AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



533 



after the last black bee was hatched, 

 when not a black bee was found in or 

 about the hive. 



If the above is correct, and I believe it 

 is, it will be seen that the eggs for our 

 honey-gatherers must be laid by the 

 queen 37 days before our main honey 

 harvest, if we would secure the best re- 

 sults from our bees, as it takes 21 days 

 from the time the egg is laid to the time 

 the bee emerges from the cell ; and this, 

 added to the 16 days, makes the 37. To 

 be sure, the bees from the time they are 

 3 days old, help to perform the labors in 

 the hive, hence are of much value 

 toward securing the crop of honey, if 

 we have plenty of bees over 16 days 

 old ; but otherwise, all hatching after 

 the middle of the honey harvest are of 

 little use. 



Let these things be borne in mind, for 

 I believe that on these two items hangs 

 very much of our success or failure as 

 apiarists. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



Manapmeiit to Prevent After-Swarins. 



Written for the Americcm Bee Journal 

 BY F. COVERDALE. 



From the experience given on page 

 805, it seems quite necessary that I 

 should write another article on after- 

 swarming. Mr. Harmer has written a 

 well-seasoned article ; however, I cer- 

 tainly cannot help disagreeing. 



Now, Mr. H. condemns all traps ; this 

 includes the Alley drone and queen trap, 

 and all self-hivers — but the latter I 

 know very little about. "Let us be 

 charitable." We will suppose that he 

 has 50 colonies of bees and his occupa- 

 tion is such that he cannot well be with 

 them every day. What does he think is 

 the best plan to prevent his worrying? 

 If his queens' wings were all clipped, 

 and one of Alley's drone traps at the 

 entrance of each hive, no swarms would 

 leave, and when he returned to the bee- 

 yard, those queens that have swarmed 

 will be right where he can get at them 

 in the upper chamber (a la R. L. Tay- 

 lor) of the trap. So much for handiness. 



Now, then, just set the old hive to one 

 side, and place the new one on its stand. 

 Move the trap, queen and adhering bees 

 to the entrance of the new hive, shake 

 all in front, set the block in front of the 

 old hive that has the bee-escape attached 

 to it, and move over the surplus case. 

 There is no climbing of trees, and no 

 worry at any time about any thing, for 



the worker-bees will pass on out through 

 the cones,' whether the bee-keeper is 

 there or not. 



To be sure, I am treating only on the 

 production of comb honey, while pro- 

 ducing extracted honey would be quite 

 another thing. I am sure I don't know 

 how I could dispose of hatching brood in 

 any better way than the above ; of 

 course, these combs of brood could be 

 stored over the section honey, just as I 

 used to do, but this plan causes the sec- 

 tion honey to be more or less travel- 

 stained, while the plan outlined above 

 works to the reverse, and I believe is an 

 excellent outline upon which to manage 

 an out-apiary. I see no great reason 

 why not. 



The only thing that in my mind could 

 give any great bother, would be when 

 more swarms than one are in the air at 

 once, and when returning not all go 

 back where they came from, but fill 

 some particular hive too full of bees. 



Space will not allow treating this as I 

 would like, so I will pass on to where 

 Mr. Harmer asks if young queens don't 

 come out through the cone, and on their 

 wedding flight get lost. Why, certainly, 

 they are killed at the entrance of the 

 new hive or working colony. The first 

 queen that hatches in the old hive 

 destroys all queen-cells, and one is all 

 that will pass out through the cone — 

 just as I want. This gives a grand op- 

 portunity to improve the stock by giving 

 nice, large queen-cells from the eggs of 

 the best queen (using a cell-protector). 



To be sure, if I could be with my bees 

 during the swarming season, and could, 

 by a little extra manipulation, do away 

 with these extra fixtures, all would be 

 well enough. 



Another thing that should be taken 

 into consideration while treating on 

 these diflferent plans of management, is 

 location, which should be thoroughly 

 looked after by the apiarist. If the 

 honey-flow is continuous or good at any 

 time, or times, manage to rear all the 

 bees you can previous to the expected 

 flow of nectar, and as large a force as 

 possible. This plan comes as near to 

 enabling one to accomplish the above 

 result, as any that I know of. When 

 clover is in bloom, all the working force 

 is kept at work in one hive, but two col- 

 onies will build up for the fall honey 

 crop and may be doubled previous to the 

 later yield, and with double the profit in 

 honey. That is, where one wants no 

 increase, and when all is done, good, 

 strong colonies will be on hand to begin 

 winter with, and with abundant stores 

 accordingly. 



