AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



649 



In this department will be answered those 

 questions needing- immediate attention, and 

 such as are not of sufficient special interest to 

 require replies from the 25 or more apiarists 

 wno help to make "Queries and Replies" so 

 interesting on another pag-e. In the main, it 

 will contain questions and answers upon mat- 

 ters that particularly interest beginners.— Ed. 



Transferring" Bees^After-Swarms. 



On page 489, in the answer to the 

 question about the prevention of after- 

 swarms, I think the editor has the Hed- 

 don method of a short way of transfer- 

 ring, and the way of preventing after- 

 swarms, mixed up. As answered, it will 

 just start Mr. Bridenstine's bees to 

 swarming In good earnest. 



I have nothing to refer to, but I think 

 the Heddon method of preventing after- 

 swarms is as follows : 



When a prime swarm issues, hive it in 

 a new hive on comb foundation starters ; 

 place this prime swarm on the stand it 

 formerly occupied, removing the old hive 

 just to one side, with the entrance re- 

 versed. Commence turning the old hive 

 a little each day for eight days, when 

 its entran e should correspond with the 

 new prime swarm's hive-entrance. 



On the eighth day pick up the old hive 

 and carry it to the far side of the api- 

 ary, giving it a new location. The work 

 is then done, and the bees usually do the 

 rest. Geo. N. Phillipson. 



Merrivale, Tex. 



Answer.— Yes, you are right as to the 

 mixing. That answer was given by an 

 assistant in whom we had great' confi- 

 dence, and it went in without close 

 scrutiny. As soon as your letter was re- 

 ceived (and we thank you heartily for 

 calling our attention to the blunder), we 

 called up the guilty party, stood him up 

 In a corner, and proceeded to castigate 

 him in this wise : 



"What did you mean by describing a 

 method of transferring when prevention 

 of after-swarms was called for ?" 



He turned very red in the face, then 

 looked pale and began to tremble. After 

 swallowing hard a few times, he stam- 

 mered, " I thought the Heddon method 

 was called for." 



"Stop letting your teeth chatter that 

 way," said we, "and tell us whether 

 you gave a method for preventing after- 

 swarms." 



" Wh — wh — why," said he, and then 



he stopped. Then his face brightened, 

 and he said, " Why, how could there be 

 any after-swarms after all the bees wore 

 drummed out of the hive ?" 



" That's an evasion," said we, "and 

 hereafter please don't give transferring 

 instead of prevention of after-swarms, 

 unless you want to be transferred your- 

 self." 



By way of apology for our assistant, 

 we may say that the method of trans- 

 ferring cfiiginating with Mr. Heddon is 

 so deserving that it has come into great 

 prominence, and when the " Heddon 

 method " is spoken of, it is generally the 

 Heddon methpd of transferring that is 

 meant, so there is little excuse for the 

 careless answer. 



The answer given is the " Heddon 

 method " of transferring, and you are 

 hardly correct in supposing it would set 

 the bees to swarming in good earnest, 

 for surely a plan that has been pnvcticed 

 so long by Mr. Heddon and othersHvould 

 hardly have become so popular if it 

 were open to the objection that it in- 

 duced swarming. The majority of the 

 bees are driven out, then the hive is so 

 placed that all the field bees will desert 

 the old hive, and the result is that there 

 is no desire to swarm with such a small 

 force, especially as it must be remem- 

 bered that in general there has been no 

 swarming-fcver, and that cells were not 

 started until after the removal of the 

 queen. 



Your description of the Heddon meth- 

 od of preventing after-swarms is not so 

 very far out of the way. Instead, how- 

 ever, of reversing the old hive at swarm- 

 ing, turn it only half way around. If 

 your hives face east, then let the old 

 hive face the north or south. Instead 

 of moving the hive a little each day for 

 eight days, Mr. Heddon moves it only 

 once before putting it on its final stand. 

 That is about two days after swarming, 

 when the old hive is turned around 

 parallel with the new one. Three or 

 four days later, or five or six days after 

 swarming, at a time in the day when the 

 bees are well at work in the field, the 

 old hive is removed to a new lacation. 

 your plan to move the hive a little every 

 day for eight days, would be a good deal 

 more sure to result in swarming than 

 the plan given by our unfortunate as- 

 sistant. For, eight days after the issu- 

 ing of the first swarm is the time Mr. 

 Heddon says at which second-swarms 

 may be expected, and it would be of no 

 use to move the hive after that time. 

 Still, the weakening of the old colony by 

 turning its hive around at the time of 



