138 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Dec* 



Berelepsch says that the bees will, for from six 

 teen to eighteen days continue building and 

 bearing brood, when fed upon honey alone, al- 

 though, owing to the long confinement, many 

 dead bees, with swollen abdomens, lie on the 

 floor beneath. 



Now, please to read our article in the August 

 No. A. B. J., page 27, and see if the condition 

 of my swarm, in about 14 or 16 days, was not 

 in precisely the condition as described by the 

 Baron von Berelepsch. I have done with the 

 subject. J. Butler. 



Jackson, Mich., Nov. 20, 1873. 



[Translated from the Bienenzeitung.] 



Concerning Strengthening Swarms with Combs 

 of Brood. 



One of the greatest advantages derived from 

 the movable comb system, is that you can read- 

 ily introduce combs of brood into weak stocks, 

 whether natural or artificial swarms, and can 

 in the most advantageous way help the 

 queens. 



While the addition of strange bees will be 

 rejected, in spite of smoking, — the strange bees 

 , being stung to death, — the introduced brood- 

 comb will be received with pleasure, and when 

 the bees are in a situation to do so, will be 

 carefully protected. 



Foolish, indeed, would it be, during the cool 

 period of the year, to introduce to a weak 

 swarm more combs of brood than they would 

 be able to protect ; nevertheless, in the warm 

 summer time, and when most of the brood is seal- 

 ed, it can be done without the least danger. With- 

 out any further trouble, the brood willjissue from 

 the cells ; and, even though a portion should 

 die, the attained advantages are great, and out- 

 weigh the disadvantages. About the middle 

 of April, I introduced into a medium strong 

 stock, having an exceedingly beautiful Italian 

 queen, a comb of brood from a bastard stock, 

 the l^rood reaching almost down to the bottom 

 of the comb. Now came a cold spell, the like 

 of which we had not had during the whole 

 winter, the thermometer, on the 26th of April, 

 standing 6", and nearly as low the following 

 day. The bees must have drawn themselves 

 together, and, upon examination, I found near- 

 ly the third of the lower portion of the comb 

 deserted and cooled. Leaving this misfortune 

 aside, I do not repent concerning the operation; 

 since the hatched out bees, to the number of 

 4,000, had in this stock far more value than 

 6,000 in the overstrong colony, from which the 

 brood-comb had been removed. 



All ordinary cooling and injury can be ward- 

 ed ofi" thus : the brood-chamber should be nar- 

 rowed and protected as much as possible ; the 

 entrance, if the night be very cold, should be 

 closed entirely, and, in the interior of the hive, 

 there should not be wanting a uniform temper- 



ature ; hence the bees should not be allowed to 

 suffer for want of honey. Candied honey, over 

 which the bees must work some time, if intro- 

 duced where the creation of heat is most nec- 

 essary, especially recommends itself. 



Far better will a weak stock be aided, if,. 

 when brood is given them, they also receive 

 bees. Should a comb of bpood be given the 

 hive, with the bees upon it, the young ones will 

 remain, but the old ones will, sooner or later, 

 return to their old home, and then be killed. 

 For such manner of strengthening, one must 

 take advantage of a pleasant day, and, by means 

 of diluted honey, divert the attention of the 

 hive, so that all the strange bees that desire it 

 can slip away unobserved. But it is more ad- 

 vantageous to take the bees from a distant 

 stand, or to remove the strengthened stock to a 

 distant stand. In order to protect the queen 

 from the strange bees, it is best to cage her for 

 a few days. 



Strengthening by brood-combs, is to be es- 

 pecially recommended for weak colonies, which, 

 by such means, soon arrive at the proper 

 strength. Hence, the folly of sending from 

 a distance, strong colonies of Italian bees, 

 which, in warm wo ather, are liable to be suffo- 

 cated, when we are in the possession of so easy 

 and ready means of quickly strengthening 

 them. DziEBZON. 



Carlsmarkt, May 13, 1873. 



[For the American Bee Journal. 



100 Pounds Box Honey in 45 Minutes. 



NOT GATHERED BY THE BEES IN THAT TIME, 

 (that would BEAT EVEN GALLtlP,) BUT RE- 

 MOVED FROM THE BEES IN THAT TIME. 



In accordance with previous an-angement 

 with Novice, (noticed in the American Bee 

 Journal heretofore,) I proceeded on the — of 

 August to remove 100 pounds of box honey. I 

 happened to hit an unfavorable day. It was 

 cool, and few bees were at work, I should have 

 attended to this matter in July, but it was 

 somehow put off. I went to work without an 

 assistant, or previous preparation of any kind, 

 the same as if I wanted honey to sell that day. 

 (I have often removed 100 pounds of honey, 

 driven ten miles and retailed every pound of it 

 and returned the same day, with the spondulicks 

 in my pocket.) 



THE operation. 



The top or honey board was removed first, 

 and the bees driven down with smoke. With- 

 plenty of smoke I can drive nine-tenths of all 

 the bees out of the sui-plus box in a few minutes. 

 The boxes were then (three in number) set on a 

 board, and an empty box set on each to catch \/ 

 the few remaining bees. A gentle rap on the 

 board soon drove the bees all out, after which' 



