THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
Chloroform. 
AS A PREVENTION OF INCREASE- 
INTRODUCING QUEENS, Ac. 
Written for the Canadian Honey Producer by w. 
KIRBY. 
During the past season many articles have 
appeared in the various bee papers, written by 
some of the most extensive and most experienced 
beekeepers of the day. on the important subject, 
“ The prevention of increase in working for comb 
honey.” The sum and substance of all that has 
been written is to give plenty of room to a colony 
to prevent them getting the swarming fever, and 
the vigorous use of the extractor to deprive them 
of the swarming fever after they once get it. 
In my opinion, prevention is better than the 
cure, by a long odds. This extracting of nice 
sealed honey out of the brood-nest (which makes 
the best of winter stores) is something I could not 
tolerate, to say nothing about the extra work for 
nothing, when a much easier and simpler method 
will do. 
The swarming fever appears to be, and is, the 
great trouble to get over when the bees once get 
it. The best, the easiest, and the quickest, and 
the cheapest way to cure that fever is by the use 
of chloroform, given to them by the smoker, just 
at dark when the bees are nearly all in the hive — to 
be given to them until they lie like dead bees 
upon the combs, or until not a bee will fly when 
the honey-board is taken off and the hive kicked. 
Two years ago last June I treated a colony just 
as I have described. They had their first queen- 
cell capped, and would have swarmed the next 
day. The morning after the drugging they went 
to the fields as usual, apparently none the worse 
for the dose. Upon examining them in the even- 
ing, 24 hours after the drugging, the queen-cell 
was still intact. Forty-eight hours after drugging. 
I examined them again, and found the cell still 
intact, and no further progress had been made on 
any of the other queen-cells. 
They had one case of sections on. I then took 
away all finished sections, and filled up again with 
sections containing full sheets of foundation. 
Seventy-two hours after drugging, I examined 
them again, and found the cell torn to pieces. 
About a week after this I gave them another case 
of sections ; there was a steady, moderate yield 
from the raspberry during this time. The colony 
gave me about 50 pounds of nice finished sections 
that season. 
The above experiment convinces me that chloro- 
form is the specific. 
When a swarm issues, put it back, take away 
all finished sections, and fill up again, and give 
room enough for all the bees to work ; then give 
them a good drugging in the evening. Before 
morning they will get rid of the effects of the 
drug, and will have forgotten, or given up all 
notion of swarming, and go to the fields to gather 
nectar and pollen as usual the next day. I find 
chloroform very useful in the apiary. 
In introducing queens not a queen need be lost. 
Also in the uniting of colonies, not a bee will be 
lost from fighting excepting one of the queens. 
Also in moving bees about the apiary, set them 
anywhere, and in the evening give them a dose. 
In the morning they will be seen marking their 
location as they fly out, and will return to it, they 
having forgotten all about the old one. I suppose 
ether would as well as chloroform, although I 
have never used it. 
In all cases the drugging should be to a stupor, 
except in introducing queens in a honey flow, 
when very little or none is needed. Objections 
may be taken to the use of anaesthetics in the 
apiary, on the ground of their being injurious to 
the bees. My observation has been very close, 
and so far I have not been able to detect any 
difference. Twelve hours after a colony has been 
drugged, they will be as brisk as ever. As a 
proof of this, take a queenless colony in the fall 
that is being robbed by wholesale, no defence 
being made at all ; drug in a queen in the even- 
ing, and in the morning watch and see how the 
inmates will shoot up olf the alighting-board at 
the robbers as they appear. 
The foregoing remarks are from my own obser- 
vation and experience. My theory for the preven- 
tion of increase in working for comb honey 
originated with myself (never having seen any 
thing written on the subject.) 
I only tested it on one colony ; but I have no 
doubt but what chloroform will prove effectual 
every time if properly used. I do not need to 
prevent increases as yet, because I am working up 
an apiary from a small beginning, but if the time 
ever comes that I shall need to, chlororform is 
what I shall use to accomplish my purpose. 
Oshawa, Ont. 
USE OF CHLOROFORM IN HANDLING 
BEES. 
Written for the American Bee Journal by 
C. E. Woodward. 
On page 742 some one asks if any ill-effects 
would follow the use of chloroform in quieting 
bees, or introducing queens. As I have never 
seen any method for its use in the apiary, from 
our leading apiarists, I will give the method I use 
for uniting colonies and introducing queens. 
In the first place, we must take into considera- 
tion the powerful liquid we are to use. Chloro- 
form is a colorless, volatile liquid, and is very 
powerful for man or beast, and should not be 
allowed in the hands of any child. 
Get the chloroform and three sponges, and 
saturate one of the sponges with the liquid ; 
dampen a sponge with water, and put the sponge 
into the bee-smoker ; then put in the sponge 
saturated with the chloroform, and then put in 
the third sponge. Be sure that you have the 
sponge saturated with the chloroform between the 
two sponges dampened with water. This will 
hold the strength of the chloroform. 
