1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



185 



herself also, I holding the cage over her till 

 she begins to feed, as she otherwise might 

 fly away. The frame is now lowered into 

 the hive, and the same closed. In this way 

 the bees and queen appear natural, and I 

 have yet to lose the first queen put in under 

 such circumstances." 



"Don't you cut the queen-cells off from 

 the combs— those that were on when the 

 colony or swarm went from them?" 



" No. The colony is so reduced in all old 

 bees that, as soon as they find they have a 

 queen, the bees proceed at once to destroy 

 all queen-cells, so that no after-swarms ever 

 issue— at least, an experience covering a 

 score of years says that none do with me." 



"Well, that is good proof. But you spoke 

 of another plan. Perhaps I might hear 

 that." 



"This is equally successful with the one I 

 have just given, but is used only where I 

 wish to treat swarms in the old way, that of 

 hiving the prime swarm on a new stand, as 

 our fathers did. When such is the case, as 

 soon as the swarm is hived I go to the old 

 hive from which it came, and mark on it 

 with a pencil. ' Sw'd, 6—20,' which tells me 

 at a glance that a swarm came from that 

 hive June 20, should that be the date on 

 which the swarm issued, and the one which 

 was marked on the hive. If it should be 

 another day, the date is different ; but the 

 plan is the same, and suited to any day on 

 which a prime swarm issues." 



' ' How does this help you ? ' ' 



"This helps me to know when a young 

 queen is likely to emerge from her cell, and 

 on the evening of the eighth day from the 

 date on the hive I listen a minute or two, 

 by placing my ear against the side of the 

 hive; and if swarming has been done 'accord- 

 ing to rule ' I hear a young queen piping, 

 and by this I know that a young queen is at 

 liberty in the hive, and that an after-swarm 

 may be expected the next day." 



" Suppose you hear no piping. Is that an 

 evidence that no swarm is to come from that 

 hive?" 



"No; but where no piping is heard on the 

 night of the eighth day I do not hsten again 

 till the evening of the thirteenth day ; for 

 the next rule is, that the colony swarmed 

 upon an egg or small larva being in the 

 queen-cell, which allows the young queen to 

 emerge from the twelfth to the sixteenth 

 day after the prime swarm came. If no 

 piping is heard by the evening of the sev- 

 enteenth day, no swarm need be expected. ' ' 



" I am glad to learn this, for I knew very 

 little in this matter before. But what do 

 you do when you hear piping ? ' ' 



"When it is heard, which it will be nine 

 cases out of ten on the eighth day, if the 

 colony is to cast an after-swarm I go early 

 the next morning, and take every frame 

 out of the hive, and shake the bees off each 

 (in front of the entrance) as I am returning 

 them, so I shall be perfectly sure not to 

 miss a single queen-cell, but cut all off ; for 

 by this piping we know that there is a queen 

 at liberty in the hive, so we need to leave 



none. Yea, if we do leave any we know it 

 means a swarm, as soon_as the cell left be- 

 comes ripe." 



"Then you think that these two plans will 

 work every time, do you ? " 



"My experience tells me that these are 

 sure of accomplishing just what we desire, 

 under all circumstances which may arise; or 

 they are plans which we can 'tie to,' as the 

 expression goes." 



&^^^^^ 



HOW TO FEED IN THE SPRING; HOW TO MAKE 

 ROCK CANDY FOR THE PURPOSE. 



On page 16 Doolittle says, "For feeding 

 at this time (spring) I prefer combs of seal- 

 ed honey set in next to the cluster. If none 

 such can be had we must feed sugar syrup 

 or liquid honey if we have it; but the latter 

 tends to promote excessive robbing." 



This being the time of year when begin- 

 ners wish to know about the best way to feed 

 stocks that are short of stores I will, with 

 all due deference to Mr. Doolittle's extensive 

 knowledge and experience, give my way, 

 which I believe, all things considered, is far 

 superior to the one given above. I put pul- 

 verized sugar into a large dish or pan; add 

 warm extracted honey, sufficient to make a 

 stiff dough of about three or four pounds 

 when thoroughly worked, so that it will not 

 run when warmed by the cluster of bees. 

 Flatten it out to about an inch thick; place 

 it on top of the frames over the cluster, with 

 a cloth over the top; put on the super, and 

 pack with any thing that will prevent the 

 heat of the cluster escaping. Repeat when- 

 ever necessary until honey comes from the 

 fields. 



Thus fed they will use it as needed, and 

 keep up brood-rearing at a rapid rate and 

 "niver a bit" of robbing. 



Udell, Iowa. G. B. Replogle 



[The ordinary pulverized sugar in honey 

 mixed into a stiflF dough makes a very excel- 

 lent bee candy for cold-weather or spring 

 feeding. But one objection to this kind of 

 feed is that the granules will sometimes 

 rattle down on the bottom-board, and be 

 carried out and wasted. The candy that we 

 prefer is made by mixing sugar and a little 

 water and a little honey, and boiling long 

 enough so when cold it will form a translu- 

 cent block of rock candy. Do not stir, as 

 that makes it somewhat mealy or grainy, 

 and the result is the bees will cause the 

 granules to drop down and so be wasted. 

 The honey is necessary to prevent graining. 

 It may be a little sticky, but it should be 

 wrapped in paraffine paper, and then when 

 ready for use the paper should be peeled off 



