80 



THE AMEETCAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[August, 



laborers for nt least thirty-seven days from the 

 date of swarming, that they are likely to go into 

 winter quarters without having furnished an 

 ounce of surplus honey ; and ])erhaps even with 

 a hive only partially filled with combs and 

 honey for its own use. Whereas, a swarm 

 coming a month later will be immense in its 

 proportions, and the honey liarvest being then at 

 its height, they will accomplish far more in two 

 or tliree weeks, than very early swarms will 

 in a whole season. At least such has been my 

 experience. 



I find that the great bulk of surplus box 

 honey is made by the old colonies, and before 

 swarming. Now, if swarming can be held in 

 check two or three weeks, by removing brood 

 judiciously from tlie strongest colonies, at such 

 times and to such extent as to leave the hive 

 just as full of bees as it will hold without 

 swarming, then the greatest possible quantity 

 of surplus honey in boxes will be obtained. I 

 do not look for any more box honey from a 

 colony, after it has swarmed It is then best 

 fitted for the tise of the honey-extractor, for the 

 rest of the season. 



I do not object to stimulating for early breed- 

 ing in the spring, jirovided you reduce the full 

 colonies, just befoi-e swarming time, enough to 

 prevent swarming ; so as to retain all through 

 the heigl:t oJ' the honey harvest, very strong 

 stocks for making box honey. 



R. BiCKFORD. 



Seveca Falls, JV. Y., June 33, 1871. 



m^" Were it not for the risk incurred of having 

 the (|ueen]ess colony suddenly attacked and destroyed 

 by robbers, or that fertile workers may make their 

 appearance in such colonies otherwise well con- 

 ditioned, the process might be unhesitatingly adopted. 

 These risks, however, make constant watchfulness so 

 indispensable that we fear failure would be the result 

 in the hands of the generality of bee-keepers. But 

 where these can be guarded against the plan may be 

 very usefully employed, in combination with another, 

 for securing a very important dL-sideralurn in practi- 

 cal bee-culture. The only efleclual method yet 

 devised for preventing or controlling natural swarm- 

 ing, is to reduce the strength of a colony, &o as to check 

 the tendency to division and emigration, though not 

 to such an extent as to superinduce in it a discour- 

 aging consciousness of weakness. The judicious 

 and well-limed removal of brood, so readily accom- 

 plished where movable frames are enipldycd, etl'eets 

 this purpose completely; and the removed brood may 

 either be used — as above sugj^ested -to save and 

 build up queeulcss colonies ; or for artificial multi- 

 plication of stock, by starting and gradually slrenuth- 

 eniug nuclei. Where not needed for the former 

 purpose, a nucleus — or several, if stocks be numerous 

 and populous — may be formed to receive and nurse 

 tfie abstracted brood, and be built up to full stature, 

 as rapidly as the sources of sujiply will permit. By 

 this course the bee-keeper, especially if still ardent 

 and inexperienced, may find himself constrained to 

 keep his desire for a rai)id inci-ease of colonies in 

 proper subordination, by making it his paramount 

 aim to secure surplus honey from his old stocks ; for 

 he will learn to be careful not to remove from them 

 at any time, more brood than tlie condition of those 

 old Slocks and the fertility ot their queens will justify. 

 He will consequently be admonished by daily obser- 

 vation, not to start more nuclei or artificial swarms 



than he can properly supply with brood from time to 

 time, till from the fertility of their own queens they 

 become independent, self-sustaining eohmies. Thus 

 good judgment in couducting the first operation con- 

 duces to impose and impress on the bee-keeper, 

 thougii still only a beginner, the proper measure and 

 extent of the second. — [Ed. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



A Trip to Tennessee and back. 



On Friday evening, February 10th, by invita- 

 tion of Dr. Hamlin, I took the cars for Nashville, 

 and arrived next morning in time to meet tlie 

 Tennessee Apiarian Society at ten o'clock, 

 where I met with many and very warm friends. 

 They appear to be waking up there to the fact 

 that they have one of the best States in the 

 Union for bee-keeping. In fact, Mr. Editor, I 

 should like to try my hand at the business in 

 some of their beautiful valleys. I think I could 

 somewhat astonish the natives in the result. I 

 s])ent a very pleasant week with Dr. Hamlin, 

 visiting in the vicinity of Nashville. I also met 

 the society again by invitrtion, on the 16th of 

 March. We opened and examined some thirty 

 or forty stocks of the Doctor's bees, and saw 

 their progress in breeding tlie queens, &c. The 

 Doctor has two hundred and sixteen stocks of 

 pure Italians. I call them genuine, and I ought 

 to be a good judge. Right here, I M'ill mention 

 that I found the Doctor universally esteemed in 

 his own neighborhood, where he is best known ; 

 and from personal acquaintance with him I take 

 him to be a man in every respect strictly con- 

 scientious. He is not raising queens and selling 

 from pecuniary necessity, being far above that. 

 I mention this not at his request, bttt of my own 

 free will and accord, for the benefit of a certain 

 celebrated party, who is circulating jjrivate re- 

 ports detrimental to the Doctor's reputation as 

 a queen-breeder. The Doctor's reptitation will 

 live in the estimation of the public, long after 

 said individual has hung himself with his own 

 halter. At least that is the opinion of your 

 humble servant. The Doctor's bees were carry- 

 ing in meal every pleasant day, while I was 

 there. I shall long remember my visit to 

 Tennessee. 



On my way back, I spent a part of three days 

 at Mr. J. S Hill's, of Mount Healthy, Hamilton 

 County, Ohio. Mr. Hill is a well posted bee- 

 keeper. I was much pleased with his arrange- 

 ment and management. We examined several 

 of his stocks, and among the rest we found one 

 queenless ; and as he was wintering several 

 nuclei with spare queens, he repaired to the 

 cellar for a queen. The first he brought up was 

 dead to all appearance, but Ave brought her to 

 life and gave her to the queenless stock. While 

 at Dr. Hamlin's we found a nucleus seemingly 

 starved to death. At my suggestion it was 

 carried into a warm room and placed on a table. 

 The bees soon began to show signs of life. I 

 revived the queen and placed her in the queen- 

 less nucleus. Now, here are two excellent 

 opportunities to test whether queens that have 

 been chilled or starved nearly to death are good 

 for anything after they have been revived. I 



