Conducted by FRANCIS JAGER, Professor of Apiculture, University Farm, St. Paul.

COMB HONEY, EXTRACTED HONEY, AND INCREASE.

(Continued from May No.)

Colonies run for comb honey are very much inclined to swarm.  Swarming with the resulting division of forces is incompatible with profitable comb honey production.  The colony must be kept together for best results.  The following methods are used by well known beekeepers.

1.  At the beginning of the honey flow let the colony cast a natural swarm.  After hiving the bees on starters or full sheets of foundation and giving them a little brood to prevent them from swarming out again, the swarm is put in the place of the parent colony, which is removed to one side two or three feet.  The seventh day the old colony is moved over to the opposite side of the swarm two or three feet.  Two weeks after, all the bees are shaken in front of the swarm, and the hive with wax and honey removed.  Thus the desire of bees for swarming has been satisfied, and the colony is still working together.

2.  Make a shaken swarm.  During the dandelion honey flow add an extracting super to your comb raising colony to give bees room to store.  At the beginning of the honey flow set the whole hive a little aside and put a new bottom board on the place thus vacated.  On this bottom board place the extracting super from your colony.  Find the frame with the queen and put it in the middle of this new brood chamber, bees and all.  Then shake all the bees from the old brood chamber into the new.  The brood in the old hive thus left orphans may be piled up on top of some weaker colony in your yard who will take care of it.  Five such supers with brood may be piled on top of one such colony, and they will be the strongest in the yard for storing extracted honey during the basswood or other late honey flow.  This honey will be very handy for feeding your bees in the fall and spring.  Now add a comb honey super to your shaken swarm.  Add more supers when necessary, below before July 4th, on top after that date.  Remove all comb honey supers at once at the end of the honey flow to have them white and clean.

3.  When your colony is very strong at the beginning of the honey flow—­about June 10th—­remove the queen, either by killing her or by starting a new colony with her with two frames of brood.  The seventh day cut out all queen cells but one—­be sure not to leave two.  This will re-queen your apiary, will prevent swarming for that season, will put a large number of bees into the field—­there being no larvae to feed, will prevent thousands of bees from being hatched after they are of no use as gatherers of honey, and the honey needed for raising those bees will go into the supers.

(Continued in July No.)

SECRETARY’S CORNER

NOTICE OF SUMMER MEETING will be found on pages 257-259 of this magazine.  Don’t overlook it—­and be sure to come.  Great show of flowers and a fine day is assured—­that is our record to date.