THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



189 



centre rows. This will probably be about 

 six or uine days from the time the lirst case 

 was put on. We then raise up the two and 

 put a third case of sections tilled with foun- 

 dation under, next to the brood. In this 

 way we keep adding some every few days in 

 proportion to the strenytli of the colony, in- 

 ducing the colony to store in the top sections, 

 and leaving an empty space, or rather sec- 

 tions only partially filled just above the 

 brood chamber. This keeps down the 

 swarming fever very much better than to 

 have fully tilled sections that only require a 

 small corner to be filled and sealed here and 

 there over the frames before they are ready 

 to be taken off. The bees are not so inclined 

 to swarm out when they have what appears 

 to them an empty brood chamber. Then 

 there is another advantage in so placing the 

 sections. If the empty sections are placed 

 on top of those being tilled, the partially 

 filled will have to remain on for some days 

 to be tilled, and the bees travelling over 

 these capped sections to get to the ones 

 above, soil the sections and mar their ap- 

 pearance. The bees are also less inclined to 

 daub the sections with propolis if they are 

 placed as we suggest, because they are rais- 

 ed a little up in the hive, and they are not 

 nearly so badly daubed as when down next 

 to the brood chamber. According to our 

 method a number of cases may be put on 

 equal to the strength of the colony and the 

 length of the season. 



If, however, at the latter part of the honey 

 season you find that you have not room 

 enough in the hive, it is not advisable to put 

 an empty section next the brood chamber, 

 as the bees will not cross over the empty 

 ones to carry honey to the top, but will be 

 more apt to bring down the honey from the 

 top sections to the lower ones as the honey- 

 flow ceases. In order then to give them 

 plenty of room, induce them to work, and 

 prevent swarming, put a crate of partially 

 filled sections or empty sections with foun- 

 dation in them on top of the sections which 

 are being filled and capped over instead of 

 underneath, thus bringing these latter down 

 next the brood chamber. The bees will 1)e 

 sure to till and cap these and should the 

 honey-flow continue longer than you expect, 

 the bees can work in the upper sections and 

 the work done there is by no means lost to 

 you. Besides the stimulating effect which 

 these empty sections have on the bees, in- 

 ducing them to work to fill all up before the 

 honey-flow ceases, it gives you a good start 

 the following season, and you can make no 

 better investment. This system will keep 

 the largest possible force of working bees 

 fully occupied, and prevent swarming 

 through the honey season, and at the close 

 will induce the bees to complete their work, 

 and what they may do over is not lost, bat 

 can l)e used next year. 



We may say that sometimes the honey 

 season is suddenly cut off, and leaves us 

 with one super of sections with foundation 

 scarcely touched, and another with perhaps 

 the foundation only partially drawn out, and 

 a little honey in. Instead of leaving these 

 empty spaces between the brood chamber, 

 and the sections being completed above, you 



should lift lyj the filled sections; take out 

 these two crates, and put the sections that 

 are being completed down next the brood 

 chamber, and set these two partially filled 

 supers on the top. A little careful manipu- 

 lating in this way will leave very few empty 

 sections in the fall. To carry on this work 

 it is best to have a stand made of light strips, 

 about an inch square, and the top so ar- 

 ranged that you can lift off your crates and 

 set them on top of these stands. The top of 

 the stand should be large enough so that you 

 can put down three sets of crates. This en- 

 ables you to change them as you desire, re- 

 move sections, or manipulate in any way you 

 wish. This stand should not weigh more 

 than from five to ten pounds, and be about 

 two and a half feet high. If built of slats, 

 there will be no place to mash bees in set- 

 ting on crates and it can be carried about 

 the yard in one hand." 



The style of cover that I use has a cleat at 

 each end. This cleat is wider than the cover 

 is thick, hence it projects (3-2 inch) both 

 above and below the cover. By turning a 

 surplus crate in a diagonal direction, two 

 diagonally opposite corners will just nicely 

 "catch on" to the up-raised edges of the 

 cleats on the ends of the cover. I have yet 

 to find a better place to set a super filled with 

 bees and honey than upon the cover of an ad- 

 joining hive, turning the super in a diagonal 

 manner as mentioned. The cleats raise the 

 crate so that no bees are crushed. 



Not a Fair Trial of the Effects of Unsealed 

 Brood in Holding Swarms. 



The following is an extract from June 15th 

 Gleanings, and was written by Ernest: 



" Day before yesterday I visited the Shane 

 yard. I wheeled it down; and just the mo- 

 ment I arrived, a fine nice swarm was in the 

 air. I had contemplated sitting down in the 

 shade of a large apple-tree, and eating my 

 lunch before beginning work; but that had 

 to be postponed. This swarm, likewise, 

 started out for the woods: and then, oh how 

 I wanted the fountain pump and a good big 

 pail of water! In despair I ran to the hive 

 whence they came, to see whether they had a 

 clipped queen. Yes, there she was — a two- 

 year-old queen, with both wings clipped. 

 Before I could pick her up she went in at the 

 entrance; and the bees, on recounoitering to 

 discover their queen, finally settled in two 

 clusters. Although there were many tall 

 trees in the vicinity, they were obliging 

 enough to settle on the two smallest trees in 

 the orchard, and on two of the lowest limbs 

 at that, so I could reach them very conven- 

 iently. I soon hived them in two empty 

 hives on empty combs. "Now," said I, "I 

 will see whether those fellows will stay con- 

 tented without brood, for some old veteran 

 has said that brood has no efifect either way." 

 In a few minutes they both swarmed out 

 again, and clustered. Again I put them back 

 on dry combs, and again they both swarmed 



