THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



409 



led during the flow of honey without 

 stinging, spread out evenly upon the 

 combs and remain quiet while being 

 examined ; good to repel robbers and 

 moths, and not meddlesome (that is, 

 not attempting to rob weak colonies 

 or putting out their keeper's eyes 

 when unmolested),! would allow three 

 points. Thus a colony having per- 

 fect disposition, wintering perfectly 

 and getting 45 pounds of surplus 

 honey, or 90 pounds of -extracted 

 honey, and having sufficient stores to 

 winter, would score ten points. 



I think that excessive natural 

 swarming should be discouraged, con- 

 sequently I would not allow any 

 credit for swarms cast, but would 

 commence a new account with the 

 new colony. The bee-keeper, having 

 kept a record with each colony for 

 one year, is then ready to select say 

 about 4 colonies that have the pre- 

 vious season scored the highest num- 

 ber of points from every 10 colonies, 

 from which to rearqueens and drones, 

 two of the selected colonies to be 

 used for the rearing of drones, and 

 the remaining two being used for 

 rearing queens. No drones should 

 be allowed to issue from the other 

 colonies selected for that purpose. 



There are several methods in use 

 by bee-keepers for rearing and ferti- 

 lizing queens from those selected 

 colonies, that will readily suggest 

 themselves to the advanced bee- 

 keeper; but I wish to briefly outline a 

 method that may be of some benefit 

 to the beginner : 



The colonies for breeding purposes 

 shouk' be selected as early as April 

 12, or at least May 1, in this locality. 

 The colonies selected for drones 

 should be given one or more sheets of 

 drone-comb placed near the centre of 

 the cluster, and the bees and queens 

 stimulated by feeding, if necessary, 

 to get eggs placed in the drone comb 

 as early as possible, as the drone will 

 require about 35 days from the egg, 

 to be of service. 



I believe that queen-cells started 

 under the natural-swarming impulse 

 are certainly as good, if not better, 

 than those started by any other 

 method ; consequently colonies select- 

 ed for rearing queens should be 

 brought up to the swarming point 

 early in May, if possible, by stimula- 

 tive feeding, and if necessary by the 

 addition of brood from other colonies. 

 Watch them closely, and about six or 

 seven days alter the eggs have been 

 deposited in the queen-cells, remove 

 the old queen and a few bees to a new 

 hive, and build them up again to a 

 full colony. In about six days after 

 the removal of the queen, divide the 

 old colony up into as many nuclei as 

 you have frames with queen-cells 

 attached. In about 26 days, or early 

 in June, the queens will" be laying 

 and ready for use. 



The above method gives the bee- 

 keeper queens reared under the nat- 

 ural-swarming impulse, and all 

 drones and queens are reared from 

 colonies selected after a competitive 

 trial, and must, if persisted in, greatly 

 improve bees of whatever race or 

 color. 



For tUe American Bee Journal 



Fonnilation Starters In Brood-Fraffles. 



FRANKLIN -P. STILES. 



As I have not read Mr. Hutchin- 

 son's book I cannot say to what ex- 

 tent he advocates the use of starters 

 in brood-frames; but current bee- 

 literature would indicate his total 

 repudiation of foundation on which to 

 hive swarms. I hardly feel like ac- 

 cepting the idea that one who has so 

 readily seen through the " outs " and 

 "ins" of the different systems of 

 management, with the bearing they 

 have on the producing cost, and has 

 so graphically depicted the experience 

 of many others, using words that ex- 

 actly conveyed what they lacked the 

 ability to express.can be unreservedly 

 committed to this system. 



That swarms can be so treated, 

 and a larger return be realized the 

 same season, my tests for several 

 years with from one to twenty swarms 

 so hived each season clearly show ; 

 but please bear in mind that it was 

 wholly a dollar-and cent advantage 

 for the season, a system only suited to 

 the business of honey-producing ex- 

 clusively, wherein the capital and 

 stock in trade is a fixed amount not 

 to be extended. The advantages that 

 have been, and can be, secured by 

 this plan, where no permanent in- 

 crease is desired, are very great ; but 

 thinking to realize these advantages, 

 and at the same time increase the 

 practical working value in an exten- 

 sion of your plant, is simply an illu- 

 sion. " You cannot eat your cake 

 and have it too." 



