Ju.XE, 1917 GLKANTXGS IN BEE CULTURE 449 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



quality and quantity of honey and the least 

 expense lies in these mighty swarms. We 

 hive all the bees in one hive, therefore, giv- 

 ing plenty of super room and upward venti- 

 lation. The new swarms are returned to the 

 parent location. The parent colonies are 

 taken elsewhere to reduce the chances of 

 more swarming; and if such colonies are 

 very strong, supers are supplied for comb 

 honey. No one need to be afraid to put 

 supers over parent hives, as all vacant space 

 below will be filled first. 



We frequently double up parent colonies 

 to reduce expenses and increase the honey 

 crop. 



Pearl City, 111. D. J. Blocker. 



Bees, Boys, and War 



Among the many efforts at " Conserva- 

 tion of resources " induced by the war, the 

 increase of honey production by amateur 

 beekeepers should by no means be over- 

 looked. It is said that honey is to some 

 degree taking the place of sugar in Eng- 

 land, and that the Russian Government is 

 helping to introduce scientific beekeeping 

 methods in Russia. Boys and girls in Amer- 

 ica are everywhere enlisting in an " army 

 of production " to raise fruit, vegetables, 

 and poultry, and to help the farmers care 

 for their crops. It is a most excellent 

 movement, tending to health, wholesome in- 

 terests, and practical efficiency; and no 

 branch of husbandry is moi'e likely to en- 

 gage their enthusiasm than the care of 

 bees. 



Many farms that have only two or three 

 neglected old-fashioned hives might produce 

 honey in abundance if these were turned 

 over to the son or daughter to be reorgan- 

 ized; and innum.erable country and sub- 

 urban places that have no bees should in- 

 troduce them forthwith. It is not neces- 

 .sary that the owner should raise alsike or 

 buckwheat. Bees range two or three miles 

 from home, and in many places the road- 

 sides alone furnish a vast amount of bee- 

 pasturage, with their linden and locust 

 trees, sumacs, wild raspberries, white clo- 

 ver, and goldenrod. With sugar at war 

 prices, a few supers heavy with delicious 

 home-grown sweets will be welcome next 

 fall. 



A boy of ten is old enough to be a valu- 

 able assistant in hiving the swarms and tak- 

 ing up the honey; and a year or two later 

 he should be encouraged to invest in a hive, 



or be given a swarm of his own. His sister 

 may do as well, or better, for many women 

 succeed with this kind of " live-slock." 

 Beekeeping encourages self-confidence, and 

 stimulates habits of observation. It re- 

 quires some pluck, deftness, intelligence, 

 and watchfulness at certain seasons, but 

 not that patience for monotonous labor 

 that children have not. And bees are so 

 amusing, and the hive is such a marvelous 

 place! It does one good just to see the 

 little ladies devoting themselves to the com- 

 monwealth ; and a good treatise on apicul- 

 ture, which is the prerequisite to beekeeping, 

 is a capital introduction to biology an*d 

 other sciences. 



As for the established beekeepers, if 

 every one would start an enterprising boy 

 or girl in business with one of his early 

 swarms he would be " doing his bit " to 

 make his own town more nearly self-sup- 

 porting. To increase our honey supply 

 we need many enthusiastic amateurs. 

 Backyard gardens should be supplemented 

 by backyard beehives. 

 ■ Redding, Ct. R. P. D. 



How to Find what Hive the Swarm 

 Came From 



It is desirable to know just what liive a 

 swarm issued from, so that attention may 

 be given at once without the necessity of 

 examining all the colonies in the yard. This 

 is no light task when the hives are two and 

 sometimes three and four stories liiigh. 

 Making increase by natural swarming is all 

 right, especially for the apiarist who has 

 but one yard. Moreover, there is real sci- 

 ence in the proper swarming of bees, for it 

 is the natural desire of the bees. They also 

 work much better tlian when increase is 

 made along unnatural lines. 



If one of your colonies has swarmed, and 

 you arrive soon after while the bees are still 

 in the air, on examining the fronts of the 

 hive you can tell by the number of bees 

 crawling in the grass and gradually rising 

 to join the swarm which hive a swarm came 

 from. If you arrive too late to tell in this 

 way, hive the swarm on one or two old 

 combs; and when most of the bees are in- 

 side, brush off a cupful of bees hanging on 

 the outside on to the ground in front of 

 the hive. Then carry the hive away into a 

 quiet shady place, ard cover it with a sheet. 

 Of course, be sure that you have the queen 

 in the hive. In a few minutes the little 



