108 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



white honey to sell, and the business would 

 be unprofitable). To do this, we design to 

 get our combs w( 11 stocked with brood, and 

 our hives filled with bees, by the time that 

 clover begins to yield honey. Then we 

 keep all old stocks strong, put on the boxes, 

 a full set of 12 at once, and when they get so 

 crowded with bees, both the hive and boxes, 

 that we think there is danger of their 

 swarming, we take away a card or two of 

 cutting brood and adhering bees, and re- 

 place with an empty comb, or an empty 

 irame. The brood and bees drawn, form 

 nuclei. With some stocks, the drawing 

 will have to be repeated after a few days, 

 while others don't seem to start work in the 

 boxes until we put in an empty frame, and 

 set them to making wax in the hive. 



Those stocks that are building comb in 

 the hive, will need to have their combs 

 looked over, about once a week while the 

 yield of honey lost, in order to cut out the 

 drone comb, before the brood is fed in it, so 

 as to have it nice and white for the boxes. 

 It requires the exercise of some judgment, 

 in drawing brood, as it is better not to draw 

 any and let them swarm out, than to draw 

 too soon, or too much. The amount of 

 brood taken depends so much on the yield 

 of honey, the condition of the hive, and the 

 quantity and age of the brood on hand, that 

 no special rules can be given, and each 

 must learn from experience in his locality. 



KEEP STOCKS STRONG. 



Each old stock is kept strong, and the ex- 

 tractor is not used on any stock that is 

 storing honey in boxes. If they are well 

 shaded by laVge trees, and situated so as to 

 have a free circulation of air around the 

 hives, by raising these up a foot or so from 

 the ground, and a little brood taken away 

 from time to time, as they can spare it, they 

 will trouble but little about swarming in 

 seasons when the yield of honey is good. 



THE nOX ARRANGEMENT. 



We do away with the honey board entire- 

 ly, in order to bring the boxes neai-er to the 

 brood, and to give more free access to them, 

 than we could do through the honey board; 

 we like the two-comb box best, 6^^ inches 

 long by 3% inches, comb space 5 inches 

 liigh. We put twelve such boxes on a hive 

 that measures 2V4 inches in length by 16 

 wide (outside measure), by using a rack or 

 clamp in this form. 



TOP VIEW. 



inches. 



Take stuff % inch thick, 2% inches wide, 

 cut four pieces 15 inches long, and two 

 pieces 2()% inches long, nail through the 

 long i)iect's, into the ends of the short pieces, 

 witli linisliing sixes, leaving the spaces i>% 

 inches jiUimp, sotlie boxes will slip in easy, 

 four boxes m each row; then take hoop 

 iron, cut four pieces 15 inches long, and 



punch four holes in each, large enough for a 

 lath nail, turn the rack over, and nail a piece 

 of hoop_ iron on the bottom edge of each 

 cross-piece, so as to support the boxes. The 

 top of the hive should be planed down, until 

 the bottom of the boxes come down within 

 3-16 of an inch of the frame. This rack will 

 hold 9 three-comb boxes, or 18 one-comb 

 boxes, or 13 two-comb. We prefer the latter, 

 with three slits in the bottom of each box. 

 The slits are 3^ inch wide by 4% inches 

 long, one in the middle and one within }4 

 inch of either side, leaving an inch of sound 

 wood at each end for strength. There 

 should be }a of an inch side shake, to each 

 row of boxes, for convenience in getting 

 them out. 



TIERING UP. 



When the bees get the first tier of boxes 

 full, and begin to seal up, and get it sealed 

 up half way down or so, we raise them up 

 and put a set of empty boxes under them, t 

 with slits in the top to correspond and " 

 guide combs in place. When the first set 

 of boxes are nearly full, is the most critical 

 time with us, as they are then crowded for 

 room, and get the swarming fever in con- 

 sequence. If the whole set are not readj' at 

 once, we would raise one row, or even one 

 or two boxes if no more are ready; can give 

 room by tiering up instead of drawing brood; 

 use a "rim to make the cover six inches 

 deeper for each tier. 



RISKS OF SWARMING. 



In keeping all stocks very strong, we of 

 course take some risks of swarming. One 

 wing of each queen is clipped, so that there 

 is no climbing of large trees, or going to the 

 woods about it. We have found the follow- 

 ing plan the most successful to quell the 

 swarming fever after they attempt to 

 swarm : Have saw-dust, or tan-bark around 

 the hives, or else keep the grass cut very 

 close, so as to find the (jueen readily when 

 a swarm rushes out; pick up the queen and 

 jjut her in a wire cage, and wad a piece of 

 paper in the mouth of the cage to confine 

 her till the swarm returns, then cover the 

 old hive with a sheet or large cloth, to pre- 

 vent the bees from entering it, and place an 

 empty hive or box in front of it, in such a 

 manner as to catch the swarm when it re- 

 turns; lay the queen and cage down at the 

 mouth of' this hive, and when the bees be- 

 gin to enter, liberate the (pieen, and they 

 will go in more readily; when they have 

 entered, remove the swaVm to a new locality, 

 a rod or two distant, in the shade if con- 

 venient; having swarmed they will adhere 

 to the new location. Now remove the old 

 hive a few feet to one side, and place a 

 nucleus with an unhatched queen cell, or an 

 empty nucleus hive, on the old stand; take 

 ott' the boxes from the old hive, take out the 

 brood combs, and brush off e\'ery bee re- 

 maining in the hive, into the nucleus. 

 If the hive containing the lunv swarm, is the 

 same size of the old one, W(> would put 

 brood combs (as fast as we clear them of 

 bees,of (pieen cells. and drone brood) directly 

 into the swarm, and let them occuny it. The 

 boxes should be cleared of l)ees also, 

 and put on the swarm, and tiered up if any 

 are ready. Now we have the btn^s sortetf. 

 We have a new swarm on a new stand, that 

 is, we have all the bees that are favorable to 

 the old (|ueen with her, and have given 

 them all the worker brood, and all the 

 boxes, and we have got rid of all the bees 

 that were raising queens. When we have 



