THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3205, 18 August 1915, Page 8

THE APIARY.

By J. A

BUSINESS BEEKEEPING—No. 6. In closing last week I promised to say something as to controlling swarming. Seeing that in handling the natural swarm we sought as far as possible to bring the bees of the old colony and its swarm together again, could the end not be better served by preventing it from issuing altogether? How to do this may fitly be called the beekeeper’s puzzle. The very best of beekeepers have sought an answer to this question, and have spent years of study to get it; but at the present time it is still unanswered. They have, however, learned a good deal, and methods can be adopted which will at least reduce swarming to a very small percentage. Among many contributing factors which seem to load towards swarming, there are two controlling ones which more than tho others help or hinder swarming conditions. One is ventilation, and the other is plenty of room. If it is desired to encourage swarming and to make it early, it can bo done by putting on no supers and leaving a small entrance. As soon as the bees feel tho crush they will prepare for swarming, and out they will come. On the other hand, if as soon as the colonics begin to whiten the tops of the combs and are evidently making progress, a super of good brood combs is placed on each (no excluder being used), thus giving ample room'for the queen to extend tho brood nest, and if at the same time tho doorway is opened full width, and when the warm weather comes raised on blocks, it will bo found to delay swarming considerably. So effectual will such treatment prove that it may be regarded, as a rule, that until the bees have so increased as to be again in danger of crush that they will not swarm. I say that th : s is tho rule; there are lots of exceptions. When the danger of crush docs come further room must be given. Some do this by simply adding another super, putting on an excluder to prevent tho queen rising further, and thus making room for honey in the top. Such treatment, however, is not so effective, and as a result there will bo more swarms. A better way, and one that is growing in favour amongst beekeepers, is as follows:—Open the hive, take out an outside comb in the super, then take the combs and give each a shake to put tho bees down into the old brood box. This is done to got the queen into the lower box. Tho excluder is then put on to keep the queen down, and after it a super of emptv combs is put on. and then on top of all is put the super from which the bees were shaken, and which is now heavy with brood and honey. The mat and cover completes the change. For tho sake of those who may be not familiar with the development of a colony of bees in springtime, lot mo go over this ground again. If avo examine a colony of bees in August wo find brood in two or throe of the centre combs, we find bees busy honey from tho furthest-out combs in the hive for the use of the brood, and a good deal of emptv comb from which tho honey has already been taken. Gradually the brood nest is being expanded, and proportionately the honev reserve is being reduced Examine the same colony again in tho last week of November (or about that time), and we find that the brood nest has been extended from, side to side of tho hive, and tho honey (which by that time is often coming in faster than it is being used in tho hive) is placed round tho ends and top of the combs. Soon, in order to save room for the queen, the honey cells are lengthened. the new wax used showing white. The bees will be thickly packed in the spaces between the combs. That is the time for the first super (no excluder being used). Tho bees immediately take possession of t!ie super, and begin to transfer honey from tho lower combs to tho super, and also to carry up what is coming from

