52 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



my bees by natural swarming, and use 

 the old hive as a feeder to the new one 

 by setting it on one side, in such shape 

 and form as to cause the field bees to 

 return to the old home. I think that no 

 other management will produce better 

 results for surplus honey, and little or 

 no increase. 



Please allow me to go back a little to 

 the upright trap (described last week), 

 and say that, if you want a full-sized 

 swarm up-stairs with the queen, without 

 any ass'stance, use the bottom-board be- 

 tween the two hives only, and a hole or 

 a connection in it with perforated metal 

 tacked on. An inch hole is sufficient. 

 If you want everything in bees up-stairs, 

 put a bee-escape in place of the metal. 

 Every bottom ought to be supplied with 

 vent for air, and so arranged as to close 

 when not wanted. 



I have studied days and weeks and 

 nights to perfect a trap, or traps, that 



and when you do not want them any 

 more, the bees belong to that colony. It 

 needs^no extra preparation for uniting 

 or building up nuclei. 



I use it to prevent swarming, by tak- 

 ing the comb the queen is on, bees and 

 all, in the receiver when the colony is 

 preparing to swarm ; and I hold her 

 there until I care to return her to the 

 colony she came from, or any other. 



I use it to introduce queens, or super- 

 sede any queen I wish to dispose of. 

 No time is lost in egg-laying ; no queens 

 are lost in introducing. If for want of 

 time, or I cannot find the queen when 

 exchanging the queen to the comb- 

 receiver, or any other carelessness or 

 absent-mindedness, I am arranging for 

 such emergencies to let the traps return 

 the queen to the receiver. Either trap 

 will do it ; and when I have an out-yard 

 marked to return in four days, I know 

 everything is all right. I can sleep bet- 



The Dibble Automatic Swarmer. 



would allow me time to care for bees 

 from home. I expect to keep right on 

 studying. 



I don't want it understood that I care 

 for my different yards of bees alone, and 

 allow my bees to swarm to their heart's 

 content. No, sir ; I don't do it. 



It may be a little new, perhaps, but I 

 am preparing now, ready for use, a 

 comb-receiver for every hive of bees. I 

 hang it on the side of an eight-frame 

 hive, with openings between it and the 

 brood hive, so constructed that it is open 

 for queen, bees and all to pass in either 

 apartment, or perforated metal, to sep- 

 arate queens only. If more than one, 

 or close, it entirely separates the comb- 

 receiver from the hive. 



I use this comb-receiver for the fol- 

 lowing purposes: As a feeder, a nucleus 

 hive supplied with bees from the same 

 colony, attached to it or any other. My 

 queens are all mated from them. Every 

 strong colony is a nucleus ; every nucleus 

 is a strong colony of bees, using it at 

 any time or all times when wanted ; 



ter by knowing it. I know this location. 

 Everybody ought to know his location 

 well enough to know when to expect 

 honey, and about when to proceed as 

 above. At times, when only occasion- 

 ally a swarm issues, let the trap do the 

 work ; time is money, and bee-keepers 

 must adopt new methods if they succeed 

 at the present price of honey. 



Bee-keeping is the most enticing busi- 

 ness I know anything about; aud I have 

 never known a genuine bee-man to give 

 up the business, who ever succeeded in 

 anything else. He is spoiled for any 

 other occupation. 



I received a patent May 3, 1892, for 

 my side trap ; patent applied for an up- 

 right trap and other things connected 

 with it. When these traps get clogged 

 with hundreds of dead drones, clear 

 them. Several swarms at one time will 

 often all unite and cluster together. 



I hear of heavy losses of bees all 

 around me. My loss is less than 3 per 

 cent. Young queens out mating will 

 often lead swarms off. — Gleanings. 



