148 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



patent it, I spoke of it in the Journal think- 

 ing otliers miglit value it as well as myself. 

 I would like to know wherein Mr. Wind- 

 er claims his patent. Avis. 



For the American Bee .lournal. 



Artificial Swarming. 



1 take from my prosperous colonies, two 

 frames of brood with adhering bees, until I 

 have enough to fill a hive. Watch careful- 

 l}'', about the time the first (pieen hatches, 

 and cage her, before she destroys the other 

 ([ueens. This week, I caught the first queen 

 that hatched, in one of my new colonies, 

 l>ut her in a cage, leaving her until the next 

 day in the hiv(! where she hatched. 1 then 

 made a new colony, and placed a frame of 

 ))rood and adhering bees, with a queen 

 ready to hatch from this hive ; 1 then re- 

 leased my queen in the hive where she 

 hatched. 



In a few hours queen No. 2. was out and 

 was well received. I intended to catch her 

 before she destroyed her rivals, but was 

 too late. I obtained four queens in this 

 way, from one new colony. I have never 

 succeeded in cutting out a queen cell and 

 giving it to a queenless one. 



I wish the fathers in apiculture would 

 stop grinding their axes for a little while 

 and give us their modus operandi. 



Peoria, 111. Mrs. L. 1I.\ki{is()X. 



For tlie American Hee .Journal. 



How to make Artificial Swarms. 



Those wlio have movable comb frame 

 hives will find it to their interest to arti- 

 ficially swarm their bees. There are many 

 ways by which this can be done, and of all 

 the different modes, 1 have found tlui fol- 

 lowing to be the most satisfactory in my 

 experience ; 



I will first go to stock No. 1 and take 

 away one-half of the combs, taking about 

 one-half of the brood and one-half of the 

 honey, putting in their place empty frames. 

 Do not put two empty frames togethei', but 

 l)etween frames of comb, so that the bees 

 will build Ihe new comb straight. I brush 

 the bees all ofi' of those frames of comb 

 etc;., and take a new hive and place them 

 in it, with alternate empty frames as above 

 stated, for same reason. Now I go to stock 

 No. 2, b(!tween eltjven and twelve o'clock, 

 and remove to anotlier part of the apiary, 

 always selecting a strong stock, and put the 

 new-nuid(! hive in its place, and you will be 

 surprised at tlu- number of work bees that 

 will go ill and take possession of this new 

 luve ; and finding they have no (jueen, will 

 soon commence making ([ueen cells. Mut 1 

 generally, nine or ten months prior to this 

 time, have set my best and choicest etjlDny 



to raising queen cells ; so that I now save 

 ten days by going to that colony and cut- 

 ting out a queen cell and inserting it in this 

 new made stock, which I do from four to< 

 six hours after I let the workers in as above 

 stated. In this way the apiarian can keep 

 his stocks strong all the time and increase 

 them remarkably fast ; and should any 

 stock from any cause become weak or need 

 strengthening, you can give it a comb of 

 brood and all the bees that cling to the 

 comb, from a strong colony ; but you must 

 be careful not to take the queen with them ; 

 better shake the bees from the comb unless 

 you know that the queen is not on it. 



J. M. Dorr. 



Fertile American Bee .Journal. 



The Bees and Grapes. 



One word about bees eating grapes. The 



past three Falls have been dry with us. 1 



have two fine vines on the south side of 



my house within 20 feet of my bees. Not 



a grape did they touch. In my garden not 



40 feet my bees, I have several vines. Two 



years ago I caught the yellow birds eating 



the grapes. They would alight on a stem 



and pick a hole in every grape ; then the 



bees took the balance. I put up some rags 



' and scared the birds away. I had no more 



trouble with the bees. Those on my house 



they did not touch: I had 171 stands of 



'• bees. I have watched them closely, and I 



' don't believe a bee ever molested a grape 



until they had been opened by birds or 



something else. A man is to be pitied that 



: would recommend poison for bees, or 



\ would kill the little songsters for a few 



grapes that they kept the worms from them 



! all summer. I never write for publications 



'\ as it would tax the editor too much to put 



i it in shape. F. Searles. 



Hadley, 111. 



Not a bit of it. Give us your best 

 ' thoughts and we will always be glad to put 

 j them in shape. Every practical bee-keeper 

 \ is invited to write. We want variety, and 

 i our bee-men are invited to send us every- 

 j thing of interest. — Euitoh. 



*P'or the Anuricau Bee .lournol. 

 Sundry Notes. 



I Spring ha.s been so lagging that our pets 

 j have not done as well, up to this time, as 

 I is usual ; and what was quite remarkable 

 , the ("herry, apple, pear, horse-chestnut, sugar 

 i maple, lilac, and currant were in bloom at 

 '. the same time, and of course stimulated 

 ' breeding greatly, although a fortnight later 

 than last year. 



I attempted to raise a few queens as 

 early as the first Aveek of May, but the bees- 

 would not respond. 



