1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



153 



manipulation of the colony for the end in view. Aft- 

 er the fruit-tree bloom, this colony should be stim- 

 ulated by feeding a little honey or sugar syrup each 

 day, so as to keep the queen laying in her full ca- 

 pacity. The same end may be accomplished by giv- 

 ing frames of solid brood about to hatch, taken 

 from other colonies— the object being to have the 

 hive crowded with bees as early as possible, thus in- 

 ducing the swarming fever. As soon as the colony 

 has constructed queen-cells that are nearly ready 

 to be sealed over, preparatory to swarming, open 

 the hive andtakefourof the eight brood-frames hav- 

 ing the most and the best queen-cells thereon, and 

 place them to one side of the hive after removing 

 the wide frame. Now take the remaining four 

 brood-frames and destroy all queen-cells thereon, 

 and place them to the other extreme side of the 

 hive, after removing the wide frame on that side. 

 Now place the two wide frames in the center of the 

 hive, with the perforated metal sides toward each of 

 the two brood-nests, thus dividing the hive into two 

 compartments, the queen being in the side contain- 

 ing 110 queen-cells. We now close the hive, and 

 await the results. The bees go all through the hive 

 at pleasure, but the queen is confined to one com- 

 partment, containing only four frames. 



The colony already having the swarming fever, 

 and the queen restricted in her egg-laying capacity, 

 will in one or two days start new qucon-cells. The 

 bees will complete and nurse the line natural queen- 

 cells on the four frames at the other end of the hive. 

 When a day or two before these first-constructed 

 queen-cells are ready to hatch (about eight days) 

 open the hive and cutout and use these cells: at the 

 same time take the queen from the other side and 

 place in the side from which you have just removed 

 the cells. On the four frames from which we have 

 just taken the queen we will find a lot of very fine 

 natural queen-cells about ready for sealing. These 

 the bees will complete and nurse to maturity. The 

 queen, now having empty cells, will immediately go 

 through the compartment (or four frames), deposit- 

 ing eggs in all vacant cells, when new queen-cells will 

 be constructed. Just befere the cells on the other 

 side of the hive are ready to hatch, cut them out 

 and use them, and put the queen on that side. Pro- 

 ceed in this way as often as the queen-cells mature, 

 which you will find to be about every 7 or 8 days. In 

 this way our cells are all reared in very powerful 

 colonies, and containing brood in ail stages, at all 

 times. The cells are reared in a perfectly natural 

 way, and under the swarming impulse. We have a 

 laying queen in the hive at all times, and the colony 

 is also storing surplus honey in the sections right 

 along. You never saw finer nor better queens than 

 those reared in this way. 



If we do not let any young queens hatch in this 

 hive, nor allow a queen-cell to be capped over in the 

 part containing the queen, the colony may be kept 

 building and rearingqueen-cells until late in the sea- 

 son; and the colony will not attempt to swarm — at 

 least, such has been my experience. The sections 

 in the wide frames should be removed as often as 

 filled, and replaced with new ones. I do not allow 

 this colony to store any surplus on top of brood- 

 chamber. 



A GOOD REPORT FROM THE PERFORATED ZINC. 



I have thought many times, alter reading of the 

 failur(?s of those who reported their experiences (in 

 Gleanings) with the Jones metal, how near they 

 pame to this plan, and yet failed to see the Y&l^o of 



this perforated metal, but instead they cry failure, 

 without knowing whereof they speak. This should 

 teach us to be careful and searching in our experi- 

 ments, before denouncing any thing as a failure. If 

 one beekeeper can succeed, others cnn. If we fail 

 the first time, commence anew, and study our ex- 

 periment ns it progresses, step by step, until we find 

 wherein we failed. In this way we will many times 

 discover something new, and still accomplish the de- 

 sired feat. I am pleased with the perforated metal. 

 It is a success with me, and will be with others as 

 soon as they learn how and where to use it. I believe 

 it will be indispensable in the near future. By plac- 

 ing the entrance-guards at entrances of such colo- 

 nies as are liable to be attacked by robber bees, such 

 colonies will and can protect their homes to a great 

 deal better advantage. 



PEHFORATED ZCNC FOR DISCOURAGING ROBBERS. 



It is seldom you will find a robber-bee to venture 

 under one of these guards, especially when there are 

 any bees acting as guards at the entrance. Robber- 

 bees will not venture where they can not readily get 

 away, unless the robbers have already gained a foot- 

 hold. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of 

 cure. G. W. House. 



From the above description, I take it for 

 granted that friend II. lias his wide frames 

 close fitting to the sides of the hives, al- 

 though I may be mistaken. Very likely two 

 frames of sections placed in the center of 

 the hive, separating the brood combs, will 

 be sufficient to keep the queen from passing 

 around them, provided the frames were cov- 

 ered with perforated zinc in the place of 

 separators. . I have often reared two queens 

 in a hive by using combs of honey to divide 

 the brood, and I should think the point 

 brought out in the above might prove an 

 excellent one. I am quite sure the drone- 

 guards would aid a colony in keeping rob- 

 bers at bay, as suggested. 



BITYIIV« AND SELLiING BEES. 



HOW SHALL WE MEASURE OR WEIGH THEM ACCUR- 

 ATELY? 



f.HERE are at present three ways by which bees 

 are bought and sold; viz., in full colonies, in 

 nuclei, and by the pound. A full colony is 

 supposed to be what bees and brood may belong to a 

 hive of combs of a specified size and number; and 

 the purchaser knows but little about how many bees 

 he is getting when ordered from where he can not 

 examine them before buying. A certain number of 

 combs, of a specified size, containing brood and bees, 

 are sold as a nucleus; and, like the full colonies, are 

 as liable to vary as a politician's principles, and the 

 buyer may or may not get a good bargain. 



But when a man buys bees by the pound, he knows 

 just what he is getting; for when his bees arrive, he 

 can weigh them in the cages, then open the cages, 

 let the live bees run out, weigh the cages again, and 

 figure up just how much the live bees weighed; and 

 if not as much as was ordered, sends bill for the dif- 

 ference; and, of course, the dealer sends on enough 

 to make up the deficiency. 



Now, this would be just the way to buy and sell 

 bees, were it not such an unnatural condition 

 for the bees to be In while in transit, causing so 

 many to die that the loss is tpo gre^t betweei) tji^ 

 seller and buyer. 



