402 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Honey extractor — first premium, E. 

 Kretchmer, $4.00 ; second, Mrs. Heater, 

 $2.40. 



All-purpose single-walled hive — first 

 premium, E, Kretchmer, $1.60 ; second, 

 Mrs. Heater, 80 cents. 



All-purpose chaff hive — first premium. 

 Levering Bros., $1.60; second, E. 

 Kretchmer, 80 cents. 



Bee-smoker — first premium, W. Polsey, 

 Wahoo, 80 cents ; second, E. Kretch- 

 mer, 40 cents. 



The following was confined to exhibi- 

 tors in Nebraska : 



Best display of apiarian implements 

 and supplies, including comb-foundation, 

 cells full to partially-drawn out, and 

 queens and bees in cages — first premium, 

 W. E. Davidson, $8.00 ; second, Mrs. 

 Heater, $4.00. 



Report of surplus honey stored by any 

 colony of bees during the year 1891, 

 the amount of stores, manner of building 

 up, handling, kind of hive used, and 

 kind and quality stored — premium, J. F. 

 Langley, Gevena, $12.00. 



Hive opener — premium, A. C. Turrill. 



Destroy Qneen-Cells to Preyent Increase, 



CHAS. DADANT & SON. 



We have repeatedly found that the 

 cutting of the queen-cells when the colony 

 is preparing to swarm has very little 

 effect on them, for the reason that they 

 start new ones, and, if crossed in their 

 purpose, will even swarm with only eggs 

 or larvae in the queen-cells newly built. 



If we return the swarm 48 hours after 

 swarming, the queen-cells have been 

 destroyed by the young queen, and the 

 bees get rid of her or of the old one when 

 the swarm is returned, the swarming 

 fever being usually over by that time. 

 If the young queen is not yet hatched 

 when the swarm is returned, the old 

 queen usually goes about the work of 

 destroying all the queen-cells herself. 



We do not know but that it would be 

 safest to destroy all queen-cells before 

 returning the swarm; but this should be 

 attended to only a few hours before the 

 returnimg of the swarm or it will be done 

 to no purpose, as the bees have eggs and 

 larvae at hand from which they can rear 

 new queens without end. 



Our aim has always been to take the 

 shortest way of arriving at our purpose, 

 and we have found out two things : 



1, Destroying the queen-cells to pre- 

 vent swarming will avail nothing unless 

 thtt season provos also unfavorable to the 



swarming fever, as the bees at once build 

 new ones in the place of those that we 

 have destroyed. 



2. After the colony has swarmed it is 

 sufficient to return the swarm after two 

 days, to insure the destruction of the 

 cells or of the young hatched queen, or 

 of the old queen, at the bees' choice, 

 except, perhaps, in isolated cases, which 

 are exceptions to the rule. 



Our objection to destroying the queen- 

 cells and returning the swarm at once 

 is, that the swarming fever is not over 

 then, and it often happens that the bees 

 simply begin the work over at once by 

 building new queen-cells. If any one 

 will try keeping the swarm 48 hours he 

 will find much less need of repeating the 

 operation, and will not need to remove 

 queen-cells, since it is always, or nearly 

 always, done by the queen. If he has 

 ascertained that the bees have a queen 

 already hatched, he can either destroy 

 her or the old queen before returning 

 the swarm. 



Another objection to destroying the 

 queen-cells in any case, is the difficulty 

 of making sure of having found every 

 one of them. As a matter of course, with 

 a great deal of attention a bee-keeper 

 can make sure of that; but it is hardly 

 necessary to tell the reader that during 

 the swarming season a bee-keeper has 

 his hands full, even if he does not run a 

 farm and a bee-supply shop besides. 



The words "swarming fever" which 

 we have used in the above are well 

 known to practical bee-keepers. This 

 term has been used by old masters, and 

 fitly describes the condition of the bees 

 when they are making preparations for 

 swarming. These remarks are not in- 

 tended for old bee-keepers, but for the 

 many beginners who read these pages. 



When the bees have the swarming 

 fever, they have no rest till they succeed. 

 We have divided a colony into three 

 artificial swarms while they were making 

 preparations for swarming, and each of 

 these cast a swarm. It is this excitement 

 that makes all attempts at prevention 

 so futile on the part of the bee-keeper, 

 unless the weather becomes unfavorable. 

 But when the colony has swarmed, this 

 excitement promptly goes down, unless 

 they are still crowded and ill at ease, 

 and for that reason the returning of the 

 swarm is more likely to be successful, 

 especially if the apiarist takes pains to 

 give more room, more ventilation, and 

 more shade, at this time. This rule is 

 not infallible, but it is the best that we 

 have ever found ainder these circum- 

 stances. — Gleaninqs. 



Hamilton, Ills. 



