1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



595 



13 all wrong there, at least in my experience. My bees are 

 always wintered on the summer stands, with no further pack- 

 ing than a quilt above the frames, and I always put three cue- 

 inch strips above the frames, then the quilt, then crowd a 

 super above the quilt. I then talie any box that will slip over 

 the super, hive and all. This box is closed on the top. Then 

 the hive-cover I simply lay on the top of this box, when my 

 bees are packt complete for winter. I have never lost a colony 

 yet from this cause. It is the " two-legged bee-space " that 

 sweeps away my bees, hives and all, and not the bee-space in 

 the hives. 



Last winter, having noticed sawdust at the entrance of 

 one of ">jy hives, it occurred to me that may be the bees had 

 chewed through the quilt. I removed the cover and outside 

 box, then the super and sawdust, and lastly the quili, but 

 they were all right. Now, this was in January, and a bitter 

 cold day, still they were in good condition, nice and dry, wiih 

 no frost or condenst air in the hive, and they came through 

 the winter and were boomers in the spring. All my bees are 

 boomers in the spring, and too much so if not carefully 

 watcht. When they are not satisfied with an 8-frame hive, 

 and transferred to 12-frames and still swarm, I would like to 

 know what else they are if not boomers. And as far as honey 

 is concerned, I have received 150 to 25U sections of honey 

 from these same bee-spacecf bees, which I think a good enough 

 yield for any bee-keeper to be satisfied with. 



I think it wrong to condemn the advance made in apicul- 

 ture by our improved hives. We sometimes have brood in the 

 sections as it is, but what might it not be if thesections rested 

 flat on the brood-frames ? It's absurd to think of it. 



I have merely stated my experience in this matter, and 

 <lon't want any person to call me a liar, the same as the other 

 fellow called Dr. Miller. And last, but not least, is it right 

 for any person to give himself another name when writing an 

 article for the papers ? If a man is not man enough to sign 

 his right name, his article ought not to be pubiisht. There is 

 Dr. Miller, G. M. Doolittle, and many others of our experts 

 that I believe are not afraid to sign their own name to any 

 article they write, which is right. Then we know who is 

 who, and which is which, and not wonder who they really are. 



Cook Co., III. 



tietttug Bees Into the Supers — Prevention of 

 Swarming. 



BY DR. E. GALLUI'. 



I am askt, " How do you manage to get your bees to com- 

 mence building comb properly in the supers ? Mine do not 

 seem to commence or take possession readily, and then they 

 often commence at the bottoms of the frames and build up- 

 wards." Again, " Do you believe, or think, that any person 

 can learn to manage bees on the Dadaut plan without swarm- 

 ing? How long after you put on a super before your bees 

 take possession and commence building comb? Please answer 

 through the American Bee Journal." 



Now, I am not the question editor. Why not forward 

 your questions to Dr. Miller ? 



To your Orst and third questions I would say : They can 

 be made to take possession in about five minutes, and com- 

 mence building all right inside of a few hours. To the second 

 question : I manage my very strongest colonies without 

 swarming or dividing, whenever I take a notion to do so, and 

 I think any person of ordinary intelligence can learn to so 

 manage them. Like Dr. Miller, I will say, " I don't know," 

 if you are running them for comb honey, for since getting 

 hold of the movable combs and the extractor, I have always 

 depended upon the extractor. 



July 16, I had a fair-sized swarm of Italians come out. I 

 hived them od empty frames, with half-iDcb starters, and as 



the weather was quite warm, I set them under the shade of a 

 large flg-tree. Recollect, in the hottest of weather here it is 

 always cool in the shade. If I had set them out in the hui, sun 

 they might be compelled to leave. In a few days I examiued 

 them, as I always do. I moved sealed brood to the outside of 

 the center of the hive, and frames not filled to the center. 

 August 10 again I examiued them, and found every comb 

 completely occupied with brood, eggs, etc. Every cell was a 

 worker-cell, not a single drone-cell to be seen in the lot, and 

 the queen watching to place an egg in every cell as fast as it 

 was ready, where the young hatcht out, and I saw a number 

 of cells with two eggs in a cell. I took out two frarnes of 

 sealed brood, and placed them in a super, and put foundation 

 in their place. I put on the super, placed the two combs of 

 brood and the adhereing bees in the center, with a frame of 

 foundation between, and filled out at the sides with empty 

 frames and starters. I left the old queen below. I place 

 only 7 frames in an 8-frame super, as I like thick combs to 

 extract from. 



On the third day after putting on the supers, I lookt in to 

 see what they were doing. I found the foundation built out, 

 and every cell from tup to bottom so filled with honey that it 

 felt like a lump of lead, and the four empty outside frames 

 were well filled, or built down. 



Now, you can understand how I make them commence in 

 a super in about five minutes. But you want a good queen, 

 abundance of bees, and the nectar for them to gather. This 

 queen was one of my own rearing. You will find that on the 

 queen hangs all your sucess in bee-keeping, along with right 

 management. If a queen does not suit me, I do not put on a 

 super until I get one in that does suit. I have had a sight of 

 weeding out this season, and now I have a brag apiary. If 

 you do not believe me, just come and see for yourself. 



Now about how I manage without swarming : Early last 

 season I selected three of my best colonies, placed them in 10- 

 frame Langstroth hives, and when they were ready I put on 

 supers and run them three stories high. When I put on the 

 third super, I divided the combs among them, and alternated 

 empty frames between each full comb. Understand, I had no 

 combs built, and no foundatiou on hand, so the bees had all 

 their combs to build. 



As fast as the bees become numerous, I take a two-inch 

 chisel and use it for a lever to raise the front end of the hive, 

 and place an entrance-block edgewise under the front of the 

 hive. In this manner I can raise the front of the hive two 

 inches if necessary, and allow the rear end of the hive to rest 

 on the bottom-Doards. At all events, give abundance of ven- 

 tilation at tne bottom of the hive. If the queen is as good as 

 she ought to be, she will occupy from 1-i to Hi frames. For 

 that reason I like worker-comos in the center of the first 

 super, and I often have colonies that I run four stories high. 



Now, you can see that Mr. Dadant is right in advocating 

 large hives and a loose bottom-board. For my own use, I 

 would sooner have a 12-frame Langstroth hive than an S- 

 frame ; but I am working for increase. We don't have to 

 carry our bees down cellar in this glorious climate, so there is 

 no objection to a large hive on that account. 



I need not tell you that I cannot manage my bees as I 

 ought to, on account of my business. I get all ready to go to 

 work with the bees, and perhaps get a hive open, and I am 

 hurried away to see a sick child, or to go out 10 miles into the 

 country to see a fever patient. I am not finding fault, but I 

 think I have done remarkably well to make all my own hives 

 and build up an apiary in so short a time, besides caring for 

 three young children, doing my own housework, etc. I am 

 not ashamed to show to any my apiary, so far as the hives 

 and quality of the bees, queens, etc., are concerned ; in fact, 

 I am rather pleased to show to visitors what I have done. So 



