THE BEE-KEEPERS" REVIEW 223 



find an almost deserted hive. I tried, i think, evcrx method that 

 I saw described in the bee papers. None were quite satisfactory. 



Here is my method of preventing swarming as finally found 

 more nearly perfected for my use : When I find a colony with 

 queen cells containing eggs or larvae I prepare an empty hive body 

 by putting in a few empty frames with or without foundation 

 starters, and also one or two frames containing a little drawn comb 

 to catch the pollen so that the bees do not carry it up into the 

 sections. I take this to the colony preparing to swarm, remove its 

 supers, and take out a frame — any frame with bees and brood — and 

 place it in the center of the hive body, and replace the removed 

 frame with one having a foundation starter in it. 



On top I lay a piece of wire cloth cut just the size of the top 

 of the hive. Over this screen I set the prepared hive body, letting 

 it project forward a little so the bees coming home can crawl up 

 into it from the outside. Care must be taken so the screen lays 

 down close and even on the hive, so that the bees cannot crawl in 

 under the screen. 



Now I put on the supers and cover and close up the screen at 

 the back (caused by moving the hive body forward) with a piece 

 of lath. I now close up the entrance with a board having three 

 one-inch holes covered with a cone bee escape. All the bees can 

 get out of the hive, but they cannot get back in, so they crawl up 

 the front of the hive into the hive body set on the screen. 



In four days I take off the prepared hive body and screen, put 

 back the sections and remove the cone escape board at the entrance. 

 The brood frame may either be returned after destroying the queen 

 cells on it or used in other ways for strengthening nucleii, etc. 



By this method there is no shaking, no absconding, no hunting 

 for queens or pinching oft' queen cells, no jumping of hives or 

 chilling of brood. It is not even necessary that the queens be 

 clipped. The method can he applied to any kind of a hive. 



The queen destroys the queen cells, and she does a surer job 

 than the apiarist does. There is no interruption in honey gather- 

 ing, the bees do not feel themselves queenless, and do not rush 

 around frantically hunting their queen ; and when they realize that 

 they are separated from their queen the swarming fever leaves them. 



Of course it is necessa^^- that the cone bee escape board at the 

 entrance fits tight so that no bees can get in there. Otherwise this 

 plan will not work. Xor is it necessary to wait foin- days before 

 changing things back : the queen will have destroyed the cells before 

 that tim.e. But I prefer to wait so long to be on the safe side. 



Read tea-article series beginning in next month's Revifw. 

 "Three Thousand Colonies in Fifty Yards Managed from One 

 Office." 



