FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 185 



PILES OP STORIES. 



The problem of prevention of swarming would be very 

 much easier if I were running for extracted honey instead of 

 comb. I am very much of the opinion that I could pile up 

 stories as in Tig. 68, and not have one colony in a hundred 

 swarm, the fact that no such pile ever swarmed for me confirm- 

 ing that opinion; and I have had a few such piles every year 

 for a number of years. 



VENTILATIOX TO PREVENT SWARJlIING. 



It is not, I think, so much the abundance of room as the 

 abundance of ventilation that prevents swarming, although the 

 room is important. Notice the opportunity for ventilation in 

 that pile in Fig. 68. The entrance, which you cannot see, is 12 

 inches wide and 2 inches deep. The second story is shoved 

 forward on the first story so as to make a ventilating space of 

 half an inch at the back, between the two stories. The third 

 story is shoved back to make a space in front ; and the ventilat- 

 ing space between the third and fourth stories is at the back. 

 Lastly the cover is shoved forward to make a space of half an 

 inch or more. Thus you see there is a fine chance for a free 

 circulation of air right through the whole pile. Alas that such 

 a thing cannot be used for comb honey ! 



DEMAREE PLAN. 



If I were running for extracted honey, I could get along 

 with little or no swarming by following the plan of G. W. 

 Demaree. When the time comes that there is danger of swann- 

 ing, put into a second story all the frames from below except 

 one containing the least brood, fill up the vacancies with empty 

 combs or frames of foundation, put a queen-excluder between 

 the two stories, and leave the queen in the lower story. Then 

 as the brood hatches out in the second story the combs will be 

 filled with honey and become extracting-combs. 



SHAKEN SWARM WITHOUT INCREASE. 



Another plan that I would enjoy trying if I were running 

 for extracted honey is one variation of forced or shaken swarms. 



