512 



GLEANINGS TN BEE CI'LTI;RE. 



May 15 



swarming when bees cluster out in moder- 

 ately warm weather, a little before and dur- 

 ring the swarming season?" 



"Such clustering-out at that season of 

 the year, when honey is coming in from the 

 fields, tells us that the colony is populous 

 enough to swarm, and that it may do so; 

 but even when we conclude that way, some 

 colony which has not clustered out on the 

 outside of the hive may be the first one to 

 swarm." 



" Then is there no way of telling from the 

 outside of the hive just when a colony will 

 cast its prime swarm?" 



"Not that I know of; but the Bee-keepers' 

 Review told us a year or so ago that some 

 bee-keeper had told the editor of that paper 

 a sure way of telling, which was so simple 

 that he (the editor) wondered no one had 

 thought of it before; but he was not allowed 

 to divulge what it was. He thought that, if 

 enough of the readers of the Review would 

 pledge $1.00 each to reach up into the hun- 

 dreds of dollars, the one having this knowl- 

 edge would let him print the matter, thus 

 giving it to the public. But as I have not 

 heard a word in the matter for nearly a year 

 now, I suppose that this great boon to bee- 

 keepers is to be locked up in the grave when 

 the bee-keeper and Mr. Hutchinson pass to 

 the beyond." 



"Don't you suppose that bee-keeper ever 



gained any knowledge from reading what 

 others have freely given to the public?" 



"I could not say as to that, and, even if 

 he had, he has a right to keep the knowledge 

 he has to himself, if he feels so disposed." 



"I suppose so; and as he seems likely so 

 to keep it, how am I to tell just when the 

 prime swarm will issue?" 



"If, on opening the hive, we find eggs in 

 queen-cells, we are quite sure such a colony 

 will swarm in from six to nine days, provid- 

 ing the weather and honey- flow remain good, 

 for by that time some or all of those queen- 

 cells will be sealed; and on the sealing of 

 the first queen-cell comes the prime swarm. 

 If we find larvae in the queen-cells the swarm 

 will come from one to six days later, just in 

 accord with the age of the larvae in these 

 queen- cells. And allow me to say that I find 

 such eggs and larvae in queen- cells nearly or 

 quite as often in colonies which have not 

 clustered on the outside of the hive as in 

 those which have. This is not outside diag- 

 nosis, I am well aware, but it is far better 

 than not knowing any thing for certain in the 

 matter, as was the case with our fathers." 



"Yes, that is right. But another thing 

 which I wish to know is, how can I tell, after 

 any colony is through swarming, whether 

 the young queen has become fertile and lay- 

 ing in the hive ? Can this be told from the 

 outside?" 



FIG. 2.— BEES CRAWLING AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE HIVES. 



