1900 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



155 



other plan which I use, not only at the 

 out-apiary but at the home-yard as well, 

 for of late years I do not practice natu- 

 ral swarming at all, and very few 

 swarms issue anywhere. When the 

 time arrives to commence operations — 

 this being found out in just the same 

 way Bro. Greiner tells how to do — I go 

 to a strong colony, which we will call 

 No. 1, and shake all of the bees and 

 queen from their combs into a hive 

 prepared as Greiner tells; if I do not 

 have plenty of combs already built and 

 partly filled, or wholly so, with honey. 

 Where I have the combs already built I 

 prefer to use them with this plan rather 

 than have the bees build more. Not 

 only this, but it saves these combs from 

 the moth; and a hive of combs is a great 

 help toward a good yield of comb-honey, 

 where this plan Is used, and especially 

 so where they are filled, or partlj' so, 

 with honey. This prepared hive is 

 placed on the stand of No. 1 before any 

 bees are shaken oflf their combs and the 

 surplus arrangement from the old colony 

 placed thereon. In this way we have a 

 colony as good as one and a half good 

 swarms would make, containing all of 

 the bees and the queen from a populous 

 colony, a hive full of comb and the part- 

 filled sections from No. 1, the whole 

 being ready for work to the best advan- 

 tage during the honey harvest. Next 

 take the combs of brood taken from No. 

 1 to another populous colony, which we 

 have heretofore called No. 3, having 

 previously moved No. 2 to a new stand 

 a rod or two away. Go to your nucleus 

 or some weak colony and take the comb 

 the queen is on, taking it — bees and all 

 — and shake them off in front of hive on 

 No. 2 stand and let them run in. Now 

 put on the sections and the work is 

 done. At No. 2 you now have a colony 

 composed of a full hive of combs and 

 brood, a good young queen and workers 

 enough to protect her and all the work- 

 ing force from the colony formerly occu- 

 pying the stand of No. 2, which makes 

 a big, strong colony, and, as far as my 



experience goes, one that will produce 

 a large quantity of honey. The colony 

 moved a rod or two away, now called 

 No. 3, has a hive of combs and brood, 

 thejr old queen, and sections partly 

 filled, but have lost their working force. 

 In from eight to twelve days they are 

 stocked up again with workers and: are 

 also in fine condition for the harvest. , 

 which is now commencing, or in full 

 flow. In this way a large yield of section 

 honey is secured, a moderate increase 

 made, and all done with an assurance 

 of being master of the situation, very 

 much above anything known where 

 allowing natural swarming. 



CANDIED COMB-HONEY. 



On page 123 Mr. Applegate gives us 

 something new regarding how to dispose 

 of honey which has candied in the 

 combs, the same being done so that we 

 can reap a good profit from that which 

 we had formerly counted as loss. Many 

 thanks, Bro. Applegate. Where a 

 large amount of solidly candied honey 

 has accumulated in our combs, and 

 we want these combs for early 

 spring use, this plan will be a great 

 blessing and should be remembered by 

 all. But where we are not obliged to 

 use combs of candied honey till hot 

 weather arrives, according to my views, 

 they can be more profitably used than in 

 turning the candied honey into vinegar. 

 Just use them asGreiner suggests, when 

 making shook-off colonies; in fact, use 

 them in any spot or place where frames 

 of comb are wanted, and no trouble will 

 be experienced from the candied honey 

 being wasted by the bees tumbling it 

 out at the entrance or their leaving it 

 in the comb year after year. It is only 

 in cool or cold weather that candied 

 honey is wasted by the bees. In warm 

 weather the heat of the hive and the 

 manipulations of the bees cause it to all 

 liquify, even to the little hard grains 

 which we see thrown out in the spring. 

 In this way I have caused the bees to 

 use combs of honey candied solid with- 

 out waste ; vea, more : they have used 