the field. In this they are obeying their instinct, which loads them to store their honey above the brood. This at once gives room for the bees, makes it an easy matter for them to prepare room for the queen and also gives abundance of room for honeystoring. A third examination made about Christmas time will show the super (in an average year) fairly heavy with honey and brood, whilst but little honey and 'a decreased quantity of brood will be in the brood box, which, in comparison with the super, will be light. It is now that the queen is put down, and an excluder put on to keep her there, while an empty super is given in the centre, the old super going on top. This makes a clean cut in the brood, removing the greater part of it quite away from the queen. The introduction of the centre super gives ample storing room, and the bees are immediately spread over the whole three stories. As the bees hatch out in the top super it is stored up with honey, and if the proper honey flow is on, a further super can bo added just above the excluder—-that is, if needed. If in connection with this arrangement of the colony there is proper ventilation, it will greatly decrease the amount of swarming; .hut. as I have already said, though this is the rule there are exceptions, and sometimes a great many of them. CATCHING AND CLIPPING QUEENS. (By E. S. Miles.) Presuming that all up-to-date beekeepers, and all beginners who wish to succeed, practise clipping, and that some may not nave a satisfactory way, I wish to give my method. \\ hile, doubtless, there may be better ways, if anyone is not satisfied with his present practice let him try this one. Queens are clipped primarily to prevent swarms lodging in tall trees and other inaccessible places; but I would clip so as to know absolutely without mistake the age of my queens. I want longevity in bees, and it seems reasonable to me to expect it from strains whoso queens live long rather than from those whose queens are shorter lived. There may be other ways to mark queens; but as this is easy, effective, and at the same time gives a chance of absolute control of the colony, and, so far as my observation goes, does no harm, I think it advisable and profitable. When I started clipping I caught the queen by the wings with the right band and held her with the thorax between the thumb and first and second finger of the loft hand while clipping. It made mo rather nervous to hold her this way, as I was afraid I might squeeze her too hard. At this time I happened to read that the bees would be more likely to attack and kill a queen held in the fingers, on account of the strange scent loft upon her, and that the only way was to clip her as she walked on the combs. I wish that writer had told us to try it on drones or workers for a dozen times or so first, for I tried it once on a fine 2dol tested queen. Well, I clipped her all right, but not the wings; and I voted that way too expensive for me. So, in thinking the matter over, I hit on the following way, which I have liked well enough to continue ever since. I never have a queen lost from clipping. To clip now, I open the hive as carefully as possible, so as not to alarm them, as it is easier thus both to find the queen and to catch her. When the queen is seen I set the left-hand end of the frame on the edge of the hive, or, more frequently, on my left knee, as I always sit when clipping, thus freeing my left hand. Catching the queen by both wings with thumb and forefinger of my left hand, I sot the comb back in the hive by letting the free end down until the projecting top bar comes to the rabbet, their lower the end I have hold of-till the bottom of the frame rests on the other end of the hive, the frame thus hanging in the hive at the left end, and projecting out at the right end. I now take the shears, which arc laid somewhere convenient to my right hand, and lower the queen until her feet touch my left knee, when she grabs hold and begins to pull; and as soon as her 'legs arc thus engaged and out of the way, I slip the point of the shears over whichever part of either wing I wish to cut, and just a second glance to make sure her legs are on my knee—snip! and she is clipped, and running around on my knee, while the onlv part I have touched is between my thumb and finger. I immediately set the point of the scissors down flat across her pathway, and, as she starts to crawl over them. I quickly transfer her to the top of the frames she came from. If she starts to run up the scissors I take thorn in the left hand, if necessary, to prevent her reaching my right hand before she is over the comb; and it is a good idea to hold your, free hand under her in case you should drop her off. A little practice, however, will enable one to clip very quickly, and without touching the queen. As to her running on my knee, it is covered with propolis whore I rest the frames while catching the queen, so it is hardly likely she will got any hostile scent there. At least I find this entirely satisfactory; but one could rest her wdiilo clipping on a piece of board held across the knees if ho prefers. Any kind of finepointed scissors that cut well at the points will do to clip with. After clipping, close up the hive as quietly and quickly as possible. A young queen just commencing to lay is much more “scary” about being caught than an older one. There is a little knack, also, in getting hold of a queen by the end of her wings. I am not sure I can describe it so it can be understood, but I’ll try. Most queens, when the fingers got close to them, take alarm, and begin to run one w'ay and another; and if you follow' up they usually got very much alarmed, especially young queens. Now. if you try to grab a running queen with finger and thumb apart, you stand a good change of striking her body, and perhaps injuring her. The wav I do is to got her, or lot her got, with her head up. and slightly away from wher* the fingers will ho when I take her. and hold my hand as near her as I can without making her run. When I consider her in n favourable position I slip my hand quieklv up to her with my thumb and forefinger tightly together: and when the points of them are close to her wings I roll my thumb and finger ends together by crooking my finger and thumb slightly, thus rolling the edge of my thumb and finger on to her wirnrs with a sort of rolling or pinching motion. Without opeirng them apart I avoid danger of grabbing the queen’s abdomen. Practise on some drones or young workers, and the knack will lie acquired oas’ly. In clipping, always - handle combs quietly without jarring, and do nothing to frighten the bees. Keep cool yourself, and

don’t be nervous. If you cannot do this a little practice on drones or workers may help. It is perfectly simple, and easy after you have had some practice. Dunlap, lowa.