Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-05-04
Farm and Household.
For the Republican.
Scientific Bee Culture.
ARTIFICIAL SwARMING. ITS ADvAN-
TAGES AND UTILITY.

Nearly every season some of them
hang out lazily around the entrance
their hives during the best part of
the honey harvest, and some times
fail to swarm at all, and have not
laid up much surplus honey in con-
sequence of idly waiting for their
Queen to lead them to a new home
The advantages to be gained in arti-
ficial swarming are, greater amount
ofsurplus honey, and good swarms
at the proper season; and the apia-
rian is able to utilize his own time
by accomplishing in q few hours
what would have hindered him
many davs in watching and waiting
for his lazy swarms to issue. The
methods of accomplishing the work,
vary according to the kind of hives
used. If the Bee Keeper uses the
common box hive, the method given
in this article is perhaps as good as
any known for new beginners spe-
cially. First prepare two empty
hives as near like the hives you in
tend to force as can be conveniently
found among those on hand, carry
one of the empty hives to shade,
(having chosen fair day from 10
o'clock A. VI. to 3 P. NJ, J
prepare a place so that your
hives will sit level. Now you have
one empty hive undera shade tree
at convenient distance from your
bees, to insure comfort in working.
Then take the other empay hive
along with you to the stand where
your colony is now briskly working.
Set down your empty hive conven-
lent, and take the hive you intend to
force, and slowly and carefully lift it
from the stand at the same time
turning it carefully upend down,
carrying it to the shade tree and set
it upend down or open end up.
Then Immediately go back to the
stand and take the empty hive you
carried there when you went for the
bees, and set that empty hive exact
ly in the place of the hive you car
ried away from the stand with the
bees in. This empty hive you set
in the place of the removed colony,
is to decoy the bees which are con-
tinually streaming in from the fields.
They will fly in and out of it again
and again to determine if it is pos
sible that they have mistaken their
direction and gone into the wrong
hive. While this is going on, and
and the bees returning from the
fields are becoming alarmed for the
loss of their home, go at once to
your work under the shade tree.
Take your empty hive and set it
bottom down fitting it closely to the
bottom of the hive the bees are in,
which is bottom up. Close the fly
holes by wrapping a piece of old car
pet or anythin like fabric which
will keep the bees from getting out.
Then take two sticks and beat
all around the hive that the
bees are in. This is what is called
drumming" them. The bees will
soon begin to run up into the empty
hive. You can tell by their hum
ming when they are all up, if not,
push down the cloth little and
Iook. If not all up or nearly so,
1rum little more. When you
think they are about all up, raise
the hive carefully and slowly from
5he other one, keeping it in the same
position, so that the bees can keep
their hold in the cluster, and set
them down easily on cloth or wire
screen from tanning mill, or any
thing else that will keep the bees
secure in the hive, and give them
plenty of air.. Now you have your
swarm forced from the parent hive,
which is now empty of bees but full
of brood honey, pollen, DC. As
soon as you have secured your bees
in the hive and set them in the
shade with good ventilation, take
the old hive of combs brood dc. and
carry 1t to the stand, remove the
decOy hive an d set the old hive in
its former place. Shake the bees
out of the decov hive and they will
soon all be humming with joy, on
finding their old home again. Now
you have the forced swarm in the
new hive under the shade tree, and
the old hive on its old stand with
The bees in 1t that came from the
fields. All right thus far. Let them
remain SO till Just before sun-down,
# the work has been done IN the af,
The object at any time of
lay being to give time enough to
ct the bees which were in the field,
gather into the old hive before re
moving it to its permanent stand.
These bees which were in the field
nave been secured and troubled, and
will remain with the old hive no
natter where 1t is placed. They will
AXE their course again just as new
swarm, will proceed to make them
selves a Queen and go on prosper
,usly. The swarm that was forced
rom its home into the new hive
aast be placed on the old stand to
'emain there for they know no other
lome. Being robbed of all their
rood and stores, they go to work
With a vengeance to repair the loss,
md are aI,cays better than natural
swarm. A reasonably sensible man
will perform the operation, above
in much less time than /
lave been writing it. Twenty min
ties is time enough, and if the hives
ire numbered, from four to ten may
,e forced at the same time, if the
'perator remembers TO keep the or
Ter as described. A new beginner
hould commence with one at
ime until he has the trade'learned,
hen he can make swarms as fast as
le wishes them at the proper season.
A. h. FREY