490 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



tion to what he puts into it. It means 

 work, work, work. A single day in the 

 early part of the season is worth three a 

 couple of months la*^er on. 



This method might not be quite so suc- 

 cessful in a country where the season is 

 shoi-t and heavy; but here in California our 

 seasons extend ovfr many months, some 

 months more heavj than others; but there 

 is very little time during the year when bees 

 cannot fly, more especially so in the Valley 

 country. 



At all events queen-excluders should be 

 used in the production of extracted honey, 

 as it is the only way to be sure of keeping 

 the queen below the extracting-super. And 

 where brood of any age is allowed ii: the 

 extracting super, clean, wholesome honey 

 cannot be produced. Do not keep excluders 

 on during the winter months. Remove them 

 in the fall, or about the time that the rainy 

 season commences here in California, allow- 

 ing the bees and tb.o queen full access to the 

 entire hive .nitil the proper time comes the 



following spring. When the excluders are 

 again put on, the brood that is in the upper 

 part will all disappear, as before mentioned, 

 in about 21 days at the limit ; and as fast as 

 the young bees emerge, these cells will be 

 filled with honey and other stores, thereby 

 giving more capacity and eflfieiency in the 

 manipulation of each individual colony. 



I assume that the bees are of good stock, 

 strong and healthy. They must be requeened 

 every two years at least. It is a good idea to 

 requeen a portion every year. For example, 

 if the yard contains 200 stands of bees, 

 requeen 100 each year. This is equivalent 

 to a full requeening every two years. We 

 think it pays any beekeeper to requeen in 

 this manner. Either raise your own queens 

 or purchase good stock. At all events, keep 

 good strong vigorous stock. We prefer the 

 three-banded Italian or the leather-colored 

 queens in preference to all others, as they 

 seem to be more or less immune to disease — 

 at least this is our observation covering a 

 good many yeai'S. 



Glen dale, Cal. 



CONTROL OF SWARMING IN OUT- APIARIES 



The Science of Keeping all the Bees together and Working in the Supers 



BY M. W. HARVEY 



Swarming is the fulfillment of a natural 

 impulse of bees, and is governed by certain 

 fixed laws; hence if man is going to control 

 these fixed laws he must use other laws, and 

 be ready when the time comes. I am a 

 comb-honey producer, and do not follow any 

 one fixed law in the control of swarming, so 

 I will give them as used at different times 

 of the season. 



We will suppose the main honey-flow is 

 just starting, and we have used every effort 

 to get all colonies up to the same strength 

 during the six weeks previous, and they are 

 now at the swarming-point. The first thing 

 is to get the supers on. There will be no 

 swarming until a week to ten days later. 

 If we are to keep those bees together, and 

 make them work for us we must get busy. 

 My first method is, examine every colony 

 and every comb with brood in for queen- 

 cells. When one is found with cells put 

 a new hive in place of the old one. Find 

 the queen, and place her in the new hive 

 with the comb she was found on, and be - 

 sure there are no queen-cells on it nor even 

 stubs, or the bees may start cells again and 

 swarm. Now place the super on the new 

 hive and an empty super on top, if the first 

 super is well started, say half full or better. 

 Shake all bees in front of the new hive. 



Now, if increase is desired, take that old 

 hive of brood and place it on top of a medi- 

 um strong colony that is not doing any 

 super work, with a queen-excluder between. 

 They will finish those queen-cells and they 

 will be as fine cells as any raised by any 

 other method. 



In one week to nine days go over this 

 yard again, and this will be the big swarm- 

 ing week. Ten per cent or more will be 

 getting ready to swarm. Now is the time 

 to make all the inci'ease. The swarming 

 fever is on, and we have all the ripe queen- 

 cells we need. If enough increase is not 

 made from what were shaken, and there are 

 cells to spare, divide these old hives of 

 brood. 



If no increase is wanted, take the brood 

 and build up weaker colonies or place it 

 back of the new swarm, and each week 

 shake a few bees into the new hive until all 

 is hatched and united again. These will 

 make powerful colonies that may swarm 

 again cluring the second flow. 



This is my favorite method, and surest. 

 It has been condemned by many because it 

 is much work, and therefore a failure. I 

 think I can account for the failure. A lazy 

 man should not attempt to handle more than 

 one apiary with natural swarming. The 



