352 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May. 1917 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE ^ 



section. The finished section is then in 

 the left hand, right side up, and a piece 

 of foundation the right size for the upper 

 starter for the next section in the right 

 hand. 



The hot plate when moved into the section 

 slopes toward the point where the starter 

 is to be fastened, and when it swings 

 back again nearly all the melted wax is 

 wiped off on the edge of the starter. The 

 blade is thin and sharp, and right on a 

 section, so that the foundation itself has 

 to be pushed not more than 1/16 of an 

 inch to strike the wood. In some machines 

 the hot plate has to be permanently ad- 

 justed at the height the bottom starter is 

 cut off, which is at least half an inch. 

 This means that the starter has to be 

 moved down that distance each time be- 

 fore it touches the wood, which gives a 

 chance for it to bend in or out or go 

 down cornerwise. In my machine the 

 starter is located exactly where it is 

 wanted. Floyd Markiiam. 



Ypsilanti, Mich. 



The Shaken-swarm Plan Perfected 



Well aware as I am, that a veteran of 

 the shaken-swarm plan, M. A. Gill, makes a 

 practice of giving one or two frames of 

 brood to each shaken swarm, the remainder 

 of the hive containing frames with starters 

 only, yet for those who cannot secure satis- 

 factory combs from starters, Mr. Gill's plan 

 is not the best. 



In this locality, no plan yet known, by 

 which the new shaken swarm is given any 

 brood, is satisfactory. When the plan 

 was so much agitated, a few years ago, 

 many spoke of the effort to swarm out with- 

 in a day or two after shaking as a great 

 drawback to the plan, and so it is, unless 

 overcome. I have made hundreds of shaken 

 swarms, and have produced carloads of 

 honey from such swarms, naturally trying 

 to practice the best methods, requiring the 

 least attention, aside from supering, after 

 shaking. The best results from a single 

 colony, in all our experience, have been 

 from shaken swarms — one for comb, the 

 other for extracted. 



In a yard containing 750 lbs. of bees on 

 the arrival of the flow, and with conditions 

 favoring content within the hive, it prob- 

 ably mnkes no reduction in tlie total yield 

 if the field bees are mostly in 100 rather 

 than 150 hives. Therefore our plan is as 



follows: Have the colonies in pairs, then 

 shake most of the bees from botii into one 

 new hive of wired frames with full sheets 

 of foundation except one frame of comb, 

 which may be empty or contain some honey 

 (not a cell of brood). Above may be one 

 or two section supers, as required. Run in 

 the younger queen with the swarm. 



Between the hive and the bottom-board 

 be sure to put either an empty shallow super 

 or an empty hive-body.. Two or three days 

 later, return to the yard and remove the 

 empties that are below the new brood-nests. 

 Some small spurs of oomb may be built, 

 which must be torn off. 



The bees are satisfied and will not swarm 

 out nor loaf, but will work with full vigor. 



Another fairly good way is to cage the 

 queen in the shaken swarm, so that in about 

 2 to 3 days the bees will eat out the candy 

 and release her, by which time the bees 

 will have given up all notions of swarming. 



Briefly, this is the key to the successful 

 use of the shaken-swarm plan for comb 

 honey : A powerful force of bees ; a hive 

 with full sheets of wired foundation, ex- 

 cept one frame of comb ; not one cell of 

 brood at the start, from which queen-cells 

 may be begun; empty clustering space be- 

 neath for two or three days; and a good 

 flow. 



Meridian, Idaho. E. F. Atwater. 



A srlinipse of some of the readers of Gluanincjs 

 in Cui ii. On the picture we read, " To Mr. A. I. 

 Root. ' Daisy,' ' Johnny,' and ' Clara Trista.' " — 

 Santa Ulara, Cuba. 



