714 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15 



year after year, apparently, with little or 

 no restraint. Various States have laws to 

 protect the forests, but they seem to be weak 

 or else are not enforced. The g-overnment 

 of the United States should take a hand in 

 this matter, and see that the railroad com- 

 panies are put under proper restrictions. 



Another cause of forest- fires is the hunters 

 that go roving- over the country during the 

 fall. They build campfires, and then these 

 fires, before they are put out, are abandon- 

 ed, leaving a smouldering mass that is 

 quite liable to set fire to the leaves and 

 rubbish in the \icinity. 



I tell you, dear reader, it is high time 

 that the American people were opening 

 their ej'es. When Congress convenes, write 

 to your Senator and Representative, urging 

 them to do all they can to protect the forests 

 of our country. Perhaps j'our eftorts will 

 not accomplish much for your oivn immedi- 

 ate interests; but j'our children and your 

 children's children will need to be protect- 

 ed. The annual destruction by needless 

 and avoidable forest-fires is far greater 

 ih in the annual cuttings by man. We can't 

 stir up this matter any too soon. 



PREVENTION OF SWARMING WHEN EXTRACTED 

 HONEY IS PRODUCED. 



BY L. STACHELHAUSEN. 



In Gleanings for Feb. 15, it is asked 

 how swarming can be prevented if the colo- 

 ny is worked for extracted honey, and 

 whether the forced-swarm method can be 

 used or not. I know a number of plans for 

 this purpose, and which one will be the 

 best depends on the location. 



I use very large hives, and they prevent 

 swarming to a great extent, but not under 

 all circumstances. In my locality the bees 

 commence breeding early, and it depends 

 on the condition of the spring at what time 

 the colonj' will develop to their full strength. 

 As soon as the main honey-flow commences, 

 all danger of swarming is past. This is 

 so in every location if the honey-flow is 

 fast and good, while a slow flow is favor- 

 able to swarming. During a poor spring 

 my colonies develop slower, and the queen 

 is increasing egg-laying till the main flow 

 commences; consequently I get no swarms 

 from the large hives, while ten-frame hives 

 may swarm a short time before the honey- 

 flow. During a favorable spring the colo- 

 nies develop much faster, and sometimes I 

 found that a month or more before the main 

 flow some of the queens laid 4000 eggs 



daily with a light honey- flow still continu- 

 ing. Under such circumstances this colony 

 will soon swarm, even if kept in the largest 

 hive. In this case I use artificial increase, 

 and use the plan recommended b_v Doolittle. 

 Brush or shake colony A on empty combs 

 or foundation on the old stand (for comb 

 honey on starters). The brood-combs with- 

 out any bees are set on the place of colony 

 B, and this receives a new stand, C. A 

 fertile queen is introduced to B; or if such 

 is not on hand, a ripe queen-cell. Under 

 such circumstances these three colonies 

 will give more surplus honey than two colo- 

 nies if we had them undivided. 



I never extract any unripe honey or any 

 hone5'^ from the brood nest, but alvvaj's give 

 plenty of super room. During a light 

 honey- flow the bees will carry the honej' to 

 the supers to make room for the brood. 

 The fast and good honey-flows contract 

 the brood-nest; if not enough, supers are 

 given. 



If the colonies are getting of such a 

 strength that swarming is to be expected 

 for some days before the main flow com- 

 mences, or if the main flow is not so good 

 as to prevent swarming, other plans can be 

 used. 



1. If queen-cells are already started we 

 can easily tell when the first cell will be 

 capped; then it is time to manipulate. We 

 remove the hive from the old stand a few 

 steps, and set in its place a hive with emp- 

 ty combs or foundation. From the brood - 

 combs the most of the bees and the queen 

 are brushed or shaken into or in front of this 

 hive with the empty combs. The brood- 

 combs and some of the bees which remain 

 on them are returned into the old hive, and 

 this is set close to the side of the other hive. 

 (It can be set on top or behind it just as 

 well). As this colony will remain weak 

 for some time the first queen, which hatch- 

 es will destroy the other cells. Now we 

 can unite again. Of course, one of the 

 queens must be removed. If we are willing 

 to remove the virgin queen, it is not neces- 

 sary to hunt her up. At evening the places 

 of the two colonies are changed. One hour 

 later, when the bees have ceased to fly we 

 change the places again. The old bees, 

 which have entered the hive with the young 

 queen, will kill her during the night in 

 nine cases out of ten. ( It is a case of han- 

 dling hives instead of frames. ) The next 

 day this colon3' is set on top of the forced 

 swarm, a wire cloth between the two, 

 which can be removed six hours later. 

 The whole manipulation is finished in six 

 or seven days. 



2. If no queen-cells are started, the first 

 young queen will hatch in ten or twelve 

 days. During this time the colony will 

 get strong, and very probably would send 

 out an after- swarm. Some of the bees will 

 be old enough to do field work, and could 

 work to better advantage in the forced 

 swarm, which is now getting weaker every 

 day. For this reason we remove the colony 

 with the queen-cells in about eight days to 



