154 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



from a good strong stock, and hive them ac- 

 cording to my directions, how to make natural 

 swarms artificially. (See July No. B. J. 1868.) 

 Leave the old swarm on its old stand, because 

 if the bees are not removed, they are not so apt 

 to raise unprolific queens; or, in other words, 

 they will raise natural and not forced queens. 

 This question I have discussed in an article on 

 queens and queen-raising. Adjust your divi- 

 sion board in the next swarm to suit the size of 

 the swarm; as their first want is worker comb, 

 they will build worker comb in all cases. Al- 

 ways remember to give the young swarm one 

 comb containing nearly mature brood, some un- 

 sealed larvae, and honey. As soon as the queen 

 cells are all sealed in the old stock, separate 

 them, and start a nucleus for each, containing 

 one comb with larva? and honey. Leave one 

 queen cell in the old stock. Should you take 

 the comb with the cell attached from the old 

 hive, replace it with mature brood from another 

 hive, for the object is to keep the old stock 

 strong and populous. Remember also that you 

 have not a laying queen here, to supply losses. 

 Your new swarm will build at least eight 

 worker combs, by inserting the empty frame 

 invariably in the centre to fill ; and I frequently 

 have them fill the whole hive. As soon as they 

 commence building drone comb, go to the old 

 stock and take out full frames enough to fill the 

 hive which contains the old queen, for by this 

 time your young queen has hatched. Insert 

 your division board in the old stock containing 

 the young queen, and give them empty frames, 

 one at a time, for them to fill, placing these in 

 the centre of the cluster, and they will build 

 worker comb invariably. Remember that when 

 you take out a frame where an old queen is, if 

 the bees attempt to fill the empty . one with 

 drone comb, it is better to move the full combs 

 closer together and insert an inch board in place 

 of a frame. Then you can put in* a full frame, 

 by and by, from some swarm that has a young 

 queen. Your nucleus can be strengthened up, 

 after the queen is fertile, by transposing with 

 your strong colonies that have old queens, or by 

 drumming out young bees from old stocks. I 

 prefer the latter method, because I can then 

 take out just what I want, and no more. Your 

 nucleus must be strong at the commencement; 

 that is, use one frame and bees enough to oc- 

 cupy that frame and be somewhat crowded, 

 when the division board is properly adjusted. 



Remember what I have already told you, that 

 early in the season the tendency in all the 

 swarms that have a prolific queen, is to build 

 worker comb, providing they are not gathering 

 honey too rapidly. With an unprolific queen, 

 or one that is failing, whether young or old, the 

 tendency is to build drone comb. Late in the 

 season the tendency is to build drone comb in 

 all swarms, especially if built at the outside of 

 the cluster. From young swarms, with young 

 queens, that are building combs faster than the 

 queen can supply them with eggs, you can take 

 one comb and exchange with some swarm where 

 the queen has not room enough for egg-laying. 

 That is, exchange an empty comb for one filled 

 with brood. 



There is little danger of swarming where the 



old queen is, provided you occasionally draw 

 off some of the working force, to strengthen 

 other swarms. 



I have been asked this question repeatedly — 

 "How do you mix up your bees without having 

 them to quarrel ?" Drum out your bees into 

 the cap ot the hive; deprive them of their queen 

 and put her back where she came from. In a 

 few minutes the bees will become aware of their 

 loss, and then you can put them where you want 

 them — a part in one swarm and a part in 

 another, if you choose. They will be kindly 

 received in every instance. At the time when 

 they are raising abundance of young brood and 

 gathering honey, is the very time to perform 

 these operations. In drumming out, do it in 

 the middle of the forenoon, when the old bees 

 are out at work ; thus you will get most young 

 bees that have not j r et become located, and they 

 will stay where you put them. If you have an 

 old queen that has commenced failing, or a 

 young one either that has commenced doing so, 

 you will get very little worker comb. In fact, 

 the more prolific the queen, the more worker 

 comb you will get in building up a swarm. 

 After your swarms are all built up, give abund- 

 ance of box-room and free access to the boxes, 

 and you will have but little trouble from na- 

 tural swarming. 



I do not follow any set rule in making swarms, 

 making them sometimes in one way, and some- 

 times in another; but the new beginner must 

 know one way, and the reason for it, and then 

 he can do as he chooses. 



In transferring I have frequently to use up 

 small pieces of comb. I put a cross-bar in the 

 middle of the frame, and fill up the upper 

 part with pieces of comb, and the bees invari- 

 ably build drone comb below the cross-bar, un- 

 less I attach guide worker comb to the under 

 side of the bar. Now, friend H. B. King, was 

 not your comb built, as Gallup said it would be, 

 down to your centre bar ? And if your centre 

 bar had not been there, would not the bees have 

 extended a part of those combs down to the 

 bottom all worker comb ? You will remember 

 that I did not say the American hive, but the 

 form of the hive. Furthermore, I have never 

 recommended the American Hive to any one. 

 I have frequently, in my articles, mentioned 

 several forms of hive for the sake of illustration, 

 but I have endeavored in all cases to say the 

 form instead of the hive itself. I have given 

 the reason why the shallow form of the Lang- 

 stroth hive does not work in this climate. But 

 I still recommend the Langstroth Patent over 

 all others. 



Elisha Gallup. 



Osage, Iowa. 



" When, amidst the solemn stillness of the 

 woods, the singing of joyous birds falls upon the 

 ear, it is certain that water is close at hand." — 

 Livingstone 1 8 "Zambesi." 



Bees are not apt to sting when they swarm ; 

 therefore it is not necessary to take much ex- 

 traordinary precaution against them on such oc- 

 I casions. — Wildman. 



