494 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAa^. 



1. I do aot practice the nucleus plan. 



2. None, and the disadvantages are 

 many. 3. The self-hlver is far ahead 

 of any other plan. — C. H. Dibbern. 



1. I don't know, but I suspect a very 

 small per cent., if any. Here's one who 

 doesn't. 2. I don't see any unless there 

 is a sale for bees. — Eugene Secor. 



1. I don't know. 2. A big advantage 

 is that you needn't watch for swarms. 



3. Different methods are practiced, just 

 as in home apiaries. — C. C. Miller. 



1. We do. 2. You rear your queens 

 in the cheapest way, and save quite a 

 great deal of time to the full colonies. 

 3. We know of no better way. — Dadant 



«&SON. 



1. I think very few. 2. They are 

 wanting. Natural swarming pays best, 

 y. Letting them swarm. This is made 

 safe by keeping an attendant, or using 

 traps. — A. J. Cook. 



1. I don't know. I do, to a limited 

 extent. 2. It does away with watching 

 for swarms, and you have better and 

 safer control of your increase. 3. I do. 

 — J. M. Hambaugh. 



1. I do not know. I use it very little. 

 2. A skillful man can increase his colo- 

 nies faster. 3. In out-apiaries I use it 

 to some extent in connection with de- 

 queening. — J. A. Green. 



1. Who can tell ? I do, for one. 2. 

 With myself, it is much easier to do so, 

 and I find the results fully as good. 3. 

 I don't know what those do who run out- 

 apiaries, but I have yet to learn a " bet- 

 ter way." — J. E. Pond. 



1. I do not know. I do not. But I 

 would, if I desired rapid increase. 2. 

 It has no advantages, only that with 

 empty combs, or comb foundation, there 

 can be more rapid increase. 3. I do not 

 know, but I presume not. — M. Mahin. 



1. If you mean by the nucleus method, 

 dividing or artificial swarming, you may 

 count me one. 2. I have not room here 

 to begin to tell the advantages in this 

 latitude. No more natural swarming 

 for me, as I can beat it in my latitude 

 (Texas). — Mrs. Jennie Atchley. 



1. As the " increase of colonies by the 

 nucleus method " is practiced very differ- 

 ently by different apiarists, I can only 

 ?ay thai I probably increase one-third 

 of my colonies by artificial swarming. 2. 

 It has no advantages, except when your 

 time is limited, and you care not to take 

 risks. — J. P. H. Brown. 



1. Of course, I am unable to answer 

 how many build up nuclei into colonies. 

 I am quite sure, however, that after 



riper experience, very few practical bee- 

 keepers now practice the nucleus system 

 to obtain increase. 2. I know of no 

 "advantages" over natural swarming. 

 3. I don't know. I make nuclei every 

 year, but I use them to take care of sur- 

 plus combs, when I have them, and 

 unite them in the fall. — G. W. Demaree. 



1. I don't know. We increase our* 

 bees by division of combs and bees, but 

 always make our nuclei full colonies to 

 begin with. 2. It does away with the 

 watching for the issue of swarms. We 

 have now five out-apiaries, and we see 

 them during the swarming season once 

 in eight or ten days — no one to look at 

 them between times. — E. France. 



1. I am not sure what you mean. I 

 give my bees plenty of room at the right 

 time, and then let them have their own 

 way about swarming. I hive all swarms 

 on the old stand, and leave all surplus 

 arrangements with the swarm. 2. If I 

 wanted bees, I would divide ; but if I 

 wanted honey I would let them swarm. 

 3. I never had any out-apiaries. — Emer- 

 son T. Abbott. 



1. I can only answer for myself, and 

 say I do. 2. I have only a fall harvest, 

 while there is enough coming in during 

 the summer to build my nuclei up good 

 and strong for the harvest. It enables 

 me also to control increase, and make 

 closer selections of queens. 2. I have 

 no out-apiaries, but if I had, I would 

 surely practice this method to prevent 

 loss from natural swarms leaving. — Mrs. 

 J. N. Heater. 



1. I have, when desiring increase 

 without regard to the honey crop. 2. 

 More queens in the forepart of the sea- 

 sons, though the same object can be at- 

 tained by letting them swarm naturally, 

 if they will do so early enough, and then 

 divide the natural swarm into as many 

 nuclei as you wish to make from one 

 colony. 3. I never found any better 

 way where increase was the paramount 

 object. — S. I. Freeborn. 



I gave this up as a practice years ago. 

 It has been some advantage, in that it 

 places the bees, and particularly the 

 swarming tendency, more directly under 

 the control of the bee-keeper. It is still 

 practiced quite extensively by queen- 

 breeders. I would caution the experi- 

 mentalist, however, to never weaken a 

 colony for the sake of forming a nucleus 

 — or, I might add, to strengthen another 

 colony. Nuclei should only be formed 

 from over-strong colonies, with a full 

 brood-chamber. Form nuclei at dusk of 

 day. — Will M. Barnum. 



