ISOO 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



527 



the adhering bees, taken out and placed in 

 the box, after which the two wide frames of 

 sections are placed, one at each side of the 

 hive, and the six brood frames put between 

 them. The hive is now rearranged and clos- 

 ed." 



" Will the bees stay on these combs all right 

 in that open box ? I should think they would 

 fly out afttr the swarm." 



" There is no trouble about the bees leaving 

 the combs. If the weather is warm, and there 

 are many bees on the frames, about a third of 

 them are shtiken off in front of the hive, when 

 the box is placed in the shade a rod or two 

 away, so the bees from the swarm will not find 

 it when being hived, which is the next thing 

 to do ; hiving them in the rearranged hive on 

 the old .stand." 



" Is there no danger of having too few bees 

 on these c )nibs should the weather be cold?" 

 "' If the weather is cool, or but few bees are 

 on the Combs of brood, omit the shaking off, 

 for it will want all of the bees to keep the 

 brood in g(jod condition." 



"Yes, but what do you do with these combs 

 of bees and brood ? " 



"That was what I was going to tell you 

 next. They are taken to a hive which has 

 been placed where I wish a colony to stand, 

 and arranged in it the same as they were in 

 the old hive ; and after tucking them up all 

 warm and nice they are left till the next morn- 

 ing. At any time during the forenoon of the 

 next day they are given a virgin queen, or a 

 queen cell just ready to hatch, and in this way 

 we have no trouble with after-swarming, for 

 the bees feel so poor at this time that they are 

 glad of any thing in the shape of a queen, 

 tiie fl)ingbees that were taken with the combs 

 of brood haviii gone back to the old stand 

 with the swarm " 



" Must this giving of the queen be done at 

 just such a time'^ Why not wait three or four 

 days ? ' ' 



" If the delay is longer than eighteen hours, 

 this formed colony often becomes so strength- 

 ened by the rapidly hatching brood that they 

 will destroy the queen-cell, or kill the virjjin 

 queen, and after-swarming will be the result." 

 " Would it not be well to give this formed 

 colony a laying queen ? ' ' 



" Do not give them a laying queen unless 

 you wish a prime swarm from the colony in 

 Itom eighteen days to three weeks, for the 

 bets will surely use her for such swarming if 

 t' e honey harvest continues for that length of 

 time." 



" What do you claim for this plan over the 

 old one used by the many ? " 



" By this plan I get a powerful colony on 

 the old stand, which will do as much as, if 

 not more, in the sections, than they would if 

 they had not swarmed ; for a neiv swarm will 

 work with a vigor rarely known to bees under 

 any other circumstances." 



" Do you do any thing further with the col- 

 ony made from the combs of brood ? " 



" In ten days, if the honey harvest contin- 

 ues, sections are given to this colony, which 

 has rapidly increased to such from the combs 

 of brood carried in the box ; and as the young 



queen has now commenced to lay, the bees 

 will at once go into the sections, often giving 

 a fair yield of honey ; yet the main yield will 

 come from the new swarm, as they have at 

 least one-third more bees than they would had 

 they been hived on a new stand, all of the 

 field-bees returning to this place." 



" Do the bees returning from the combs of 

 brood and the fields catch the inspiration of 

 the swarm? " 



"Yes, they all work with a will together; 

 and as the harvest is at its height also, and the 

 brood-chamber contracted, the storing of hon- 

 ey goes on in the sections at a rapid pace, such 

 colonies often giving from 50 to 100 pounds of 

 'fancy ' honey to their keeper, while, if hived 

 on the old plan, little save partly filled or emp- 

 ty sections would be the result." 



" But will this new contracted swarm have 

 stores enough for winter? " 



" If the hive is left as we now have it till 

 winter the bees are not liable to have sufficient 

 stores j so when the harvest of white honey 

 begins to draw to a close, the sections are ta- 

 ken from the sides, which were placed there 

 at the time of hiving (if they have not been 

 taken out filled before), and the combs neces- 

 sary to fill out the hive are used to take their 

 places. In this way the bees will fill these 

 last for winter; and should a fall yield occur 

 they will often have some extra stores to spare 

 to help out any weak colony that may be 

 short." 



" What is done with the partly filled sections 

 which may thus come from the sides? " 



" These are taken from the wide frames and 

 placed with those which are on top, when the 

 bees will finish them, if the honey season does 

 not drop off too suddenly ; or they can be 

 kept and used for 'bait ' sections the follow- 

 ing year." 



" How are these best kept over so that they 

 can be nice and clean, ready for use when 

 wanted ? " 



"There are various ways, such as extract- 

 ing the honey from them and then placing a 

 lot over some strong colony for the bees to 

 lick the remaining honey off, when they are 

 stored away in a clean dry place till wanted. 

 Or they can be uncapped and set over some 

 colony short of storts till the honey is carried 

 below. But I generally use the plan given by 

 Dr. Miller, I think, of setting the whole lot 

 in the cellar or some dark room, when on a 

 pleasant day the door is opened, giving the 

 bees of the apiary access to them, when, at 

 night, I find them all cleaned up, with very 

 few combs gnawed, provided we give the bees 

 access to them at the right time, so that night 

 comes at about the time the bees have the hon- 

 ey carried away. But I shall have to say ' good 

 day' now, as I have to go to the out apiary 

 yet before night." 



G. F. D., Texas. — Occasionally we find 

 drones from a particular queen-mother having 

 variously colored heads. They are quite a 

 novelty, and yet we have reports of them 

 every season. 



