48 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



If increase is desired, move the old 

 brood-nest to a new stand, after 1 days, 

 open the entrance and see that they get a 

 queen from their own cells or supply one. 



Another way : Remove the new brood- 

 nest and laying- queen to a new stand, 10 

 days after treatment, leaving the old 

 brood-nest with all sealed brood, with one 

 cell, virgin or layer, and open the entrance. 

 By this latter variation the colony on the 

 old stand is in fine condition for either 

 comb or extracted honey. 



THIS SYSTEM NOT WELL-ADAPTED TO COMB 

 HONEY PRODUCTION. 



This plan of controlling swarming by a 

 hole in the bottom-board, covered with 

 queen excluding zinc, is not adapted, with- 

 out modification, to the production of 

 comb honey, as there is too much induce- 

 ment for the bees to remain below on the 

 brood, storing there, rather than build 

 comb and do much work in supers and 

 new brood-nest. All these things I have 

 tested thoroughly during the past season, 

 for extracted honey in the distant yard, 

 and for both extracted and comb in the 

 yards in the home district, and the plans 

 that I recommend I have found good. 



The possible variations of this method 

 of swarm control are legion, and can be 

 adapted, by any skillful bee-keeper, to 

 his own locality and ideas of manage- 

 ment. 



I lean a board against the west side of 

 the old closed brood-nest, if it is not well 

 shaded, to avoid overheating. In a season 

 of excessive swarming, some colonies so 

 treated (or treated by any other method) 

 will again be ready to swarm in three 

 weeks, more or less, so look out, in such a 

 season, and repeat the process, though 1 

 judge from the journals that such seasons 

 are rare in most localities. 



I think that this method of swarming, or 

 swarm control, can be carried out in less 

 time than any other, avoiding the faults 

 of many other methods, but as a sugges- 

 tion only, I hope that others will try the 

 plan that 1 hope to test next summer — 

 merely take a frame of brood, not bother- 



ing to find the queen, and put it in the 

 new hive, leaving the old queen in the old 

 hive. Perhaps in 1 days we can re-unite 

 them. Try this in the home-yard so that 

 if swarming results there will be no loss. 

 If this latter plan will work, all the ad- 

 vantages of the boasted secret "C. Daven- 

 port plan" will be realized, when the 

 details are determined by trial, and I 

 have seen some evidence which leads me 

 to'hope that will prove successful. 



The valuable method of "hole in the 

 "bottom-board" swarm control which 

 I have described, is the invention of 

 Mr. George E. Dudley, of Colorado and 

 Idaho, first used by him in the production 

 of comb honey but after several seasons' 

 test, found unsuitable, and discarded in 

 favor of the method which he has kindly 

 consented to allow me to describe in a 

 future number of the Review. During the 

 past summer I tested the plan that I have 

 described, for both comb and extracted 

 honey. For comb honey, results were 

 poor to fair, for extracted honey, good to 

 splendid. 



The nearest approach to this method of 

 which I ever heard, was Dr. Tinker's 

 "New System," but his method was to 

 allow the bees to swarm, then, about 

 seven days later the old hive of brood 

 was put on top of the supers, with a 

 brood-board (similar to a bee-escape 

 board, with no escape, the hole covered 

 with a bit of queen-excluding zinc) be- 

 tween the hive-body of emerging brood 

 and the supers, so the bees can pass be- 

 low and join the new swarm. 



If no increase is desired, I much prefer 

 the plan that I use, as the emerging brood 

 is below all, out of the way. and less 

 honey will be stored in the combs as the 

 brood emerges, there is less danger of 

 over-heating, and the new swarm is 

 practically in a new location, yet no 

 actual swarming or shaking is necessary. 

 After all the colonies in the distant yard 

 had been treated as needed, given abun- 

 dant storage and brood room, we took our 

 departure. 



Meridian, Idaho, Dec. 10, 1906. 



