Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-09-06
SOME LESSONS OF THE SEASON.
Clipped ueens---Swarming and
Honey.


tune, or misfortune, to have few
queens with clipped wings IN his apiary,
and when a colony having one of these
queens cast a swarm, it occasioned
much more trouble than swarm whose
queen is unclipped hence in an arti-
Gle on "Hiving Bees" he condemned
the practice of clipping queens wings,
and gave in detail his experience with
clipped queens. Another bee-keeper
who clipped all his queens, then told
in detail how he managed, when it be.
came very apparent to the writer that
having part CT his queens clipped and
part unclipped complicated the matter
very much. He is not in favor Of
clipped queens, but would much prefer
to manage an apiary in which they
were all clipped, to one in which part
of them were clipped.
Until the present season, the writer
has secured more honey, on an aver
age, from colonies (and their increase(
that swarmed, than from those that
failed to swarm. This season, how
ever, the honey harvest began two
weeks earlier than usual, dry weather
cut off the supply from white clover
at least three weeks earlier than usual,
while dry, cold weather and high winds
made a complete failure Of the bass
wood honey harvest, which is the
main one here. The result was that
colonies which did not swarm, stored,
on an average, about one-third more
honey than those that did, aided by
their increase. The increase of stock
is as valuable as the extra amount Of
honey secured from those that did not
swarm, while if there should be a good
flow of fall honey, in all probability
the tables would be turned.
COMBS FRAMES.
From reading the experience and
assertions of others, the writer was,
the present season, induced to expert
ment with a view to decide whether il
was advisable to hive swarms upon
empty combs, upon sheets of founda
ton, or upon empty frames, when
working for comb honey. The first
swarm that issued was hived upon
empty combs, the second upon frames
filled with wired foundation, the third
upon empty frames i. e., they were
empty except 'starter" of founda
ton half an inch wide underneath
cath top bar. This order of procedure
was continued until fifteen swarms hat
been hived, when no more were hiveC
upon empty combs, as it was very evi
dent that they were employed at loss
1t would haYe been more profitable tt
cut out the combs and throw then
away, as the first thing the bees die
was to fill the combs with honey no
drop would they put in the sections
until the combs below we're filled, an(
even then they appeared 10th to com
mence storing in the sections, whilt
the combs below were so full of hone,
that the queen was cramped for room
to lay. When first hived, the bee
worked with a vim, and soon fillet
their hives with honey then boil
brood rearing and the storing of hone,
progressed slowly, compared with tn
work done in the hives by the colonie
hived upon foundation or upon empt
frames. When the hiving upon emf
ty combs was abandoned, there was n
noticeable advantage in favor of com
foundation, or Of empty frames, an
the intention was to continue the us
of both until the close of the season
hiying each alternate swarm upo
foundation but sickness and an acc
dent put affairs in an undesirable cor
dition. Although there was an equs
number (20) of swarms hived in eac
manner, yet it so happened that tn
majority of those hived upon founda
ton were hived few days earlier i
the season than the majority of thos
hived upon empty frames; but, wit
the advantage, those hived upon four
dation stored, on an average, only tw
pounds more honey per colony tina
Al