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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



is found to swarm again in a few days, 

 it contains a great number of these 

 drones, who have followed it by chance. 



Some attention should also be paid to 

 the location of the hive. If it is well 

 shaded by trees or shrubs during the 

 hot hours, or by an artificial shelter, if 

 the hive is sufficiently open to give a 

 good opportunity for ventilation, so 

 that the bees may not be compelled to 

 cluster on the outside, but on the con- 

 trary are able to stay inside and work 

 at all times, and especially when the 

 crop is good, and there is plenty for 

 them to do ; if, in short, all their needs 

 are well looked after, there will be but 

 little danger of swarming. In fact, the 

 only cause of swarming outside of the 

 causes mentioned above, is the rearing 

 of a young queen to replace the old 

 mother. 



You are all aware of the fact that 

 bees supersede their queens when old 

 and worn out. It very often happens 

 that the old queens begin to show signs 

 of failing after the profuse laying of the 

 Spring, and in the midst of a good 

 harvest. It is then that the bees pre- 

 pare a successor, being probably induced 

 more readily to do this by the fullness 

 of the harvest, and while the young 

 queens are being reared it takes but a 

 trifle to induce a swarm to issue with the 

 old queen. Such a swarm is of but little 

 value, as the old queen often fails soon 

 after and leaves them queenless, or 

 becomes a drone-layer. 



The method which we have been fol- 

 lowing for a number of years, of pro- 

 ducing only extracted-honey, and 

 placing supers full of empty combs every 

 season, on the hives, at the beginning 

 of the harvest, has proven successful in 

 nearly every instance, and we found that 

 failures were nearly always caused by 

 an unexpected large flow of honey, 

 which took us unawares, so that we had 

 not the time to give the bees sufficient 

 room before they had made preparations 

 for swarming. 



It is more difficult to succeed in pre- 

 venting swarms, when producing comb- 

 honey, and for this reason I believe that 

 a discussion among the members of this 

 association upon that question will 

 prove beneficial to many, and will bring 

 forward new ideas. 



The object of this essay was to intro- 

 duce the subject, and I will be glad if it 

 can cause the elucidation of some point 

 of importance at this meeting, for there 

 is not a more important subject than 

 this in the study of bee-keeping. 



Hamilton, Ills. C. P. Dadant, 



Mr. Bittenbender thought large hives 

 very good, but not a permanent cure. 



Mr. Nysewander's experience proved 

 to him that entrance guards were a good 

 preventive of swarming. 



Mr. Levering thought entrance guards 

 too small, or in practice they will prove 

 failures. 



Mr. Kimble considered the extractor 

 the best resort. 



Another brother thought it best to let 

 them swarm, and they would then be 

 satisfied. 



Mr. Secor gives room early in Spring, 

 and thus prevents swarming to a great 

 extent. If they swarm, he* places a 

 queen-Sxcluder on his hives and the 

 surplus receptacles, and sets the new 

 swarm on the old stand, which is known 

 as the Heddon system. Mr. Secor also 

 thought that young queens tend largely 

 to prevent swarming. 



An essay by Maude Meredith was 

 read, entitled 



liights and Shadows. 



I am glad your committee gave me 

 such an indefinite subject. It is so 

 much better for the subject. Besides, 

 coming as it does, at the close of such a 

 feast of good and valuable things, it 

 may pass as a sort of desert — a whipped- 

 up trifle of nothingness, that serves only 

 to keep us dallying at the table for yet 

 a little longer time. 



I suppose, in bee-keeping as in any- 

 thing else, the lights and shades will 

 seem to fail in difl'erent ways to differ- 

 ent people, so I may be obliged to make 

 a personal matter of it, and tell only 

 how they strike me. 



To begin where the bee does, at the 

 beginning of the season. When wie get 

 our hives all nicely out on the summer 

 stands, and the warm sunshine drops 

 over them and whispers to the bees of 

 swelling buds in the maples' crown, and 

 fragrant tassels in the willow fringes 

 along the river's winding ways ; when 

 we hear again the cheery hum of the 

 little fellows, glad to be let out from 

 their long Winter prison, then we fold 

 our hands, having nothing else to do, 

 and decide that bee-keeping is the most 

 delightful occupation in the world, and 

 we actually wish we had a thousand 

 mere colonies of bees. 



Then we go into the house and bring 

 out a pint of rye flour, and put it in 

 shallow boxes on the sunny side of the 

 hives. 



By and by, we go out again to look at 

 our bees, and find great colonies of 

 workers of every kind, and color, and 

 previous condition of servitude, buzzing 



