146 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mar. 7, 



How to Increase Bees When Natural 

 ing is Not Wanted. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Swartti- 



A correspoiidont writes me that he has 40 colonies of 

 bees, and that his business is to be such the coming summer 

 that he cannot be at home in the middle of the day during 

 swarming time, and wishes me to tell how he can manage so 

 as to increase his bees and still have them do good work in 

 storing comb honey. As I have many similar letters to this, 

 I will give what I would reply to each, in the columns of the 

 American Bee Journal. 



After trying nearly every plan of artificial increase which 

 has ever been given, I am satisfied that none of them will 

 give as good results as will natural swarming ; but where one 

 is situated as is the writer of the above, of course a substitute 

 for the good old way will have to be resorted to. Knowing 

 that there were times when increase other than natural 

 swarming would be very desirable, I kept a record of all my 

 experiments while trying the various plans of making swarms, 

 as given at different times to the public, and, according to ray 

 views, the two following come the nearest to nature's way of 

 any now before the world. 



The first plan I have practiced quite extensively for years, 

 but prefer the last under conditions suited to its use. All the 

 particular difference there is in the two plans is that, with the 

 latter, a new queen is given to the swarm, leaving the old one 

 to continue to do duty in the old hive, wliile with the former 

 the old queen goes with the swarm, the same as she does in 

 natural swarming, thus leaving the bees to rear a queen of 

 their own. By giving each part a laying queen, quite a gain 

 is made, still this first plan is a good one where one cannot 

 rear the queens before he makes the swarms, or feels too poor 

 to buy them. None of the plans of artificial increase should 

 be used till the hive is quite well filled with bees, and the bees 

 themselves are preparing for swarming. 



When the proper time has arrived, go to any colony from 

 which you wish to take a swarm, and after having removed 

 the cover and quilt or honey-board, drive the bees out of the 

 way with a little smoke so that you can shave the cappiugs off 

 from some of the sealed honey at the tops of the frames, 

 unless you think they have plenty of unsealed honey in the 

 hive. Just previous to doing this, you should find the queen 

 and cage her so you can put your hand on the cage just when 

 you like. 



Having both of the above done, close the hive and beat on 

 it with the fist, at the same time blowing smoke in at the 

 entrance, just enough to frighten back the guards as they 

 come out to drive off the intruder. Having the guards all 

 turned back, give the hive several sharp blows, enough to 

 cause the bees to thoroughly fill themselves with honey ; and if 

 more than one swarm is to be made, go to the next hive and 

 prepare them in the same way, while the first are filling them- 

 selves ; otherwise you will have to wait till the bees have their 

 sacs full. When this is accomplished, set the cap of any hive, 

 or any box will do, on a wide board a little way off from the old 

 hive, and proceed to shake the bees off the frames till you 

 think you have about three-fourths of them, shaking them in 

 front of the cap or box on the wide board, into which they 

 will run as fast as they are shaken off, if the same is raised 

 up a bee-space on the side next to where they are shaken. 



Lastly, take the frame having the queen in the cage on it, 

 remove the cage and shake the bees off from it and, while they 

 are running in, release the queen and let her run in with 

 them so she will be with the made swarm. Now close the 

 hive, when the returning bees from the field, and what were 

 left on the combs and about the hive, will make the old colony 

 in about the same condition it would have been in had it cast 

 a swarm. 



Next take the cover having the bees in it ; carry it to the 

 shade of some tree, and after setting it down, lean it up 

 against the tree with the open side out, exposed to the light. 

 Leave them thus while you are making other swarms, or for 

 about an hour to an hour and a half, when they will conclude 

 they are a separate colony, and will behave just like a natural 

 swarm, having clustered in the box the same as a swarm does 

 on a limb. Now hive them the same as you would a natural 

 swarm, and they will work the same, or as nearly so as is pos- 

 sible to have bees do outside of natural swarming. 



