AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



113 



cell will hatch in the old hive — whether 

 it will be 5 days or 15 days? A second 

 swarm might issue before the old hive 

 was ever moved to its permanent stand, 

 and again after it had been moved, on 

 account of the first cell hatching so late. 



It was when I was busy making hay, 

 when an occasional swarm would leave 

 me, causing much vexation in my mind, 

 and many hours of deep study, how I 

 should overcome this difficulty ; and it 

 came, to my mind that a bee-escape 

 might do the work, so I attached one to 

 a hive, at the first opportunity. A 13^- 

 inch hole was bored in the center of one 

 side near the bottom edge, and a wire- 

 screen cone fitted in the hole, and the 

 entrance entirely closed ; the newly- 

 hived swarm was placed close by its side, 

 with the entrance just under the above 

 prepared cone, and every bee that left 

 the old hive became an occupant of the 

 new hive. 



In three days an examination was 

 made in the old hive, for I was afraid 

 that too many bees would leave the 

 brood, and destruction be the result. 

 But, oh, how I was delighted I All was 

 lovely still. In three days more another 

 examination was made, with like results, 

 and still another three days later, mak- 

 ing nine days. Then I began boring 

 holes in other hives, and treating them 

 as above, with the same results, until all 

 (60 colonies) that swarmed were in the 

 same condition. 



Some of the old hives were moved to 

 their new stands in 12, others in 13, 14 

 and 16 days, the last being rather too 

 long a time — 14 days is about right in 

 my location. Then these old colonies 

 can be given a ripe queen-cell, or a 

 queen, or the entrance be opened and 

 left so until all the young bees are 

 hatched, when the entrance can be 

 again closed, and it will unite with the 

 new swarm, and the combs will be 

 empty. In fact, you may have full con- 

 trol of the matter, as to managing 

 against second swarms. 



The first two years I used the bored 

 holes, covering them over when through, 

 with a piece of section tacked over 

 them ; but since then an escape has been 

 used at the entrance ; however, at times 

 the latter would get clogged, causing 

 some annoyance, and I now think the 

 bored hole at the side is best. 



If the reader will carefully look over 

 the back numbers of the Bee Journal, 

 it will be seen that I have touched upon 

 this point before, but dare not recom- 

 mend it as being entirely practicable. 

 But I hesitate no longer, but advise all 

 who stand in need, to try and be con- 



vinced how this plan lessens labor, cost 

 and vexation of after-swarms ; and in 

 my location greatly increases a crop of 

 comb honey, and of finer quality than it 

 otherwise would have been. 



Fear not that the new swarms will be 

 overcrowded in numbers, and swarm 

 again, but furnish each new hive with 

 starters below and full sheets of comb 

 foundation in all the sections above, and 

 you will soon begin to wonder whether 

 it is best to "prevent swarming" or 

 not. It is nice to have wood-zinc queen- 

 excluders, then all can be arranged at 

 the time of hiving — such as moving the 

 partly-finished sections from the parent 

 colony immediately to the newly-hived 

 swarm, and not have to wait two or 

 three days for the queen to establish her 

 brood-nest below. 



Welton, Iowa. 



Mm Siar Syri for FeeSini Bees. 



Written for the A.merican Bee Journal 

 BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



The following has come to hand from 

 some one who forgot to sign his or her 

 name, so I will answer through the Bee 

 JouPvisrAL, as lequested. 



" Will you tell us through the columns 

 of the American Bee Journal just how 

 you make sugar syrup for feeding bees, 

 as I have some bees which will need 

 feeding before long ? I think you have 

 given this before, but I cannot find 

 where it is. If I remember rightly, you 

 use honey to a certain extent, and, if so, 

 is there no danger of getting foul brood, 

 where one may have to buy honey for 

 this purpose ?" 



In answering the above, it may be 

 well, and interesting to the reader, to 

 know just how I came to hit on the 

 formula for sugar syrup, which I have 

 given several times before in the differ- 

 ent bee-papers, as hinted at by our cor- 

 respondent. 



Some years ago, after a poor season, I 

 found that all of my queen-rearing colo- 

 nies would have to be fed, as well as 

 some of the others, so I set about look- 

 ing up recipes for making the feed, as I 

 had no surplus combs of honey. I found 

 plenty of recipes telling how to make it, 

 using vinegar, cream-of-tartar and tar- 

 taric acid in greater or less quantities to 

 keep the syrup from candying or crys- 

 talizing. When about concluding to use 

 one of these, I ran across one that said 

 all that was necessary to do was to pour 

 boiling water on the granulated sugar, 



