1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



477 



With Replies from our best Authorities on Bees. 



Question 18(5. Ihave all the hecs Inecch and 

 don't care to sell any. 1. Sfiall I try to prevent 

 stvarmmg by cutthuj out queen-cells or some 

 other plan, or shall I let them increase and then 

 double up f 2. If the latter, shall I double up 

 fall or spring f 



As a rule, prevent swarming: but there may 

 be exceptional locations. 

 New York. C. P. H. Ei.wood. 



Keep them in check by returning after- 

 swarnis, and, if necessary, double up in the fall. 

 Illinois. N. W. C. Mks. L. Hakkison. 



I prefer to let them increase and double up in 

 early spring; but this may not be best in your 

 locality. 



Louisiana. E. C. P. L. Viaixon. 



I can not answer this question without know- 

 ing about your climate, honey resources, the 

 blood of your bees. etc. 



Michigan. S. W. James Heddon. 



1. I should prefer to let them increase and 

 double up. 2. Double up light and queenless 

 colonies in the fall: full ones just before the 

 next honey season. 



Ohio. N. W. H. R. Boakdmax. 



Double the swarms as they come, out, for a 

 double swarm will store much more surplus 

 honey than a single one. If mcu'e doubling is 

 needed, do it in the spring, two or three weeks 

 before the honey harvest. 



New York. C. G. M. Doolittle. 



1. I would prevent swarming. 2. If you al- 

 low increase, you can double up both fall and 

 spring by doubling up enough in the fall to 

 make all strong for winter, and in the spring 

 double to make all strong for the harvest. 



Vermont. N. W. A. E. Maxum. 



Prevent swarming, of course. You can dt) 

 this by giving the colony more room when the 

 breaking-out of queen-cells would not amount 

 to much. I prefer doubling up just before the 

 beginning of the honev season. 



Ohio. «. W. C. F. MuTH. 



I count it more satisfactory to let them 

 swarm, setting the swarm beside the mother- 

 colony. When the new queen begins to lay I 

 destroy the old queen, and set hei- hive and bees 

 on the mother-hive for a super, except that I 

 keep some of the best ones until fall, to replace 

 any that may fail. 



California. S. R. Wilkin. 



If you raise exti'acted honey you need not 

 have more swarms than enough to make up for 

 winter losses, if your hives are large, and you 

 keep the bees well supplied with empty comb. 

 If you raise comb honey we would advise the 

 returning of swarms 48 hours after hiving. Cut- 

 ting out queen-cells will do no good. 



Illinois. N. W. Dadant & Son. 



I should say. some other plan. Give them 

 plenty of air. room, and. in extremely hot 

 weather, shade; if this is done before they make 

 preparations to swarm it will frequently prove 

 sufficient. If this does not prevent swarming. 

 and you do not wish increase, let them swarm, 

 removing to a new location, and give them all 



of their frames the same day or the next. Bees 

 do not always swarm when they start queen - 

 ce Is. 

 Wisconsin. S. W. S. I. Freeborn. 



1. A tough one. If swarming isn't such a 

 bugbear to you as it is to me, I think I'd let 

 them swarm, and then double up; but I'd keep 

 trying the other way too. 2. Both. Double up 

 in the fall any thing that you fear will not win- 

 ter well, and then in spring unite the weakest 

 till you reduce the number sufficiently. 



Illinois. N. C. C. Mii-ler. 



1. There is no better plan for keeping down 

 increase than to run an apiary for extracted 

 honey. You can keep just the number of bees 

 you want. But for comb honey I would allow 

 a moderate increase, and double down to the 

 number I want in the spi-ing. 2. In the spring, 

 every time. 



New York. E. Rambler. 



If you have any simple and practical plan of 

 preventing swarming, follow it. and tell the rest 

 of us how it is done. Cut'Jng out queen-cells is 

 a very poor way. Double up in the fall until 

 your colonies are all good ones. If yon still 

 have more than you want, unite them late in 

 the spring. 



Illinois. N. C. J. A. Green. 



This is a sticker. We are in your boat. AVe 

 cut out queen-cells, but depend more on caging 

 queens. We make all of our swarms by divi- 

 sion: after this, when we get more bees than we 

 want, we kill off the overplus in the fall, and 

 keep the combs over to use the next year. If I 

 had any doubling up to do I would do it in the 

 fall. 



Wisconsin. S. W^ " E. France. 



I should say, let them swarm. I would have 

 the queen's wing clipped, and catch and kill 

 her unless I had use for her. Of course, thc^ 

 swarm will go back: but before they do this I 

 would open the iiive and destroy surely, or re- 

 move, all but the best queen-cell. Put on sec- 

 tions at once, and the swarming will be cured, 

 the harvest large, and all colonies requeened. 



Michigan. C. A. J. Cook. 



Try •"some other plan." I raise extracted 

 honey mostly, and my plan is to let the bees 

 swarm, and hive them in a new hive on the old 

 stand, giving them five or six empty combs, or 

 frames w ith wired foundation, and two or three 

 combs of brood from the old hive, after having 

 made sure that all queen-cells have been re- 

 moved: the lemaining combs to be given to 

 other colonies, or placed in a super, after queen- 

 cells have been removed. 2. Doubling up in the 

 spi'ing has been a failure with me. 



Ohio. N. W. A. B. Mason. 



1. Yes. try it— and the other plans too. If you 

 have a locality that stimulates excessive swarm- 

 ing you will not succeed; but by ascertaining 

 the facts yourself you will feel enough better 

 satisfied to pay expenses. 2. When you get 

 ready to balance off increase by uniting, do it 

 both fall and spring. That is to say. do most of 

 the work in the fall: but leave yourself with 

 colonies enough so that a considerable further 

 reduction of weak and qneenless stocks can be 

 made in spring. 



Ohio. N. W. E. E. Hasty. 



[The general testimony seems to be in favor 

 of preventing swarms as far as you can: then 

 doubling up in the fall as far as seems advis- 

 able, and still further doubling up in the spring 



