7r,G 



GLEAiNINGS lis BEE CULTURE 



The plan works very well for one uncapper ; 

 but we found that it is absolutely necessary 

 fo have the eappings in a sack or else to 

 put a piece of cheese-cloth or other soft 

 material under the plunger of the press, 

 otherwise it is impossible lo remove the 



j)lunger after the pressure is applied. The 

 eappings are forced into the perforations 

 by the pressure, most effectually locking- 

 plunger, eappings, and perforated basket 

 together in one solid mass. 



NURSE BEES AS THE CAUSE OF SWARMING 



BY WILLIAM BEUCUS 



T was surprised indeed to read in Mr. 

 Chalon Fowls' article, July 15, 1915, the 

 following words : "A natural swarm is made 

 up of bees old enough to fly ; but a shaken 

 swarm consists of bees of all ages — nurse 

 bees, cell-builders, all sorts." In this local- 

 ity, bees of all ages join the swarm, except- 

 ing only those weak downy things that have 

 not been out of their cells more than a few 

 minutes, oi-, at the most, a few hours. And 

 even these may be seen in considerable num- 

 bers crawling about in the grass. The only 

 reason they did not join the swarm was be- 

 cause they could not fly. The nurse bees 

 and cell-builders can fly, and they join the 

 swarm in large numbers. What is the func- 

 tion or what are the functions of the clouds 

 of young bees which fly at the entrances 

 and fill the air during the brightest hours of 

 sunshiny days? The functions of those bees 

 are nursing, cell-building, conab-building, 

 and evaporation of honey. These bees do 

 not go to the fields; but when a swarm 

 issues they join in the exodus. If the pres- 

 ence of too many nurse bees in proportion 

 to the amount of unsealed brood is the 

 cause of cell-building, queen-cells should 

 invariably appear shortly after a prime 

 swarm is hived. 



The theory that living things hjwer than 

 man are merely automatons is still enter- 

 tained by the majority of human beings, 

 altho it should long ago have been discard- 

 ed. Tt seems to be assumed bv manv bee- 

 keepers that bees do not deliberately" build 

 queen-cells, but that they build them o'lly 

 because there is in the stomachs of nurse 

 bees an accumulation of larval food. Ac- 

 cording to this theory,, bees are only ma- 

 chines. They do not consciously determine 

 to build queen-cells, but merely proceed to 

 do so mechanically. This seems to bd the 

 view held by Mr. Towls. To me, this seems 

 entirely wrong. 



All higher forms of life, including bees, 

 associate ideas— they tliink. There is no 

 difference in kind between tlie mind of a 

 Shakespeare and that of a newsboy— it is 

 only a ditference, and there is no difference 

 in kind between the mind of man and that 

 of a bee— it is gtiU one of degree. How 



could it be otherAvise? In all living things, 

 life is made up of internal changes which 

 occur in answer to external changes. That 

 these internal changes may be properly ad- 

 justed to the ever varying conditions outside 

 of the body, it is necessary that the internal 

 changes be in some way directed. That di- 

 rection is merely an act of mind — a deliber- 

 ate" act. The mind of a man moves in a 

 large circle, and directs the adjustment to 

 numerous involved conditions. The mind of 

 a bee moves in a small circle, and directs the 

 adjustment to less numerous and less in- 

 volved conditions. 



It is quite remarkable to me that even the 

 most careless observer can go thru a single 

 season Avithout noticing many proofs that 

 bees are guided by intelligence, and are not 

 merely the creatures of instinct — automa- 

 tism. Only yesterday I observed a colony 

 the bees of which Avere working but were 

 n.ot carrying in pollen, Avhile the colony tAVo 

 inches to the left was carrying in immense 

 loads. I immediately concluded that the 

 colony first mentioned Avas queenless and 

 broodless, and that the bees Avere not carry- 

 ing in pollen because they Avere aAvare that 

 it Avas not needed. An examination revealed 

 llie queenless and broodless condition ex- 

 pected.* 



If the building of queen-cells and ab- 

 sconding, spoken of by Mr. Fowls, were due 

 to the presence, in the nurse bees, of an 

 oversupi:)ly of larval food, hoAv could we ever 

 manage to get I'id of foul brood — particu- 

 larly Avhen shaking tAviee? In this case 

 every bee goes Avith the swarm. We should 

 naturally expect, .from the immense oA^er- 

 dose of larval food present, a large batch 

 of queen-cells started, and then desertion. 



Here is Avhat happens in this locality 

 Avhen the shaken-SAvarm plan is practiced : 

 If shaken on to starters, almost certain ab- 

 sconding; if shaken on to full sheets, very 

 much less absconding; if shi Icr n on to a set 

 of clean, sAveet-sraelling Avorker combs, no 

 absconding AvhateA^er. If absconding, in 

 eitlier artificial or natural SAvarming, is due 



* Queenless and broodless bees do bring in pollen, 

 however, and sometimes the combs are even "pollen- 

 clogged." — Ed. 



