then be no swarming. However, we 

 wish to raise comb-honey principally 

 as we can find a more ready sale for it. 

 Giving plenty of room alone does not 

 have the desired effect, and we must 

 adopt a different management. It would 

 be of great advantage to have only 

 ■ young queens in our colonies, we would 

 then not be troubled with swarms out 

 of their season, which appear frequent- 

 ly, when colonies supersede their queens. 

 All swarms that would appear during 

 the regular swarming period we try to 

 head off. We seldom have any indica- 



tion of swarming in this locality sooner 

 than June 15. Neai'Tng this date we 

 watch a few of the best colonies, and 

 when we find them constructing queen- 

 cells our operation must soon begin. 

 Hives and supers must of course have 

 been gotten in readiness before this 

 time. 



About June 30 — some years not till 

 June 25 — I go to the colonies most 

 likely to cast swarms. First I give a 

 little, smoke at the entrance, then rap 

 on the hive. I aim to give the bees 

 time to fill themselves with honey. The 

 hive is now opened; it may be set to one 

 side first and an empty hive put it its 

 place. This latter should contain but 

 six L frames or their equivalent, sup- 

 plied with starters only. This super is 

 placed on top over an excluder, which, 

 however, may be taken out after a 

 week's time. The danger of a queen 

 entering the super is generally past 

 after that time, and the excluder may 

 be needed on some other hive, and may 

 be removed. After the bees have all 

 filled themselves they are not apt to 

 offer any resistance, and, without using 

 much smoke, I now shake all the bees 

 from their combs in front of the empty 

 hive. I have an eye out for the queen 

 and note her condition. After she has 

 gone in with the majority of the bees, I 

 place an entrance-guard over the en- 

 trance. Sometimes these shaken-ofl 

 swarms leave their hive after the api- 

 arist has left, and then the bees leave 



