146 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



and then to crowd the queen below to- 

 wards the last end of the season; and this 

 procedure will also secure the desired re- 

 sults, as to quality of honey. Just a little 

 brains towards the last of the season. 



During- the season of surplus, the out- 

 yard should be visited as often as once a 

 week, for best results. Give plenty of 

 surplus room during the first two-thirds 



of the season, then let up a little; and if 

 you have been a little free in giving- room 

 so far, perhaps some of the colonies will 

 not need more room. Being right on the 

 ground you will have to use your best 

 judgment as to the duration of the honey 

 flow, also as to strength of colonies, etc. 



Remus, Mich., Feb. 12. 1907. 



;v^>^V^J 



Only a Few Visits Because of 

 Shook Swarming". 



M. A. GILL. 



yRlEND HUTCHINSON;— I have just 

 ^ been reading, for the second time, 

 your manner of making increase in the 

 Review u.piary, and was thinking that 1 

 would like to have you try a plan that, in 

 my opinion, will completely control swarm- 

 ing, make 100 per cent, increase, give a 

 good crop of honey, and with as few 

 visits as possible. 



In giving the plan, the dates I shall use 

 might have to be changed to fit condi- 

 tions, caused by early or late locations, 

 but, to illustrate. 1 will say that if 1 had 

 fifty colonies of bees in Michigan that I 

 wanted to manage by the above plan, 1 

 would be there April 1st, take them from 

 the cellar or clamp (as the case may be) 

 and see that every colony had abundant 

 stores to last until June first, at which 

 time there would be plenty of hatching 

 bees. 



GETTING QUEENS FOR THE INCREASE 



On the above date 1 would first pick 

 out five of the best colonies in the apiary, 

 and remove the queens by forming five, 

 good, one-frame nuclei. 



WHEN TO DO THE SHAKING. 



I would then equalize the hatching 

 brood among the forty-five remaining 



colonies, so they would be as near equal 

 as possible by June 8th to 10th, when I 

 would return and "shake" the forty-five 

 colonies by the regular plan of "shook 

 swarming," leaving the queens with the 

 new swarms on the old stands, and 

 carrying the queenless brood to the new 

 stands. 



The next afternoon I would go to the 

 five colonies which were made queenless 

 ten days previous, and from which I 

 should be able to secure forty-five. No. 1 

 queen cells built in full colonies, giving 

 one to each of the hives of brood which 

 will be perfectly safe this soon, as there 

 are only young bees to deal with. 



Now 1 know that all swarming is over 

 with, and whether working for comb or 

 extracted honey surplus room must be 

 given to the forty-five shook swarms, for 

 the honey flow is on, and they are going 

 to do busi-ness. 



1 would visit them again July 1st., and 

 have a few queens in my pocket to give 

 where any had missed. 1 would find that 

 I had forty-five good colonies storing sur- 

 plus, and another fifty colonies with young 

 queens that would be ready to handle 

 any surplus that might come after July 

 20th, and 1 would give at this time suf- 



