ISlf,' 



(;i.i:amn(js in liEi-: culture 



IIK* 



of its iiiiporiiuu'i' till w r hoiiulit our t'xpci'ioiu't' 

 by ;u'tiial, losst>s. 'riicsc arc the fui-ts tliat I wuh 

 about to jiivc you last l)cr(Miil)rf. face to fact' in 

 yoiif apiary, w lien I was iiiici'iiiptcd liy thai 

 iiiiscrabic pliotosirapiici-. IMcasi- lion'i make up 

 your mi ml that 1 am u ronsi till \vc have aiiollici- 

 hard winter, and you try my way. comparalivdy 

 with yours on a lariic scale. Hard wintcis arc 

 oftcncr found in the bcc-l<ccpci'"s yard than 

 millions in his pocl<cl. t'. I*. DAD.wr. 



Hamilton. 111.. Mar. :>. 



[Facts arc stubborn things, and wc must yd 

 wait and compare results. While nearly all ihe 

 t<>stiint)ny is in favor of s(>uled covin's as against 

 absorbents, iicrhapswc had better go slow. W(> 

 are still open to conviction (>ither way.] 



PRATTS SELF-HIVER. 



AN IMPIiOVKMKNT OVEK AI-I, OTIIKIiS. 



I am one of those bee-koepers who believe 

 that the matter of swarming will be solved 

 through some controlling d(>vice. such as an 

 automatic hiver. The most serious drawliack 

 ill working a large number of colonies for cf)mb 

 honey in several different yards is the inability 

 to control swarming. It has long been my be- 

 lief, that, when a large numbi-r of colonii^s arc; 

 worked in outyards. it would b(^ more prolitable 

 to throw the working foi-ce of three strong col- 

 onics into one hive provided with plenty of 

 storage room and ventilation, so a< to de- 

 crease the amount of labor and confine the 

 swarming fever to one-thii'd of the colonies, 

 instead of allowing it to pfevail throughout the 



I'K.VTT S SWARM-HIVKli. 



entire yard. I \vill not attempt to explain a 

 method of procedure along this channel, but 

 will confine myself to the text, and endeavor to 

 show the readCrs iiow I have successfully con- 

 trftlled swarming in my own and another yard. 



Since ISSit I have been experimenting with 

 automatic swarm-Iiiving devic<'S. and 1 have at 

 last contrived a plan which I shall guarantee to 

 work with perfect satisfaction in the hands of 

 any bee-keeper. My device is patented, but I 

 trust that will not prejudice the readers of 

 Gi,KAM.N(;s against it. 



The great trouble with all the swarmers yet 

 brought out is tntppi.nti the 'lucen (inut]/ from 

 t/tc ottranoc. to whicli the bees have been ac- 

 customed to work through. Mr. Dibbern's 

 mf)dification f)f the Alley swarmer will work 

 about as he says it will. I have tried that plan, 

 and would have adojded it, with Mr. Alley's 

 consent, had I not disc(nei(?d a surer one. 



It is a seri(jus drawback' to havi' one hive rest 

 upon another, besides the amount of machinery 

 reijuired to tit all sizes and stvles of hives found 

 in any ordinary yard, to say nothing of tin- close 

 adjustment necessary, and tin' expense and 

 bother of so many parts. 



Bv referring to th(^ engraving you will readily 

 •**• how my swarm-hiving device is attached to 



one of Mr. Root's Dovetailed hives for illustra- 

 tion. The hive to reci'ive the swarm is placed 

 in front of the colony exiH'cted to swarm. The 

 front ends of both bottom -boards are abutted so 

 as to form a continuous passag(^ from the 

 swarming colony through the new hive. A 

 little l)lock is |)lace(l into \h(\ open si)ace be- 

 tween the two hives, ^o that the b(!(!S can not 

 escai)e from that way. Ky covering this space 

 with wire screen, tiie ventilation of the hives 

 will i)e suHicient for the strongest colonies. 



With this ari'angement the bees are forced to 

 go and come through the ui'W hive with their 

 honey and pollen. A triangular zinc bee-escape 

 is now placed on the bottom -board inside the 

 new hive, with its open base close iip against 

 the entrance to th(^ colony expected to swafm. 

 This escape is nuide of peii'orated zinc, and has 

 a hole at its apex for the queen to escape 

 througli. The outside entrance to the new hive 

 is covered with an ordinary excluder, so that 

 the queen can not escape from within the new- 

 hive aftei' she passes the zinc escape. 



When the swarm issues, the bees rush [)ell- 

 mell through the zinc escai)e and empty hive 

 into the air. The queen, on linding she can not 

 get through the zinc at the entrance, will pass 

 down the escape, and is led through tin; hole in 

 the apex, when she will (juickly enter the n(nv 

 hive, where she will be elfectually trapped. 

 All the exits to the new hive being covered 

 with excluding zinc, the queen is mad(^ a pris- 

 oner inside the new hive: and as soon as the 

 bees that have swarmed into the air miss thciir 

 queen, hack they will come to the old entrance, 

 as their instinct dictates, thus autoiuatically 

 hiving themselves in. the n(nv hive. A few of 

 the older bees will work back into the parent 

 hive, but the bulk of the swarm will remain 

 with the queen. If empty frames have been 

 inserted they will start at once to build comb 

 and set up housekeeping in the new hive. If 

 left in this position eight or ten days, a large 

 number of young bees that liave hatched from 

 the parent colony will work out into the new 

 hive. If the supers were shifted on to the new- 

 hive, a con.-id. rable (juantity of honey would 

 be carried there. The bee-keeper now has the 

 option of increa.se or not. for there arv 13 days 

 before more swarming, which gives him a 

 chance to manipulate theoldcolonyashese.es 

 lit. If he desires increase he can S(!t the new 

 swarm back on tlie old stand and place the old 

 colony on a new stand, afiei- shaking the bees 

 ott one or two combs to give the swarm sulh- 

 cient strengtli to store box honey. If he does 

 not desire increase it will do no harm to alio w- 

 tlie hives to stand as they are a f(nv days, when 

 he can either cut out all the cells or place the 

 old hive on to|) of tlu' new one. with a bee- 

 escape or zinc honf^y- hoard between, or leave 

 them luitil a day or two before the young 

 queens hatch, when he can shake off all the 

 bees and |)lace the extra combs around on other 

 h i ves. 



The device will need very little if any atten- 

 tion. The principle employ! d. 1 believe, is the 

 correct one: i. e.. trapping the queen inside the 

 new hivt>. and causing the bees to join her by 

 the entrance they have so long been accustom- 

 ed to going in and out of during their work 

 daily. I need not say that tlie [irinciple is a 

 iresv one, and bound t(j work perfectly when 

 properly arr'anged. I shall endeavor to make 

 the contrivance as light as possible, so as to be 

 safely and cheaply sent in the mails. 



F.everly, Mass. .Feb. '.i. K. L. Phait. 



[We have all along been a little doubtful of 

 the titility of automatic swariners; but when 

 Mr. I*rait"<xplaiiu>d to us the pi'inciple of his 

 swarnu^r by which the bees are automatically 



