1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



319 



know If you catch some game yourself it's alto- 

 gothor diffcrtMit from what it would be if you 

 bought it of some one. You say something 

 like lliis: "See what I have caught— cauglit it 

 miisclf." If caught alive without a wound, 

 you value it still higher. 



Well, now-, to trap your bees you vi^ant an old 

 hive if you can get one; or if you can get two 

 or three to put in ditl'erent places, so much the 

 better. Now you want an old brood-comb to 

 hang in each hive— the older and blacker the 

 better. If you can't do any better, get two or 

 three pieces of old combs and fasten them in 

 the tops of the frames by means of melted wax. 

 This is for bait. You want it old and black, 

 so it will smell strong; but it should be free 

 from the moths, and no honey in it. The bees 

 will look for an empty hive to store honey in, 

 but they don't want honey already stored in it. 

 Now fill up the rest of the hive with empty 

 frames; tie on the cover with stout twine, 

 drawing it tight by twisting in a stick, and you 

 have your trap ready. Now carry it to the 

 woods; find some tree easy to climb, and draw 

 up your hive by means ofa"cord. Finding a 

 good resting-place for it among the branches, 

 tie it securely; 10 or 1.') feet is high enough if 

 you can find a good place. Don't go very far 

 into the woods. If the tree you select is near a 

 field of white clover, so much the better. 



Of course, you must have your traps ready 

 just befon' swarming-time, so as to be ready 

 for all the runaway swarms. If you visit your 

 traps in the middle of the day you will see a 

 few bees going in and out. These are the 

 pioneers, or agents, sent on beforehand to 

 stake out their claim. They'll work several 

 days cleaning house before the swarm comes; 

 but if the swarm doesn't succeed in running 

 away you won't get them; but your chances 

 arc just as good for another. As soon as you 

 know you have the.n, carry them home just at 

 night. After letting down the hive with a cord, 

 hang it to the middle of a spring-pole, and two 

 bovs can carry it home with hardly a jar. 



Once in a great while the owner will follow a 

 runaway swarm, and line them to a tree or 

 your hive, as the case may be. In such a case 

 he would have the first right; but he ought to 

 be willing to pay you for securing them for him, 

 and for your hive. But such a case seldom 

 happens, as those who have large apiaries will 

 not leave .")0 or 100 swarms to run after one. 

 But I once, some 10 or 1:.' years ago, caught a 

 runaway swarm that was followed to the hive 

 by the owners; but it was only half a mile, and 

 they had but few bees at home. It happened 

 this way: 



Having obtained permission of my neighbor 

 I fastened one of my decoy hives in a tree in 

 his woods, about half a mile back from his 

 house. He had a boy whom I will call John, 

 because that wasn't his name. Toward night 

 one day in June, John drove over to my place, 



saying, as he came up in a hurry, " I wa 

 get you to come right over to our house and 

 hive my bees for me. They swarmed this fore- 

 noon, and I tried to hive them but they 

 wouldn't go into the hive, but just clustered on 

 the front of the hive." 



■' Why, John, I don't see why you shouldn't 

 succeed in getting them in. You didn't shake 

 them into the hive, did you ?" 



" No; I just shook them down in front of the 

 entrance, as you told me to." 



"That's right; in hiving them, never shake 

 them in or they will run out. Shake them out- 

 side, and they will run in." 



" But mine didn't. They just ran up on the 

 front of the hive, and they have hung there all 

 day." 



"Oh : but you oughtn't to let them. You 

 should just brush them off and not let them 

 cluster at all." 