The next way, and the one which I prefer where I have 

 laying queens to spare, is to proceed the same as above till you 

 get ready to shake off the bees, when they are to be shaken 

 into a box instead of into a cap. This box is to be made of a 

 size to hold about a half bushel, the two sides of which are to 

 be of wire cloth, one permanently nailed on, and the other to 

 have the wire cloth nailed to four small strips so that four 



small nails, one through the center of each strip, will hold it 

 fast to the box, yet make it readily removable when you wish 

 to got the bees out. In the top of the box is to be bored a 

 hole of the right size to admit the small end of a large funnel, 

 such as is used in putting up bees by the pound, and over this 

 hole is to be fixed a slide so that it can be closed as soon as the 

 bees are in. 



Having the box and funnel, proceed to shake the same 

 amount of bees down through it into the box as you did in the 

 former case in front of the cap ; but instead of putting the 

 queen with the bees in the box, let her run back into the hive. 

 Now carry the box of bees to some cool place, preferably in 

 the dark, and leave them undisturbed for four hours, when 

 you are to go and get the spare queen, from one of your 

 nuclei, or otherwise, and after going where the box of bees is, 

 jar the bees to the bottom of the box, by setting it on the floor 

 suddenly, so that they will not be running out while you are 

 putting in the queen, and immediately let the queen run 

 through the hole into the box. Now close the hole and leave 

 the bees till sunset or the next morning, when you find them 

 clustered and ready for hiving, the same as a natural swarm 

 would be, having accepted the queen which you gave them, as 

 their own mother. Hive as before and the work is done. 



It is well in either case to give the newly-hived swarm a 

 frame of brood from the old hive to start them with, and 

 make matters seem more home-like. In using this latter plan 

 it is best to take the bees between the hours of 8 and 10 a. m. 

 if it can possibly be done at that time. In writing this out it 

 seems like a good deal of work, but where making many 

 swarms the work goes on rapidly, as the bees are filling them- 

 selves while you are working, so there is no waiting. In this 

 way swarms can be made about as fast as natural swarms 

 could be cared for, while they work nearly as well after they 

 are made. Borodino, N. Y. 



The Production of Comb Honey. 



The fourth of a series of articles ou this subject. 

 BY EMERSON T. ABBOTT. 



THE FLAT HIVE COVER, 



which is used on the dovetailed hive, is, to my mind, another 

 of our modern blunders, and is therefore objectionable in the 

 production of comb honey. First, it is hard to keep it on the 

 hive, if not stuck fast with propolis, and, if it is, it is hard to 

 remove it without jarring the hive more than is desirable. 

 The main objection which I have to it is that it does not give 

 space enough above the sections. This is a very serious one 

 in a warm climate. With a flat cover fitting down within 

 li or ?s of an inch of the sections, and no shade, the super 

 will be so hot that the bees cannot remain at work in it during 

 the heat of the day. There is no question, in my mind, but 

 what a thin honey-board withi a Jj-inch bee-space between 

 it and the sections is the very best covering that can be had 

 for the sections. With a cover so constructed that there is an 

 inch or more of space above this honey-board, the hive will 

 always be cool enough for the bees to work in the supers, and 

 I should not think of using any other kind of a cover. 



Another objection to the flat cover is, it is constantly 

 warping and getting out of shape, so it will not fit down 

 snugly on the hive. 



The HigginsvUle Hive-Cover. 



The so-called improved cover, as shown in the illustration, 

 which has been lately introduced, seems to me to have all the 

 objectionable features of the old flat covers, and nothing to 

 render it more desirable. It is true it has sloping sides, but 

 of what benefit are they ? Every hive should slant to the 

 front with a sufficient pitch to run off all of the water from 

 the cover. This slope aids the bees greatly in cleaning out the 

 hive, and in defending it against robbers. It also keeps the 

 water from beating in at the entrance, and aids in the removal 

 of the moisture which may accumulate in the hive during cool 

 weather. Of what use are the sloping sides on a hive slanted 

 to the front in this way ? 



About the only thing that can be said in its favor is that 

 it will let the water run off at the sides instead of the ends, 



