200 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[March, 



consumed that would be, if left on their summer 

 stands. 



When the next number of the Journal comes 

 to hand, it will be the time for setting out the 

 bees. 



Concerning my method of spring manage- 

 ment, I shall speak in another paper. 



E. L. Briggs. 



KnoxvilU, Iowa. 



[For tho American Bee Journal.] 



The Twin Hive as a Non-Swarmer. 



Just before swarming time I remove three 

 large colonies, combs, bees and all, into three 

 of the twin hives, setting them on the same 

 stands. I then fill up the other end of the hives 

 with comb, removing some of the brood into 

 the vacant part and placing that end of the hive 

 in front. This brings the working force into 

 the vacant end at once. Now by managing so as 

 to have the apartment that the queen was in al- 

 ways supplied with empty comb, there was no dis- 

 position to swarm. Now, read attentively Mr. 

 Beckford's article, and also the editor's note on 

 page 30, of the August number of the American 

 Bee Journal, in regard to abstracting brood to 

 prevent swarming, and you have the idea ex- 

 actly ; only, instead of removing this brood to 

 other hives or colonies, we keep it in its own 

 colony. Consequently we have gained the de- 

 sired end, and still have kept all our working 

 force at home, thus keeping our stock always 

 strong ; and strong stocks are the ones to gather 

 honey every time. 



We went into this experiment on purpose to 

 test the hive as a non-swarmer, and we selected 

 stocks that were extra strong and extra pro- 

 lific queens. And this experiment was tried 

 in one of the greatest swarming seasons we ever 

 saw, and it was a perfect success, as neither of 

 the hives cast a swarm. As soon as we got the 

 stock well to work, there was no trouble about 

 removing brood from one apartment to the othei", 

 as the queen passed freely into every part of 

 the hive, of her own accord. By supplying 

 tliese hives with young queens, and attending to 

 extracting of the honey, we think that swarm- 

 ing would be entirely prevented. 



We difter from Mr. Beckford about the early 

 swarms, for this reason : His surplus is probably 

 gathered from white clover — that is, the main 

 supply, while ours is gathered from basswood 

 (wiiich does not come in until July) and fall 

 flowers. Consequently early swarms is what is 

 wanted with us, as we can get them and the pa- 

 rent stock into good condition in time for the 

 harvest. 



We have digressed a trifle from our subject. 

 We tried another of our twin hives as a non- 

 swarmer, in this manner ; We removed a strong 

 stock, combs, brood and nil, into it, and filled 

 up the vacant end with brood from other hives. 

 The queen was an extra prolific one, and kept 

 all the combs occupied with brood. This did 

 not give us room to work our extractor, as we 

 wanted to, and the bees were so numerous that 



they filled the inside of the hive and both porti- 

 cos were clustered full, both night and day. 

 (Here was where we wanted the extra twenty- 

 six frames in the cap ; but we did not have it 

 fixed for them.) Still there was no disposition 

 to swarm, so we inserted a comb containing a 

 sealed and nearly mature queen-cell, and the 

 following day out came the largest swarm we 

 ever saw. We hived it in a two-story standard 

 hive. (Two of our standard hives, one placed 

 on top of the other, makes a two story hive.) 

 Right here we will state that we have repeatedly 

 brought out swarms by the above method of in- 

 serting queen cells. In order to succeed it must 

 be done at a time when the hive is populous 

 with bees and bi-ood, and the bees must be 

 gathering forage rapidly. Many beekeepers 

 now wish to control the increase of swarms, 

 therefore we give our method of doing it. 

 EusnA Gallup. 

 Orchard, Iowa. 



[For the American Bee Journal ] 



The Queen Bee wiser in her Instinct than Man in 

 his Eeason. 



We may study out many inventions that look 

 very jjlausible and reasonable to ourselves ; but 

 when we come to apply our reason to the instinct 

 of the queen bee, we find she does not view 

 things in the same light as we do. My opinion 

 is, as well might we undertake to teach a goose 

 and gander to pair successfully forty feet uj) in 

 the air or on the wing, as to undertake to teach 

 the queen and drone to pair anywhere else 

 than in mid-air and on the wing. They know 

 nothing about performing their nuptial vows 

 floundering about on terra firma or in confine- 

 ment, where they have not plenty of sea-room, 

 or to poivse themselves in their flight and come 

 together as their instinct teaches. 



My opinion is, the queen and drone are at- 

 tracted to each other by the peculiar sound of 

 their wings, as well as manner of flight. To 

 illustrate a little, we will take a turkey's egg, 

 hatch it under a common barn-yard fowl, and 

 rear it without allowing it to see any other tur- 

 key until the time for it to pair with its mate. 

 If a hen, we will procure a male turkey and 

 place him near the hen, but with a partition 

 between, so that she cannot see him wlien he 

 struts. The hen will .show plainly by her action 

 that she understands the meaning of that strut, 

 although she has never seen one of lier species. 

 Now let them together, and watch their manner 

 of courtship. We find it to be the same as in all 

 other birds according to their kind, tJieir own 

 peculiar way. Just so with the queen and 

 drone. They, too, have their own way of court- 

 ing, which is high up in the air, on the wing, 

 wiiere they will not come in contact with wire 

 screening or other impediments at every turn 

 they make ; but where they can sing their love 

 song, and poise and embrace each other, accord- 

 to their own peculiar instinct. 



A. Bennett. 



Bennington^ OTdo. 