The permanent part of an apiary 

 can never work too perfectly if we 

 would produce with the least labor 

 and expense, and no combs can be 

 obtained from starters only, that can 

 compare with those built from foun- 

 dation in wired frames. The latter 

 are a joy and a comfort for years, 

 facilitating the rapid manipulation of 

 a colony, whether we handle the 

 frames singly or the entire section, as 

 we usually do with the Heddon hive. 



Perhaps one not familiar with the 

 Heddon hive will ask, what difference 

 does it make if we handle the whole 

 case of frames at once ? I find this 

 difference : Nearly all of the bees are 

 easily shaken from a case where the 

 combs are of equal thickness, and 

 true, as when foundation is used, 

 giving a clear view of all the ranges 

 of comb ; while naturally built combs 

 (with me) are never "as true as 

 boards," but more or less wavy and 

 uneven with some drone-cells, though 

 the latter, except tor its rendering the 

 combs still more uneven, is the least I 

 have to contend against. This un- 

 even surface enables the bees to re- 

 tain their foothold, requiring more 

 time and strength to dislodge them. 

 If, then, we wish to examine the 

 combs our view is greatly obstructed. 



Thus two of the best features or 

 characteristics of Mr. Heddon's in- 

 vention are rendered nearly inopera- 

 tive. This latter objection, of course, 

 would not apply to a hanging-frame 

 hive, but my experience with the 



Langstroth frame used with starters, 

 has shown me that it requires far too 

 much time to be thought of except in 

 a limited way as an experiment. 



I understand that Mr. Hutchinson 

 cautions the convert to the doctrine 

 of starters, to go slow by testing one 

 or two colonies. So, if you take his 

 advice just as he gives it, you will not 

 " advance to the rear " to an extent to 

 be repented of; but the universal 

 hiving of swarms which are to be- 

 come permanent colonies, on other 

 than full sheets of foundation, I am 

 convinced is a backward step, the re- 

 covery of which will be found expen- 

 sive, slow and annoying. 



Mr. Hutchinson may be well satis- 

 fied with his colonies whose homes 

 have been furnished originally with 

 starters, but I think that if he were 

 purchasing those same colonies, the 

 argument in favor of combs built 

 from foundation would present itself, 

 to the advantage of the seller. 



Haverhill, c$ Mass. 



Farmers' Review. 



Uniting f eali Colonies. 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON. 



The reason why bees sometimes 

 quarrel when united, and then under 

 apparently similar circumstances 

 peaceably unite, is not well under- 

 stood. I have frequently united sev- 

 eral colonies during the same day, 

 and the bees in some of the hives 

 would quarrel, while in others " all 

 was serene." When honey is coming 

 in plentifully, there is usually but 

 little quarreling. Queenless bees are 

 much more peaceably inclined, and 

 will readily accept a new locality, if 

 by so doing they secure a queen. A 

 thorough smoking repeated perhaps 

 two or three times will sometimes 

 take the " fight" out of the bees that 

 have been united. 



As a general thing bee-keepers do 

 not approve of uniting weak colonies 

 in the early spring. The disturbance 

 and increase in numbers seems to 

 have a stimulating effect, and brood- 

 rsaring is increased to an undue ex- 

 tent. The bees are all old, and soon 

 die off under the labor of brood-rear- 

 ing. A spell of cold weather chills 

 the brood, and the colony soon 

 dwindles away and dies. Three weeks 

 after half a dozen weak colonies have 

 been united often finds the new colony 

 no stronger than each would have 

 been had there been no disturbance 

 or uniting. Probably the best that 

 can be done with weak colonies in 

 the spring, is to pack each by itself, 

 confining the bees upon as few combs 

 as possible. Those that live, will of 

 course increase in numbers as the 

 warm weather comes on, and as they 

 become crowded for room more 

 combs may be added from time to 

 time. Upon the eve of the honey 

 harvest, the weak colonies may often 

 be united with advantage, especially 

 .so, if comb honey is produced. 



In uniting, the queen and one comb 

 of brood and honey should be left in 

 the hive upon the old stand, with the 



