1911 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



79 



are entitled to several guesses on these ques- 

 tions. 



Another element of contagion we found 

 in old combs which had contained diseased 

 larvae when the bees had died. A small 

 bee-keeper had sold hives having a small 

 piece of this comb attached for "a starter," 

 and which proved to be a fine "starter " for 

 foul brood, and that with the first hatching. 

 Remember, then, that, while combs can be 

 cleaned out and safely used by methods I 

 will give later, until this is accomplished 

 they must not be used from a colony that 

 has died in a diseased apiary — at least, not 

 for hiving new swarms thereon. 



Disease is spread in the hive through the 

 nurse bees eating the juices of the dead lar- 

 vae while cleaning them out. I have seen 

 as many as three at a time doing this, and, 

 as Dr. Miller suggests, the infected milky 

 fluid is no doubt fed back to other unsealed 

 larvae, thus giving them the disease. 



Here we have at least three mediums of 

 contagion — honey, old comb, and diseased 

 larvae. How many more there are is diffi- 

 cult to surmise; but it seems certain that 

 the disease is transmitted through the air 

 from one hive to another. Frequently I 

 have found one-half, more or less, of a row 

 in an apiary where nearly every hive was 

 diseased, while the remainder of the row 

 were almost entirely free from the trouble. 

 Also some very weak colonies in the George 

 yard, which were practically used up by 

 poor wintering, followed by long confine- 

 ment in shipping, became the worst diseas- 

 ed soon after the strong colonies had devel- 

 oped the malady from robbing. 



Hebron, Ind. 



To be continued. 



THE HAND SYSTEM OF CONTROLLING 

 BEES, 



How to Manage when All Colonies are Strong 

 May 1, 



BY J. B. HAND. 



I have received the following inquiry from 

 a subscriber whose home is in New York. 

 As there may be others who would like fur- 

 ther information along the line mentioned 

 in his letter I will reply here. The com- 

 munication is, in substance, as follows: "I 

 am especially interested in the Hand sys- 

 tem of controlling bees as described in re- 

 cent numbers of Gleanings. Now, Mr. 

 Hand, in case you had 100 colonies in sec- 

 tional hives all strong May 1st, with a fair 

 prospect of a copious honey-flow, how would 

 you manage them for the production of 

 comb honey with no increase? ' ' 



In the first place, the condition that you 

 mention, that of having 100 colonies all 

 strong May 1, would be an abnormal one 

 for the latitude of New York, where bee- 

 keepers as a rule consider themselves fortu- 

 nate if 75 per cent of their colonies are in 

 that condition by May 15. At least that is 

 the condition that usually prevails in North- 



ern Ohio, which is considerably south of 

 New York. However, if we had 100 colo- 

 nies in the condition mentioned May 1st or 

 15th, we would lose no time in giving them 

 each a third division to increase the capaci- 

 ty of the brood-chamber; if nectar were being 

 gathered in excess of present needs I would 

 provide also a super of extracting-combs 

 above a queen-excluder, for these strong col- 

 onies must not be allowed to contract the 

 swarming fever at any time, and especially 

 at this stage of operations. 



When the harvest from clover has nicely 

 begun, and the prospect bids fair for a copi- 

 ous flow followed, perhaps, by another from 

 basswood, let no one wait until the bees are 

 on the verge of swarming, but nip the 

 swarming impulse in the bud in the follow- 

 ing manner: Assuming that each colony is 

 provided with a double switch-board, place 

 the top division, containing honey and bees, 

 but no brood, down on the vacant side of 

 the switch-board beside colony No. 1. Ex- 

 change the central comb for a comb of brood 

 and bees from No. 1, including the queen. 

 Upon this division place another, contain- 

 ing frames filled with fouadation; put on a 

 queen-excluder and a super of sections, and 

 throw the switch. In 48 hours practically 

 all the flying bees will have joined the new 

 swarm through their accustomed entrance, 

 and all that will be left in No. 1 will be a 

 hive full of brood and a lot of young bees 

 that have not yet flown from the hive, 

 which will be sufficient to care for the un- 

 sealed brood. However, if the nights are 

 cool, and it is feared that some of the brood 

 might perish for want of bees to maintain a 

 normal temperature, one of the safety-valves 

 on the side should be opened a few days be- 

 fore shifting, to retain sufficient bees to 

 meet the exigency, so that no brood is lost. 



In about a week there will be a consider- 

 able force of young bees flying from No. 1, 

 which are in turn switched over to re-en- 

 force the swarm, which will be continually 

 increasing in numerical strength during the 

 next three weeks. At the time of making 

 the second shift, place a specially construct- 

 ed bee-escape in the entrance of No. 1 back 

 of the switch-lever, which is pushed up 

 tight against it. The exit from this dis- 

 charges the bees close to the main entrance, 

 into which the returning bees from No. 1 

 must enter, since no bee can again enter 

 that hive. When the brood has hatched 

 and the bees have all been transferred to 

 the swarm automatically, the hive and 

 combs may be used as desired. 



If there is any foul brood in the apiary, 

 this system will eradicate it without any ex- 

 tra manipulation, and without interfering 

 with the honey crop; in which case, how- 

 ever, we would use full sheets of foundation 

 in both divisions of the new hive and make 

 sure that the comb of brood came from a 

 healthy colony. Thus by working in har- 

 mony with the instinct of bees we pay trib- 

 ute to nature. The swarming instinct is 

 satisfied, and the bees are placed in that 

 highly desirable psychological condition 



