332 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Drones with First Swarms. 



G. JI. DOOLITTLE. 



As spring jirrives, and the hive be- 

 comes populous with bees, their in- 

 stinct leads them to obey the divine 

 commiind, "to multiply and replenish 

 the earth." To this end they com- 

 mence preparations for swarming, 

 the lirst of which is the depositing of 

 drone eggs in the drone cells by the 

 queen. 



Soon after this, the embryo queen 

 cells are started, and if the secretion 

 of nectar is good, the queen deposits 

 eggs in these as soon as the popula- 

 tion is sufficiently increased to war- 

 rant a division of their numbers. The 

 eggs are not usually deposited in the 

 queen-cells till the drones are hatched 

 quite plentifully. When the time 

 comes for swarming, which is as a 

 rule when the first queen cell is cap- 

 ped, the bees rush out en masses in- 

 cluding the old queen, and one-eighth 

 or more of the drones. Many seem to 

 suppose that no drones go with the 

 first swarm having the old queen, 

 claiming it is unnecessary, and for 

 this reason it is said that " the drones 

 remain in the hive to fertilize the 

 young queens." 



As there is plenty of drones hatching 

 at this time, there is no need of all of 

 them remaining, which are hatched, 

 as it will still be seven days before 

 the lirst young queen leaves her cell, 

 and then from 5 to 8 days before she 

 takes her " wedding flight;" making 

 12 to 15 days, during which time one- 

 half of the drones which were in the 

 cells at the time the swarm issued will 

 have hatched. I am well aware that 

 a far greater number of drones go 

 with a swarm having an unfertile 

 queen than with a swarm having an 

 old fertile one, for a greater necessity 

 for them exists ; still, the old queen is 

 always liable to accident, which might 

 occur soon after a few eggs were de- 

 posited in the worker cells, being 

 built by the bees ; in such a case they 

 could rear a queen, but no drones ; 

 hence, if none went with them, their 

 young queen would prove of no value. 

 Nature is very provident in all her 

 ways, and the instinct of the bees 

 leads them to prepare for any case of 

 emergency. 



We would conclude that where 

 there were plenty of drones in neigh- 

 boring hives, that there was no need 

 of every swarm having drones, but 

 the bee uses no reason, and thus 

 rears as many drones in a yard con- 

 taining 500 hives, as if the hive were 

 isolated 100 miles from any other. I 

 have had two swarms this season, 

 and, although, few drones have been 

 reared this year on account of cold 

 and wet weather, still each swarm 

 contained a score or more of drones. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



Prairie Farmer. 



Apiary Talks— Hoarded Honey. 



MRS. L. HAUKISON. 



Millions of heads of white clover 

 and millions of drops of rain. A large 

 amount of honey has been secreted 

 and stored during the few hours of 

 sunshine intervening between show- 

 ers. Hives areovertiowing with bees, 

 honey and brood ; j ust the exact con- 

 dition for storing surplus, should the 

 weather be favorable. The wet 

 weather will prolong the bloom, if it 

 does have to " waste its sweetness on 

 the desert air," and insure good fall 

 pasturage. \Vheuever the sun shines 

 out hot, a vigilant eye should be kept 

 on the apiary, lest the bees swarm 

 and decamp for the woods. Bees 

 mean business when they swarm, and 

 will not wait for hives to be made, or 

 to go to town and buy. 



Old hives that are to be used should 

 be thoroughly cleansed, and free from 

 offensive odors. Bees become very 

 warm during the excitement of 

 swarming, and if put into a close hot 

 hive, and left in the sun, will invari- 

 ably seek more comfortable quarters. 

 We once had a very large colony de- 

 sert the hive the day after swarming, 

 and leave for the woods, because the 

 sun was shining very hot upon them, 

 and they were crowded, we having 

 neglected to put on surplus boxes. 

