8o 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



bee keepers with whom I have talked 

 since that article appeared have contend- 

 ed that that plan may be all right for Col- 

 orado, with her long seasons, but it won't 

 answer for Michigan. It will answer for 

 any locality where bees swarm, as it is 

 swarming pure and simple. All the dif- 

 ference is that we make the bees swarm 

 when we are ready instead of waiting un- 

 til they are ready. Perhaps it is not 

 quite correct to say that this is all of the 

 difference, as the queens reared by the 

 colony thus practically robbed of its 

 field-force, may be pretty poor sticks — 

 but that is another story, and can be told 

 later. One of the best and most practi- 

 cal bee keepers with whom I am acquaint- 

 ed, Mr. H. R. Boardman, of East Town- 

 send, Ohio, practices this method in his 

 own out-apiaries — it practically solves the 

 swarming feature. He visits his out- 

 yards about once a week, and every col- 

 ony populous enough to swarm is thus 

 swarmed bv the shaking-off process. 



By shaking off the bees is not meant 

 shaking off every bee — but the majority 

 of them. Some mast be left to care for 

 the unsealed brood — something the same 

 as are left when bees swarm. 



If we fear foul brood, or desire increase, 

 the old hive is carried to a new stand. 

 At the end of three weeks the bees will 

 all have hatched out, and can be shaken 

 off into a new hive just as was done at 

 the first shaking. The combs are then 

 free from brood, and the honey can be ex- 

 tracted, and the combs melted up into 

 wax. 



A CAUTION REGARDING THE YOUNG 



QUEENS TH.\T ARE REARED. 



As already hinted, I shouldn't expect 

 queens reared under these conditions to 

 be good queens, but I must confess that 

 I have never tried this plan, hence I can 

 not speak from experience. Mr. Hed- 

 don, in his book, where he describes the 

 process, says not one word in regard to a 

 queen for the last shaken colony. If 

 queens reared under these conditions are 

 all right, well and good; that ends the 



matter. If they are not, then some pro- 

 vision must be made to furnish such col- 

 onies with good queens. My way would 

 be to allow some colony, of a desirable 

 strain, to make preparations for swarm- 

 ing, and then remove the queen as soon 

 as the bees had some queen cells nicely 

 started. When the brood in the combs 

 from which the bees had been shaken, 

 was all sealed over, I would destroy all 

 queen cells that had been started, and 

 give the colony a capped queen cell from 

 my choice stock. If some one else knows 

 of a better way, will he please favor the 

 Review with a description ? 



HOW THE HATCHING BEES MAY BE 

 GRADUALLY COAXED BACK. 



If there is no desire for increase, and 

 no fear of foul brood, the old hive, after 

 the bees have been shaken from the 

 combs for the first time, may be set down 

 behind the new hive that is on the old 

 stand. It should have its entrance turned 

 in an opposite direction to that of the new 

 hive's entrance. Gradually, the old hive 

 may be turned around until it sits par- 

 allel by the side of the new hive. At the 

 end of three weeks, the bees can be 

 shaken in frort of the new hive. This 

 gives a new set of combs, practically gets 

 rid of the swarming fever, and, if the 

 season is long enough, results in a good 

 crop of honev. There is also a plan of 

 gradually adding the hatching force to 

 the colony in the new hive. Proceed as 

 before until tie old hive is sitting side by 

 side with the new hive. Now pick up 

 the old hive £.nd set it behind the new 

 hive, with itsentrance turned in an op- 

 posite direction. All of the flying bees 

 that have ma.-ked the old location will re- 

 turn and join the colony in the new hive. 

 Oradually bring the old hive around to 

 the side of the new one. As soon as this 

 has been accouplished, set it back again 

 behind the nev hive, and the colony in the 

 new hive gets another dose of bees. Con- 

 tinue to work in this way until the three 

 weeks are up then shake out the few 

 bees that renuin. 



