182 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



M}^ Management of Bees. 



My apiaiy is built slightly facing the 

 southeast, in order to have the morning 

 sun. The bee stand is built upon a post, 

 Avithiu the enclosure, "svith no connection 

 ■with outside parts ; this prevents a direct 

 communication to the hive, by ants and 

 other preying insects. 



Ants are sometimes trouljlesomc — to pre- 

 vent them crawling up the post, a band of 

 raw cotton, passed around the post of the 

 stand, will make an eflectual barrier. 



Hives. — I have used the common hives 

 for years, also, common hives with surplus 

 honej^-boxes ; also, the Langstroth ^Move- 

 able Comb, and many other popular hives ; 

 am now using the American Bee Hive, 

 Avhich I think superior to any that have 

 copie under my notice, and have been tak- 

 ing 100 per cent, more honey from them 

 than from any other kind. In the spring, 

 I overhaul all my swarms, cleaning out all 

 litter that may have accumulated during 

 the winter, and occasionally give them a 

 little honey, Avhich seems to encourage 

 ibem to begin their labors ; and if any sur- 

 5)1hs honey has been taken the previous fall 

 t seldom replace the empty boxes till the 

 swarming season is over — too muclL room 

 l^revents swarming. 



Swarming. — Artificial swarming is much 

 spoken of, and perhaps profitably practised, 

 but I prefer natural swarming, for I am 

 confident that it is much better for the 

 parent stock as well as the young swarm. 

 Swarming usually begins in May, about the 

 middle, and sometimes earlier ; the first 

 swarm needs little or no care, it being gen- 

 trally strong and vigorous, and goes to 

 work with a will, frequently surpassing the 

 parent stock in surplus stores. The second 

 swarm appears about 12 days later, does 

 not number as many, and seldom gathers 

 more stores than is necessary for its winter 

 use ; occasionally a third swarm issues, 

 weakca- in number, and having less time to 

 provide for themselves ; they need more 

 care than rest, though I have at times car- 

 ried them for mUes, where buckwheat fields 

 are numerous, and they have turned out 

 more than self-sustaining. I generally 

 Aveigh all my hives before using them, then 

 when occupied by the bees, on re-weighing 

 them in the fall, I can tell whether they 

 have sufticieut honey for their substenance. 

 A swarm and stores, independent of the 

 hive, should weigh at least 2.') lbs. ; when I 

 find tliem below that weight, I always feed 

 them during the winter. Honey, of course, 

 is the liest food, though .some make a syrup 

 of Avhile sugar, or use sugar candy. In 

 giving them lioney, it should be placed 

 within tlie hive where they can have easy 

 access to it ; if it is in the comb, where I 



have a movable comb hive, I place it in 

 the frames, but strained honey should be 

 placed in a small wooden trough, (tin or 

 metal will sour the honey) then at intervals 

 I place straAvs so as to give them sure foot- 

 ing, and thus prevent them from falling in 

 the honey and drowning. They require 

 more food upon a bright, warna day ; dur- .| 

 ing the extreme cold days they are in a 

 state of torpor. 



When swarming is over, I put the sur- 

 plus honey-boxes in their respective places, 

 and take them out about the 1st of October 

 or even earlier, taking care to leave suffici- 

 ent for tlieir maiutainauce during the com- 

 ing winter ; at times, I have taken from 40 

 to 50 lbs. of beautiful white honey from a 

 single hive. B. R. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



ArtiScial Swarms, etc. 



On page 148 friend Dorr gives his 

 method of artificial swarming. We have 

 tried that way too, but do not like it, for it 

 breaks up the stocks so badly, it gives them 

 too much empty space. 



Here is our plan. Say you have five 

 stocks ; go to four of them and take out 

 two frames of brood and honey from each, 

 shaking the bees back into the hive, and 

 put in an empty hive ; then move No. 5 to 

 a new place and set your hive filled with 

 brood combs in its place ; all flying bees 

 from No. 5 will enter the new hive and 

 soon be building queen cells, unless you 

 can give them a capped queeu cell, as 

 friend Dorr says. No. 5 will soon have 

 more flying bees, and will hardly know 

 they have been molested, for while the 

 young bees arc hatching and eating honey, 

 the queeu Avill be filling the empty cells 

 with eggs before the older bees can fly to 

 fill them with honey. You can give each 

 stock an empty frame or two if you like, 

 but to give a ncAv stock one-half of the hive 

 in empty combs is too much, I think. 



And still another one, which I think is 

 even better. Place j^our empty hive Avhere 

 you wish it to stay ; go to your four stocks 

 as before, take 2 or o frames of brood, 

 according to tlie amount they can spare, 

 and shake the bees off on the alighting 

 board of your empty hive, being sure you 

 h.ave not got the queen. The flying bees 

 will rise and go back to the old stock, 

 Avhile the young bees will travel into the 

 empty hive where the frame of brood is 

 placed after shaking them oil'. Give them 

 6 or 8 frames of brood and honey shaking 

 each at the front, and then if you have not 

 bees enough to suit, take out more frames 

 from old hives and shake ofl" bees till you 

 have enough, giving the combs back to old 

 stocks. If you have a queen cell to give 

 the new stock, all right, if not, they will 



