658 



Aug. 2. 1906 



American Ttee Journal 



After several good seasons it has happened to us that we 

 would not reach the bottom of a pile of barrels for 3 or 4 

 years, and at the end of that time we found the honey just 

 as good as on the first day. It is quite important to be able 

 to keep honey from good seasons when it is cheap, for bad 

 seasons when it is high. 



If our honey granulates in the barrels, it is not difficult 

 to remove it. We mark the head and the staves with chalk 

 and a cold-chisel, so as to be able to replace the head in the 

 same way, then the hoops are chased off one end, and the 

 head removed by the help of a strong gimlet screwed into 

 the center of it. The honey is then dug out of the barrel with 

 a clean spade. We have often taken the head out of a barrel 

 of honey, removed the honey and, putting the head back into 

 the barrel, have poured the liquid honey into it again. But 

 this must not be done while the honey is hot, because its heat 

 will shrink the staves enough to cause leakage, even if the 

 staves are quite dry. 



I must say, however, that most of our honey is put up 

 into small packages before it begins to granulate, for by this 



DADANT TANK FOR STORING HONEY. 



method we save quite an amount of unnecessary work. The 

 handling of granulated honey is always extra labor. If we 

 could know in just what size of packages the orders would 

 come, it would save considerable work to put it up in that 

 shape, just as soon as we have it settled and skimmed, to have 

 it perfectly clean. But sales change from one year to another, 

 and although a goodly portion of the honey may be put up in 

 5 and 10-pound tins, and another portion may be put into 

 60-pound cans, yet we find it necessary to wait for orders 

 before putting up the bulk of the crop. 



The reader will thus understand our reasons for using 

 barrels. But in a small apiary, one or two small tanks, cov- 

 ered with muslin, will probably be the most satisfactory pack- 

 ages for receiving the crop at the time of extracting. What- 

 ever you do, by all means avoid cheap barrels, for they will 

 leak all summer and will waste honey until the honey is 

 granulated. 



If you have good sale for honey in tins of different sizes, 

 let the honey settle in the tank for a few days, then draw it 

 oft" into suitable packages. Do not buy second-hand vessels 

 of any kind. Honey ought to be put into new tin vessels 

 where it will keep good and wholesome. Good tin will not 

 rust under honey, but iron will. The edge of a sheet of tin 



exposed to the honey will sooner or later make a dark streak 

 in the honey. Lead-tin will not do. It must be bright tin. 



Tin vessels will leak honey when they would not allow 

 a drop of water to escape. This is probably because honey 

 is heaveier and has less capillarity than water. If you dis- 

 cover a small leak in a tin vessel full of honey, do not waste 

 time in emptying it out, but just rub a little tallow-wax (bees- 

 wax and tallow mixed together by uniting) over the spot. 

 This will stop the leaking. Understand, however, that this 

 is not meant for such things as nail-holes or large cracks, 

 but only for imperceptible leaks, such as are often found in 

 the seams of tin vessels. 



When removing foam or scum from honey, you will 

 find this to contain mainly small particles of comb, cappings, 

 and perhaps now and then a bee or a bee's wing. This foam 

 is put into a jar, and, after a few days, skimmed again, when 

 the entire amount of dirty honey from a whole tankful will 

 be reduced to a gallon or less, which may be fed to the bees 

 that are most in need of help. Hamilton, 111. 



9\ 



Cutting Queen-Cells to Prevent After- 

 Swarming 



BY E. J. CR0NKLET0N. 



ON page 901, I see the question asked Dr. Miller, "Will 

 cutting out of all queen-cells but one, a few days before 

 a colony swarms, prevent afterswarms?" The Doctor's 

 answer is, "Tradition says the plan is successful, and I have 

 no proof to the contrary." 



Now, I will try to brace the Doctor up a little. Away 

 back in the '8o's I was in my prime in the bee-business, and 

 there was a great cry for a method that would prevent after- 

 swarms. Well, I gave the matter a little thought and it 

 resulted in producing the plan of cutting out all the queen- 

 cells but one. I tried it for a couple of seasons and it proved 

 a perfect success with me. So in order to be sure before 

 publishing it, I appointed Dr. Mason of Ohio, and Mr. 

 Demaree of Kentucky, and two others whom I do not remem- 

 ber now, to experiment with it and report results. The 2 

 succeeding years were very poor seasons for making such 

 experiments, and in the meantime some one took my line 

 of thought, and I think it was published. I don't think I 

 ever published it. So you see, Doctor, I came very near 

 being the author of this plan, and should be able to tell 

 why it works as well as it does. 



Well, when a colony swarms every bee that has the 

 impulse on her goes with the swarm, and there are but little 

 left in the old hive, but young bees, some drones, and plenty 

 of brood, and queen-cells. Just as soon as you have the 

 swarm attended to, go right to the old hive and cut out the 

 queen-cells. Don't wait 3 or 4 days ;_ do it immediately. 

 Queens hatch out soon after swarming; jealousy occurs, and 

 then the impulse is upon them, and then you are lost, and 

 Mr. Davenport is afraid to tell you how to proceed, and I 

 can not tell you, either. 



Now, the benefits of this procedure with me is 1 and 

 sometimes 2 supers of honey from this old colony; otherwise 

 you get I or 2 swarms of bees, which you do not want. 



This plan does not interfere with the nature of the bees, 

 and it is based upon scientific principles. If rightly prac- 

 ticed it is a perfect success. At least it is with me. 



It is a curious proposition that Mr. Davenport presents 

 to us on page 603, about preventing swarming, and I think 

 he is laboring under some delusion. I don't believe a word 

 of it until he comes right out square-footed and tells us all 

 about it. I think there are a great many of us old fellows 

 who have studied bees for 20 or 30 years, and know pretty 

 nearly what a bee will do under any and all circumstances. 

 We are ready to believe almost anything if it is proved 

 up. We deny everything in this case, and insist on more 

 proof. Dunlap, Iowa. 



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