1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



119 



" Well, that is quite a lartje question, 

 and one I may not be able to answer fully. 

 But as I have an out-apiarj' I can tell you 

 how I manafje that, if it would be to your 

 likintr to have me do so." 



"That is just what I should be most 

 pleased with. " 



" If I wish a small increase I proceed as 

 follows: Placing- a hive all rig-g-ed with 

 frames filled with foundation or empty 

 combs (or with only starters in them if it is 

 preferred) on the stand of one of the popu- 

 lous colonies which I think may be prepar- 

 ing to swarm, I next set the sections from 

 the old hive on the new, when I proceed to 

 shake all the bees oflF their combs and out 

 of the hive, letting- them run into the new 

 hive I have set on their former stand. I 

 now pla^e the combs of brood back in the 

 hive ag-ain and carry the whole to the stand 

 of another populous colony, setting- this last 

 colony on a new stand from 20 to 100 feet 

 away, or distant from where it stood when 

 I came to it. The sections are now taken 

 from the moved colony and put on the hive 

 of brood, into which the bees returning 

 from the tield are now pouring-. When 

 they find that this is not their old home 

 they are somewhat homesick: and if their 

 old home is nearer than 15 or 20 feet, many 

 of the bees will find it, and, setting up the 

 joyous hum of 'home is found!' will call 

 the most of the bees away from the brood, 

 which is not a desirable thing; hence I 

 place the removed hive from 20 to 25 feet 

 or more away if it is possible to do so." 



" What about a queen for this made colo- 

 ny? " 



" I generally carry along with me some 

 nearly mature queen-cells, and give this 

 made colony one of these in a queen-cell pro- 

 lector. This protector keeps the bees from 

 destroying the cell till they realize their 

 queenlessness, which happens a little be- 

 fore the queen emerges, so that, when the 

 queen comes out, she is kindly received, 

 and in due time becomes the head of the 

 colony. In this way one new colony is 

 made from two old ones; all desite for 

 swarming is broken up, unless the season 

 of surplus honey is long drawn out, while 

 all three are in the best possible condition 

 to store surplus after a week or so has 

 elapsed." 



" Then you would make such colonies 

 about a week before the honey harvest ar- 

 rives, would j'ou not? " 



'■ Yes; I calculate to do this from five to 

 ten days before white clover is yielding 

 honey bountifully, with all good strong col- 

 onies, leaving the weaker ones till about 

 that much before the basswood opens." 



" But, suppose you did not wish any in- 

 crease." 



"If I wish no increase I have a little 

 different way of working, which is, to pro- 

 ceed as with the first colony till all the 

 bees are c ff their combs and in the new 

 hive, with the sections they were occupying 

 on the new hive, as before stated. Then 

 the hive of beeless combs of brood are set 



top of another colony (with a queen-exclu- 

 der between the hives), not quite so strong 

 as was the one just shaken from their 

 combs. This gives this colony so much ex- 

 tra room that they will not think of swarm- 

 ing for a week to ten days, notwithstanding 

 the vast numbers of young bees emerging- 

 from both hives of brood." 



"That looks reasonable. But goon." 



"At the end of a week or ten days, as 

 most convenient f jr me, I go again to the 

 apiary and make these twostory hives 

 swarm, or shake them as I did the one- 

 story hive at first. This gives rousing- 

 " shook " colonies; and as this shake 

 comes just at the commencement of the hon- 

 ey harvest, great results are often accom- 

 plished." 



"I see. But what about the hives of 

 broodless combs now, as you have two in- 

 stead of one? " 



"As the weather has now become gener- 

 ally warm, fewer bees are required to take 

 care of double the amount of brood than 

 was the case at the first shake, so these 

 two hives of brood are placed on a still 

 weaker colony, and a queen-excluder is 

 placed top of the weak colony so that the 

 queen will not have access to these combs, 

 and thus the brood is fast emerging from 

 them. In about two weeks these three- 

 story colonies are shaken; and as this 

 comes right in the very height of the honey- 

 flow, and each three story colony gives a 

 great host of bees, they will do a work that 

 will surprise any one not acquainted with 

 what bees will do under such circum- 

 stances " 



" Well, well! I am glad I came over, for 

 it is easy to see how such a course would 

 result in good yields of honey with no 

 swarming. But what about the three hives 

 of brood this time? " 



"These are placed over one of the very 

 weakest colonies I had in the spring, or, if 

 none such are left, then a nucleus or two 

 have been formed a week or more previous 

 to take care of such combs of brood. And I 

 often put the hives which come from two 

 shakes on one of these weak colonies, put- 

 ting the two hives the queen had access to 

 on top first (using a queen-excluder on top 

 of the weak colony so the queen has access 

 to none of the combs put on), while the four 

 hives having only advanced brood are put 

 on last. In this way this weak colony can 

 care for the whole seven stories." 



" Whew! What a hive that would make! 

 How do you keep it from being blown over?" 



" Some props are put against it if in a 

 windy place. Otherwise a ten or fifteen 

 pound stone laid on top is all that is nec- 

 essary." 



" What is the further management of 

 these seven hives all in one? " 



" They are generally left as they are till 

 it is safe to store away the combs for win- 

 ter without fear of the combs being harmed 

 by the larva; of the wax-moth, for the pres- 

 ervation of the combs is the most we care 

 for after the last shake. However, if the 



