30 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



Febrnai^j 



queen-coll and allow them to renvain in 

 this condition for twenty-four hours, 

 when the Carniolan cells may be given. 

 The two extra nuclei are started a* a 

 provision ajjainst a possible loss of one 

 or two of the queens. When tiie young 

 queens r.re laying, the nuclei may be 

 doubled up with the undesirable hybrid 

 colonies, after having deprived them of 

 their qnepns and otherwise conditioning 

 them for the reception of a new mother. 



Here is another way : and one which 

 might prove more satisfactory, inasmuch 

 as it wiill give you the Advantage of a 

 longer use of tLe superior queens which 

 you desire : 



By early stimulative feeding induce 

 the best Italian colony to rear a quan- 

 tity of drones, before tliey are Hying 

 from other hives. This will be reaeily 

 accomplished b/ placing one or two 

 good orood-combs in the center of the 

 brood-nest. When drone-brood is well 

 under way, remove the queen with 

 enough bees to form a nucleus; allow 

 them to remain queenless until all brood 

 is sealed, and remove every (|ueen-ccll. 

 Now grafn ten or a dozen larvte from 

 your Carniolan queen into artificial cell- 

 cups and give them to the queenless 

 bees. On the elevcMith day thereafter 

 the colony may be divided into as many 

 nuclei as is desired, and each provided 

 with one of the best-looking cells. In 

 forming nuclei it is important that they 

 be removed to a distant location for a 

 time, or else that they be con lined, with 

 plenty of ventilation, for a day or two 

 before permitting the bees to fly. 



The plans you suggest will work all 

 right, so far as the rearing of queens is 

 concerned, providing you do not think 

 it an advantage to keep the hybrids at 

 work until you have the you'ng Carni- 

 . olans reared and beginning to lay. — -Ed.] 



AN IDEA RELATING TO COMP-HONEY 

 rRODUCTION. 



Stroudsburgi Pa., Jan. 2, 1901. 



I use dummy boxes to take the place 

 of four-frames in the brood-nest, to get 

 my bees to working in the sections. 

 This method works wull with strong 

 colonies; but I hived two swarms on 

 foui -frames and they each filled a num- 

 ber of sections; and I think they would 

 have done better had 1 allowed them 

 more room In the brood-nest at the 

 start. 



Swarms have to be hived back for the 



best results in comb-honey production, 

 and tills would l;e handy lo do if the 

 hive were divided into two parts with 

 perforated zinc and zinc also used at 

 the entrance; to the brood-frames. 

 Three wide frames with sections could 

 be u>ed on one side of the hive, which 

 c )uld be taken out and placed in a full- 

 depth story on top of the frames, and 

 t!ie swarm hived in that half of the hive, 

 m jving the zmc entrance-guard over to 

 that side. This zinc should be removed 

 when a swarm issues. The brood nest 

 can be increased to eight frames by 

 having a movable stick along the bot- 

 tom of the partition. 



W. D. Walton. 



[We believe it will be necessary for 

 Mr. Walton to go more fully into details 

 of his plan, in order that a clear under- 

 standing may be had of the arrange- 

 ment. Just vyliat the "dummy boxes" 

 are, will not be generally understood. 

 Do you really think that hiving back is 

 necessary to the best results in produc- 

 ing comb-honey, Mr. Walton? Why 

 not gratify that natural inclination to 

 swarm, and then throw the working 

 force into the sections by the Heddon 

 plan?— Editor.] 



Spring Creek, Pa., Jan 14, 1001. 

 Editor American Bee-keeper: — As I 

 see Brother Parker has broken the ice 

 for a bee-hunting discussion I will take 

 a hand in the game. I also have spent 

 many pleasant days looking for the 

 little fellows in the woods. Our method 

 of hunting them probably differs, as it 

 does in other business. I have a small 

 box with two compartments; one end 

 has a glass in the lid in which I carry a 

 piece of comb, and, in the other a bottle 

 of honey and a small vial of wheat (lour. 

 I made the box thirty years ago, when 

 only fifteen years old. When I want a 

 day of recreation in the fall of the year 

 I take my box and dinner and start for 

 a likely place. If there are weeds for 

 the bees to work on I have no trouble 

 in getting them started. I always try 



