1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



735 



Although the Pennsylvania State Associa- 

 tion is only two years old, it is doing good 

 work, and already reaping results. The 

 writer was made its President at the organ- 

 ization meeting in Williamsport in the spring 

 of 1904; and, although he has asked to be 

 released from the duties of the office, the 

 Association re-elected him at the recent an- 

 nual meeting held at State College, and 

 also elected Mr. L. R. White as Secretary 

 and Treasurer. Mr. White is one of my 

 scientific assistants in my office at Harris- 

 burg; and from the vantage point of a State 

 office these two persons are trying to help 

 all Pennsylvanians interested in bee-keep- 

 ing, and to build up the State Association, 

 but they need further he) p. They are now en- 

 gaged in making a complete card catalog or 

 list of all bee-keepers in Pennsylvania, giv- 

 ing the following facts for each person; 

 1. Name and address; 2 Number of colo- 

 nies; 3. Kind of bees; 4. Kind of hives; 5. 

 Amount of comb honey produced in 1905, 

 in 1904, in 1903, and m IV 02; 6. Amount of 

 extracted honey produced in 1905, in 19t.i4, in 

 1903, and in 1902, and the number of colonies 

 each season that were engaged in the pro- 

 duction of the above-mentioned; 7. What 

 periodicals or journals on bee-keeping are 

 taken? 8. Cnief honey-producing plants, 

 with date of blooming of each; 9. Member- 

 ship in State, national, and local bee-keep- 

 ers' associations. 



All persons in Pennsylvania who keep bees 

 or know bee keepers are requested to fur- 

 nish Mr. White with such information, and 

 in return for this the publications which the 

 State is issuing upon these subjects will be 

 sent. The State Association has just pre- 

 pared in bulletin form the papers presented 

 at its first annual meeting, and these will be 

 sent free to all its members, who have also 

 recently arranged to buy their supplies in a 

 co-operative manner, and receive a special 

 discount that is granted only to the mem- 

 bers. They are also working toward legis- 

 lation at the next session of the legislature 

 for checking the foul brood which is starting 

 in some parts of the State, and for other- 

 wise protecting the interests of bee-keepers. 



The president has just erected a wire en- 

 closure, of 30 feet cube, for mating, cross- 

 ing, and testing with certainty in the man- 

 ner he desires, the different races of bees 

 ttiat are in his apiary, representing all races 

 now kept on the American continent. Good 

 results are expected from this work, and 

 these will be published first in the Presi- 

 dent's annual address, and afterward in the 

 reports of the Association, which are to be 

 sent to members. The membership in the 

 Pennsylvania State Bee-keepers' Association 

 is but one dollar a year, and this includes 

 membership in the National Association 

 without other charge, and also the publica- 

 tions of both the State and National Associa- 

 tion free. All persons interested should 

 write to Secretary L. R. White, Box 756, 

 Harrisburg, Pa. 



I have just obtained a demonstrating-tent 

 for giving demonstrations of methods of 



handling bees at fairs, farmers' institutes, 

 bee-keepers' meetings, etc, ; also I have had 

 a full set of lantern- slides made by the Root 

 Co., for illustrated lectures on bee-keeping, 

 first of which was given at the annual con- 

 veiftion of the Pennsylvania State Farmers' 

 Institute Workers, at Clearfield, Pa., on 

 May 30, 1905. 

 Harrisburg, Pa, 



THE CONTROL OF SWARMING. 



Using High and Low Double Stands Alternately 

 Across an Apiary to Secure Individ- 

 uality of Location. 



BY E. F. ATWATER. 



In the production of fine comb honey in a 

 locality subject to poor flows, short flows, or 

 very cool nights, the bee-keeper who puts a 

 super on a hive containing the average prog- 

 eny of one queen, especially if bred in a 

 small brood-nest, is not "taking advantage 

 of his advantages." 



As the flow opens, take one hive of each 

 pair and shake a large share of its bees into 

 its neighbor, having the younger queen, and 

 add the super or supers to hold the immense 

 force. 



If you prefer to follow Aikin and Stachel- 

 hausen, using the forced-swarm method on 

 practically an entire yard, without waiting 

 for preparations for swarming, then shake 

 the bulk of the bees from both colonies into 

 one hive, with the younger queen, on either 

 seven frames of starters and one frame of 

 brood and honey, or six starters and two 

 frames of brood and honey. With this 

 management I have not found a queen- ex- 

 cluder to be necessary. If you prefer the 

 plan usually used by Mr. Gill and myself, 

 you must inspect each brood-nest every six 

 days; and, if queens are clipped, never more 

 than nine days; and when queen- cells are 

 found, shake as above. In this or any modi- 

 fication of the forced-swarm method, always 

 have the pairs of hives seven to ten feet 

 apart. This makes a yard cover more ground 

 than is otherwise desirable; but if the pairs 

 of hives are nearer, the bees of the forced- 

 swarm will too often drift into nearby hives, 

 leaving the forced swarms too weak for 

 good results. 



Here is where many fail, for at this time 

 bees are readily accepted anywhere, and a 

 nearby hive containing a normal colony must 

 look more like home than the empty hive on 

 the old stand. 



If you have not enough room to arrange a 

 yard as above described, there is another 

 plan which is fairly satisfactory. Your first 

 pair of hives is to be on a low stand; then 

 as much room as you can allow; then a pair 

 of hives on one of those Callbreath-Root 

 stands, 12 or 18 inches high, and so on, with 

 high and low stands alternately across the 

 yard. This arrangement gives each hive and 

 each pair of hives a distinct individuality of 

 location greater than can be secured in any 

 other way in a very limited space. The 



