AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



log 



AVORK ^ND F»I^aY. 



E. H. DIEHL. 



Meand'riug- throug-h a shaded field, 

 One Spring-like morn iu early May, 



I 'spied two g-opheis, half concealed. 

 Upon the grass in guileless play. 



They ran, with almost breathless speed. 

 Around a clump of cherry trees. 



Among whose fragrant blossoms flit 

 A countless swarm of honey-bees. 



They stopped a moment, stood erect. 

 With forefeet pendant on their breast. 



In studied effort to detect 

 Approaching danger to their nest. 



One moment more, a trampling sound 

 Apprized them of the approaching foe. 



And quick as thought, into the ground, 

 Their little strtped forms they throw. 



The busy bees still worked and sang. 

 Intent on earnest labor done ; 



While all the woods with music rang. 

 Beneath the brightness of the sun. 



Those idle gophers I where are they ? 



Secluded in their cozj' den. 

 To while an hour or two away. 



Then slyly to come forth again. 



What lessons have I learnfed to-day. 

 From Nature's bright, enchanting scene 



That earnest work and idle play. 

 In all God's kingdom may be seen. 



Leeseburgh, Ills. 



dueries and Replies. 



Disposition of Swam to Prevent Increase 



Query 776. — Which is the best way 

 to prevent increase, to return the swarm 

 to the parent hive, or unite it with a 

 weak colony ? — W. S. 



It depends on circumstances. — C. C. 



MlJLLER. 



Unite it with the weak colony. — J. P. 

 H. Beown. 



two, the latter, 



increase either 



Neither ; but of th 

 James Heddon. 



There would be no 

 way. — R. L. Taylor. 



Return the swarm, remove the queen, 

 and destroy all the queen-cells but one. 

 — M. Mahin. 



That depends upon the kind of a 

 swarm. I should return all but the 

 first. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



That depends upon cireumstances. I 

 could best determine if I was upon the 

 ground. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



It would depend on circumstances. I 

 have united a swarm with a weak colony 

 with good success. — H. D. Cutting. 



The most profitable way to prevent 

 increase is by the new system of man- 

 agement described in my book. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



Either way will prevent increase, but 

 it is difficult to find a weak colony at 

 swarming time, unless it be a queenless 

 one. — Dad ANT & Son. 



To return, if managed well, will suc- 

 ceed ; and to give to a weak colony, 

 after removing the queen, succeeds with 

 me in nine cases out of ten. — A. J. Cook. 



Remove the queen from the weak 

 colony, and shake the bees out on a 

 sheet in front of the hive, then dump 

 the swarm on the sheet, and let them all 

 run in together. — C. H. Dibbern. 



If you have weak colonies, build them 

 up that way, but one queen should be 

 removed. Swarms returned to the 

 parent colony will not always "stay 

 put." — Eugene Secor. 



If you are working for comb-honey, 

 and try either plan, I think it will result 

 in vexation of spirit. Prevention of 

 increase and comb-honey do not work 

 well together. — G. M. Doolittle. 



It will depend upon the condition of 

 the apiary. If it is desired to build up 

 the weak colony, unite. If returned to 

 the parent hive, the chances are that a 

 swarm would soon issue again. — J. E. 

 Pond. 



Take away the brood, and put empty 

 combs, or frames with foundation, or 

 starters only, in their stead, and hive 

 the swarm back where it came from. 

 The brood may be given to weak colo- 

 nies if you have them, but if not, put a 

 queen-excluder on the brood-nest over 

 the swarm, and put the brood in a super 

 or hive body, and tier up on the queen- 

 excluder. This forces the queen to 

 commence anew below the zinc excluder, 

 and if the queen is not old, or otherwise 

 objectionable to the bees, there will be 

 no more swarming, and you will have a 

 rousing colony, able and willing to store 

 all the honey in sight.— G. W. Demaree. 



