1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



517 



chineen, and beep other flixinss. This ylear we have tiptlop 

 apliary — all samee DIoolittle and Dloctor Pliller. 



Pletty sloon, not long agio we glo on tllp among supar- 

 fly man in Claliflornia— me learn heep mnchee about sugar-Uy. 

 (I forgot to slay me learnee how to ridee blycikee. Me go on 

 him mlost lebley where.) I see Lainbler, Flylark, Mr. Myl- 

 der, Ur. Trotter, Mr. Blodlick, Plofessor Kitchen, Mr. Old- 

 man, Mr. Plyawl, Mr. Slevering, and heep other sugar man. 



Next tliine I lite me tell you ablout slome of my tlip. If 

 you like to lustrate my letters I will slend you slome potografs 

 of places I slopt while tlavling. You see I also added a snap- 

 shot plicture machinee to my outfit, all slamee Mr. Loot and 

 Lambler. 



Glood bly for the plesent. WuNG Luno. 



Slan Planciscio, Jan 1, 1897. 



Factors Influeaclag the Cause of Swarming. 



BT L. A. ASPINWALL. 



Forty-five years ago M. Quinby, in his first edition of 

 " Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained," assigned three requi- 

 sites as constituting the cause of swarming, I quote from page 

 189: 



" The combs must be crowded with bees ; they must con- 

 tain a numerous brood advancing from the egg to maturity; 

 the bees must be obtaining honey, either being fed or from the 

 flowers. Being crowded with bees in a scarce time of honey 

 is insii'ficient to bring out the swarm, neither is an abundance 

 sutBcient without the bees aud brood. The period that all 

 these requisites happen together, and remain long enough, will 

 vary with different colonies, and many times do not happen at 

 all through the season, with some." 



I cannot refrain here from giving expression to the won- 

 derful accuracy of Mr. Quinby's investigations. In discover- 

 ing the three requisites he was unaided by the movable-comb 

 hive. With the advantages of movable combs, other minor 

 factors present themselves to the investigating mind. 



By careful and comparative investigation with a number of 

 swarming colonies, we find certain factors, altho trivial iu 

 themselves, entering into, and constituting a force bending to 

 a common end — swarming. 



Allho it is generally conceded that the three factors given 

 by Quinby, are the requisites which induce swarming, I shall 

 came one as the prime cause, with factors which I shall here- 

 inafter refer to, acting in conjunction, constituting a force to 

 hasten or retard the impulse, proportionally as they are present. 



I will here state for the benefit of those concerned, that 

 all my experiments the last five or six years have been based 

 upon the foregoing fact. 



The first or prime cause of swarming is, hets. As Mr. 

 Quinby gave it, a crowded condition. All the other factors 

 may be present, but without a crowded condition, no swarms 

 will be forthcoming. Of all the adjunct requisites, a houey- 

 yield is the strongest factor, and with the natural increase of 

 maturing bees, which tends to a crowded condition, a large 

 brood is usually present. Still, with a crowded condition, al- 

 tho the flowers may yield no nectar, swarms will occasionally 

 issue, which is evidence that an abundance of bees constitutes 

 the strongest or prime factor. A crowded condition renders 

 their abode somewhat untenantable, and it also interferes with 

 the duties of the queen. 



It is a well known fact that temperature is an important 

 factor in influencing the swarming impulse. A number of col- 

 onies located iu a pent-up atmosphere, subjected to the burn- 

 ing rays of the sun, will swarm much sooner than a like num- 

 ber equally strong, but protected by shade. 



Ventilation also governs largely in the matter ; and its 

 necessity becomes more apparent with hives exposed to the 

 sun's rays than otherwise. 



In a previous article under the head, "Drones as a factor 

 in swarming," I alluded to my experiments with artificial 

 comb, by which I proved them to be a factor in swarming; 

 they being necessary in reproduction. 



In numerous experiments I have also found that a remov- 

 al of the combs containing pollen retarded swarming. This I 

 have proved by comparison with an equal number of colonies 

 from which the pollen was not removed. 



As already alluded to, honey is undoubtedly the strongest 

 factor influencing the crowded condition. With combs well 

 supplied, a failure in the sources will not always prevent the 

 issue of swarms. This is particularly true when colonies have 



been confined to the hives by unfavorable weather after a good 

 honey-flow. We frequently see swarms issue a week or ten 

 days following fruit-bloom, when they have been confined by 

 cold or rainy weather. Having begun preparations under the 

 Influence of a honey-yield, an intensely crowded condition by 

 reason of confinement, during which time a failure of the honey- 

 yield is not realized by the colony, swarming is almost certaia 

 to occur when honey is plentiful In the hive. 



With an aggregation of colonies under the control of man, 

 we also find another factor which does not present itself where 

 colonies are isolated as in a state of nature. I refer to the 

 swarming impulse as being contagious. I have known It to 

 manifest itself under certain circumstances and in certain 

 seasons favoring the circumstances to an excessive degree. 

 These circumstances include some of the factors already 

 named, such as heat, want of ventilation, honey-yield, etc. 

 This contagion spreads by reason of bees entering neighbor- 

 ing hives. 



We find another factor in the inherent tendency, or sensi- 

 tiveness of some colonies to the foregoing factors. The Carni- 

 olans are a notable example of a variety in which both bees 

 and queens are extremely nervous, and susceptible to outside 

 influence. 



I have already intimated that the queen is impeded in her 

 work of laying by reason of a crowded condition of the colony. 

 It is barely possible that queen-cells are then constructed un- 

 der circumstances similar to supersedure ; the queen being un- 

 able to fulfill the requirements of the colony. I have fre- 

 quently observed many empty portions of comb-cells under 

 such circumstances. I have also noticed that swarming fre- 

 quently takes place in case of supersedure, when the colonies 

 are overflowing with bees. In such case the queen is liable to 

 succumb the following winter. I had such an occurrence the 

 past season. 



As a summary we have as the prime cause of swarming — 

 Bees, and some eight or nine factors : Temperature, ventila- 

 tion, drones, pollen, honey, the influence of a honey-yield ex- 

 tending into a failure of the honey-sources, the swarming im- 

 pulse, the inherent tendency, and, lastly, that under the cir- 

 cumstances of supersedure. With a crowded condition, one 

 or more of these factors influence the issue of swarms propor- 

 tionally as they are present. — Review. 



Report of the Central Texas Convention. 



BY C. B. BANKSTON. 



At Cameron, Tex., July 16 and 17, 1897, the Central 

 Texas Bee-Keepers' Association met, with Pres. E. R. Jones 

 in the chair. After a brief address, stating the main objects 

 of the organization, the Rev. A. J. Peeler ofl'ered prayer. 



Judge J. M. McGregor then delivered an address of wel- 

 come, to which Judge E. Y. Terral responded with one of his 

 characteristic speeches. There were 42 members in attend- 

 ance. 



The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as 

 follows: President, E. Y. Terral; Vice-President, O. P. 

 Hyde; Secretary, C. B. Bankston. 



BEST HYBRID BEES FOR HONEY. 



"What hybrid bees are best for comb and extracted 

 honey?" 



Quite a number favored the blacks, and Italians crost for 

 comb honey production; pure Italians for extracted honey ; 

 and a cross between Italians and the silver-gray Carniolans 

 had some strong advocates. 



C. B. Bankston read a paper on some of the mistakes In 

 bee-keeping, touching principally upon the same points that 

 appeared in his article recently publisht In the American Bee 

 Journal. 



