1898 



GIvEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



805 



combs of any other than the same depth as 

 the brood-frames, for extracting purposes. I 

 know that a few of our advanced bee-keepers 

 do use combs in the extracting-super, of a 

 different size from those in the brood-chamber; 

 but what few reasons for such a course have 

 been given seemed illogical when viewed 

 from my standpoint. Therefore, as you have 

 asked me how I would handle those bees to 

 secure the best results I can only reply that I 

 would use those extra combs you say you have 

 on hand on those 35 colonies I expected to 

 work for extracted honey; and if the honey is 

 extracted from them as soon as it is ripe, this 

 will do away with all swarming on the part of 

 the colonies worked for extracted honey, and, 

 in my opinion, secure the best possible results 

 from them. But I can tell you how you or 

 any one else can prove whether Doolittle or 

 any other writer is right or wrong when his 

 teaching is applied to your wants or locality. 

 Just try the plan advocated, on a part of the 

 colonies, using your former plans with the 

 rest, and this will prove the matter to your 

 entire satisfaction. If the fiezc plan proves 

 good, then prepare to work the whole number 

 of colonies that way. If it proves not so good 

 as the plan or plans you have been using, 

 then drop it, adhering to your old plans till 

 you strike on something better. By doing 

 this you may go a little slower, but yoii will 

 go much more surely. 



Now about that part worked for comb 

 honey. I should certainly try a part of the 

 colonies with the plan I gave in my depart- 

 ment in Gleanings for January 1, 1898, 

 unless I were anxious for increase, and I 

 would try two or three colonies in this way, 

 did I wish increase, so as to " get my hand in ' ' 

 against some time when I had all the bees I 

 wished to keep. Then I would try another 

 part in the following way : 



Take a hive having eight of those empty 

 combs in it and place it upon the stand of any 

 populous colony which you have reason to 

 think will swarm in a few days, when the 

 sections are to be taken off and placed upon 

 this hive of empty comb. Now shake and 

 brush all the bees off their combs down in 

 front of the prepared hive, into which they 

 will run as fast as shaken. After the combs 

 are out, shake all the bees out of the hive, if 

 any adhere to the sides of it, so that all of the 

 bees from the populous colony will be in the 

 new hive together, thus having the queen, 

 bees, partly filled sections, etc. , so as to make 

 a colony with no desire to swarm, ready for 

 business at once. Previous to this, nuclei 

 should have been started, so you will have 

 plenty of laying queens to use as you may 

 need them. Now take all the combs from 

 which the bees were brushed, except one, and 

 arrange them in the hive, carrying it to the 

 stand of another populous colony. Next take 

 the comb of brood which was left out and go 

 to one of the nuclei, taking out the frame 

 having the laying queen on it, and put the 

 comb of brood in its place. Take the frame, 

 bees, queen, and all, and set it in the place 

 left vacant for it when arranging the combs of 

 brood. Put on sections, and, when all is 



complete, move the populous colony to a new 

 stand and set the prepared hive in its place, 

 doing this work at some time when the bees 

 are Hying briskly. Thus we have another 

 colony with no desire to swarm ( through our 

 manipulation and its young queen), the same 

 having a laying queen, and enough of her own 

 bees to protect her; combs full of brood, and 

 all of the bees from the removed colony which 

 have flown to any amount, which makes a 

 swarm ready to go to work in the sections in 

 a few days. The removed colony has simply 

 lost the field bees, so as to stop the swarming 

 impulse, and in a week will be ready for the 

 sections again, thus making three colonies 

 from two old ones, all of which are in the 

 best shape to take advantage of the honey- 

 flow. If the harvest of honey is long drawn 

 out, the colony last retnoved may swarm 

 toward the close of said harvest; but with me, 

 such is rarely the case. Should you wish 

 more increase than the one colony from two, 

 the nuclei can be built up to full colonies 

 before the season closes. Or if no increase 

 more than this is desired, then the nuclei can 

 be ufced for the purpose of building frames of 

 nice worker comb, which they will do with 

 little or no cost, save the putting in and tak- 

 ing out of the frames as soon as they get an- 

 other laying queen. 



In bee-keeping it is always well to have two 

 or three "strings to your bow;" and by thus 

 having these diflFerent plans of working you 

 can secure nearly as much fun as did the 

 drummer with his one " string " fixed thus, as 

 related by himself : 



"Take a spool of white basting cotton. 

 Drop it into your inside coat pocket, and, 

 threading a needle with it, pass it up through 

 the shoulder of your coat. Leave the end an 

 inch or so long on the outside of your coat, 

 and take off the needle. Four persons out of 

 five will try to pick that thread off your 

 shoulder as soon as they see it, and will pull 

 on the spool until it actually does seem as 

 though your clothes are all bastings, and that 

 they are unraveling not only your clothes, but 

 yourself. Fixed as above, I was at a theater 

 in Boston on one occasion. It was in the 

 most interesting and pathetic portion of the 

 play. Everybody was rapt. I was sitting bolt 

 upright, and didn't know or care to know a 

 soul around me, when suddenly I felt some- 

 thing tugging at the basting cotton, that I 

 myself had clean forgotten. I didn't say a 

 word, and did not move. Foot by foot it un- 

 rolled. Half glancing around, I saw a woman 

 — a total stranger — yanking at the thread. 

 Her face was scarlet. She had pulled out 

 about ten yards, and was now hauling in hand 

 over hand. She didn't care to stop, because 

 she had decorated my back and the whole 

 aisle with basting cotton. She hardly dared 

 to go ahead, for she did not know what por- 

 tion of my domestic interior economy she was 

 trifling with. Rip ! rip ! went the thread. 

 Hand over hand she yanked it in. The aisle 

 was full of it. ' For Heaven's sake ! will it 

 never end? ' said she above her breath. I sat 

 perfectly still and ran the spool while she 

 pulled. How I wanted to yell ! I never was 