 As a rule, with few if any exceptions, 

 bees cluster before leaving. If they 

 have issued and returned to the same 

 hive again several times, thev may 

 take a final departure without cluster- 

 ing ; or if they dislike their hive they 

 will take wing and leave. Bees that 

 have been clustered for days, on the 

 outside of their hives, are more apt 

 to leave then others. They should be 

 kept at work, and not allowed to lie 

 idle and study up mischief. Plenty 

 of room should be provided inside of 

 the hive for them to cluster in, and if 

 a sudden flow of honey occurs, it will 

 be improved. 



Our surplus boxes are made by fast- 

 ening, seven " prize boxes " together 

 with little strips of wood, and glazing 

 the ends. Three of these cover an 

 eight-frame Langstroth hive. In re- 

 moving some filled boxes from the 

 hive lately, the thought occurred to 

 me to try the late Adam Grimm's plan 

 of getting the bees out. We have a 

 little hive in which we have an im- 

 ported queen. It has two frames 

 about 4 inches square. We put a 

 newly hatched queen into it, and set 

 it into a large box, and then placed 

 the honey boxes alongside of it, and 

 covered it up to prevent robbing. The 

 old bees returned to their hive through 

 a knot-hole in the box, and the young 

 ones crawled into the small hive with 

 the young queen. When the bees 

 were all out of the surplus boxes the 

 little hive was full of young bees, and 

 were a regular organized colony, and 

 put on airs like one. In this way no 

 young bees were lost, as is sometimes 

 the case. 



When a swarm issues it goes forth 

 with haversacks loaded, carrying three 

 days' rations. If from any cause the 

 honey flow is interrupted, either by 



long continued wet weather or drouth, 

 the colony must perish, as it has no 

 old stores to resort to in an emergency. 

 Bees, as a rule, or with a few excep- 

 tions, never desert uncapped brood, 

 and many apiarists practice giving all 

 new swarms a frame, so that ihey will 

 remain. If, from any mishap, they 

 lose their queen, they have the means 

 at hand to raise another. This frame 

 also contains honey, which is some 

 help to the bee family just commenc- 

 ing housekeeping. If a frame of 

 honey is also given them, their preser- 

 vation will be insured. 

 Peoria, III. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Cost of Changing Frames and Hives. 



W. H. STEWART. 



Several writers for the Bee Jouk- 

 NAL seem intent on having bee keep- 

 ers, throughout the land, all adopt the 

 same comb frame. This means the 

 use of the same hive. The use of the 

 same frame and hive means throwing 

 away all other hives and frames now 

 in use, and the destruction of many 

 nice combs, except the one kind that 

 is to be adopted. Every sensible bee- 

 keeper knows that such a move, if 

 carried out, would result in the sacri- 

 fice of at least one-half of all the 

 property now invested in the bee 

 business. 



Not only the discarded hives, frames 

 and combs would be lost, but extrac- 

 tors made for the use of the Ameri- 

 can or the Gallup frame would be of 

 no use for the Langstroth, and that 

 made for the Langstroth would be of 

 no use for the others. All the wide 

 frames for holding sections on the 

 American and Gallup, also those 

 made to use crossvvise of the Langs- 

 troth, above and below, would be- 

 come kindling-wood if none but the 

 long Langstroth is to be adopted. 



To me it would appear just as rea- 

 sonable to require that all bee-keepers 

 should look alike in the face, weigh 

 the same number of pounds and 

 ounces, wear the same size of boots, 

 and to have the same climate and 

 other surroundings, as to require that 

 all should adopt the same hive, frame 

 and extractor. It is a well-known 

 fact that men differ just as widely in 

 opinion as in appearance, size and 

 shape. 



Natural law so dictates that men 

 ever have, and ever will, not only 

 differ in opinion as much as in appear- 

 ance, but that men as nearly alike 

 mentally and physically as they could 

 possibly be matched, if placed in dif- 

 ferent climates and having different 

 surroundings, would behave widely 

 different. Men are creatures of habit 

 and influence. Men that have become 

 accustomed to chop with a single- 

 bladed ax are slow to learn to use one 

 with a double bit. Men that have 

 learned to use the right-handed plow 

 would feel very awkward in attempt- 

 ing to use one that turned the land in 

 the opposite direction. Men that have 

 practiced the use of the American 

 frame and hive, would have to learn 

 many new motions and manceuvers 



