64 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



"Modern Transferring," that of driving the 

 bees out and hiving them upon sheets of 

 foundation, then driving them again when the 

 brood is hatched, Jiilling the queen and unit- 

 ing the bees with the bees first driven, then 

 extracting the honey from the old combs 

 and melting them into wax, this excellent 

 method, that was originated, we believe, by 

 Mr. Heddon, is given by copying from 

 Gleanings, an article of Mr. Heddon's. 



To be continued. 



THE MANAGEMENT AND CONTBOL OF INCBEASE. 



The bee-keeper who has a large number of 

 colonies is interested in learning how to pre- 

 vent or control increase. Under such con- 

 ditions, surplus is more desirable than in- 

 crease. By using large hives, and raising 

 extracted honey, swarming can be practi- 

 cally prevented : but, in the production of 

 comb honey, swarming is the rule as soon as 

 colonies become populous and work in the 

 sections is well urder way. In localities not 

 overstocked, and blessed with a harvest 

 from white clover, basswood and fall 

 flowers, better results are secured by allow- 

 ing one swarm from each stock. After- 

 swarming can be practically prevented by 

 the Heddon method, that of hiving the 

 swarm upon the old stand, transferring the 

 supers to the new hive, setting the old hive 

 by the side of the new one for a week, then 

 moving it to a new location. This throws 

 all the working force into the new hive 

 where the sections are, and leaves the parent 

 colony so weak in numbers, just as the 

 young queens are hatching, that few colo- 

 nies cast second swarms. Did the young 

 queens always begin hatching on the eighth 

 day, this method would be infallable : but, 

 occasionally, they hatch sooner ; oftener, 

 however, an after-swarm is the result of 

 their not hatching until the eleventh or 

 twelfth day ; when enough bees have hatch- 

 ed to make a small swarm. As a rule, how- 

 ever, after-swarming is prevented by this 

 method. E. A. Manum prevents after- 

 swarming entirely by cutting out all queen 

 cells, except one, on the fourth day, and 

 again upon the eighth day. There's too 

 much labor about this ; we would rather 

 have an occasional after-swarm. Mr. 

 Manum, however, does not wish to weaken 

 the old colony, while we have no objection, 

 so long as the new swarm is correspondingly 



strengthened. Certain it is that after- 

 swarming can be, and is, practically prevent- 

 ed, but the prevention of first swarms is a 

 more difdcult problem. The reports in re- 

 gard to the Simmins non-swarming system 

 are very meager and conflicting. We had 

 hoped to give it a trial last season, but sick- 

 ness prevented. We did, however, try the 

 plan of replacing the old queens with young 

 ones. Of twenty colonies so treated, only 

 one swarmed, and the queen in this one did 

 not prove a good layer, the bees seemed dis- 

 satisfied, and swarmed out. Of course, the 

 honey producer cannot afford to buy ijueens 

 in the spring, at $1.00 each, for all of his col- 

 onies ; but, if some method could be devised 

 for cheaply re-queening an apiary, with 

 young queens, in the spring, we believe 

 swarming could thereby be nearly, if not 

 quite, prevented. By removing the (lueen, 

 a few of our best bee-keepers prevent 

 increase, and at the same time stop 

 the rearing of brood at a time when 

 its production means a lessened sur- 

 plus. Then there are those who allow their 

 bees to swarm, yet so manage that all 

 increase is prevented. Dr. Tinker has been 

 calling attention to such a method. When a 

 colony swarms it is hived upon the old 

 stand, the sections transferred to the new 

 hive, all the bees shaken from the combs of 

 the parent colony and allowed to run in 

 with the swarm : the brood of the old colony 

 is then placed over the queen-excluding 

 honey-board of some colony that has not 

 swarmed, and the supers of this colony 

 placed over the brood thus added. As the 

 brood hatches, the combs become filled 

 with honey, when they can be removed and 

 the honey extracted, or they may be piled up 

 on a few colonies, and kept for use in win- 

 tering the bees. Well, we think we have 

 said enough to introduce the subject of 

 "Increase, its Management and Control," 

 and we most cordially invite our readers to 

 pick up the thread where we have dropped it, 

 and help to make the May Review brimfull 

 of information upon this most important 

 subject. 



HONEY PBODUCEBS' EXCHANGE. 



The United States Honey Producers' Ex- 

 change was organized in January, 1888. Its 

 officers are as follows : President, P. H. El- 

 wood : Vice President, I. L. "Scofield ; Secre- 



