1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



143 



ADVANCED BEE CULTURE— NEW REVISION ; 

 CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE. 



In the chapter "The Management of Hives 

 and Buildings " two things, the author says, 

 need consideration: The convenience of the 

 operator, and giving such an individual- 

 ity to each hive that each bee can readily 

 distinguish its home. The apiary ought to 

 be some distance from the highway. Near- 

 ly level ground is preferable. If it slopes 

 to the south, so much the better. The hon- 

 ey-house or building should be located on 

 one side or corner, so that the whole apiary 

 can be taken in at a glance. As to the ar- 

 rangement of hives, he seems to prefer the 

 group plan rather than the straight- row idea 

 because it gives an individuality to the hives. 



In the chapter entitled "Comforts and 

 Conveniences in the Apiary" he enumerates 

 a number of useful tools — first a hive- cart 

 such as is used by H. R. Boardman; an ar- 

 rangement for opening the screen door into 

 a honey- house by stepping on a pedal, as 

 used by J. A. Green, is especially recom- 

 mended. A spring-bottom oil-can to squirt 

 kerosene on smoker fuel when firing up the 

 smoker also has his approval. The clothing 

 should be so arranged that one garment can 

 telescope into another in such a way as to 

 prevent the bees from crawling up under 

 against the person of the bee-keeper. He 

 has no use for gloves. They would seem to 

 him too much like a cat with mittens on try- 

 ing to catch mice. The lawn-mower (scarce- 

 ly a comfort) is a necessity. A smoker is 

 indispensable. The articles for lighting the 

 same should be convenient, matches espe- 

 cially. A wheelbarrow, and a bee-brush of 

 the Coggshall pattern, receive his special 

 approval. 



"Shades for Bees " is the title of the next 

 chapter. This is dependent somewhat on 

 the locality. The regular standard shade- 

 board, the board projecting more in front 

 than in the rear, with hives always facing 

 east or west, he regards as very simple and 

 effective. Trees, he thinks, furnish too 

 much shade at the wrong time. 



In the chapter ' ' On the Contraction of the 

 Brood- Nest" he does not advise the con- 

 traction of an established colony. If it does 

 not fill its hive properly at the time of put- 

 ting on the sections, then contraction is nec- 

 essary if the colony is to be worked for comb 

 honey. A really contractible hive of the 

 right sort he regards as the Heddon, because 

 contraction is accomplished horizontally 

 rather than vertically. 



In the chapter ' ' On the Use and Abuse of 

 Comb Foundation," which, by the way. was 

 the subject-matter of his first book, of which 

 this one before us is a revised edition, he 

 says, "All through the working season wax 

 is being secreted by the bees to a greater or 

 less extent; and, if not utilized, it is lost." 

 For the production of comb honey he recom- 

 mends hiving swarms on starters, then put- 

 ting on top a super of drawn or bait comb. 

 When the bees once get in the habit of stor- 

 ing above they will keep on putting their 

 surplus there. He made repeated experi- 



ments in hiving on full combs, on full sheet® 

 of foundation, and on starters. The first- 

 plan he found to be expensive and wasteful. 

 The full sheets of foundation gave good re- 

 sults, but no better than the starters^ 

 While there will be some drone comb built, 

 yet about eighty per cent of his combs were 

 all worker, and the equal of those built from 

 full sheets of foundation. A queen- excluder 

 must be used when hiving on starters, and 

 a small brood-nest in addition, he says, is 

 imperatively needed. At this point I sup- 

 pose he refers to the divisible Heddon hive,, 

 and the reader will find difficulty in harmon- 

 izing this statement with a former one in 

 the book favoring the Langstroth hive. As 

 great emphasis is laid on the production of 

 comb honey, then, after all, the bee-keeper 

 (if he follows Mr. Hutchinson's advice when 

 running for comb honey) would have to use 

 the shallow hive instead of the full-depth 

 Langstroth which he advises earlier in the 

 work. But perhaps the major part of this 

 chapter was not ' ' revised, ' ' and was written 

 at a time when he preferred the Heddon. 



"Increase, its Management and Control," 

 is the title of a chapter that is very fairly 

 written. He recognizes the difficulties in 

 this vexatious problem of keeping swarm- 

 ing under control. The causes that lead to 

 swarming he believes to be an undue propor- 

 tion of young or nurse bees to the brood to 

 be nursed. Giving bees an abundance of 

 empty comb in which to store their honey 

 overcomes this condition, and swarming very 

 seldom occurs. In short, he says extract- 

 ing the honey, or, to be more exact, giving 

 plenty of empty comb, is the most success- 

 ful practical method of controlling increase. 

 In the production of comb honey it is doubt- 

 ful if there is a profitable method of pre- 

 venting swarming. But "shook" swarm- 

 ing he thinks is the best solution of the 

 problem, because it enables the bee-keeper 

 to handle his swarms at his own convenience. 

 Then he goes on to describe the modus op- 

 erandi. For the prevention of after-swarm- 

 ing he recommends the Heddon method, 

 which, though, he says is not infallible. He 

 concludes the chapter by saying the man 

 who is raising comb honey as a business will 

 find it to his advantage to allow each colony 

 to swarm once, then make the most out of 

 the swarm. 



The chapter " On Hiving Bees " deals with 

 methods for handling the swarms after they 

 have issued from the hive. Natural swarm- 

 ing, he says, with its uncertainties, anxie- 

 ties, and vexatious losses, is destined to be- 

 come a thing of the past. Artificial methods 

 will take its place; but where swarms are 

 allowed, the queen's wings should be clipped 

 or her flight controlled by means of a trap 

 in front of the entrance of the hive. This 

 saves a large part of the work of hiving, 

 avoiding the climbing of trees, and, to a 

 great extent, the mixing of the swarms. 

 Swarm- catchers, devices for putting over 

 the entrance as the bees are pouring out, 

 are described and discussed. 



Driving or bringing down swarms while 



