1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



543 



cranks that turn tlic ivhecls of progress in 

 human alTairs. 



I take this opportunitj- to extend my best 

 wishes to the bee-keepers of Jamaica. 



Medina, Ohio. 



DRIVEN SWARMS. 



Method of Treatment; Some of the Difficulties to 

 be Overcome. 



BV A. J. WKIGHT. 



I use the word "driven" instead of brush- 

 ed, shaken, jounced, forced, etc , because 

 it expresses a distinctive feature of the plan 

 I use. I was considerablj' surprised when 



time in the spring-, which I secure as fol- 

 lows: 



About the middle of February, if the 

 weather is mild, I set the colonies out of 

 the cellar, allowing them to remain until it 

 turns cold again, when they are replaced. 

 The strongest and healthiest will now start 

 brood-rearing if the temperature of the cel- 

 lar i s not below freezing. About the middle 

 of March, if the weather is favorable, each 

 colony is placed on its summer stand, and 

 is well protected by outer covering. Last 

 spring my bees were set out March 22, and 

 examination showed brood in various stages, 

 the be?t colony showing four frames of 

 capped brood on that date. Some writer 

 (was it Mr. Somerford?) said in Glean- 





T':i\^^mmi 



iUi,h''''.j»~ \ \', - 



mm 





One of Hooper Brothers' out-ap:aries iu Clatcndon. F. A. Hocper in the left foreground. Building shown is. 



honev-house. 



the matter of brushed, etc., swarms was 

 first brought up in Glkanings that you 

 seemed to regard it as something new. 

 Why, Mr. Editor, I have been practicing 

 it for a long time. In fact, it is the only 

 method by which I can secure a paying 

 crop of honey in this locality. I can not 

 say whether this plan will work well in all 

 localities: but in localities similar to this, 

 where the honey- flow is usually short and 

 quite uncertain, it seems to be just the 

 thing. 



The first and very important step is full 

 colonies and an abundance of stores in the 

 fall; brood-rearing at the earliest possible 



INGS that only a weak swarm would start 

 brood- rearing in the cellar. This is not at 

 all true with me; but the reverse is the 

 case. 



Each colony is now worked for brood for 

 all it is worth; and when the frames are 

 pretty well filled, another hive is placed 

 above with queen-excluding zinc between, 

 putting capped brood from below above and 

 giving empty frames below, when young 

 eggs are given above, and this is continued 

 at intervals until queen-cells are started in 

 the upper story. When some of these cells 

 are capped over, all but three or four of the 

 best are cut out and destroyed, leaving the 



