268 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



tween the hive and hiver was of large size 

 (4x8 inches) with a space behind; and I 

 thought that it would be sufficient. The 

 trouble is, that in hot days some of the work- 

 ers, and w hatever drones are in the hives, 

 cluster on the zinc and cone, and thereby 

 obstruct the holes, and not only interfere 

 with the ventilation, but also with the going 

 and coming of the honey-gatherers. The 

 drones live in the hive several days, being 

 fed there by the workers. This particularity 

 may sometimes be turned to advantage. 

 They can be easily destroyed, except those 

 that may be wanted for fertilization of young 

 queens. When the queens are out, the front 

 zinc of the hiver can be removed, and the 

 select drones permitted to come out. Clos- 

 ing the cone will effectually prevent the loss 

 of a swarm while the front zinc is open. 



About .June 25th some of the colonies were 

 so large, and the weather so hot, that I had 

 to remove most of the zincs ( between the hive 

 and hivers) to insure better ventilation. I 

 left the zincs in front of the hivers. Even 

 thus reduced, the hiver was yet very useful, 

 as no swarm could go off. As a general rule 

 any swarm going out and returning will try 

 again very early the next day, if the weather 

 is favorable. As a returning swarm hangs 

 more or less outside the hiver for an hour or 

 two after returning, by visiting the apiary 

 between 10 a. m. and 12 o'clock, the apiarist 

 can tell which hives have swarmed, and need 

 attention. 



After this experience, I doubt very much if 

 the Langdon and Aikm devices to prevent 

 swarming will work satisfactorily. I can 

 only repeat what I said before, that it de- 

 pends upon the circumstances ; as to work 

 always, I doubt it. The change from one hive 

 to another where the bees are equally crowd- 

 ed could not abate the swarming fever. 

 Mine swarmed from the hiver as well as they 

 did from the old hive. 



The revolving stand of B. Taylor was also 

 a failure. The destruction of the queen cells 

 by the queens cannot do any more good than 

 when done by the apiarist. It seems very 

 difficult to prevent the swarming fever en- 

 tirely. We can give plenty empty room, but 

 not plenty empty comb as those who pro- 

 duce extracted honey do. Non-swarming 

 colonies get to be very strong, and therefore 

 more or less crowded. 



Summing uj), I see three iioints which con- 

 form to the teachings of our leading writers, 

 viz. : 



1st. The impossibility of preventing the 

 swarming fever entirely, when producing 

 comb honey. Of course the actual swarm- 

 ing could be prevented. 



2nd. As long as the swarming fever lasts, 

 the colony is ' no good,' so far as gathering 

 surplus is concerned. 



ord. The only ways to overcome the 

 swarming fever are these : 



a. Allowing swarming, or an equivalent, 

 dividing. That is what Doolittle, Hutchin- 

 son, Heddon, etc., are doing. To obtain a 

 surplus, they turn over to the swarm as much 

 of the old force as possible, and whatever 

 surplus is gathered already. This does not 

 work very well here, for reasons that I will 

 explain some other time. The old colony — 



well, I don't know, but by their reports, I 

 suppose that most of the time the old col- 

 ony is so weak that it dies the following win- 

 ter or spring. 



It. Removing the queen and cells, and not 

 returning the queen (or another one) until 

 the colony has been hopelessly queenless for 

 some time. This is practiced by our most 

 extensive and most successful comb honey 

 producers, such as Manum, Hetherington, 

 Elwood, etc. 



This will be my next year's experiment — 

 as a help similar to the self-hiver, I want to 

 try the following arrangement : 



Have the hive so constructed that the en- 

 trance can lead either to the brood-nest or 

 to the supers. Add to the hive, or rather to 

 the brood-nest, a cone Hivina the necessary 

 ventilation and permitting the bees to come 

 out, but not to go back. At the opening of 

 the honey-flow close the brood-nest, place a 

 solid board between the brood-nest and the 

 supers, so as to cut off entirely the commu- 

 nication between the two, and fix the en- 

 trance so as to send the whole force into the 

 supers. Of course, the bees in the supers 

 having neither queen nor brood will be hope- 

 lessly queenless and give up (?) any notion 

 to swarm they may have. (Perhaps they 

 will, and perhaps they won't. ) The queen in 

 the brood-nest with only young bees will de- 

 stroy whatever queen cells may be started. 

 Three or four days later the board between 

 the supers and brood-nest can be removed, 

 and the usual brood-nest entrance opened 

 atrain. The operation can be repeated again 

 during the honey-flow, whenever swarming 

 mav occur. 



I'll let you know in a year from now 

 whether the above scheme will work or not. 

 At any rate. I think if it fails as a non-swarm- 

 er. it will be splendid to start work in the 

 sections, and could also be used in lieu of 

 contracting the brood-nest, if this is desired 

 at the end of the season. 



Knoxville, Tenn., July 10, 189.3." 



As to what becomes of the old colony when 

 it is robbed of what surplus it may have on 

 hand at the time it swarms, also robbed of 

 its flying bees for the first week after swarm- 

 ing, I will say that it usually proves to be 

 the best possible kind of a colony the next 

 season. It has a young queen and it goes on 

 and raises enough bees for winter, besides 

 this, if it has swarmed early, it sometimes 

 furnishes some surplus besides. If either of 

 the two are likely to succumb, it is the swarm 

 with its old queen and contracted brood 

 nest. It must be given more combs in the 

 brood nest as soon as the white honey har- 

 vest is over, and fed a little if there is no 

 honey flow, or else it must be united with 

 some other colony. I have reference to 

 cases where severe contraction is practiced 

 — where only four or five Langstroth combs 

 or their equivalent are allowed in the brood 

 nest at the time of hiving. 



