St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-06-15
BEES on the FARM.


q Celsalas.
Ihave . notion that twenty o. tweo-
ty-five colonies are - many (under
ordinary circumstances) - IL II pro1t'
able to keep In ono place OF course
It may be possible to cultivs&e honey.
bearing plants that will double q
quadruple the capacity Of . givee
area. but with the exception oe alsiks
clover this branch Of the business has
been . failure In my experience For
this reason ! have reached the con.
clusion that It IL not profitable for ms
to permit my colonies 70 increase very
many above twenty in number. I do
not have . very great demand for
surplus colonies. nor do I consider II
any object to part with prime early
swarms ut tho price usually ask for
them. A rule they are worth more
money 70 keep than I can get Tor
them. How then" / have been often
asked. do you manage to keep them
from multiplying inde6nitelyr Al
our bee conventions I have heard Ill
sorts Of plans submitted for prevent
ing and controlling increase and have
heard old bee-keepers declare that no
practical method for accomplishing
the desired purpose has yet been do
vised. but an old bee-keeper In Penn
sylvania gave mo some suggestions .
few years ago which pointed the way.
after q little experimenting. to success.
l will try to explain the process briefly
a follows:
Suppose that colony No. I may send
out . swarm on juno 10. I move hive
No. l directly back from its old stand
about three feet and place IN empty
hive filled with combs where No l
formerly stood. I hive the new colony
in the empty hive. then shake al the
bees from frames Of No. into the new
swarm. I shake the new bees that
hatch from No. I into the now swarm
every day until another colony sends
out q new swarm. when use the hive
No. l for IN empty hive to receive the
second new swarm. and treat No. 3the
same as No. / has been handled. II
two or three colonies come out the
same day. the after shaking must Be-
omitted unless We have moro than one
lot OF empty combs. I usually have
moro. II no coloni.s die during the
winter. I usually and some at
the opening Of the honey season
that are too weak to accomplish much.
and these I unite. making strong
swarms and empty comba In all casea
where bees have begun work In the
surplus story this should be removed
to the new swarm aud the work oi
storing surplus goes on with little in
terruptiou. The later swarms arc pro-
vided with full combs in brood cham
Der and placed moro nearly on ~
equality with those Of earlier date.
OF course. the good sense Of al OK.
perienced bee-keepers will suggest the
necessity Of keeping the hives closed
until they receive now swarmA else
the honey may mysteriously disappear.
For me this method has made hun
dreds Of pounds Of honey during the
past i've years, and almost entirely cut
OF expenses for now hives and fixtures,
which very often eat up the eatire In.
come from the apiary. Lea those Of
my readers who are after honey and
profit in the bee business give this plan
a thorough and careful trial, and they
will have less cause 70 growl over
their losses In the business know
Of NO auxiliary 70 ordinary farm work
that pays better profit for tho time
and money invested than twenty
colonies Of bees properly managed.-
G 7. Leonard. In Ohio Farmer.