May, 1922 



GLEANINGS IN ti F. E C U L T U tl K 



52S 



of honey. Such a procedure in localities 

 liaving an early honey flow, such . as the 

 clover region of the North, would, of course, 

 result in a greatly reduced honey crop. In 

 such localities increase can be made at little 

 expense at the close of the main honey flow, 

 thus utilizing the bees that came on too late 

 to take part in gathering the crop. This 

 would, no doubt, be the best time to make 

 increase in your locality. 



Difference Between Swarming Cells and Super- 

 sedure Cells. 



Question. — How can one distinguish between 

 the preparations for superseding and for swarm- 

 ing? J. B. Stuyvesant. 



California. 



Answer. — In the case of supersedure, the 

 general appearance of the brood and the 

 condition of the colony usually reveal some 

 indications that the queen is failing, scat- 

 tered brood being one of the chief symptoms. 

 Fewer queen-cells are built for supersedure, 

 often only one or two being built at first, 

 then a few others started later, so that the 

 few supersedure cells vary greatly in age. 

 For swarming many queen-cells are started 

 at nearly the same time. The strength of 

 the colony and the amount of brood should 

 also be taken into consideration. It must 

 be remembered that when supersedure cells 

 are started during the swarming season, 

 swarming may follow, even though the ap- 

 parent motive in building the queen-cells 

 was originally only supersedure. Sometimes 

 even comparatively weak colonies will 

 swarm as a result of tlie presence of super- 

 sedure cells during the swarming season. 

 Uniting Previous to the Honey Flow. 



Question. — Just when and how should we double 

 up colonies to make them strong for comb-honey 

 jiroduction? Joseph Fekel. 



New Jersey. 



Answer. — If uniting is necessary to make 

 the colonies strong enough for super work, 

 tliis sliould be done at about the beginning 

 of the main honey flow. It is much better 

 to manage so that the colonies are strong 

 enough when the lioney flow begins, without 

 uniting wlienever this is possible. This can 

 be done in most localities provided you know 

 when to expect the main honey flow. 



When Further Swarming May Be Expected. 



Question, — If I take all the brood e.xcept one 

 frame from every strong colony shortly before 

 the honey flow, leave all the old bees and the 

 queen in the hive on the old stand and move the 

 old brood-chambers to a new stand, giving to each 

 a young laying queen immediately, will there be 

 any dangsr that either the parent colony or the 

 swarms will swarm again the same season? 



Wisconsin. Otto Saewert 



Answer. — If the honey flow is long enough 

 some of the artificially made swarms may 

 swarm again the same season. The parent 

 colonies treated as you describe will rarely 

 swarm again the same season; but, if you 

 wait ten days after making the artificial 

 swarms, then destroy all queen-cells and in- 

 troduce the young laying queen, the parent 

 colonies are practically safe from furtlier 

 swarming tlie same season. 



Finding Clipped Queens in Swarming. ' 

 Question. — If I clip my queens' wings, will t 

 be comparatively safe in finding them somewhere 

 within the yard after they swarm when I return 

 in the evening? J. H. Sturdevant. 



Nebraska. 



Answer. — No. Many of them will go into 

 the wrong hive when the swarms return. You 

 will probably not find any queens on the. 

 ground when you return in the evening. 

 Neitlier do the swarms always return to their 

 own hive, especially if there are many colo- 

 nies in the yard. Sometimes on returning,, 

 the bees of the swarm enter several hives, 

 often many of them being killed on enter- 

 ing. Of course it is better to lose the 

 clipped queens than to lose the swarms, as 

 would be the case if the c|ueens were not 

 clipped when no one is present to take care 

 of them. If you expect to permit swarming 

 while away during the day, it will be better 

 to put queen traps on all colonies that are 

 liable to swarm if you desire to save the 

 queens. It will be better still to examine 

 each colony once each week during the 

 swarming season to anticipate swarming, 

 either swarming them artificially or taking 

 away the queen when they can no longer be 

 induced to go ahead with their work with- 

 out preparing to swarm. 



Making Increase Previous to the Honey Flov; 



Question. — Will if be advisable for me to di- 

 vide my colonies this spring, making two four- 

 frame nuclei from each since I want increase? 



Pennsylvania. ' S. B. Wage. 



Answer. — If you depend upon buckwheat 

 or other late-blooming plants for your sur- 

 plus honey and do not have an early honey 

 flow sufficient for surplus, it will be well to 

 divide the colonies in the spring. This should 

 be done in time to build both divisions up 

 to full working strength in time for the 

 main honey flow. Where the main honey 

 flow comes early, as in the clover region, 

 the division for increase should not be made 

 until the close of the early honey flow. 



Requeening in European Foul Brood Treatment. 



Question. — What is the reison for re'commend- 

 ing requeening in the treatment nf European foul 

 brood? J. G. Harmon. 



California. 



Answer. — Requeening in European foul 

 brood treatment accomplishes two things, 

 which are both important in the control of 

 this disease. First, by killing tlie old queen 

 and later giving' a ripe queen-cell or a 

 young laying queen, there is an interval of 

 no egg-laVing, which gives the hive work- 

 ers an opportunity to clean out the dead 

 larvae and polish the cells thoroughly be- 

 fore brood is again reared in them. The 

 ])eriod of no egg-laying recommended for 

 this is from 10 days to 27 days, depending 

 upon conditions. Second, by replacing the 

 old queens with young Italian queens of a 

 strain which clean out the dead larvae more 

 promptly and thoroughly, there is less chance 

 of the disease's appearing again. 



