1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



137 



IMX) pounds to the hivo, in almost exact con- 

 formity to the consistency of the mountains, 

 and the apparently consequent greater or less 

 amount of sage. As the sages increased in 

 either direction gradually, and the soil changed, 

 so the honey-yield gradually increased. The 

 variation of the honey-flow is usually ascribed 

 to the atmosphere; but in this case th(n'e ap- 

 pear to be indications that the soil made the 

 difference. Near Mount Wilson, in the midst of 

 the chaparel district it is told of apiaries yield- 

 ing 30() to 400 lbs. to the hive. Even if this is 

 true, it was years ago, when there were fewer 

 apiaries, and the present extensive fruit- 

 orchards were covered with sage. What sage 

 remains along the mountains is a comparative- 

 ly narrow strip, and is of a less thrifty and 

 varying growth than were the valley sages. 

 While the fruit-man is led into the business by 

 the land-speculator pointing to the growth of 

 greasewood, which will thrive upon the desert 

 itself, the would-be bee-man often thinks, the 

 more mountain the more honey. 

 Downey, Cal., Jan. 20. 



[Just as extensive agriculture, such as the 

 substitution of wheat-fields f^r pasture-lands 

 with its acres of white clover, has made what 

 was once profitable bee-keeping now unprofita- 

 ble, so the starting of fruit-ranches in Califor- 

 nia is taking away the sources of honey, and 

 the bee-keeper is obliged to hie away to the 

 mountains. It must be a little comforting to 

 the bee-keeper to know that there are places 

 where the bees may remain undisturbed. — Ed.] 



MANUM IN THE APIARY. 



A PROPOSED NOSr-SWARMING SCHEME. 



By A. E. Manum. 



" You will observe, Mr. Daggett, that this 

 colony is very strong; in fact, I choose strong 

 thrifty colonies for these experiments, in order 

 to test these different methods thoroughly. I 

 am running this colony on what /call the 'sand- 

 wich' plan. After the queen had filled the combs 

 in the main brood-chamber I placed a half- 

 depth brood-chamber on top, with a perforated 

 zinc between the two; and after shaking a few 

 bees into this upper chamber I placed the 

 queen (that I had previously removed from 

 below; with them; and as soon as the honey- 

 flow came I raised this upper half-story and 

 placed a tier of sections between the two cham- 

 bers, being particular to raise the zinc also, and 

 placing that over the sections to prevent the 

 queen from going down into the sections to de- 

 posit eggs; therefore you will see that the 

 queen is confined to the upper brood-chamber." 



" But, Manum, what about the lower brood - 

 chamber? Don't the bees build queen-cells 

 there after the queen is removed ?" 



" Well, Mr. Daggett, that is what I am test- 

 ing. I have looked this colony over but once 

 since putting the queen in the garret, and that 

 was when I put on the sections, and I found 

 two queen-cells; but I thought at the time, 

 that probably those cells were started, and had 

 eggs in them when the queen was removed, be- 

 cause they did not look Vike forced cells; and, 

 again, had thi> bees becni determined to raise a 

 queen below to replace the old one, it seems to 

 me that they would have started more than 

 two cells; and after looking them over this 

 time, if no cells are found I shall think this 

 plan worthy of further trial. We shall see." 



"Manum, how many days is it since you re- 

 moved the queen from below ?" 



"The record here says 13 days; and on the 

 sixth day after her removal I found the two 

 cells I have mentioned, and now it is 6 days 

 since that time. I will now remove this upper 

 brood-chamber, and now the sections. My ! 

 they are quite heavy. I will look at them. 

 Yes, they are doing well in them. This section 

 is partially capped; but as I took it out from 

 the center of the clamp it is not to be wondered 

 at. I will take out one from the corner of the 

 clamp (section -case). Well, there! just look at 

 this, Mr. Daggett. If any thing, this section is 

 nearer completion than the one taken from the 

 center. What does this mean? Let us consid- 

 er this a moment. Ordinarily the bees com- 

 plete the center sections first, so that I am 

 obliged to 'jump' them by exchanging center 

 ones for those on the outside; but in this case 

 all are being filled together. It must be owing 

 to there being brood above and below. I must 

 give this colony another tier of sections before 

 I leave them, and I believe I will put them on 

 the top of this set, inasmuch as the queen is 

 confined above. There is one thing, however, 

 that I don't quite like; and that is, where they 

 have capped the sections the cappings do not 

 look as white as they should. I fear that this 

 will be one trouble with this plan of 'sand- 

 wiching.' The bees, in their attempt to get 

 pollen up to the queen-apartment, will soil the 

 sections more or less. We will now examine 

 the combs in the lower chamber. Well, there, 

 Mr. Daggett; the brood is all sealed, and not a 

 queen-cell started. That is encouraging." 



"How long, Manum, are you going to keep 

 the queen above before you return her to her 

 old apartment below ?" 



" It is time now to return her, as it is 13 days 

 since she was removed; consequently there is 

 nothing below from which the bees can start 

 queen-cells; but as I want to test this experi- 

 ment more thoroughly I will give them a frame 

 of uncapped brood from some other hive. I 

 have to take it from another hive because the 

 frames in this upper story are too shallow, 

 they being only half the depth of the lower 

 ones. There ! now with this comb of brood 

 containing eggs, if they do not start queen-cells 



