1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



213 



shut oft" as you have them. It seems to me 

 your bees are quite accommodating this 

 winter. Ernest wishes me to say that the 

 above is just to liis notion, because it is so 

 very plain and clear that even the juveniles 

 will understand every word of it. 



■WORKING "WITHOUT SEPARATORS, 

 ETC. 



ALSO A SUGGESTION IN REGARD TO GETTING LARGE 



YIELDS OF COMB HONEY, EVEN IF 



YOUR BEES DO SWARM. 



fpIHE following article was so lengthy as 

 3)^ it came to us, that Ernest clipped off 

 f the last end of it, and it appeared on 

 page 186 of last issue. As friend King 

 did not feel satisfied with our mutila- 

 tion of his production, the matter was refer- 

 red to myself. After a careful examination, 

 I decided there was so much value in the 

 article, even though it were long, we give it 

 here, and thus we have the first part last. 



I do not use separators. With me they are an un- 

 necessary trouble and expense. Last season I 

 visited a neighbor's apiary,— found about a million 

 little wooden separators with his surplus arrange- 

 ments. He had some nice straight sections; so had 

 I without separators. I think I can get more mark- 

 etable honey without them. If I have an occasional 

 thick or bulged one, I keep it to sell to my neighbors. 

 I find but a few, however, and am often obliged to 

 take from my nice smooth ones to supply the neigh- 

 borhood demand. I have used separators, also wide 

 frames with separators, but I do not care to change 

 from my present system, which I have used long- 

 enough to know how it goes. 



I use a Heddon case with a false section, or block, 

 % in. thick at one side. When filled and glued, 1 can 

 easily remove this block, when the sections can be 

 readily taken out. 



My principal business is working for comb honey ; 

 and what I want is the best possible result and, to 

 obtain this with as little work per colony as possible, 

 consistent with good management. I am willing to 

 work, and always find plenty to do; but I always 

 aim to avoid any unnecessary manipulation. If it 

 is desired to force all the honey from the brood- 

 chamber at the commencement of the honey sea- 

 son, and flU the hive below with brood, I can usually 

 accomplish this, practically, at one operation, which 

 every bee-keeper must do at least once at swarming 

 season; and if no swarm occurs, thin is not neces- 

 sary; for what good strong colony is there but will 

 store an abundance of comb honey if no swarm be 

 cast under ordinary circumstances ? 



But we were speaking of the probability of one 

 swarm being cast per colony. (Jne writer mentions 

 that if the combs be reversed at the proper time, 

 swarming will be allayed. What an idea of benefit 

 is this ! Who can tell, without almost daily examin- 

 ation, when this " proper time " is ? Probably about 

 once in fifty times, one would guess right, and noth- 

 ing will so likely increase the desire to swarm, as 

 reversing combs and increasing the amount of 

 brood and bees. 1 believe in strong colonies and 

 Jots of boes, but I don't think it necessary to carry 

 it to an excess; and it is a question with many 

 prominent bee-keepers, if not more comb honey can 

 be obtained from a given number of colonies, it 

 they were not allowed to increase the capacity for 



brood-raising to more than half the capacity that 

 would be reached by reversing frames, thus pre- 

 venting swarming in nearly all cases, enough brood 

 being hatched to keep the colony strong and in 

 good working force. The surplus honey needed for 

 brood-rearing, would thus be stored in the sections. 

 It seems to me that some who have been advocat- 

 ing little manipulation of combs, have now taken a 

 widely different stand, and are inventing plans 

 which end:^in the excessive manipulation of combs, 

 hives, etc., without any decided advantage. If a 

 moderately shallow hive be used, there need be no 

 difficulty at just the time required to practically 

 fill all the frames with brood if desired, by the plan 

 I use for the prevention of after-swarms, and to 

 keep my working colonies in prime condition for 

 storing comb honey every day of the season. 



I have had many colonies in my yard this last 

 season, which, during the height of the white-clover 

 season, were literally filled below (10 frames) with 

 brood, while they were carrying along nicely a 

 couple of cases of sections; and 1 believe if I should 

 wish, I could, in nineteen cases out of twenty, pro- 

 duce the same results, and, too, without the use of 

 reversible frames. How many bee-keepers there 

 are who are often heard to remark, "If I could only 

 keep my bees from swarming," believing as they 

 do, that any colony in good condition in the spring 

 would store a satisfactory amount of honey during 

 the early honey season if no swarm were to issue. 

 A few bee-keepers claim that they can obtain as 

 much comb honey from a new swarm hived on fdn., 

 as they would from the old colony if no swarm had 

 issued. I believe this to be far from customary, 

 even with those who have advanced such state- 

 ments, and that all such occurrences are but rare 

 exceptions to the general rule. As it is natural for 

 bees to commence swarming at the beginning of 

 the honey season, such swarming may be expected, 

 if not depended upon. In nearly all cases, colonies 

 that send out first swarms about the commence- 

 ment of the early honey season, have made more 

 or less '[advancement on their sections, which must 

 be suspended, unless the swarm (the new colony) 

 will continue the work. 



Now, what shall be done to keep up the work in 

 the sections ? A great many would return the 

 swarm. I have done so, but I don't any more in the 

 early part of the season. Every one knows how 

 "strong," as we say, a new swarm will work. My 

 plan is this: If a swarm issue, hive it on a new 

 stand. At the time, or soon after, give them about 

 23 of the brood they have just left; fill up the body 

 of the hive with frames of fdn., place the sections 

 they have left, upon them, and you have them at 

 work on the sections with even more zeal than 

 they had before, and without any delay, and upon 

 the old stand you have a nucleus " as is a nucleus," 

 into which, after the first night, slip a virgin queen 

 if possible, and it will be a strong colony amazingly 

 quick, and ready for winter in good shape, and fall- 

 honey surplus, too, if there be any. In this way all 

 after-swarming is prevented, the number of colo- 

 nics is doubled, or nearly so, and the original num- 

 ber of working colonies is kept strong, and hard at 

 work, too, on the sectionf^, every day, through the 

 honey season. 



In introducing queens, either laying or virgin, I do 

 not consider it necessary or wise to leave the colony 

 undisturbed more than a few hours after releasing 

 the quepn. If they are all right next day, I copsid- 



