442 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



that he had to leave his bees from 7 a. m. 

 until 6 p. M. each day. 



Years ago this swarming business was a 

 more serious problem than now. If my 

 friend Sturm's bees all absconded after 

 shaking there must be faulty management 

 somewhere. He says he "shook three," 

 and three absconded. 



For his benefit and that of any one else 

 who is bothered in this way, let me tell how 

 I manage forty colonies, and was obliged 

 to be away from home the season through 

 from 7 A. M. Monday until 6 p. M. Friday. 



Every Saturday I went through the hives 

 that were likely to swarm. Those that had 

 queen-cells with hatched larv^ or sealed 

 cells were treated as follows: An empty 

 hive was prepared with six or seven Hoff- 

 man frames with half-inch starters and one 

 comb of hatching larvae. This new hive 

 was placed upon the stand of the one to be 

 operated upon. Previously the old colony 

 was thoroughly smoked to cause them to fill 

 their honey-sacs. 



An empty body was placed on the new 

 hive (no cover on the new hive) ; the old hive 

 with bees and combs on this empty body; 

 over the top, place one of Dr. Miller's rob- 

 ber cloths; smoke under the cloth, flopping 

 it as you smoke; then quickly pick out each 

 frame and shake into an empty body below; 

 place combs of brood, now free of bees, in 

 another body, and place it over a weak col- 

 ony. Now go back to swarm; sweep the 

 bees down into their new hive from the 

 sides of the empty body on to the six frames 

 of starters and the one comb of brood. This 

 comb of brood can be taken from the shak- 

 en hive, but see that there are no queen- 

 cells on it. Now put the supers on from 

 the old hive. Perhaps there was one super 

 on the old hive, partly filled. If so, put 

 another one empty underneath. Cover them 

 up, and, if clover is in bloom, they will do 

 you some good. I shook perhaps 25 or 30 

 last year, and never had a failure. Some 

 years they have swarmed out, but not many. 

 The ones most likely to swarm out are the 

 ones with a sealed queen-cell. I have fig- 

 ured that they have planned to swarm, and 

 they seem to think it natural to do so, 

 whether they were shaken the day before or 

 not. Not all will do this; but these are the 

 ones that do, if any. Place a shade-board 

 over the shaken swarm, and give them a 

 good deep entrance. 



The old combs of brood placed over a 

 weak colony can be used for extracted hon- 

 ey, for in a week or so they will be quite 

 strong; and if the season is prolonged they 

 will gather quite an amount of extracted 

 honey. 



One thing more — I have concluded that 

 combs are better to shake bees on than 

 starters, if I have them; and I get more 

 honey from such. I usually use about six 

 combs. Bees will at first fill these combs 

 with honey; but in a few days the queen 

 will need all the room in six combs to lay 

 in, and the honey finds its way upstairs. 

 Starters are more profitable to use than 



foundation, for full sheets to fill six frames 

 will cost about 35 cts. , and I don't think 

 you make any more by the use of it over 

 starters. 



The queen will lay more readily in old 

 black combs than in new ones, so the new 

 comb from foundation the bees fill with hon- 

 ey before the queen uses it, and then seem 

 loath to carry it upstairs; but with the 

 black comb, instinct seems to teach them 

 that that is the place to rear brood. The 

 plan of forced swarming is certainly a long 

 step in advance. 



Last year I managed forty ^colonies on 

 the above plan, secured a good crop of hon- 

 ey, and devoted only one day in the week 

 to them; all this takes practice and time to 

 learn and become familiar with. I have 

 been twenty years learning how, and want 

 to learn more. 



Randolph, N. Y., March 28. 



A HOME-MADE UNCAPPING-DEVICE. 



Some Good Ideas. 



BY C. J. GREENE. 



As there may be others who, like myself, 

 do not feel that they can afl^ord to buy one 

 of the expensive uncapping-cans as shown 

 in the catalogs, and also want one that will 

 hold several frames after they have been 

 uncapped, I submit the following descrip- 

 tion of an inexpensive uncapping-tank. 



The tank is made of one piece of galvan- 

 ized iron 28 inches wide and 40 long, cut at 

 the corners and turned up to form a pan 18 '4 

 X30 outside measure, and has a honey-gate 

 soldered to one end at the lower corner so 

 as to drain the pan. This tank is placed 

 in a box made of half inch lumber, which 

 is 18j/(X30 inside measure, and 5>2 inches 

 deep, with legs at the CDrners which extend 

 below the box about 11 inches, the front legs 

 being made an inch shorter than the back 

 legs, to allow the honey to run toward the 

 gate. In making the box, first nail the 

 sides to the inside of the legs, even with the 

 outside edge of the legs; then let the ends 

 extend to the outside of the legs. This 

 leaves the box with square corners inside. 

 The front end is notched over the gate, and 

 held in place by four screws. By removing 

 this piece the tank can be lifted out and 

 used on the kitchen-range for bottling hon- 

 ey, etc. This is one of its useful points. 

 Over this tank is placed a frame made of 

 IX 1-inch strips having the same inside 

 measure as the box, and covered with wire 

 cloth, the same as is used in extractors, 

 and supported by 3 cross- strips which may 

 be V shaped, with the sharp edge next to 

 the screen — see B B. The screen is held 

 in place by four small brads which are out- 

 side the box next to the legs. Above the 

 screen is a box made in the same way as 

 the lower one, but without bottom, and 

 twelve or more inches deep. On top of this 

 is fitted a sliding frame, see D. This 

 frame is made of two pieces of 1X1 inch, 



