Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-09-21
swARmlNe AND AFTeRswARMlna.
No Profitable Plan For Preventing the
Former, but the Latter Need Not Occur.

Former, but the Latter Need Not Occur.
There is no contamination SO devout- |
" wished for among beekoepers as that
of the prevention Of swarming. If tins
could be accomplished, tho specialist |
could have several out apiaries and
manage them by simply visiting them
once q week during the honey season.
AS il now is, there must be some one TO
watch for and hive swarms, or the loss
In this direction will be great To raise
comb honey TO the best advantage we
must have good populous colonies Of
bees, and when they are in this condi-
ton swarming is quite likely 10 occur,
and at present there seems 70 be no in
fallible, practical, profitable method OF
preventing this, but il is possible that
one may yet be discovered. The best
probably that can be done is TO allow a
generous entrance, shade the hive and
see that there is an abundance of room
In the surplus apartment.
1t may not bo out Of place TO remark
that some beekeepers-porhaps all who
find it convenient to remain in or near
the apiary during the swarming season
prefer TO have at least one swarm
+ from each colony, as with proper sea-
son they may get more honey III the
aggregate and have more bees III the
fall, but more than one swarm from
colony is not desired when honey is the
object sought. Fortunately afterswarm-
ing is preventable. The plan practiced
most is called the Heddon method and
| Ii NO IA
old stand and placing the old hive by
! its side, but with its entrance turned
away at an angle of 40 degrees. Each
| dav the entrance Of the old hive is
slightly turned toward that Of the new
! ly hived swarm.
At the end Of week both hives are
sitting side by side and if either We're
removed all Of the flying bees would
enter the one that remained. 1t is at
about this time that the first young
queen matches in the parent colony, and
1t is to her advent that swarming is
due. Just at this time the old hive is
carried to new stand some distance
away. All Of the flying bees return to
the old stand and join the new colony
upon which has been placed the supers
taken from the old hive. The old colo
nv is so completely robbed of its bees
just rs the young queens are Matching
that swarming does not occur, all Of the
Young queens except one being killed
probably in royal combat.
This plan fails only when the queen
cells are so far advanced at the time Of
swarming that the first queen matches
before the removal of the hive, or they
are in such an early stage that the queens
do not hatch until several days after the
removal, which allows sufficient bees to
hatch to bring about swarming This
obstacle has been removed by closing
the entrance Of the old hive as soon as
the hive is parallel by the side of the
new hive and placing in the entrance a
''bee escape'-that is, a wire cloth cone
opening outwardly. This allows the
bees to leave the hive. but when they
return they do not find the small open
ing Of the cone but enter the newly
hived swarm. This keeps the parent col
onv so reduced in bees that no swarm
ing occurs In about two weeks from
the time that the swarm issued the ole
hive can be placed upon new stanC
and given queen or ripe queen cell
saws the authority for the foregoing IL
a communication to Country Gentleman