182 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mab. 15 



pers of this locality. After all the timber is 

 taken off that is good for logs, etc., the re- 

 maining portion is cut into wood for differ- 

 ent purposes. A "gang " of perhaps half a 

 dozen families will put up shacks in a cer- 

 tain location where there is wood to chop, 

 and then, after cutting what timber there is 

 near, these shacks are taken down and mov- 

 ed. The material is rough lumber direct 

 from the mill, and the frame and all is put 

 up with as little nailing as possible, so that 

 it may be e^isily taken down and moved. 

 At the destination, each part being intend- 

 ed for a certain place, all goes together about 

 right. Of course, some boards are spoiled 

 in taking the building down and moving, 

 and these have to be replaced. Tar paper 

 does the rest — that is, it keeps out the cold 

 and wet. In case of our building as shown, 

 it keeps out robber-bees as well as the rain. 

 We want the building cold to kill the moths 

 during the winter, but, of course, we pay no 

 particular attention to this feature. 



Figs. 3 and 4 show that the location is 

 protected, and they also give an idea of the 

 wild nature of the surroundings. This par- 

 ticular yard is called Springbrook, so nam- 

 ed on account of the beautiful spring about 

 twenty rods up in the woods, from which a 

 brook runs down to the very edge of the api- 

 ary, providing water of the finest kind for 

 either man or bees. 



The apiary proper is located on a parcel of 

 level ground between two hills, with addi- 

 tional protection from undergrowth on near- 

 ly all sides. The foliage seen at the left of 

 Fig. 3 is the wild red raspberry, and on be- 

 yond is the pas' ure from which most of the 

 surplus honey comes. 



Some of the colonies in this yard are a 

 part of a carload bought and shipped in, 

 and they are not yet in ten-frame hives, 

 but they will be transferred next spring, as 

 the frames are all of standard size. 



In Fig. 1 the "push" behind the wagon 

 is the writer, and it is a good picture of him 

 too. His oldest son, Delbert, between the 

 thills, has almost entire charge of the 260 

 colonies in this county. It usually happens 

 that the ground slopes either toward or from 

 the yard, so that a light load can be drawn 

 by hand one way or the other. In this case 

 the slope is from the yard, and so the load 

 is pushed down to where the horse is tied. 

 The horse, as shown, is hardly a safe dis- 

 tance from the bees, but it was hitched at 

 this point while the picture was taken. At 

 the last minute, when every thing is in 

 readiness for the start, the wagon is drawn 

 by hand near the horse, as I mentioned be- 

 fore, which is then hitched on and driven 

 out of range of the bees. 



If a load is to be drawn toward the yard 

 during a part of the day when the bees are 

 flying, so that it would not be safe to drive 

 clear up to the honey-house, the horse draws 

 the wagon as near as is safe, and then is 

 quickly unhitched and taken a distance 

 away and hitched; then the load is taken 

 the rest of the way on a wheelbarrow. 



Remus, Mich. 



SWARMING PREVENTED BY PROPER CARE 

 INSTEAD OF BREEDING. 



BY J. E. CHAMBERS. 



Although I am a firm believer in Carnio- 

 lans, and have now nearly 800 colonies, I do 

 not have over 6 per cent swarming. For 

 some years past, the swarming habit has 

 been slowly decreasing — I think in exact 

 ratio to my better understanding of bee na- 

 ture. Another factor, I think, is the use of 

 large hives at all seasons of the year, with a 

 good supply of honey and drawn combs. I 

 think generous ventilation and shade also 

 have something to do with the non-swarm- 

 ing of these bees — the so-called greatest 

 swarmers on earth. But perhaps the most 

 important reason why I have so little swarm- 

 ing is that I try to get every colony well 

 started to gathering honey before the condi- 

 tion of the hive becomes crowded with young 

 bees. With this object in view I winter all 

 colonies with from 75 to 100 pounds of hon- 

 ey in the combs; and as soon as extensive 

 brood-rearing is begun I extract clean — that 

 is, if there is a flow on, or near at hand. 

 This gives abundant room at the right time. 

 Some foundation can also be provided, and 

 fine combs for cutting can be secured. As 

 is doubtless known, I produce bulk comb 

 honey only. 



For ten years I have been laboring to per- 

 fect a method of swarm control, and I think 

 I have it at last; but I have awakened to 

 find that the colonies that swarm do not 

 pay me for the time that I lose in manipu- 

 lating to prevent the swarms; yet there are 

 some seasons when bees get only enough 

 honey and pollen to rush brood-rearing, but 

 not enough to store much; and it is then 

 that swarming is a real problem, and I like 

 to know that I am master of the situation. 



CAE^ -OLANS AHEAD OF ITALIANS. 



The late D. M. Edwards told me that only 

 Italians were valuable for honey production 

 in this section of the Southwest, and that 

 Carniolans reared too much brood and 

 swarmed too much. He also told me that 

 I would have to amend my practice in re- 

 gard to the use of excluders, and that no 

 marketable honey could be produced except 

 by their use. However, in spite of all this, 

 and in spite of the fact, too, that my bees 

 were shipped by rail over four hundred miles, 

 and hauled by wagon seventy more, coming 

 through in damaged condition, and that 

 less than 400 colonies were in the field, I se- 

 cured 34,000 pounds of comb honey, and it 

 was marketable, as evidenced by the fact 

 that I sold it in the local market and at top 

 prices. 



During the past year, when bees of all 

 kinds were in a state of starvation, dying and 

 deserting their hives in a wholesale manner, 

 I again proved the vigor of the Carniolans 

 and the ability of this race to stand up 

 against adverse conditions when all others 

 diminished or died outright. I secured $3000 

 worth of honey and made 20 per cent in- 



A 



