THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



S3 



if this condition is a desirable one, so far as 

 health is concerned. For health's sake, we 

 believe it advisable to avoid stings as much 

 as possible. 



Chapter VI takes np the subject of 

 " Natural Swarming." Messrs. Dadant say: 

 " There are no signs from which the apairist 

 can predict the issue of a first swarm." — 

 They also assert that, unless the weather is 

 very hot, a swarm that has clustered will not 

 leave for, at least, one or two hours. — The 

 only thing our Authors have known to stop a 

 departing swarm, is throwing water among 

 the bees. Our experience is the same; and 

 for throwing the water we ask for nothing 

 better than a Whitman fountain pump. — In 

 hiving a swarm, if any combs are given the 

 bees in the brood-nest, it is better to Jill the 

 brood-nest with them, because the giving of 

 a few combs furnishes the queen a place to 

 lay, and the comb built, while she is thus 

 engaged, will be of the drone variety. The 

 Dadant' s would use either combs or founda- 

 tion in the brood-nest when hiving swarms, 

 because they consider such an addition a 

 help, enabling the bees to store more honey. 

 We would use "starters" only in the brood- 

 nest, but we would give the bees abundant 

 help in the way of foundation or comb in 

 the SHj)er.s.—The Dadants do not favor the 

 plan of clipping the queens' wings. If two 

 swarms cluster together, they may be advan- 

 tageously kept together, so say our friends. 

 If more than two swarms cluster together, 

 they are to be shaken down in a pile and 

 directed into different hives. Watch is to be 

 kept for queens and all of them caught that 

 are seen. When the bees of a hive show un- 

 easiness, they are to be given a queen. If 

 there are not enough queens to go round, then 

 more are to be hunted for in balls of angry 

 bees upon the bottom boards of the hives. 

 We have been through all this, and the still 

 more aggravating experience of seeing swarm 

 after swarm go away to the woods by getting 

 an unexpected start. We know there are dis- 

 advantages in having clipped queens, but we 

 can overcome them easier than those attend- 

 ing undipped queens. — As this number of 

 the Review is discussing the control of in- 

 crease, it will be appropriate to quote quite 

 largely upon this subject. " In the majority 

 of instances, swarming is caused by the want 

 of room in the comb." " When the bees are 

 disposed to swarm, the heat of the sun 

 hastens their preparations." " The hatching 

 of a great number of drones is also an invi- 



tation to the swarir.ing fever." " The giving 

 of comb must be attended to just before the 

 crop begins." "The breeding room must be 

 large enough to accommodate the most pro- 

 lific queen." "The hive must be located 

 where the sun will not strike it in the hottest 

 hour of the day." "Drone comb must be 

 carefully removed." " Hives must be thor- 

 oughly ventilated." " If the above directions 

 are followed, tlie natural swarms will not 

 exceed five per cent." " The prevention of 

 swarming, when comb honey is raised, is not 

 so successful, because the apiarist cannot 

 furnish his bees witli empty combs." 



"Artificial swarming" is the title of the 

 tenth chapter, and in it we find little to criti- 

 cise, or that is particularly new. There is 

 one paragraph, however, that we must quote. 

 It reads as follows: "The forcing of a 

 swarm ought not to be attempted when the 

 weather is cool, nor after dark. Bees are 

 much more irrascible when their hives are 

 disturbed after it is dark, and, as they cannot 

 see where to fly, they will alight on the 

 person of the bee-keeper, who is almost sure 

 to be stung. It is seldom that night work is 

 attempted upon bees, without making the 

 operator repent his folly." We have "been 

 there" several times, and, although we have 

 not always had cause for repentance, when 

 we did, the repentance was sufficiently bitter 

 to make us give up the practice, unless 

 actually forced into it. 



To be continued. 



DOOLITTLE ON QUEEN REARING. 



Queen breeders have no cause for com- 

 plaint in regard to the supply of* literature 

 devoted to their delightful branch of apicul- 

 ture. A few years ago, Mr. Alley, one of our 

 oldest queen breeders, published a book 

 largely devoted to the rearing of queens : the 

 present year has witnessed the birth of the 

 Queen Breeders' Journal ; and now that old 

 veteran, G. M. Doolittle, has written a book 

 of 17(! pages, devoted wholly to "Scientific 

 Queen Rearing." The price is $1.00; and 

 when we say that the publishers are Thos. G. 

 Newman & Son, Chicago, 111., no more need 

 be said in regard to the typograpical neat- 

 ness and general make up of the book. It 

 contains twenty' illustrations, besides the 

 best looking picture that we have ever seen 

 of its Author. — Upon our desk lies a copy of 

 this book, just fresh from the press ; and all 

 are invited to step up and look over our 



