1901 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



47 



I decided to divide these eight frames 

 into two equal parts, (according to the 

 amount of brood) give each a laying 

 (lueen, place them onto the stands of two 

 other strong colonies and move the latter 

 to new locations. I had just made the 

 changes and was watching the returning 

 bees enter their new homes when I was 

 called away. Instead of coming right 

 back, as I expected, I was detained per- 

 iiaps a half hour. When returning to my 

 bees I found the whole apiary in a com- 

 plete uproar. Robbing was going on at 

 the two new hives at a fearful rate. Of 

 course, I closed both hives as soon as 

 possible, and by repeated opening and 

 closing just at the right time, I succeeded 

 in (luieting the excitement. But what 

 was the result ? Hardly a single bee was 

 left in either of the two hives. The fly- 

 ing bees of the two removed colonies, 

 which I expected should stock up and 

 form my young swarms, had gone with 

 the robbers. I had two hives, each with 

 about four combs of brood and some 

 honey; each one had a laying queen, but 

 no bees — a discouraging prospect. 



The question may be asked here : What 

 became of the bees that belonged to these 

 combs before they were transferred ? To 

 explain, I will say that I shook and 

 brushed them off their combs and gave 

 them an empty hive with starters. As I 

 said before. I had the extra laying queens 

 aiul wanted to increase all I could. 



At that time bees were generally lay- 

 ing out quite heavy. The hives next to 

 these beeless ones were black in front 

 with bees and these I used to stock up 

 again. By scraping two or three times 

 very carefully up the front, catching all 

 the bees I could. I nearly tilled a two- 

 quart ilipper, enough bees, I judged, to 

 populate one of my deserted hives. When 

 I dumped them on the alighting board in 

 front of the entrance, they at once tra- 

 velled toward the offered hive and 

 seemed to take possession as any well- 

 behaving natural swarm ever did : but 

 before the last ones had entered in the 

 first ones began to '"enter out" again. 



Just then I closed the hive. After serv- 

 ing the other in like manner, I left both 

 to their own fate for the time being. 



On the evening of the next day I opened 

 their entrances very cautiously, expect- 

 ing to see them skip on double-quick 

 time and return to their respective homes. 

 In this I was mistaken ; they never of- 

 fered to leave or show any signs of dis- 

 contentment. The next morning I. 

 examined the hives and found all combs 

 (brood) so nicely covered with bees that I 

 felt perfectly safe in liberating both 

 queens that same day. They were both 

 accepted, began to lay in proper time 

 and built up their colonies during the 

 remainder of the season as well as any I 

 had in the yard. 



But the season proved a great disap- 

 ])ointment after all ; the anticipated bass- 

 wood honey-flow did not materialize. 

 After the bees worked a very little for 

 two or three days, some just began in 

 sections, they stopped again completely 

 and never stored any more, even in their 

 brood-chambers, so that many depended 

 on feeding for their winter supplies. 



LaSalle. N.Y., Nov. 30, 1900. 



WEAK COLONIES IN THE SPRING. 



BY ARTHTK C. MILLER. 



THE treatment of weak colonies in 

 early spring is the subject of many 

 essays, and all seem to be but vari- 

 ations of some two or three methods. I 

 have tried many of them only to be dis- 

 satistted, and finally started out on ex- 

 periments for myself, and it is concern- 

 ing these I would ask your attention. 

 My first endeavor was to ascertain the 

 cause of colonies being in such a condi- 

 tion at that time of year, and my 

 conclusions were as follows : 



First. Too late or improper prepara- 

 tion in the preceding fall. Second. Not 

 enough bees reared in the latter part of 

 the summer to give the colony a sufficient 

 population of vigorous bees. Third. A 

 weak and failing queen. Fourth. Poor 

 or insufficient stores ; or a combination of 



