THE AMERICAN APWULTURIST. 



67 



Alley's improved Automatic Swarm-hiver. 



Sometime ago it was stated in tlie American 

 AricULTUKiST, I had so imijioved the Sell-hiver 

 tliat It would prove successful in hiving ninety- 

 nine per i;ent ol' all swarms issuing where the 

 hiver is used. 



During tin; swarming season of 1891 experi- 

 ments wore ciindui-ted in the Bay State Apiary 

 with various devices for hiving swarms of bees 

 autoinatic.iillv. 



Tlie Sell-hiver sent out in tlie season of 1890 

 faih'ii to sclf-liive all the swarms that issued 

 througli it. The queen could not seem to find her 

 way to the new hive througli the cone-tube at the 

 eiui oltheswarineias readily a- she does the tube 

 in the drone and qiu'i'n trap. We saw at once 

 liow to remedy llie troiilile. 



It was also lound soHaik > 

 in box B that the queen coulil 

 that box. To remedy ilii.^ lill 

 one and one-half inrhes m di 



over the tube 

 d aer way into 

 •t, an opening 

 eovered with 

 iii.e A. With 

 . not failed to 



itli 



swarm. 



icked at 



Will say to those who purchased the Swarmers 

 sent outlast year that they can easily be altered 

 to the new sljie as desciilied above. 



Directions for using the Self-hiver. 



Place the Swarmer .'it the entrance of the hive 

 about the time a colony is strong enough to 

 swarm. Twelve days after the first swarm is- 

 sues the Swaimer should be removed. 



These direeiit>ns also apply to the use of the 

 drone-aiid qMeeii trap. 



If niimv droii(>, are entrapped in either the 

 swarmer or trap, they should be removed. Early 

 in the inoniing is tlie" best time to do it. 



If box B is not long enough to connect the new 

 hive with the ohl (uie just make a larger box, us- 

 ing the same (•<ine tubes. 



Prices of Swarmer. 



Per dozen, Hat, $5 00 



Perlilty, '• 'iO-CO 



I'er hundred, " 30.00 



Sample Self-hiver by mail, .$0.50. 



Directions for using the swarmer sent with each 



hive. 



An individual right to make and use the Self- 

 hlVER will be sold lor $-5. Sample Hiver mailed 

 free to the purchaser. 



A beekeeper living near here bought 

 one of your swarmers and placed it on 

 a hive according to directions, and went 

 out to his work, ploughing. When he 

 returned liome his bees had swarmed 

 and were at work in the new hive and 

 all right without any trouble to him. 



Cuinining, Ga. Joseph P. Sewall. 



the entrance of her hive i)y the excluding metal 

 in Box A. The worker bees have no difficulty in 

 passing the perforations and jjoing into the air as 

 they usually do when a ^waim is>nes. liut the 

 queen being much lai-.;er eannol, pas> the metal 

 to take wing and join the >\varm. When I he bees 

 find thev have no qiiet'ii Willi lliem thev at once 

 return to I he location from wlin-h llii'v -lavted. 

 In the meantime a {i^w voiing bees have loUowed 

 their queen into trap B and the retuiniii- swarm 

 join her and enter the new or decoy hive, thus 

 hiving themselves. 



When the queen coine.s out into box A she . 

 readilv linds her way up into box B, and then 

 throuiih into the hive. When she has once 

 passed through either one of the tubes she cannot 

 return. 



The reader, of course, \inderstands that box A 

 is i)luced at the entrance of the hive fiom which a 

 swarm is expected. Box B is placed at the en- 

 trance of the new hive, or at tne entrance of the 

 decov hive the new swarm is to occupy. The two 

 hives are thus connerted by box B. All outlets 

 to the lionie hive exeepi throughthe metal must be 

 closed to prevent the queen from taking wing 

 and ji>ining the bees. 



The Swarmer, as now made, is adapted to most 

 all styles of hives in use. In some cases it will 

 be necessary to make some slight changes in its 

 construction". For thi< reason we advise all who 

 wish to use Hie Swaniier that the belter plan is to 

 bnv an individual ri.Lilit to niike and use them. 

 Then get out a model of the Swarmer to lit your 

 particular hive and send to the nearest supply 

 dealer for your goods, providing of course he can 

 supply them. 



Fkienu Alley: Swanniug lime is now 

 over with me and I take the pleasure to 

 report lo you Ihtit tlie Aut. Swarm hiver 

 is the b(jss. The hrst tiuie I tried it, it 

 didn't work. The hive was a portico 

 hive and I could not adjust right. Since 

 then I htive used it on hives without por- 

 tico to my greatest satisfaction. I deem 

 it the best swarming device. 



Thorndale, Texas. Otto J. K. Ukban. 



On Saturday, iMarch 28, 1891, I pla(;ed one of 

 Mr. Alley's Self-liivers at the entrance of a hive 

 from wliich I knew the bees would swarm in a 

 few days; near this hive was one prepared to re- 

 ceive the new swarm when it is^ued. On Sun- 

 diiy afternoon about four o'clock, in walking 

 through the apiary, I saw the bees at work in the 

 new hive. They had swarmed and hived tliein- 

 selves and were working nicely, without any as- 

 sistance whatever on my iiart, e'xcept to make the 

 necessary preparation i'or them. This self-hiver 

 will certainly be a wonderful help to beekeepers. 



By the use of the drone-trap and queen cage 

 combined, which was invented by the same gen- 

 tleman, I secured forty-eight swarms out of forty- 

 nine, in 1888, without so much as having to cut a 

 single twig in hiving them. 



Mrs. Sallie E. Shekman, 



Salado, Bell County, Texas. 



