THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



January 



ground. The report says here that 

 one of the apiaries observed is in a 

 grove of tall trees, where the bees 

 have to cluster at a considerable ele- 

 vation because there is nothing else. 

 But for that, very few would cluster 

 at twelve feet or above. 



These figures are much lower than 

 we would expect. But it must be 

 remembered that in Europe, the 

 bees are usually kept in the gardens 

 or in the orchards, outside of which 

 there is usually nothing but open 

 fields. So the bees have to cluster 

 within the enclosure on whatever trees 

 bushes, etc., may be there. 



Perhaps, while on the subject, I 

 might give my own experience. My 

 Middlebrook apiary is partially in a 

 grove of tall trees. In front of the 

 apiary there is a grove of cedars. The 

 swarms usually go in the cedars and 

 cluster anywhere from the lowest 

 limbs to about midway to the top, 

 that is, from fifteen to, perhaps, thir- 

 ty-five feet from the ground. The 

 few that go to tall trees invariably 

 cluster on the lowest limbs. 



The Beaver Creek apiary is on the 

 edge of a grove of tall trees, the hives 

 turned toward the inside of the grove. 

 The majority of the swarms cluster 

 on some of the tall trees, either 

 among the hives or immediately in 

 front, and always on the lowest limbs. 

 About one-fourth of the swarms go 

 to the orchard a hundred feet dis- 

 tant, in the rear of the hives, and set- 

 tle on the fruit trees, usually on some 

 plum trees that are rather low and 

 have a very thick foliage. 



27. Seventy per cent, of the 

 swarms cluster in the regular, well 

 known form, the others in irregular 

 forms, depending chiefly on the place 

 where they are. 



28. The great majority of the 

 swarms go toward the south, or rath- 

 er between the southeast and south- 

 west. The report suggests that they 

 go toward the sun. I rather think 

 that they go in that direction because 

 the hives are usually turned that way, 

 and that they simply go right straight 

 before them, or about. 



In the part of the above report re- 

 published in the December number 

 of The American Bee-Keeper, the 

 assertion is made that the 

 one-year-old queens are more liable 



to swarm than the others. That as 

 sertion I stoutly denied, but after al 

 I may have been too hasty. 



For those who may not have kef 

 the December number, I will say tha 

 the answer to the nth question show 

 ed that 43 per cent, of the swarm 

 came from colonies having swarme 

 the year before, and therefore ha 

 queens one year old, 20 per cent, froi 

 colonies having swarmed two yeai 

 before, and the rest Irom colonic 

 having swarmed three years befoi 

 or longer. The conclusion th; 

 queens one year old swarm the mo 

 is almost irresistible. 



This I denied, for the two follo\ 

 ing reasons: 



1st. The actual 43 per cent, of on 

 year-old queens is not conclusive. T 

 be so, it would be necessary to kno 

 how many such colonies were in o 

 servation, and know what proporti( 

 of them did swarm. 



2d. With me, but very few of t; 

 one-year-old queens (or rather thr 

 colonies) swarm. And swarmii 

 can be prevented to a large exte 

 by renewing the queens every ye: 

 or at last every two years. 



These two points are absolute 

 correct, and I am not going to ta 

 them back. Where I was at fault, 

 by not taking into consideration t^ 

 other conditions that have a beari 

 on the question. 



But before going further, let us lo 

 at the conditions which induce swan 

 ing. Sometimes it may be one, son 

 times another, and perhaps often mc 

 than one. 



One is the extreme heat, or lack 

 ventilation, or any condition that m 

 render the hive decidedly uncomfo 

 able. In such cases, bees may swai 

 even without beginning the constn 

 tion of queen cells. 



Often it is the failure of the que 

 to lay sufficiently. Queen cells ? 

 then built, and if the season of t 

 year and weather conditions are 

 right, swarming will follow. If n^ 

 the queen will be superseded. 



More frequently, it is the lack 

 sufficient room, or rather of emp 

 combs, for the queen to lay; that 

 the cause of swarming. This and t, 

 preceding are really about the san 

 viz: not enough eggs laid. _ 



Now, like most of the Americ| 

 bee-keepers, I am a comb honey prl. 



i 



